Are you all about cruising? Oh, good. Me, too. Here are 14 cruise tips to make your next cruise even easier.
Have you ever taken a cruise?
I’m kind of late to the cruise game, but I am OFFICIALLY HOOKED.
This was only our third cruise, but I’ve learned SO MUCH along my journeys. I felt like I was in elementary cruise school with the first voyage and now? I feel like I could write a term paper on all things cruising.
(total aside: there are tons of PhD cruisers who read this blog and I hope to learn even more about cruising from them, too.)
I’ve talked to so many people—on the Facebook groups and online and at the dining tables and by the pools—and along the way I’ve picked up tons of tips.
So that’s why I wrote this post. So you could pin it and save it and have it to help get ready for your next cruise.
Last time I went on a cruise I shared 21 things I wish I knew before I went on a cruise.
But here’s the thing.
This time I learned EVEN MORE and it made me love cruising EVEN MORE.
Are you ready?
Let’s GO.
Here are 14 MORE cruise tips to make your next cruise easier.
1. Use packing cubes as drawers
Storage is at a premium in your cabin.
The cabins remind me of a floating dorm room. Remember how your mother tried to help you find all that space in the dorm room and then you discovered that you could velcro a skirt onto the sink and hide your hot rollers underneath? Storage cubes are just like that. I packed everything in my suitcase in packing cubes and then when I packed I put them in the shelves with socks, bathing suits, pajamas, etc.
The packing cube functions like a drawer. You can pull them in and out of the shelves.
You can see an amazing set of packing cubes here.
And I know I mentioned it before, but don’t forget that the walls are magnetic. Utilize the magnetic walls in your cabin by bringing along magnetic hooks.
These hooks are perfect for hanging hats, lanyards, or even lightweight bags. I also used them to organize my sunglasses.
You can see the magnetic hooks here.
These foldable hangers are kind of a game changer and save so much space.
I also use a hanging toiletry bag to keep the bathroom organized and maximize storage space.
I also LOVED having an over-the-door shoe organizer like this (I used it for other things than shoes).
2. Take your luggage if you have to leave early
With Princess (and most cruise lines) you have to deliver your luggage at the port before you board the ship. In other words, you board without your luggage. They deliver it to your room and then when you leave you put it out in front of your room and they take it into port for you.
Our challenge?
We were scheduled to be one of the last groups off the ship.
So instead of waiting and putting our luggage out in front of the door, we just took our luggage with us and we got off the ship super early.
I didn’t know this until this trip.
3. You can order off the menu
Okay.
This may be a controversial opinion, but I think specialty dining is often overrated.
Don’t feel pressured to splurge when the main dining options can be just as satisfying. You can book the same table with the same people each night. We went with a group of 8, so we filled up an entire table.
Regular dining is included with your passage fare. Specialty dining is an extra charge. And in amazing news? I discovered an entire secret menu of thing that aren’t on the regular menu.
I’m trying to eat healthy with vegetables and fruit and protein and I discovered several healthy options I could ask for.
Who needs specialty dining when you have an entire secret menu at your disposal?
4. Order a carafe from room service
I LOVE hot coffee.
We discovered something this trip.
If we ordered a carafe from room service and kept it in our room, we could refill it from the buffet at any time.
The carafe keeps the coffee hot and it was there whenever we wanted a hot cup of coffee.
5. Do Something That You Normally Wouldn’t Do
This is a cruise.
Time to take chances.
Live on the edge. Go big or go home.
Me? I got up on stage with this cutie and sang my heart out with a little karaoke in front of the world (Don’t Stop Believing by Journey to be exact).
And it was AMAZING.
6. Maybe think about staying on board at a port
Our cruise had three ports.
We went on two excursions and then at one of the ports? We stayed on board the ship.
It was wonderful.
The restaurants and the lounges and the classes were almost empty and it’s like we had the whole ship to ourselves.
7. Make sure your excursion has food
We booked two excursions.
One had the yummiest lunch and one had more of a lounge where you could get snacks.
If you are going on an excursion all day—make sure there is some sort of meal provided.
It makes the excursion so much better.
8. Find your friends on the cruise app
I LOVED the app on this ship.
It had all the daily activities and things you could do, but it also had an amazing feature where you could find your friends.
Kind of like Life 360, except it was on the ship.
You’d just turn it on and find the other “cruisers” in your party and where they were on the ship—even where they were at the shows so you could find your seat.
9. Take a tour of the kitchen
We went to a fascinating demonstration on the main stage of how they made specialty dishes.
And then?
They offered a behind-the-scenes tour of the kitchen and the back of the house.
10. Use the washers and dryers on the ship
Did you know most ships have a washer and dryer area?
On our ship there was one in every section.
They also had an area with irons.
If you don’t have time to use the irons? Make sure to pack Downy wrinkle release spray to keep your clothes looking fresh.
This travel-size Down wrinkle release spray is a game changer.
You can use these Tide packets designed for the sink.
11. Dirty clothes bag
We brought a small foldable duffle bag that unfolds into a much larger bag.
This is what we used for a dirty clothes bag.
And then?
We just zipped it closed and took it home as another bag.
You can see the foldable duffle bag here.
12. Use a fan app
Last time I lugged a big fan on the ship because I like to sleep to the noise of the fan.
But this time I was so much smarter.
If you need white noise? You can bring a white noise machine (so much smaller than a fan).
Or you can download a fan “app” on your phone that sounds just like a fan.
13. Take pictures and then turn them into a mini book
I’m going to ask everyone that we went to load all their pictures into a Google Drive.
Then?
I’m going to use a service like Chatbooks to make a book of our cruise together.
It’s a great way to keep all your pictures in one place.
You can see Chatbooks here.
14. Cruise essentials
Here are some of my favorite cruise essentials that make the trip so much easier:
- this portable fan
- this collapsible water bottle
- this collapsable tote
- this portable power bank
- travel Downy wrinkle release spray
- this set of packing cubes
- these magnetic hooks
- these foldable hangers
- these covers for bottles
- this hanging toiletry bag
- also LOVED having an over-the-door shoe organizer like this
- these Tide packets designed for the sink
I took this picture in Roatan.
It was a moment in time that I wanted to capture forever.
Because the only thing better than a cruise?
Is a cruise with a pair of twinkling brown eyes.
PS I’d LOVE to hear your tips and the products you use, too. Can you share in the comments so I can keep everything for reference?
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