What are the best cruise packing hacks for frequent cruisers? — featuring Life Well Cruised

0:00 Not to be dramatic, but these cruise packing hacks, tips, and secrets will change the way you cruise. You'll pack less, have more outfits, and wonder why you didn't try these sooner. [music] Hi there, I'm Elena [music] from the website lifewellcruise.com. Welcome or welcome back to my channel. I'm so

0:21 excited. I'm going to be packing today for an upcoming cruise. And I am using many new tricks and methods when it comes to my packing. Several of which have been shared from seasoned cruisers and real travelers. And I have some new items that I'll share with you as well. And if you're trying to pack lighter or

0:42 just a little bit more intentionally, this video is for you. Now, before I get started, I did want to mention that if you like this video, if you find it helpful, informative, or enjoyable in any way, then please do give this video a big thumbs up. I really do appreciate it. And please subscribe to the channel

0:56 if you haven't done so already. Let's get started. Now, I'm going to be doing this a little bit rapid fire style. And whether, by the way, you're going on a Caribbean cruise, Alaska cruise, Mediterranean cruise, etc., you're going to find a lot of tips in this video. So, the first thing is turn any backpack or

1:12 tote bag into an anti- theft bag. Now, here is what I mean. I used this little mini zipper clip. They come in about five in a package. And what I did is I was able to turn this backpack into an anti- theft bag. So, I took the two zippers, clipped them together with this little mini clip, and it's perfect. And

1:37 if you are going on a Mediterranean cruise, it is something to think about. Pickpocketing is real. All right. This next one is going to help you to pack your dresses. Now, you know, I'm a huge fan of compression packing cubes or even packing cubes in general if you've watched my videos. So, this might

1:53 surprise you, but many cruisers and travelers have shared this tip with me. Pack on a hanger. Now, you can pack on a hanger from home, but even better is use foldable travel hangers. They are very lightweight. And did you see what I just did? I folded that in. So, it keeps even spaghetti straps secure. And what you'll

2:14 do with this is you'll actually lay out your dresses, a couple of them, at the very bottom of your luggage. Now, I actually tried this for a recent trip that we did, I laid out about four different dresses at the very bottom of my luggage. And then when I placed other items on top, I just made sure that they

2:32 were nice and flat. And I laid um a plastic covering over it, just the kind that you get from the dry cleaner. And you know what? I have to say, it was really easy to unpack and my items weren't wrinkled. Choose a packing method. Now, of course, planning your outfits, it's really important to be

2:50 very intentional and pack outfits rather than pieces. So, a couple of quick tips, check the weather, check the itinerary to see what are some of the activities that you might be doing to help plan out your clothing. Now, I'll do an entire other video about how I pack my clothing, but I really did want to kind

3:09 of share a couple of quick methods, and everybody is different in terms of the way that they dress. So, different things might work for you. There's a sedukco method, which is actually a 3x3x3 packing method where all of the different items will crisscross and be able to go together. Now, personally,

3:27 even though I've seen this method, I like the idea, I just don't think it's very practical for most people when it comes to cruising. But I have come up with a 3x5 packing matrix system that I actually think works much better for cruisers. What you're going to do is have three tops, three bottoms. The

3:44 three bottoms, by the way, could be a shorts, skirt, a pair of pants, or a pair of jeans. Three dresses, so a cocktail dress, and a couple of sundresses or casual dresses. And obviously tailor this to you. Three layers. So that could be a cardigan, a scarf or a little jean jacket and three

4:03 bags like a beach bag, a cross body and an evening bag. Those all together, you will have well over 30 outfits, more than enough for a 7 to 14 day cruise. Now, if you would like to see a more detailed video about this, please let me know down in the comments below. Create a portable charging station for hotels

4:21 or your cruise cabin. Now, if you're traveling internationally, especially for a Mediterranean or European river cruise, packing a reliable travel adapter is a must, which is where Epica, the sponsor of today's video, comes in. Epica's TA 105 is a bestselling universal adapter rated best overall by

4:37 multiple media outlets. Now, they've released their next generation version, the Epica Air4W, a lighter, more travel friendly upgrade. Now, the first thing that you'll notice is the design. It has a compact octagonal profile that's about 40% slimmer than traditional adapters, and it's incredibly lightweight. In

4:55 contrast to bulkier adapters, this sits more securely to the wall outlet that otherwise might wobble or fall out. This adapter has plugs that fit outlets in over 200 countries, so you don't need different adapters for Europe, the UK, Australia, or North America. It is three of the newer USBC and one USBA port,

5:14 plus a normal outlet. Performance-wise, it's super fast charging and optimized for the newest iPhone 17 series, so it can charge an iPhone up to 50% in 20 minutes, an iPad, Apple Watch, and a MacBook Air without juggling chargers. It's compact and neatly upgrades your travel tech setup instead of adding

