Never cruised but a tip from doing laundry while at hotels, if you are worried about losing socks or such get a mesh laundry bag, throw all the dirty clothes in, knot it shut then throw the entire bag into the wash. Not going to work in all situations but can be convenient at times
We always just leave one suitcase open and put it towards the end of the bed (underneath), and then use that for our “hamper”. Then the dirty clothes are already in a suitcase we can just zip up when the cruise is sadly over.
There are lots of little cubby holes and cabinets where one can store things, some of them with doors that blend in to the woodwork so they are easy to forget. After everything is put away, open all the cabinet doors in each area and take a quick photo that you can look at to remind you to check those areas when you are packing up to leave.
I buy a little ship magnet from the gift shop onboard each cruise to hang up schedules, important papers etc on wall. Not only do I have a lovely reminder from all our cruises, they are so useful , easy to pack etc . Brings back lovely memories unpacking on ship seeing where we’ve been! Also bring some old school wooden clothespins. Super handy , even beyond that shower clothes line. Keeps drapes together to block out light etc And light to pack,
Good to know! I am one of those people that likes ice in their drinks always. I’ve been wondering how to keep a steady supply of ice coming. Explain the prepaid gratuity. Is this in addition to the prepaid gratuities I have already prepaid with my cruise cost?
The last cruise that we went on, we ended up getting sick with a bad cold. It was later that we identified that it was the cabin attendant that was working when he was sick. He was going from room to room to room cleaning but coughing and touching everything in sight as he cleaned. So Clorox wipes will be used every day to clean surfaces that someone else has touched.
Also-- I pack several dryer sheets into a ziplok bag, to use one in with my dirty clothing etc. I also always leave one in my empty suitcase before storing it between travels.
The portable laundry line she shows at the 12 1/2 min. mark is a real life saver for my wife and I. We travel a full month during the summer with only a small suitcase and a backpack each. That laundry line with the built in clips makes it possible for us to always have clean clothes without over packing. We have the same line she's showing and highly recommend it.
When travelling, I always bring one large Ziplock bag for swim suits. Keeps everything else dry while also preventing persistent chlorine smells from transferring to other clothes!
We get the little battery tea lights at Dollar Tree - 2 for a dollar - to use as a night light in our indoor cabin. If you wear clothes more than 1 day, take a small travel size Febreeze to spritz them
We always put a couple of the battery tea lights in the bathroom and turn them on before bed so we don't have to turn that bright light on when using the bathroom in the midlle of the night.
One thing I do is write me a note on a large piece of paper CHECK SAFE. I put this in my suitcase, under my clothes when I start to pack to go on a trip. It is the first thing I see when I open my suitcase to repack everything to come home . I also put a note in my phone with the reminder on for the day I get off to come home.
Every cruise, I wipe down EVERYTHING with Clorox wipes, and I spray with Lysol also. I give the steward an extra $20. To bring 3 extra pillows and ice daily. I use magnetic clips and hooks on the walls for toothpaste, bath scrunches, lanyards, daily information…etc…
I bought different colored packing cubes for each member of my family. For the flight, I distribute each person’s clothing between the (in our family, three) suitcases. That way, if a suitcase is lost the person still has some clothes. And using different colors makes unpacking simple. I just toss the bags into separate piles for each person.
I have used the command hooks. They have several different sizes. They hold good and don’t slide down the wall like the magnets do occasionally. Then pull the tabs to remove them from the wall and put them in a ziplock and reuse with the extra tabs that usually comes in the packs of hooks. Love them. Clean removal.
Beware when using magnet hooks. Definitely a must take but we got caught out with heavy-duty ones that we couldn't remove. They were too strong. So best to use where there is a corner or edge that you can slide the magnets to and then slide off.
Yes!! I’ve been doing this, too! The safes are dark and not lit. I still check with my phone flashlight before I leave - there’s always some stray item that someone added without following my “system”!😊
I'll have to try this on my next cruise. one of our previous cruises we 'lost' a sd card from our camera that we had kept in the tiny SD card plastic case in the safe and we didn't see it when we packed. contacted lost and found after we got home 2 days later but the memory card was never found and we lost half our trips photos unfortunately.
