What are the 10 essentials smart cruisers always pack? — featuring Cruising With Lou

0:01 Hey cruisers. All right. Are you planning that next vacation [music] I see? Well, before you zip up that that suitcase, I've got 10 cruise essentials you're not going to want to leave behind. And that last one, a lot of people don't put it on their list, but it's like top five for me to always

0:19 pack. [music] But don't worry, I'mma let you in on the secret. All right, 10 essentials that you need to pack for your next cruise. Let's go. All right, first up, this is on everyone's cruise list. A power strip, non-surf protected power strip. Cruises are very particular about that. They

0:39 will take it out of your bag and not let you on the cruise ship. So, make sure it's a cruise approved power strip. This is a must. I've taken this one on plenty of times and I have had no problems getting it on. So, some of my new cruisers might be asking, why do I need this? I'm sure there's outlets in the

0:59 room. There's not many, okay? There's not a lot of options and especially if there's multiple people in your room depending on if you're in on an older ship or if you're on a newer ship. Some of them don't even like have the USBC ports and stuff like that. So, this kind of hub is going to really maximize your

1:19 charging station. And I have to stress this, you have to get a nonsurge protected power strip cuz security will take it out of your bag and it will be over there in a pile with the other surge protected power strips. They will take it away. Okay, so make sure it's a cruise approved power strip.

1:40 All right, where's all my Stanley girls? Next up, reusable cups. This is a Stanley, but you can have any brand. It will work as long as it's reusable. This is perfect for on the ship and when you're in port. So, a lot of ships have free water, free juice, maybe tea. Put it in here and you can walk around with

2:05 this instead of having the the cup that they might provide and it be open. So before we get off the ship and go into port, we always fill our cups up with ice and cold water and we use that throughout our time in the port. And that helps us so much to stay hydrated cuz it's hot, you guys. Usually the

2:25 places we're going is hot. It just depends where you're going. But usually we're in some Caribbean, Bahamas, something. And it's hot. And having your water right there is so easy. And it doesn't have to be this big. It could be smaller. But this is just one of the bigger options that I have. I actually

2:42 usually do something that's a little bit smaller than this so it can fit in my backpack really easy. Next up is a day bag or some kind of backpack. This is perfect for when you're getting off of the ship in port. So, if you're going on an excursion or you're exploring the port or whatever or you're

3:04 going to the beach, a backpack is going to keep all your essentials in one place. You know, you're going you need somewhere to put your sunscreen, maybe towels, a change of clothes, um a change of shoes. This is going to be an essential piece to take with you off the ship. I already

3:23 know what you're thinking. I'm flying. How am I going to put this big old backpack in my suitcase? Well, I thought about that. You can use this backpack as one of your carry-on items. Just take all that stuff out and then put your port day items in here. And when it's time to go back to the

3:44 airport, take all that stuff out and put your airport stuff in. So, it could double for a carry-on and for your excursion backpack or your your day bag. pack your own medicine. It's going to save you some money. And I'm not just talking about like prescribed medication. No, I'm talking about

4:06 Tylenol, cold medicine, band-aids. Even if you've never been seasick before or you don't know if you'll get seasick, go ahead and pack um some seasick medicine cuz you never know what might happen while you're at sea. and you rather have something already in your bag to use than to not have it. And then you have

4:30 to go to the store and pay high prices for something. And it might not be the brand that you want. There is a medical center on the cruise ships that you can go to, but it's costly. So, if you have something that you can use as a remedy right there in your room, you're going to save some

4:48 money. And um even even those stores just to get Tylenol and things like that, the prices are higher. And don't forget about if you're bringing children, pack children medicine, too. So pack that children benadryil, allergy medicine, whatever you have, bring it on the cruise. All right? And

5:06 also especially prescription medication. Um so on imbarcation day, make sure and debarcation day, make sure to leave your medication um that you're going to need. put that with the bag that you have. Do not check your medication in a bag. Do not send it away because you don't know

5:25 when you're going to get that bag back on imbarcation day or debarcation day. All right, let's go. If you don't want to lose your card or you don't want to keep being inconvenenced and digging in your pocket, digging in your purse, I would recommend either buying a lanyard on the ship or bringing one from home.

5:46 We collect lanyards. So, every ship we go on, we get a a ship lanyard. Uh, but these are really convenient. The ones like Royal, they come in this plastic and they just clip off, making it really easy when you need to get into your room or you want to get something from the bar, just clip it

6:10 off, hand it right right to them. Or you can have it like this where you have a hole in the card. See? And you still can just clip it right off. Oh, so I personally prefer the pouches. Um I just like them like this. But it really depends on the ship you're on. Older ships, they're still going to have that

6:36 access, that key card access to your room where you have to like actually slide the key in. But newer ships, they have that hotel style entry into your your stateateroom. So, you can just, you know, tap it and get in. So, I would say go by how you enter your stateateroom because if you still have to physically insert

7:01 your key to get into your stateateroom, I would say do the the hole in the corner method. But if you don't have to do all that, the pouch works on I'm specifically talking about Royal Caribbean. So, even when you're ordering things, you don't have to take it out of this pouch. You can literally just give

7:21 them this part. They scan it and give it right back to you. If there's ever a time when you need to actually take your card out, the physical card out, they'll let you know. But this is such an easy and quick way to keep up. That's the biggest thing. Keep up with your card. You know how many times we

