We have just returned from an 8 day cruise on the Mexican Riviera which was wonderful. Honestly, I’m going to put down my phone, let someone else cook for me, and make my bed. But today I’m back in the land of the living and wanted to share a few things NO ONE talks about cruising.
And yes, I watched a TON of those “what to bring on a cruise” videos on YouTube — and they all seem to have the same content. Magnetic hooks, cute dresses, toiletries (all with affiliate links). But today I want to share the things no one talks about — that you (me) may very well have on hand that can make your cruise SO much better!
And before we get started, if you’re looking to book a cruise, the fine folks at Get Away Today are my go-to bookers. I have endless questions, and they have endless answers, and they were willing to price check my cruise and save us money along the way! I book with them every time!
OK, let’s get to the STUFF (I promise most of this doesn’t add much to your packing list!)
Hair mask/Moisturizer
I don’t know what’s in the water on the ship, but my hair hasn’t been this dry in a long time. I had brought good conditioner (and left it in) but normal 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 lots of moisture — I took action. I double treated my hair (using twice the amount I usually do) and let it sit longer. Then I used double the amount of leave.
I wish I had brought a hair mask though — don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a lot. i found this (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 on an extra leave in conditioner if that is something you need.
I wish I had brought a chelating shampoo which compensates for water issues (Abbey talks a lot about this). However, this is quite expensive, I would probably only work on the humidity side.
Let me be clear, my hair looks AMAZING on the California coast on a regular basis — super curly with all the humidity. It really had something to do with the water on the boat, I’m just putting it out there – I hadn’t heard of that before. 🙂
Erasers
i got stuck this in a pencil the moment I went… and I am SO glad I did.
We love doing the crosswords, sudoku and trivia that the ship offers, but we often get it wrong.
Their pencils are just the little golf pencils and don’t have an eraser.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – it was REALLY handy – I wish I had brought more.
BTW, I pack a small firm bag that includes:
- Tape — great for fixing things or taping something to the wall — this time I brought washi tape
- Post-it — great for notes to each other or our admin
- Marking — in case you want to mark the activities you want to do.
- Sharpie — in case you need to mark something down
I will say that the removal labels they give you have an impossible surface to write on — it seems impossible to write on ANYTHING because of how badly it smudged. I wish I had brought a pen that wouldn’t smudge so badly, even my own Sharpie S it was a mess in it.
These are all just things I have around the house — no purchase necessary!
USB fan
Many places recommend having a fan that you can place next to your bed if you like airflow, but my fan goes somewhere else just as necessary – and that’s the bathroom.
There is literally NO airflow in the bathrooms. The door fires automatically and it’s almost impossible to dry things on the line in there.
I’m not a fan of cutting our wet stuff on my sunbeds as it’s against the rules (but I will if we’re hanging out). SO, I bring a fan in the bathroom.
But, Hillary — how do you do that?
You get a mini table fan that can clip onto the shower handle — and then angle it toward your suits.
Honestly, they don’t run high for very long, but they’re better than nothing in there.
I just charge it when it’s done and then plug it back in when I’m in the next room.
You can obviously use it at night too – but I like the clip function for putting it in the bathroom.
However, if you are hot (and awake) nothing beats a….
Hand fan
I feel like these USB fans are all over the world — everyone says you have to get one.
But honestly, nothing beats it a folding hand fan for me when it’s hot.
Now, I know some cruise lines have banned clickitty-clacks, but I just have a simple one I picked up somewhere on vacation.
It just moves a lot more than those USBs.
Pro tip: There are GIANT fans out there and they often don’t fit in my bag — the smaller ones are great too (so make sure you buy one that fits the area you can put it in).
Sure, if you’re not awake, USBs are great, but don’t underestimate a regular fan.
We actually had to stand in line to get our offerings and it was HOT in that hallway. I got this fan out and was very happy.
That said, my daughter was very overwhelmed at one of the markets between all the people, products, and pig heads and she loved the USB fan that she could just close her eyes and get some airflow.
So both are great, I just prefer how easy the handheld fan is, how small it folds up (and I don’t have to keep it charged).
Playing cards
Now, you could get cards for free at guest services, but that wasn’t the case on my last few cruises. A deck of playing cards can be so handy!
Basically I keep mine my tiny cruise bag. It’s awesome when we’re waiting for dinner, a comedian, or a show. Just a big fan of a deck of playing cards.
Honestly, we often bring a few games, but playing cards get the most use as they are so versatile.
Just don’t plan on the cruise ship to have them for you (although I’m sure it’s not an expensive purchase on board).
Tea
We like to go for tea on the cruise ship — have some tiny sandwiches and some junk, but we don’t like basic tea — so we brought ours from home (relative to their expensive add-on that you can buy there for about $4).
They didn’t bat an eye — and we were very happy to have it.
What else?
That’s not to say that there aren’t many things shared by others that are great.
I LOVE magnetic hooks — I scatter them around the room and they are great for hanging things.
I love a hanging shoe organizer that holds all the little things like:
There just isn’t enough room for all of these in the bathroom and it’s nice for everyone to see!
So, these are my things that NOBODY talks about and I’d like to talk more about.
What did I miss? Tell me in the comments!
Another thing no one talks about is how cruises change prices so often. Book with someone who will check 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 contact them with the dates I have and see what is available and then go from there!