My favorite space saver is I got a canvas hanging pocket organizer. It is about 10X20 and has like 9 pockets of various sizes. I hang it near the desk using magnetic hooks and I put sunglasses, ship cards, playing cards, sun screen, etc etc It keeps all those little loose things off the desk and I know right where everything is.
@@patriciafrank2726 Picked it up on Amazon. They of course have many sizes depending on what you want to put in there. They are sort of a much smaller size of those over door shoe otganizers.
I bring my Press and seal wrap to wrap the remote. I bring a hanging air freshener to keep the room smelling fresh, and I keep dryer sheets in our packing cubes. The drawers on cruise ships smell moldy to me. The dryer sheets keep our clothes fresh and it lasts a long time. I also bring my own ice cream cups with spoons, and disposable serving gloves for the buffet. I keep a pack of hand sanitizer wipes with me at all times for eating on the go.
I bring both- the hampers are great in the room but when I pack it back up to go home I fold the hampers back up and stuff the dirty clothes into plastic (and Febreezed) trash bags.
I use space saver bags for my clothes instead of packing cubes. I unpack everything on day 1. As I use my clothes, I put them back in my suitcase (not in space saver bag). At the end of the cruise, I don't have as much to pack. If you have clothes you didn't wear, you can put them back in space saver bags.
I am a man and I prefer to shave in the shower and I mostly cruise with Carnival and most Carnival ships have a clothesline inside the shower that you can pull from one wall and hook it to the other wall and hang your bathing suit in the shower to drip dry. I bought a handheld mirror that has a loop instead of a handle and I would run the clothesline through the hoop allowing the mirror to hang and then it was really easy to shave in the shower
I always travel with a small pop up box that I keep along side my bed to hold my glasses, book, small flashlight and charger mine tucks away in an inside flap of my backpack. You can find these at office and sewing stores etc. Great way not to forget anything behind.
Awesome tips as always.i bought a pop up hamper for our trip to Kauai last month Loved it and fought it home for our cruise to Alaska this coming July. Already have magnet hooks in my cart and some others. Now,if could only lose these pesky 30pounds!! - Mary
This is your best tips vlog yet. Several great ideas we haven't thought of even though we have cruised for many years. We still learn something from your tips. Thanks for all the good ideas.
I put an empty storage bag inside the safe to put all loose items in makes it easy to keep everything together and not forget anything in the safe. I also get smaller size foldable containers from dollar tree to keep on desk, in bathroom to put smaller items in.
I bought a couple of fridge magnetic whiteboards. One for our wall and one on the outside of our door to leave messages to our friends. Also a couple of whiteboard markers (leave one is the spot for bulletins etc outside your front door to receive messages) and a small magnetic eraser.
Thanks for your video. Something that we always carry, we each bring a small flashlight for use in the room at night. A small pen light works fine. Sometimes it helps finding stuff in dark closets too. I prefer one with an additional red LED or slip over red filter. It wont disturb your night vision. The red lens also works well for reading at night and not disturbing your partner. A cell phone will work in a pinch.
-What she brings for small items is a folding plastic cup. also we bring different size zip lock bags, old army trick. keep your cash in when ashore. you get wet items stay dry. enjoy your videos.
I have a sun hat with a zippered pocket in it. It is great for putting money in. Just are sure the is a tie or hat lease on it so it doesn't blow away.
So many great tips in this video! This isn't the first time I've heard the "bring magnetic hooks" tip, but it's finally sinking in now. On our first cruise, our couch was constantly covered with hats and bags so we never actually used it as a couch. We'll definitely get some heavy duty magnetic hooks for our next cruise. Thank you!
Great for clipping your towel to your chair on the deck by the pool so the wind don’t blow your towel off!!!Large ones!!This is my 18 cruise and i still learn something from your blog!!! Thanks again!!Happy and safe cruising!!!
