Best things to bring on a cruise under $10 I always regret forgetting to bring

Before you hit the road to get on a cruise, double check you packed these under $10 things that will make your cruise better.

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[notafanboy]

1. Liquid soap
2. Laundry hamper
3. Luggage tag holders
4. Your own shampoo and bodywash
5. Aspirin
6. Chapstick
7. Apple AirTags
8. Reusable water bottle
9. Noise-canceling headphones
10. Air freshener
11. Magnetic hooks
12. E-reader (e.g. Kindle)
13. Night light

There. Saved you 8 minutes.

[alyssaelder]

Instead of a laundry basket, we unpack everything into the drawers and closet. Once we use them, we fold them and put them back in our suitcase. This way, not only are they out of the way, but also, already packed up when it’s time to go. One less thing to do.

[gsadventures]

We use a trash bag for our dirty laundry, it’s cheaper and you can close the bag up at the end of the cruise and it won’t stink up your suitcase

[benblue]

My wife and I have a “cruise bag” where we store all these items between cruises. When we are packing for a cruise, we just grab the cruise bag and are safe and secure that we didn’t forget any of the small convenience items mentioned here.

[penny]

Instead of Luggage Tag Holders I find that since we have to print tags ourselves at home, we also have packing tape. So i just wrap the tag around my handle and use packing tape to secure. Strong, almost like laminating. No worry of it tearing off...and less expensive.

[HeyNicoleHey]

We usually pick up a few of these things at Dollar Tree for our trips, including hand soap, air fresheners, night lights, OTC medicines, and similar things. Instead of a hamper, we pack a kitchen trash bag for dirty clothes. That way, when it gets packed to go home, the leftover clean clothes aren’t touching the dirty ones. I also pack a couple of plastic grocery bags for damp swimsuits and shoes. Another handy item is a small container of dish soap to clean water bottles or travel mugs during the trip (also great to pretreat stains). We take usb towers for our charging needs. I keep a spare set of everything I need so I don’t forget pack something.

[evinchester]

Travel hint.
Take a few trash can bags with you.
Why?
Well, when you need to wash some clothes, you put a hole at the bottom of the trash bag.
Then you put a clothes hanger's hook through it.
After you have washed and wrung out your wet clothes, you can them on the hanger.
Take the hand held hair dryer and stick the exhaust port into the bag and using a rubber band, cinch the bag around the hair dryer.
Turn on dryer.
Bag fills up with hot air.
Clothes dry in the bag.
Check on them after a bit.
It works.

[janetroberts]

Not just aspirin—we have a permanent pack that has travel quantities of OTC meds (meclizine, Lomotil, Aleve, Benadryl) as well as more general first aid supplies.

[TechGeekTXDad]

Non surge protector outlets and extension cords, mesh shower hanger for shower, lanyards for cruise cards, waterproof pouches for phones, portable phone charging stations & power bricks for phones and smartwatches.

[gtrfreak]

Towel clips can definitely come in handy when you are on the pool deck and it inevitably gets windy. Also can be used on your balcony to insure things don’t blow away 🌬️

[rhondapelletier]

My last pop up laundry basket I purchased was actually from the dollar tree store for a 1.00. Used it many times.

[CrankyBeach]

I bring battery-powered candles to use for night lights everywhere I travel. They're only $1.25 at Dollar Tree so if they break or get lost, it's not a huge investment.

[monicab]

I made a laundry bag out of a king size pillowcase. I put a drawstring on it. I hang it on a hook on the back of the bathroom door. When cruise or travel is over I just throw it in my suitcase! Since it’s soft it fits right in!

[Gybing]

I agree on many things except laundry hamper and liquid soap. Laundry hamper takes too much space, at least when it's full of clothes and bringing back home. You have to take clothes out and pack it again so that's a waste of time. We usually use one of the laundry bags available in our cabin and fold our laundry in it every day so all we have to do at the end of the cruise is pack that in the suitcase.

[christineshields]

Great suggestions! I now travel with shampoo and conditioner bars rather than liquid. Downy Wrinkle Release and Tide stain pens are also absolute musts. We love are magnetic hooks and are actually purchasing another set. Also adding a travel clothesline since stuff never really dries in the shower and some compact travel fans (USB). Rather than carrying a laundry hamper, we simply roll our dirty clothes and put them in a designated suitcase. Works great for us and simplifies packing at the end of the cruise.

[claudiajohnson]

I've got the magnet hooks, laundry basket and extra outlet block. I also put some kinda decor on my front door. It's really easy sometimes to pass your door. Lol

[KathyLofmyshipiscalling]

Those are great ideas Matt! I do bring most of those items. I like the hand soap idea. Another item I bring is little post it notes. I leave notes for our cabin attendant on first day because I don't always see him/her right away. Little thank you notes are nice too to give that person who you feel deserves a special little note. (Besides the tip) Thanks for all you do.

[lesliemccormick]

Just got back from my first cruise, RC Brilliance of the Seas. It was really fun.
* MOST IMPORTANT!!! Seasickness pills. The ones I brought were so-so, and failed me on a particularly rough patch of ocean (Gravol), but my friend had brought chewable bonine (meclizine) ones that worked fantastically. One a day in the a.m. and done. She also had dramamine ones, but I found they made me sleepy. Another friend swears by wristbands.
HOWEVER - avoid the patches bc they can cause negative health issues and other problems - talk to your doctor about those if you are tempted to use them.
* Dirty laundry? Just put it, rolled or folded, in an extra large size ziplock bag (less than 10 bucks for a whole box full, I brought 3 bags, only used 2), squish all the air out, fits in your luggage with room to spare.
* A tiny dollar-store flashlight on the nightstand for trips around the cabin in the dark works well for about $3. My friend just used the flashlight function on her cel phone.
* Our cabin had knob-style hooks on the back of the bathroom door and opposite the closet, so extra magnetic hooks were not necessary, but they could be useful for the ceiling (for hanging a shower curtain you brought along for creating a privacy area between beds and sitting space for changing/sleeping.)
* Lip balm is a must, regardless of itinerary.
* Ditto your own water bottle. Put your name and cabin number on it in case you leave it behind.
* If able, pack a few wire coat hangers. You may need them and can always leave them behind when the cruise is over. Our room only had 6 hangers....not enough for two women....and our room steward brought us more, but it was still not quite enough.
*Hand and body lotion is a must to bring. Cabin air and wind on deck are very drying.
* The shampoo/body wash stuff provided was utter crap- always bring your own. We did not mind the bar soap, but I would not wash anything but hands or feet with it, definitely not your face.
* Bring towel clips to attached your beach towel to the lounge chair. Otherwise you will be fighting wind and gravity for the towel the whole time.
* Water shoes to wear in the pool and hot tub. No one needs warts or toenail fungus, eh?
* Ditto for in the shower. I packed both shower slides and water shoes and was very glad I did.
* We brought our own tea bags. The tea on board was pretty good, but often they ran out of the ones we liked. It's also easier to have room service bring us a big pot of hot water and a large glass of milk and have multiple cups of our own tea in our cabin. We did find, though, that the water was never hot enough anywhere on board for tea and suspect it is heated but not fully boiled.
*Bring some snacks along to keep in your cabin so you don't have to go roaming if you get peckish at night. We had nuts, apple chips, granola bars, trail mix, popcorn.

[sbelofsky]

Travel size liquid dish soap. I use it to clean my reusable water bottle, spot clean clothes, etc.

[saraclemons]

I bring towel clips to find our chairs easier. So many good tips Matt!