37 Travel Items that Frequent Cruisers ALWAYS Pack for a Cruise

Items in video 🛳👇 | Frequent cruisers know that not bringing these travel items on a cruise can be a mistake! From things you have at home to amazon cruise essentials that are the most useful, these are the things experienced cruise travelers recommend most.

This video is super helpful for both new cruisers who are looking for cruise packing advice and avid cruisers who might get some ideas. Are your favorite travel gadgets & essentials on the list?

🛳 THE ULTIMATE CRUISE PLANNER 🛳

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CRUISE ESSENTIALS IN VIDEO

Luggage tag holders:

MORE TRAVEL ITEMS:

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Please note that I am unable to give personal cruise and travel advice. If you leave a comment I try my best to answer.

ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!

Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.

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Music Credit: Surf Time by Lux-InspiraMusicMusic

[sassy]

Water shoes for rocky beaches, and hot sand

[kathyhiggins]

I always bring many of your listed items, but have several more. 1) PASSPORT. 2)Thank you notes for a personal touch when tipping staff. 3) Extra sunglasses. 4) Small sticky notes, highlighter, pen, clothespins (wet bathing suits in shower & balcony curtains. 5) small alarm clock with reflective hands. And finally a large bottle of patience! Sail on everyone 😊😊

[ErikaEmody]

OK double magnet hooking for the hanging toiletry bag - NICE! Hadn't thought of that!!

[donnag]

In addition to Poo-pourri, I bring a Little Trees air freshener ( the kind people hang on their rear view mirror) in a non-overpowering scent. It takes up no room in my suitcase. I hang it in the bathroom and it definitely helps since my better half forgets to use the spray.

[carolynboyce]

I make a hygiene kit that includes toilet paper, paper towels, small pack of paper soap sheets, and hand sanitizer. Started doing this when in Mexico the bathrooms didn't have anything in there. Works great.

[mjharris]

I always bring my 20 oz Yeti Rambler. It has a straw for water & those cold adult beverages. I can also remove the straw & lid and utilize my Yeti as my coffee mug. It is very versatile for cruising. I highly recommend this if you’re a frequent hot weather cruiser.

[QueenSuperJ]

I have replaced the bottle of hand soap with travel packs of antibacterial paper soap sheets. They are almost weightless, they take up no room, they can be packed in carryon and checked baggage, and you can easily take them all over the ship and ports with you. I have absolutely fallen in love with these and I have the entire family carrying them in their pockets.

[Pamela-Captain-Peeps]

yes, please do a video for what you do for flying. I would like to see that. :-) oh and I've never been on a cruise. we are going on the new Disney Destiny in 2026.

[jordynb]

Just got back from my first cruise. First of all, I want to say THANK YOU for the magnet hooks suggestion!!! They were so helpful hanging up wet swim clothes to dry, purses, hats, belts, etc. and even our lanyards with our sea passes so we wouldn't forget them walking out of the door. I found that hanging up clothes in the bathroom while taking a hot steamy shower took out wrinkles better than the wrinkle-release spray... but we did get an off-brand version that might have had lower quality than Downy. We did press all of our clothes before the trip as well to keep wrinkles at a minimum. DEFINITELY bring a first aid kit WITH GAUZE!!! I sprained my wrist at the airport right before the cruise and the gauze came in handy. The pop-up hamper was also a major life saver being that we switched clothes at least 3 times a day everyday for gym, swim, eating (fine dining), and nightclubbing lol. Air tags worked amazing, we made sure to hide them in discrete places in our luggage (inside of shoes & socks) so no one could take them out if found. We actually didn't use our portable chargers at all but still good to bring. Dramamine is a must bring as well, my wife deals with motion sickness more than I do but there was one particular day I was a bit dizzy after eating by the water. We did a pretty good packing job but we are going to try packing cubes next time. If I had to add anything to the list, it'd be a WATERPROOF TOTE BAG. It rained all day at our Bahamas stop but we were still able to swim at the beach with all of our belongings safe from water. Amazon has some good ones. Also, RFID BLOCKING WALLETS WITH AIR TAG POCKET and PASSPORT HOLDING CROSSBODY POUCH. Made getting through the airport AND cruise check-in & boarding super easy, all required documents were in the same place. I suggest RFID blocking wallets/pocketbooks because while we'd like to think everyone on the cruise are goodhearted people, you just never know with thousands of people in one place. WATER SHOES as some shore excursions do not allow crocs/flip flops (e.g. zip lining). WATERPROOF PHONE CASES WITH LANYARD for river tubing, snorkeling, kayaking, etc. And last but not SNORKELING We had to use the reused ones they provided on the yacht and I'm sure they soak them in a bleach solution but I was quite disgusted putting my mouth on the same equipment thousands of others had. YUCK!!! lol.

[amandareiche]

My real life preserver—100 SPF. light weigh, non-greasy sunscreen (melanoma survivor here), baby wipes, solid shampoo/conditioner, a large garbage bag for dirty clothes, audible and kindle books downloaded into phone and a battery charger w/cords!

[stevec]

My list also includes: 1. Diarrhea pills, 2. Safety pins, 3. Rubber bands, 4.One-time use/disposable rain poncho.

[mickiehowarth]

For longer cruises that you need to wash your clothes halfway through, 2 weeks or more, instead of bringing up some laundry soap bring flat little laundry sheets. These are practically weightless and so easy to use. Also, here's another use for magnetic hooks, for hanging and drying your clothes overnight.

[handieguy]

I always bring a small flashlight and since Covid, I carry my own pen to use for signing receipts and during trivia, etc.

[maverickspirit]

Please do make the video on how to fly more comfortably. You can make your own downy spray. Not only is it almost free to make, but you can take as much or as little as you want. The recipe is 1 part liquid Downey to anywhere between 10 and 15 times the water (depends on how strong you want to make it). Take the bottle with just the Downey to the ship. Once aboard add the water to your liking. When you're ready to go home you can dump the leftovers down the drain.

[ErikaEmody]

For dirty laundry - what also works, in your pre-cruise hotel, take the plastic laundry bag from your hotel room and use that for dirties. That way they are clearly separated by plastic when you back up to go home. Take that bag and drop it in the laundry room when you get home. Easy peasy - no additional cost!

[QueenSuperJ]

Our cruise suitcases look like a who’s who of Ilana from Life Well Traveled suggested it! 😊❤

[BostonHeather]

We always bring binoculars. There are so many cool birds and sea life you can find. The white noise I use a phone app but I also bring a fan which works like white noise

[MRSGRAPHICSDEPT]

We use the small zip lock bags for everything especially snacks - day trips or just to pop snacks in the mini fridge for a midnight snack without having to leave our cabin. Also, thank you note cards for crew, sticky notes for our cabin, highlighter for our "Fun Times" planning and decorations for our door!

[KayeReshaw]

I also bring stuff for the staff. We have Philipino markets by me and knowing many crew come from there, I bring stuff that reminds them of home like tamarind candy and soup mix. I was told the soup mix is used as seasoning. The crew can get homesick so they have told me that really helps.

[vafllmt]

We always bring an eyeglass repair kit, glue to pop a dental cap back on, a solid air freshener such as 'California Scents', 13 gallon trash bags for dirty laundry and a travel size roll of toilet paper (they come in a plastic container.) Happy Cruising!