I always enjoy your videos, thank you for the hints. One thing that I do is add a red sticky reminder note , (for myself), on my safe. The note is in with my travel documents. When I put things inmy safe the first time i add the note " CHECK SAFE". That way when packing to disembark I don't overlook and leave something important. I hope to meet you someday on a cruise. Mary
@@carltabbert7732not sure how to print them, but I saved screenshots of the import tips & comments… I suppose I could add them to an email to print later.
Great video as always!! We started using the magnetic hooks for our last few cruises and what a great idea! Don't know why we didn't use sooner! LOVE them. Always use a mesh laundry hamper also. We tend to use one suitcase for dirty clothes and one for clean when packing up to go home. we've also used the same motion sensor night light in the cabin because as we know it gets very dark sometimes. We've also used the over the door organizer! Makes it so much easier to find stuff and everything isn't all over the bathroom counter! And if there are rough seas nothing will fall off the counter! We also started bringing one of those drying mats that we normally use for dishes etc. Works wonderfully for the ice bucket which always sweats or any other 'wet' items on the counters.
Love the drying mat idea! I always bring a travel shampoo bottle of dish liquid to wash my yeti and straws but end up using a hand towel to dry them on. Mat is a much better idea. Thanks!
Wanting to get rid of furniture inside your room? FYI… it may be much more difficult to rid of just for asking! I/we were in an inside room, with an ottoman chair smack in the middle of it. I asked the room steward “NOPE”… I then went to the customers office “NOPE”… so then I told them “I’m now going to my room, and at 10:😊24pm there is going to be a large chair in the middle of your hallway…” so it happened, and it was gone!
I fold my worn clothes and put them on one shelf in the closet so when it’s time to pack up again, the clothes are already folded and ready to pack back in the suitcase. This saves a lot of time. You can slip the pile in a plastic bag if you wish to keep them away from unused items. 😊
Or, put a plastic bag or ziplock to the ones that were not used because you get more worn clothes at the end of the cruise. Saves time and easier to throw the worn ones in the washer soon as you reach home.
Both cruises we have gone on we have 4 people in our cabin and traveling with 9 and 11 people total. We got cheap magnetic 3in whiteboards and cheap markers to leave notes to each other. Especially when part of the group went on one excursion and the others on a different one. We could say we were back and where we were all meeting for dinner to discuss our days. We also bring power strips. With 4 phones, power banks and cameras to charge, there's not enough outlets otherwise
I always have a half dozen wooden clothes pins in my suitcase. Great for hanging clothes and swimsuits to dry on the clothes line in the shower. Can also be used as a towel clip most of the time and they take up just a small bit of space.
I always bring a night light: The light switches are often outside the door, making it necessary to turn on the light before the door is opened to enter, blasting the bright light on my travel companion. I also bring a small flash light: if, for any reason, there is a power failure, I can safely navigate. Ziplock bags are a necessity for storing the last bit of cheese or other snacks without drying out.
Hands down the best tip I followed through on were the magnet hooks. We had plenty of space in the closets but the hooks were handy for our hats and anything else we wanted to grab and go. We also had extra towel clips in the pkg which came in handy for hanging our wet clothes on the line in the shower. I haven't had a chance to go through any new videos but one thing that stumped us as newbies was the keycard having to be inserted to be able to turn on the lights! Thankfully, our cabin steward was there to help us but it might be worth mentioning to other first-timers. (We were on the Carnival Breeze, if that makes a difference) Love your content! You helped us make preparing for our first cruise so much less stressful. Other cruisers we talked to had told us that we did very well for being newbies! Of course, most of it was thanks to you!
So glad your cruise went well! I was only on 2 cruise ships that had the light/keycard thing, but thanks for the reminder. We had brought a hotel key card to place in when we absolutely needed. So glad my videos were helpful to you!!
As an FYI, on Carnival we only had one plug so I asked my amazing steward Kris if there were any extended plugs/surge protectors and they gave us one! We didn't end up using it b/c my charger was a multi USB and we each had USB plugs on our lamp but it was great that the option was there!
