Here’s What You Should Bring on a Cruise and What You Should Leave at Home

Bring on a Cruise and What You Should Leave at Home” width=”1000″ height=”1500″>

Here’s What You Should Bring on a Cruise and What You Should Leave at Home

A popular credit card company used to implore holders not to leave home without it. They were mostly correct. You never know when you will encounter an emergency that requires an emergency source of spending power. When you are going on a cruise, you definitely need that spending power. That is not very obvious to the first-time cruiser. Those all-expense paid packages are somewhat misleading. You have most of your basic expenses included in the price of the package. But that leaves a lot of things unaccounted for. 

A cruise is one of the most expensive cheap vacations you can have. It is inexpensive because of everything you get with the cruise. But it is expensive because everything else tends to be highly inflated. And you are going to really want a lot of what is on offer. Your dining is usually included in the fee.

But you will discover some nicer options than what you get for free. Those options will cost you. Everything in the gift shops is expensive. All of the excursions are expensive. Don’t even get me started on the spa and beauty treatments. They're amazing, but expensive. So definitely don’t leave home without your credit card. Here are a few more things you will want to bring with you, and things you will want to leave behind:

Collapsible luggage

When cabin space is limited it’s essential to make the most of it – that’s where collapsible luggage comes in, and it’s one of the things that Becky Moore from Global Grasshopper says is a must! It will make packing much less stressful, plus it’s perfect for when you load up on souvenirs on your way back from the cruise.  

Fine Jewelry

One of the purposes of costume jewelry is to have something that looks like the real thing in places where you don’t want to risk the loss of the genuine item. Museums do this all the time. There are plenty of occasions when you want to proudly display your princess cut diamond rings for all to see, and times when the situation calls for a bit more discretion.

A cruise might call for a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B. You might want to wear it for the formal dining experience where everyone is dressed to the nines. Otherwise, you might want to keep it locked in the safe and replaced with costume jewelry. You never want to bring your fine jewelry with you on excursions. If you are planning to skip the fine dining and go on all the excursions available, you will probably want to leave the fine jewelry at home. If your wedding ring is going to be a delectable target for unsavory types who target distractible tourists, swap it out for something nice, but less devastating should it be stolen or lost.

Cameras

This is a tricky one because you will have no end of photo opportunities on a cruise. These opportunities are both on the ship and on the shore. Your big camera is relatively safe on the ship as long as you don’t set it down on a table and forget about it. The challenge mounts when you leave the ship. 

The bigger question might be whether or not you should buy an expensive camera at all. A camera hanging around your neck makes you an instant target the moment you leave the ship. There is also the fact that the camera on your recent smartphone makes great photos that you will be happy to display.

If you are not going to print images the size of posters, there is little utility in the big camera. The higher quality of your dedicated camera will be lost once the photos are crushed to fit into your Facebook feed. Believe it or not, even if you have a high-end camera, you are probably better off not bringing it on the cruise.

Comfortable Walking Shoes

You might assume that a cruise is the perfect time to break out the sandals. But that is only half a truth. Even on the ship, you will want shoes with good grip. Cruise ships are very big. You will be doing a lot more walking than you think. You will also have opportunities to leave the ship and tour some of the destinations along the way. There, you will be doing mostly walking tours. The shopping can be brutal on your feet. So be sure to pack at least one pair of comfortable walking shoes for your cruise.

Even if all basic expenses are paid, you are still going to need some money. Leave your expensive jewelry and big camera at home. But bring the most comfortable pair of walking shoes you have.