Don't Forget to Pack These Five Items for Your Cruise!

A cruise vacation is relaxing, blissful and downright indulgent for everyone- and taking a period of time off from everyday life is certainly a treat. There are things that everyone should bring on a cruise however, not only to make their experience optimal but also to be prepared. These are five items I learned were essential to pack before sailing off- and hopefully you will find this list helpful:

1. Conditioner- Almost all ships offer some type of shampoo and body wash or soap in shower dispensers. Spa rooms or suites may include amenities like high end bath and body products too. Don't assume that conditioner will be available. The first cruise we went on I figured it would be like a hotel and we would get mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Guess who had frizzy dry hair for five days? Me! :) Now I use free samples of conditioner I get via snail mail and my husband brings me home extra conditioner bottles from his hotel travels as he doesn't use them. You can also buy travel size conditioner in most pharmacies or bog box stores.

2.  Ibuprofen-or whatever NSAID works for you- The heat, sun, hormones, alcohol and lots of rich foods can lead to headaches. I always bring a full bottle of ibuprofen, but if you don't do well with it you can bring Tylenol or Alleve. Don't plan to buy it on the ship when you need it as they will charge at least five times the price! 

3. Extra Underwear- Yep-you are reading that right! :) Extra underwear is so important as you will likely be changing several times a day for shore excursions, shuffleboard, dinner, dancing, etc. We all take a few showers a day, as on most Caribbean cruises the weather makes folks a hot mess! :) When you are done showering the last thing you want to do is put on any of the sweaty clothes you were wearing. Therefore, pack extra underwear. If you don't use it fine, and it doesn't take up much room in your luggage. The third cruise we went on our son took 3-4 showers several days in a row. When we got to Grand Turk he informed me he was out of clean underwear- only halfway through the trip! He thought I had packed enough for him to change into a fresh pair after every shower. So, we were tasked with finding new underwear on the island, or using the ship's laundry service- which was expensive and took at least 24 hours to do. For anyone that ends up in this predicament there is exactly one store in Grand Turk called Kishko's, which we found on our island tour. We ended up getting extra underwear there for our son- and they weren't cheap! Forty dollars later we had learned a lesson. At least this is a funny memory now! :)

4.  Earplugs- According to my husband and son I snore extra loud on cruises. After one night on a cruise last year where my teenage son claimed I kept him up all night sawing wood (he said I had decimated a forest) we started bringing earplugs for everyone. These also came in handy when we had a room below a family with an energetic child who stomped every morning at five am., as well as when my husband and son were snoring (they do too!) :) Bring several pairs per person as they tend to get lost in the cushy beds. 

5.  Ziplock Bags- grab a box of XL, Large and Small for the safekeeping of lots of things you will bring and buy on the cruise. Just a few of the things you may need to put in these resealable bags are: salt water or chlorinated swimsuits you want to keep away from other garments; shoes with mud and dirt caked on them; shells; clothing that has been soiled with bug spray (I wash those separately); buttons that come off and need to be sewn on an item later; small and large jewelry; lotion or spray products that could leak; snacks you bring when going ashore and medications you need to take at certain times when you won't be in your room. There of course are many more things the ziplock bags come in handy for too!

I hope I have helped you with your packing for your next cruise. Please comment here with anything you never forget to bring on your cruise. I love new tips for traveling at sea! :)