5:33 clutter. Now, if you want a bit more power, the Epica Pulse Duo 65W universal travel adapter is more of an upgrade option. I especially like that it comes with a premium zippered carrying case which keeps everything organized when traveling. It's also been redesigned based on user feedback. The front panel

5:49 now supports more plug types for wider international compatibility. There's a new AC outlet for easier access and the power has been upgraded to 65 watts, which means it can charge lightweight laptops like a 13 or 14in travel laptop. Now, here's a cruise cabin hack that I love. Since cabins are always short on

6:08 outlets, I use the European plug with this adapter to create a mini charging station for all our devices. With two USBC ports, two USBA ports, and two AC outlets, everything charges in one organized spot, even when we're powering multiple devices at once. It's also really useful on a hotel desk or even an

6:27 airport lounge table. Now, a quick reminder. These are universal travel adapters designed for dual voltage electronics like phones, tablets, and laptops, but they are not voltage converters. Now, right now, both the Epica Air 40W and the Pulse Duo 65W are running a limited 20% discount. I'll

6:46 leave my link in the description and pinned comment for you to check out. You can also search Epica Air/Pulse Duo Universal Travel Adapter on Amazon for more information. the scarf secret. Now, it's not really a secret because scarves have been around for a while and women have been wearing them, but they

7:04 are particularly in fashion now and there are so many ways and different styles. So, first I did want to show you I have this stunning scarf. This was actually given to me on an Emma Waterways cruise. They give you a gift on that cruise. So, so nice for the ladies. So, this is great if you want to

7:22 dress up an outfit in the evening time. It's great if you want to cover your shoulders if you're going off in port and you need a little something when you go into religious buildings. And honestly, it's very in style. So, that's something good. But there are also thinner scarves. And of course, you

7:37 could wear these around your neck. The other thing that you could do if you have a straw bag or tote bag or any type of bag, a designer bag, is you could wrap these around the handles. So, it really does give you a different look. and larger scarves, which I do suggest, are absolutely great as even a bathing

7:56 suit. Pack mini items. Buy as many travel size items or create them as you can find. Now, I'm going to talk to you in a minute about creating some, but here's a few miniature travel items that I just always have on hand for every trip. So, this is a small compact razor in its own little container. You can

8:15 keep it in your hanging toiletry bag or you can pack it separately, even put it into a shoe to save space. Now, other items that you might want to bring are just even these small little containers. Now, you can find these at the dollar store. You can find these on Amazon. And right now, I have different little sets.

8:33 So, I just mix and match depending on what I need. A miniature travel deodorant and even mini travel products. And you can find a lot of these, including travel size Vaseline and shaving cream, at Target and other retailers. Now, while we're talking about toiletries, I did want to share

8:50 with you the makeup remover hack. And this is very simple, but I have these little makeup removers just from Costco. And when I am traveling, I tend to bring the wipes. I find them easier. But what you can do is just cut these in half. Now, if you bring a little travel scissor, you can do this while you're on

9:06 your trip, or you can cut them up ahead of time and put them in a little Ziploc bag. decanted items like a pro. Now, I bought these little bags. They're refillable uh pouches about a year ago, and I have used them consistently. I really do like them. When I did a 5-day trip, I was able to put toothpaste for

9:25 like 5 days in this little small container. And this way, I was able to actually go carryon only on that trip. And by the way, with these, you actually get these little labels that you can just hand write on so that you can know the difference between different items, especially if you are packing

9:43 moisturizers and other lotions. Pack a little sewing or mending kit. Now, I actually picked this up, I think, at a little hotel, but a viewer shared what I think is an absolutely genius hack. Uh this is that she makes her own little sewing kit, a small one by taking an empty gum container, putting foldable

10:03 little mini scissors, some thread, and some needles right in there. Packing your handbag or toe bag. Now, I'm bringing this on my upcoming cruise. And what I'm going to be doing, uh, and I am, by the way, packing check luggage, but what I'm going to be doing is taking my sunscreen and my aloe vera and some

10:21 other items and even placing a small flat compression cube with my bathing suit and coverups and packing that right in there. And this way, there is no wasted space in my luggage. And you can also take a little cross body bag that you're going to be using anyway and you can keep this in your personal bag when

10:39 you are flying and you can pack it up with some cosmetics and other items. Use a hanging toiletry bag to keep all of your toiletries organized and also to prevent leaks. Now, I have a couple of different kinds that I am using these days. This one is my absolute favorite if you are packing carry-on only. It's

10:58 the most compact and because of the material, it is pretty thin. It actually doesn't add any extra bulk to your luggage. Whereas this one by the brand Bags Smart, absolutely love it. It's a little bit larger and I think this one works best for checked luggage. Now, speaking of toiletries, a makeup bag,

11:16 you want to bring the most compact makeup bag that you can. Now, personally, I like this one. It does go along with this hanging toiletry bag. And this is what I use for my cosmetics. I really do need to wash this out. I'll be doing this before I pack it for my trip. But I absolutely love this size.

