We love to take cruises and have actually become quite good at squeezing four people and all of our stuff into a teeny tiny room. I’ll probably make a comprehensive list of all the nice-to-have items, but here, I’ll focus on five items I won’t leave home without when planning to depart on a cruise. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure statement for details.
First, I love my over-the-door shoe holder!
With such limited counter space in the bathroom and in the cabin, this creates a way to keep all those little things organized. You’ll need two over-the-door shoe holders and some ribbon to create this awesome organizer/space creator. Simply tie the two holders together with a ribbon (at least an inch wide and about 24 inches long). We keep anything we use in the bathroom in the pockets on the inside bathroom door and other items get tucked into the pockets on the outside door.
You can click the over-the-door shoe organizer below to see the one I bought on Amazon.
Second, I don’t go on any vacations without my Pro Packing cubes.
In case you’ve never seen or heard of packing cubes, you basically organize your stuff into smaller bags. They allow you to be very organized and to fit more into your suitcase. I like them because I keep them in drawers and closets when I travel so my clothes never touch the drawers. I got these about three years ago and I don’t travel anywhere without them!
I also like that they have a handle that I can use to take my outfit into the bathroom with me to get ready for the day. And these come in really handy because the closets on the ship are a combination of hanging and shelving. I just stack all of our Pro Packing cubes on the closet shelves. Every person in my family has a different color so it is easy to see whose is whose.
There are many options of Pro Packing cube sets. You’ll want to get the sizes that work best for you. I’ve linked a few below to get you started. Once you get onto Amazon, it will show you additional options.
My third must-have are magnetic hooks.
They each hold enough weight to store hats, purses, and swimsuits that need to dry. Since the cruise ship cabin walls are made of metal, they hang right on your wall.
Below you’ll see pictures of a snorkel hanging on a hook, a dress hanging on a hook, and a wet swim suit hanging on a hook.
Click on the image of the hooks below to see the hooks on Amazon.
My fourth must-have items for a cruise are beach towel clips.
It is often extremely windy on the ship lounge chairs and lounge chair clips hold down the corners of the towel so you’re not continually brushing the towel off of your body. I also like them because the hold my towel in place and show that my lounge chair is taken when I go to the bar to get a drink or go to the restroom.
They make really cute beach towel clips, in every kind of design you can imagine (flamingos, margarita glasses, etc.). I use four, one for each corner on my towel.
Click on any of the images below to see item details and pricing on Amazon.
And last, I won’t go on any beach vacation without my waterproof lanyard pouch.
I’ve climbed Dunn’s River Falls twice, have ridden water speed boats, and much more wearing these. It is so great to be able to throw my phone into this pouch and know it will be safe.
I’m linking to all 5 items below for your quick reference. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases, however this does not impact your price.
These cruise ideas are awesome! Great solutions for making the most of the limited space. I’m sailing for the first time in three months and had no idea that some of the ship walls were magnetic. The over the door organizer is genius! I plan to use both of these cruise tips.
So glad you found the information useful! Have a great trip!