I took a round pill holder and put Advil, Tylenol, Imodium ECT. In it . I took it on shore excursions and it was great. I carry it in my purse now. I got it at Dollar Tree.
If you forget your charger at home you can go to guests services and see if they have one you can use. A lot of cruisers forget to repack their chargers for disembarkation so they usually have some at guest services.
Hadn't thought about the hanging shelf organizer, but since my next 2 are longer cruises, I will definitely be bringing one of those. Thanks for the great ideas!
Have been using the magnetic hooks you recommended...what a difference! I hate clutter and these really help to keep things organized. I use them to hang: our masks and lanyards by the door; first aide kit; husband's toiletries; my toiletries; cords & headphones; door decor; husband's caps. Most of those things were laying around somewhere before. I like to go straight to my room and use disinfectant spray (gets in places that are hard to reach with a cloth) then, by the time my luggage arrives, all the surfaces are dry. Like the idea of a hanging closet organizer. My shoes are always in a jumble at the bottom of those little closets (my DH doesn't have that problem with the 2 pairs he takes)! We are getting ready to stay on the ship forc4 weeks so I'll be using a lot of your ideas...thank you!
Thanks for the excellent tips. I use many but there may be one I never thought about. I have a disinfectant spray that I plan to bring on my next cruise. Another tip is to put anything that could come open or leak & put them in a zip lock bag. I took an adapter plug in a hardware store to the key attendant & they were able to cut & file it down so it would fit into the socket in the bathroom where each night I plugged in my nightlight. If I’m in a balcony stateroom I have a small thermometer that I attach to the sliding door so I always know the temperature. Another tip is what about the universal socket that sits unused. Most of us have a universal adapter so bring that & I now have an extra socket. I bring a iPad & at night I leave it on the desk so I can see it with a large click app so whenever I wake up I’ll always know the time. Remember with any clock to remember, if the ships time changes, to reset the time.
We went on a long trip -- 6 weeks with a 16 day cruise. I packed a few laundry detergent sheets like Blue Water. No liquid, and saved $$ in the laundromat.
We used to travel in Europe years ago. I always took powdered laundry soap for washing out clothes. I double bag it in Ziploc bags. As you use it, the amount decreases. It took some looking this time to find it, but I found All laundry detergent (which we use) at Walmart. Then when we get home, I can use it for our laundry. You can also use it for washing dishes. Only need to bring sponge. Or use a clean wash cloth.
We use ours to right notes for our cabin steward as well. He got a kick out of it on our last cruise. He would leave us notes. We have magnetic dry erase markers that attach to the door. If you leave one on the outside of the door, put it at the top of the door. Otherwise, kids can reach them.
Make sure you check pictures of your cruise ship online to see your cabin doors. On the NCL Gem, they had lovered doors and we couldn't put a magnetic board on them, so we used it to leave messages for our room steward also, and left a tip on it every day to get towel animals, as some cruise lines are phasing them out.
We use the Command hooks to hang jackets, zip sweatshirts, hats, lanyards and daypack for fast grabbing. We also use them for hanging our toiletry bags in the bathroom so we leave the hooks on the door for wet towel, they work great and some can handle quit a bit of weight. We use the Command clips to hang our itinerary, exertion tickets, notes, etc up to have it all in plain site.
Wow! I’ve cruised a few times and was so pleased to learn that I have all but 2 of your suggestions in my cabin prep kit! I use to have a hamper but I now, I just fold and put our dirty clothes back in our empty packing cubes. This doesn’t take up space in the room and makes repacking for debarkation super quick. I also have scented travel tins that I can put in the drawers/on the shelves should odor be a concern but food stains are more likely the culprit than sweat! 😅😂
I do the same thing. I take an empty packing cube for dirty clothes. I put it in a drawer or shelf, and fold the dirty clothes right in the cube. Once it's full, it goes into the luggage, which is under the bed. At the end of the cruise, I don't have to pack much, most everything is done.
