There are many important items to pack for a cruise vacation.
Some are obvious like a swim suit, cruise tickets and sunscreen, while other items are a bit less obvious but can make a cruise vacation much more enjoyable.
Here are 10 cruise ship packing item tips to consider for your next cruise.
#1 First Aid/ Medical Kit- A basic first aid kit with Band-Aids, skin ointment, Tylenol, sunburn cream and basic bandages will serve you well for the occasional bump, blister or scrape.
Having a first aid kit will avoid a trip to the ship's infirmary and will come in handy on any shore excursion you adventure on.
#2 Bottled Water/Soda- Bring some bottled water and favorite soda with you onto the ship.
You can purchase these items on the ship of course but you will pay a top premium for it.
Having some bottled water with you in your cabin will avoid you having to drink the faucet water (which tastes bad).
If you are forced to drink the water from the ship you may consider bringing some powdered Crystal Lite type packets with you to flavor the water.
#3 Gum- If you are a gum chewer you will appreciate this tip.
Cruise Ships don't sell gum on board the ship.
If you are concerned about your bad breath from all that weird and spicy food you find on cruise ships, then bring some gum.
I guess the cruise lines care more about gum sticking to the bottom of the lounge chairs than your bad breath.
#4 Copies of Credit Cards, Passports, and Medical Cards.
This is very important and can relieve a tremendous amount of stress if your credit cards or passports get lost or stolen.
You can put the copies in your cabin safe.
You should also write all the telephone numbers of your credit card companies or program them into your phone.
#5 Travel Sized Alarm Clock- Having a travel sized alarm clock that glows in the dark can be very handy.
Cruise ship cabins are notoriously dark.
It is very easy to oversleep and miss activities with no way of telling what time it is.
You could rely on getting wake up calls from the cabin phone but that can be unreliable and has a very loud ring.
#6 Can of Air Freshener - Sometimes cruise ship cabins can have an unpleasant odor.
The crew must turn over these cabins very quickly and may not be able to rid of any smells from the previous guests.
Also cruise ships have very small cabins and there is no real escaping any bad odors that come from the bathroom.
Having a small can of air freshener will make your cabin smell great and mask any embarrassment.
#7 Motion Sickness Pills or Patches- While this may be obvious to some, others may think that a huge cruise ship doesn't rock that much.
They would be wrong.
Cruise ships rock in bad weather and having some motion sickness pills or patches will save you a trip to the crowded ships infirmary where you will pay a premium for your pills or patches.
#8 Mini Stereo- Having your own music in your cabin can really add to your cruise vacation.
Loading up your iPod with your favorite songs and bringing one of those portable iPod Speaker Systems will get you into vacation mode in no time.
#9 Hand Sanitizer- Germs can spread very quickly on a cruise ship.
Bring lots of hand sanitizer and use it often.
#10 A Travel Roll of Toilet Paper.
Having a travel roll of toilet paper while in a Port-of-Call can save you some stress and potentially picking up some unwanted germs.
Many foreign countries that cruise ships visit are not exactly sanitary and having that roll of toilet paper will become priceless if you need it.
So there you have it.
Ten items not to forget to pack for your cruise vacation.