We just got back from an 8 day Mexican Riviera cruise which was LOVELY. Honestly, I go to get off my phone, let someone else cook for me and make my bed. But, today I’m back to the land of the living and I wanted to share a few things that NO one talks about cruising.
And yes, I did watch a TON of those “what to bring on a cruise” videos on Youtube — and they all seem to go over the same stuff. Magnetic hooks, cute dresses, toiletry bags (all with affiliate links). But, today I want to share the things that no one talks about — that you may very well have on hand (I did) that can make your cruise SO much better!
And before we get started, if you’re looking to book a cruise the good people at Get Away Today are my favorites to book with. I have endless questions, and they have endless answers and were willing to price-check my cruise and save us some cash along the way! I book with them every time!
Ok, let’s get to the STUFF (I promise most of this doesn’t even add much to your packing list!)
Hair Mask/Moisture
I don’t know what’s in the water on the ship but my hair hasn’t been so dry in a LONG time. I’d brought good conditioner (and leave in) but the regular amounts didn’t work.
Honestly, at one point on the cruise I looked like Einstein…. my hair was so dry!
As a curly girl who needs a lot of moisture — I took action. I double conditioned my hair (using twice as much as I normally do) and I let it sit in longer. Then, I used twice the amount of leave in.
However, I wish I’d brought a mask — don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a lot. I found this one (looks like it’s just under $10 right now). I love it — and I found it when I tried the Abbey Yung Method.
I would also plan for extra leave in conditioner if that’s something you need.
I wished I’d brought a kelating shampoo that compensates for water issues (Abbey talks about that a lot). However, that one is expensive enough I would probably just work on the moisture side.
Let me be clear that my hair looks AMAZING on the California coast normally — super curly with all the humidity. It really had something to do with the water on board, just putting it out there — I didn’t hear about that before hand. 🙂
Erasers
I stuck this on a pencil just as I was headed out… and I’m SO glad I did.
We love to do the crosswords, sudoku’s and trivia that the ship offers, but often we make a mistake.
Their pencils are just the little golf ones and don’t have an eraser.
It doesn’t need to be anything fancy — it was just REALLY handy — I wish I’d brought more.
BTW, I do pack a little stationary bag that includes:
- Tape — great to fix stuff or tape something on the wall — this time I brought washi tape
- Post-it — great for notes to each other or for our steward
- Highlighter — in case you want to highlight the activities you want to do.
- Sharpie — just in case you need to mark something
I will say the debarkation tags they give you have an impossible surface to write on — it seems impossible to write with ANYTHING because of how badly it smeared. I wish I’d brought a ball point pen that wouldn’t smear as bad, even my Sharpie S was a mess on it.
All of that is just stuff I have around the house — no purchase needed!
USB Fan
A lot of places recommend having a fan you can place by your bed if you like some air flow, but my fan goes somewhere else just as necessary — and that’s the bathroom.
There is literally NO air flow in the bathrooms. The door shots automatically and it’s just almost impossible to get things to dry on the line in there.
I’m not a fan of clipping our wet stuff on my deck chairs as that’s against the rules (but I will if we’re hanging out there). SO, I bring a fan into the bathroom.
But, Hilary — how do you do that?
You get a mini desk fan that can clip on to the shower grab bar — and then angle it at your suits.
Honestly, they don’t run a long time on high, but it’s better than nothing in there.
I just charge it when it runs out and then re-clip it when I’m in the room next.
It can clearly by used by you at night too – but I like the clip feature to put it in the bathroom.
However, if you’re hot (and awake) nothing beats a….
Hand Fan
I feel like those usb fans are all the rage — everyone says you should get one.
But honestly, nothing beats a foldable hand fan for me when it’s hot.
Now, I know some cruise lines have banned the clickitty-clack ones but I just have a simple one I picked up on vacation somewhere.
It just moves way more than those USB ones.
Pro Tip: There are GIANT fan, and those often don’t fit in my bag — the smaller ones are also great (so make sure you get one that fits the area you can put it).
Clearly, if you’re not awake the USB ones are great, but don’t underestimate a regular fan.
In fact, we had to stand in line to get on our tenders and it was WARM in that hallway. I pulled out that hand fan and was VERY happy.
That being said, my daughter was super overwhelmed in one of the markets between all the people, produce and pig heads and she loved the USB fan she could just close her eyes and get some air flow.
So, both are great, I just prefer how easy the hand fan is, how small it folds up (and I don’t have to keep it charged).
Playing Cards
Now, you used to be able to get cards for free at guest services, but that hasn’t been true on my last few cruises. A pack of playing cards can be so handy!
I actually keep mine in my tiny cruise purse. It’s awesome when we’re waiting for dinner, or a comedian or a show. Just a big fan of a pack of playing cards.
Honestly, we often bring a few games, but the playing cards get the most use since they’re so versitile.
Just don’t plan on the cruise ship having them for you (although I am pretty sure they’re not an expensive purchase on board).
Tea
We love to go to tea on the cruise ship — have some tiny sandwiches and some scones, but we don’t love basic tea — so we brought our own from home (vs their expensive add-on you can purchase there for like $4).
They didn’t bat an eye — and we were very happy to have it.
What else?
This isn’t to say that there aren’t a lot of things other people share that are great.
I LOVE magnetic hooks — I scatter them around the room and are great to hang stuff on.
I love a hanging shoe organizer to contain all the small things including:
- Sun screen
- Ziplocks
- Nail clippers
- Medication
- Games
- Baby Powder
- Ear plugs
- Sea Sick medicine (we love the ear patches and Bonine if it gets bad)
- Waterproof phone holders
- String Backpacks (great if you want to take something to the pool)
- USB fans
- Towel clips
- Laundry Supplies (huge fan of detergent sheets)
- Hand sanitizer extras
- Ponchos/umbrellas
There just isn’t enough room for all of that in the bathroom, and it’s nice to have it out where everyone can see it!
So, those are my things NO ONE talks about, and I wish was mentioned more.
What did I miss? Tell me in the comments!
One other thing no one talks about is how cruises change prices so frequently. Please book with someone who will check the pricing for you and let you know your best options (sometimes a lower price isn’t actually cheaper — because it’s CONFUSING). That’s why I love booking with Get Away Today. My favorite way is to just contact them with the dates I have and see what’s available, and then go from there!
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