11:38 And again, this is something that I would put in my checked luggage. Packing medication. Super important to pack over-the-counter medication and pack your prescription medication as well. And just a little tip, always make sure that you pack like an extra week or so of your prescription medication. You

11:56 never know if something happens where you're going to be delayed getting back. Just always better to do that. So, this is a great um pill box for any extra medication. It does come in two sizes. I keep the smaller size um in my purse all the time. I have a couple of them, but I definitely travel with my

12:16 over-the-counter medication. And I did want to show you another way to use this or this, but this is just a small size. So, if you want to bring a little bit of jewelry and you want to keep a necklace in each of the different compartments or earrings in each of the different compartments or even if you want to put

12:34 safety pins and other items and random things, this really doesn't take up a lot of room. And this was from the dollar store. Reusable plastic hacks. Now, please do not come at me for this cuz hopefully you have a lot of these items at home. And a lot of people said, "You know what? I use these to pack

12:52 with." So, if you have grocery bags, these are great to just go over your shoes. And what I do personally is I use um plastic shower caps to put over my shoes when I am packing. But sometimes it can happen, maybe you're doing an Alaska cruise and you have dirt on your shoes. So, you're going to want to have

13:10 a couple of those grocery bags um to be able to put your items in. Now, if you have Amazon bags or Sheen if you buy from them or anybody that you know gives you items in those plastic sealed bags, you could use those to put your wet bathing suits and more. Oh, and speaking of this, and I've done it in the past, I

13:28 haven't done it for years, but if you have any like really small uh pill bottles, those can be great to pack creams and other things as well. If you don't want to go to the dollar store or Amazon for those little containers, those can be just as good. silicone toiletry covers. So, that is the one

13:45 thing you want to make sure that nothing ever leaks. So, if you're bringing full-size bottles or even smaller bottles, these work really well and go right over your item. Compression packing cubes, still my absolute favorite. Um, and I'm going to share with you a couple of different new items

14:01 as well. So, compression packing cubes. I absolutely love this set by Bags Smart. I just think it's the most versatile that I found, but I also love the Epica brand. the quality is uh really there. Um so packing cubes now what I like to do is use some of them as compression packing cubes like this one

14:20 is compressed right now and has undergarments in it but I like to keep others non-compressed and I find that helpful not only for packing uh but also for when I'm putting the items like into my drawer or onto my shelf in my cruise cabin. Now the other thing that people have suggested just now and I'm waiting

14:39 for this to come in from Amazon. and I am going to try it out, but it is vacuum packing cubes, the ones that come with a little pump. I'm going to try this out because apparently this really does save a lot of space. And I would say if you're doing a cruise to Alaska in particular or Norway, anywhere that has

14:56 a cooler or cold climate, you are wearing bulkier items. And I do think that that's where the compression aspect or the vacuum aspect is even more valuable. Now, simple trick is you can also take a vacuum seal bag, but the nonvacuum kind. And those basically you're taking the air out and you're

15:18 rolling that up. I have used it. And maybe, of course, it's going to be better with a vacuum, but even just taking the air out on my own. I use it for a puffer jacket when I do an Alaska cruise. That works, too. Now, by the way, if you've ever tried the vacuum packing cubes, please let me know what

15:34 you think of them down in the comments below. Laundry hacks. Take advantage of any laundry opportunities that you have on the cruise. Unless you don't want to, but if you want to, it can really help you to pack a little bit lighter, especially if you're doing a cruise where you're doing land as well. And you

15:50 need to have some clean clothes. So, first, just something to mention is make sure that you bring something with you to take any dirty laundry home. You're always going to need this. An extra packing cube, maybe a kitchen uh bag that is scented or something. So, anything like that. But the other thing

16:07 is see what laundry is available on your cruise ship. You may have self-service laundry available. We had that on our Princess cruise ships. We also had that on our Carnival cruise and we had that on our Emma Waterways, Emma Magna cruise. But otherwise, there are also different laundry services and packages

16:24 that you could take advantage as well. And if you have any loyalty perks, check to see what free or discounted laundry you have. And maybe you might even be able to get your laundry done so that you can go home with clean clothing and you didn't have to do it. Now, I hope that you enjoyed this video. I am going

16:40 to leave all of the different items that I mentioned in today's video, including the Epica travel adapters down below in the description of the video, as well as a pinned comment. And I'd love to hear from you. Please let me know any of your cruise packing hacks that you love and

16:54 use. Let me know down in the comments below.