The countdown has begun! Less than two months until my next cruise. We are planning a wonderful cruise for my oldest daughter’s high school graduation this year and my middle daughter’s graduation next year.. We not only will be celebrating her, but a group of us are going to celebrate a lot of our kiddos. So far there are fifteen of us going together. We will be traveling from North Carolina to Florida to embark on our journey. We are so fortunate to have made great friendships with many of our children’s friends’ parents. We are going to have so much fun. We started out as band parents together. Now we have more fun together than the kids.
Where are we going you might be wondering? We are going on Royal Caribbean for eight nights to the Southern Caribbean. We have scheduled stops in Aruba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, and CocoCay. We are in for a lot of fun in the sun! My husband and I were supposed to do this cruise back in 2021, but due to COVID restrictions it was cancelled. When we finally got rebooked we ran into a tropical depression and missed Aruba and Curacao. We did get to see Jamaica and CocoCay instead. We are very excited about another chance to see the other islands now.
Some of our friends that are going with us have cruised before and some are brand new to cruising. As I was talking to them about our upcoming adventure I started making my packing list. I have been on several cruises in the past ten years. I have learned some of the best things I like to take with me and some things that I don’t need.
10 of my Favorite Cruise Items
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My 10 Must Have Cruise Items
- A Good Hat is a must. I love these hats. I have used them on hikes, camping, swimming in pools, lakes, the ocean, and on cruises. They have a ponytail hole that can be tightened if needed and a chin strap for days when it is windy. My lips blister terribly if they get too much sun and these have been a lifesaver at shading my face. They even fold flat in my bag and come in many colors. I also take a cute straw hat (see picture above) for when it’s not as windy.
- Sunscreen in lotion form. My husband loves the spray on lotion, but it is not for a cruise. For one thing it is a waste of money on the cruise. The great breezes up on deck make it fly away before it even hits you and annoys the people around you. I make sure I take a good bottle of lotion with a SPF of 50 or higher. Every morning before I even dress I put on a good coat. Then reapply several times a day. Even with a 50 or higher I still end up with a great tan. Here are my favorites: lotion, face stick, and lip protector. I just bought these cute chapstick holders to share with our group since I seem to lose my lip protector all the time. This way I can attach one to my lanyard. To go with wearing all this lotion I also take these exfoliating soap savers with my favorite bar soap to get all the sunscreen off at the end of the day. I love these for cruises and camping.
- Cups and Wine. We are permitted to take one bottle of wine each. I take a screw top bottle (I’m cheap) and have a glass after showering the day off and getting ready for dinner. It helps the mellow mood and saves me from spending a fortune on the drink package that I would never get my money’s worth on a eight night cruise. Of course I protect my bottles by taking them in my carryon in this carrier I found. I also like to carry my tumbler with water or when we buy the soda package my refillable cup. I found these carriers with a strap that make it easier to keep track of my cup and also keep the condensation from dripping on my clothes.
- A good phone strap/lanyard. I never thought I would need this on a cruise, but since you use the app for a lot of things on board now it is very helpful. I am terrified of dropping my phone overboard taking beautiful pictures. I got this for my last cruise and loved the lanyard strap. Many of my outfits didn’t have pockets and I had a handsfree way to wear my phone around. I now use the wrist strap everyday. I just picked out a new pattern for our next cruise. I also got lanyards for my kids for their keycards and phones.
- Magnetic Hooks. We didn’t have these on our first cruise and now I wouldn’t cruise without them. We were able to take a bunch of them and put them near our door to hang our hats and lanyards with our key cards on them. We hung some in the bathroom for wet swimsuits. They kept us organized and clutter free.
- Waterproof bags. These were great for keeping our phones and money with us while in the water at the beaches in port.
- Towel clips or bands. It is very windy on deck. Without something to hold your towel down it is a constant battle to keep the towel up. These fun clips worked great. I am also going to try these towel bands on this trip.
- A light sweater. This is a must for the evening in the dining room and shows. Sometimes even on deck in the evening in the Caribbean!
- Shoes. You need a good pair of shoes to walk around the deck. Some that don’t slip easily. Also you will need a good pair of athletic shoes for some of the sporting opportunities on deck. I know people who missed out on this since they only brought sandals.
- Patience and extra money. Although a cruise is supposed to be relaxing and all inclusive there are things that will go wrong. We didn’t get to go to the two ports we most wanted to visit. It was frustrating, but things worked out in the end. Always be prepared to spend more than you plan to on your trip. Last minute changes or added excursions, photo packages, souvenirs, and extra tips can add up. If you are in the mindset of expecting this before your trip it will help alleviate stress when it happens. Just remember it is what you make of it so let the frustrations go and have a great time!