7:42 have lost cards? But if it's on a lanyard, it's it's easier to keep up with it, too. So, next up, it doesn't matter what brand, it doesn't matter the size, bring sunscreen. Honestly, depending on how long you're going to be gone, this might not be enough. So, if you pack just a travel

8:09 size sunscreen, this might be gone. and it's like you and your husband or you this is going to be gone by day three. Okay, so pack multiple travel size. You still can get travel size, but you might need to bring three. It also depends on how long your cruise is, but it's hot. It's hot on that that Leo deck. It's hot

8:36 on that beach. You're going to need some sunscreen. Even if you do travel size, just make sure you pack according to how many days you're actually going to be there. This might not make it six, seven days. I don't think this is going to make five days either, honestly. So, bring multiple travel size. Or you could

8:55 be like me. This is this is a child's one, but I usually like to bring a full size. It's hot. Unless you're going to Alaska. Unless you're going to Alaska. Hello. All right. Next up, swim trunks, swimming suits, whatever it's appropriate for for your cruise. Cruise

9:22 appropriate clothing. So, if you're going to Alaska, you're probably going to need to pack some some coats. And if you're going to be in the Caribbean, going to want to pack these trunks, you guys. Also, when it comes to packing appropriate clothing, check your itinerary. your cruis's itinerary cuz

9:40 sometimes they have white nights, they have um Caribbean nights. I even did an 80s night before. You have to kind of pack those things beforehand. Make sure you check your itinerary cuz sometimes the fun is happening and you might just walk in and be like, "Oh, I didn't know." But now you know to check first

10:00 and you'll have those kind of themed items already in your bag. Honestly, a lot of cruises I've been on always do like a all-white night. So, go ahead and pack an all-white outfit. If you want to be a part of the fun, go ahead, pack an all-white outfit just in case. Trust trust me. Trust me. Just put that in the

10:21 suitcase. Next up, we have the waterproof cell phone cases. So, this is great when you're getting in the pool, the jacuzzi, and you want to keep your phone or or your cards or whatever you have with you. I usually use this when I'm in port. So, if I'm like going to the beach or going to like a water park kind of

10:42 thing, definitely use this. Or when I'm doing excursion like ziplining and things like that, I can keep my phone right here. You can still put other things in here, too. So, like your cards or money. Um, I just would suggest covering it up. I don't want people on my business to know everything I have.

11:00 So, I would say cover it up if you're putting something else in there. But, but yeah, this is perfect for your phone and it does keep it dry. Now, this might be one of the most important things on this list because you can't even get on the cruise ship without passport, ID, all your travel

11:20 documents. you have to make sure you're bringing the correct documents, the right uh the correct identification because they will not let you on that ship. And I know from experience. So, um couples out there, if you just got married and someone changed their last name, you have to make sure all those

11:43 documents match. So, usually if you bring your ID to show um a photo identification, you have to have your birth certificate. Well, if you have that new last name, that last name doesn't match your birth certificate and they will not let you on. Like I said, I know from experience, luckily,

12:02 my mom came through and saved the day and sent us a picture of our marriage license. So, make sure you're reading that list and checking off everything that you need that applies to your situation because you'll be one of those people sitting there on the phone in the chair. [clears throat]

12:20 I need to get on this ship. That was me in California. Now, it's really easy. I have my passport, so we don't have any problems now. But, you can't get on the cruise without this. So, this is one of the most important things to pack. And do not, once again, like just like your medication, don't

12:39 put this in any check bags. This needs to stay with you. Okay, here's that bonus cruise essential I was talking about that is always going to be on my packing list. You ready? Ziploc bags. Of course, I don't bring the whole roll. I usually take what I need out. Ziploc bags are literally good

13:02 for so many different reasons. You can pack with these. You can put anything that you think might spill, like some of those toiletry items, put them in a Ziploc bag. You can put your shoes in a Ziploc bag. For my fellow foodies who like to have a little more seasoning on their food, you actually can bring on

13:22 your favorite seasoning. I will say though, some seasonings do come in small packets. So, that' be another great way um to take advantage of that. And you can put those packets in a ziploc bag to keep them together. But I went ahead and not trying to buy anything extra. I just used what we had at the house. And I

13:41 usually just put some in here and we can sprinkle it on our food if we want it to add a little extra flavor. Another way to use the Ziploc bags, water shoes. So usually when we're going on the trip, of course, the shoes are dry. you know, they don't have sand in them, but by the time we're on our way

14:03 home, they're sandy. They haven't dried completely, and no one wants to put this wet in their suitcase. This is where the Ziploc bag comes in handy, all sealed up. Now, you don't have to worry about anything in your bag getting wet and sandy or trying to find a plastic bag. I've used plastic bags

14:26 before, but I find that this is so much easier. This is one of the main reasons I say Ziploc bags will always be at the top of my list when it comes to packing. And they're just they have multi-use. I know I can't be the only one, right? Am I the only one? Like, they're at the top

14:43 of my list when it comes to cruise essentials. Ziploc bags, as you know, come in all kind of sizes. I found this little Ziplo and I thought it was so cute. We actually used it for our tip money to tip staff on the cruise or while we're while we were in port. We put all of our tip money right here

15:06 zipped up. There's just so many ways you can use it. All right, there you have it. That's 10 cruise essentials. Do you have a favorite item that you can't cruise without? Let me know. I would love to see it in the comments. Thanks for watching and subscribe to Cruising with Lou for more cruising content.

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