I just create a wish list in amazon with all the things you recommend Im continue seeing all of your informative videos My 2 daugthers and I are going to be in a cruise by the Mediterranean and want to be very prepared for that We're celebrating my youngest daugther 15 years...so want to be a sucess trip Thanks for all your advices, just love it
Thank you for this video! My wife and I are going on our 1st cruise in Dec 2022 to the Mexican Riviera. Some of the items you mentioned we already have but I used your Amazon links to get the rest, about $250 worth of items. Your content is the best, ty so much for all your advice and tips. We are so excited!!!!
Disney will confiscate a power bar (even without surge protector). They said if everyone used one there would be too much of a drain on the electricity.
They make hanging yoga pants organizers that you can use for almost any kind of clothing that you can roll up. I use one at home for my graphic tee shirts. It has 24 pockets!
My husband and I travel with kids and we've had 3 small children and two adults in one room for 10 days. I used the shoe organizer as a diaper & baby station. Two sizes of diapers, wipes, bibs, bottles, formula, etc. We're also a chronic pain household, so between the kids and our pain relief, I pack a small pharmacy. So in the bathroom, I hang old school hanging makeup stations and hanging toiletry bag for medications. I've been using the mesh laundry baskets to travel for years and I've converted a few people to this as well... especially when you have a full room. We have one for the kids and one for the parents. We're going on our first cruise and our first parents only trip in February and I fully intend on making our room as organized as possible. My husband used to mock my methods and then he saw them in action. He is fully on board with them now
Once I wear clothing I pack it away that night in an empty packing cube bag with dryer sheets. This eliminates the smell and by the end of the cruise..less packing to do.
Something for the little ones that I loved as a kid and is still around today are magnetic alphabets and numbers. Also you can find pre-made magnet sheets with characters like sesame street, batman, Disney princesses, Mario-party characters, power rangers, etc. If you can't find these you can make your own with printable magnet sheets. You can also make these color-able if you choose out-line or coloring book renditions of characters. The sky is the limit (magnetic version of a paper doll for the fashion conscious kid; magnetic tan-grams, board games like chess and checkers, even magnetic animal puzzels; I had one of a cow). Only downsides? You do have to cut them out yourself and a lot can start to get heavy...But they're in your Kid's luggage, not yours ;). I can also see myself taking along a small tin of magnetic poetry. Got a magnetic shoulder plush? That'll stick to the wall... Or a tin of that Aaron's thinking putty if you have a fidgeteer in the family, or hematite stacking rocks, or those "buzzer" hematite stones (or really most hematite objects). Not sure how cruise lines feel about inflatable toys (beach balls, punching bags, giant boxing gloves, whomp hammers, inflatable swords / magic wands, inflatable animals (flamingos, monkeys, bananas, lizards, lobsters), inflatable microphones or electric guitars, etc.) but that might be worth asking about, especially if you have rambunctious kids (or are one yourself). For non-kid packing, I have also seen 3" diameter circular do-dad containers that could be useful for keeping small items off the counter tops. These have a decently strong magnet on the back and are often at Christmas Tree Shops. You can also find whiteboard markers with attached magnets or superglue (I keeps some in my sewing kit... yes my sewing kit) some magnet strips to the pen-cap (that way you can just keep switching the pen-cap when the former one dries). Or using strong scientific magnets and a string to make an additional clothes line(s). During back to school season, see what you can score for the locker accessories. There are often fun teen and tween related magnets for low money, you can get some pen cups that can also be used to hold tooth brushes, make-up brushes, and of course their intended use, pens. Likewise you can also find hang-able pencil bags in a variety of colors and styles, which I use to pack everything from underclothes to art-kits to makeup to accessories and charging cables. I snagged a whole bunch of surprisingly sturdy mesh bags that came in a three pack with different sizes and use those instead of traditional packing cubes with a ton of success. For my mini first-aide kit I have repurposed an empty plasters tin and stocked it with what works for my group. I also found dice-trays (for role players) that snap into this hexagonal shape but pack flat. They make great travel doo-hickey containers if you just can't keep it off the bedside counter. if you have a retainer, glasses, need ear plugs, and a sleeping mask, that tray will keep everything in one place and from getting knocked about. Last but not least, If you are a security conscious cruiser, they make a command hook with a built in camera that runs on rechargeable battery and can have a magnet stuck to the back in place of a command strip. it has a slot for a micro usb card and you can use that card to review footage on your phone or laptop. Additionally they also make USB charging bricks that have a built-in camera which work the same way, but your cabin steward will likely unplug those while you are away from your cabin. You could also leave a "glasses cam" or a "pen cam" lying out... but that is the most expensive option of those listed and are more likely to get lifted from your room.
Your phone can also download apps that mimic white noise. So one can leave their phone plugged in while the ocean is playing for you or raindrops or wind on trees
Grab some of those huge rubber bands for big trash cans to keep the liner in. Put them over your towels on the beach chairs to keep them from blowing around.
Rather that the bulky clips to secure your towel on the lounge chair they now have bands which are smaller to pack and more secure. Also I use packing cubes and just place the packing cube in a drawer which saves time unpacking and repacking things like t shirts and socks.
Excellent video … excellent tips. I guess from years of cruising, I also bring almost 100% of the items you mentioned. I’m sure everyone will benefit from all your cruise tips and hacks. Great job. Hope you get lots of ‘thumbs up’. LOL P.S. just remembered something new I now bring … bendable & reusable straws (in many colours) that come in a little carry case. I hate the paper straws they now use. Now we each have our own colour so no mixing up of drinks. I bought them for our travel friends too.
Yes, I’ve been experimenting with different biodegradable single-use straws from Amazon and will choose one kind to bring on our next cruise. We really dislike the switch from plastic. On our last cruise in August we brought our own individually wrapped plastic ones and got the stink eye from a lot of passengers and crew. But we just didn’t like the straws that Carnival has.
Great video with really useful new hacks. I am going to put those scented bin bags for dirty washing straight in my toilet bag for my next cruise. I always take magnetic hooks , towel clips and everything packed in cubes. I also take magnetic pins to secure things like receipts appointment reminders and the daily planner to the wall. Another space saving thing I do is if my solo cabin or double if I have one, has two chairs on the balcony I ask the cabin steward to remove one. I would never invite anyone into my cabin / on my balcony so have no need for two and it makes the balcony more spacious.
Some of these items take up a lot of space in your luggage. I rarely travel anywhere with more than a carryon and backpack or small duffle. I never check luggage either at the airport or at the cruise terminal. If I am mindful about the clothes I back, I don’t need the extra organization items. However, the magnet hooks are great for hanging lanyards but sometimes don’t make it through airport security. Mini battery tea lights are good for inside cabins.
In all the comments, I did not see anything about this one. On one cruise my husband and I went on, gone for 21 days overall, we took a clothes line and hung between balcony chairs at night and hung clothes to dry and removed the next morning. No one had the privilege of checking out my underwear in the dark. It really worked very well for those small items.
It’s not a bad idea if you have a luggage lock. However I believe the crew need a supervisor to be able to unlock the safe. This isn’t something every staff member can do
@@LifeWellCruised I wish that were true. However, on my Carnival Honeymoon, Someone exchanged my $20s for $1 Bills!!! Of course I could not prove it to security. Saw a RU-vid video from an ex staff member about the bill switcheroo!
On any cruise, I pack at least 2/4 magnets, to use on the wall or Stateroom door, outside, on the corridor. They take up hardly ant space, but personalise ones space.
Hi Illana, packing cubes are the best. I have packed three of mine already to go for my Dec. cruise and i just place them in the drawer and take my things out directly from them😂
I do that too. Just lift them out of my suitcase onto the wardrobe shelf and then use the items direct from them . Makes packing up to come home less sad and stressful too.
I'm lucky that I live in FL and am within driving distance of 3 sea ports. I have a "cruise bag" that is just for the things to make my cruising life more comfortable and organized. I'm fairly certain that this bag could also be checked into baggage if I were flying, but I've not done that yet. Best thing is, the bag is always packed and ready to go. Once you have your cruise bag packed, very little needs to be added except consumables.
