8 Pro Tips for Cruise Preparation

Cruises are a unique vacation experience, and with them comes special preparation.

We'll cover eight pro tips to ensure your cruise preparation list is built to optimize your good time on the family vacation!

The Cruise App

Most cruise lines will offer a free app to help you make the most of your vacation! The cruise app will cover dining options, account balances, the different port schedules, and ship maps.

Getting off the Boat

It's super easy to get caught up with the great activities and relaxing options the cruise ship offers. About a month or two before the trip, open up a search engine (or chat with your travel agent) and nail down at least two things you'd like to do when your cruise ship ports!

That'll help ensure you get the most out of your cruise and the destinations you'll be docked at.

Organization

You know how easy it is for your room to become clustered while traveling or on vacation. So pack some magnets and an over-the-door shoe rack. Ship cabins are usually a little smaller than a hotel room, causing them to become clustered even faster! They're also usually made of metal.

So the magnets come in handy for bathing suits, clothes, documents, and anything else you'd like to organize throughout your cabin.

Keep your ship cabin tidy by putting toiletries, shoes, and other belongings into your over-the-door shoe rack. This one little organizer can make ALL the difference. A clean cabin makes relaxing and recovery all the better.

Scotchgard

Yep, Scotchgard. Planning for temperamental weather is tough, but it's even more unpredictable on a cruise. So grab a can of this before your trip, and spray your luggage. This will protect your suitcase and other belongings when loaded and unloaded! Don’t forget to spray your shoes too, this will be beneficial during and after your cruise.

Wrinkle Prevention

While hotels provide irons, a cruise ship will not due to fire hazards. You can put your clothes on a hanger and cover them in plastic dry cleaning bags before packing! That'll help prevent wrinkles. Another option you have is to pick up a can of wrinkle-releasing spray. Grab one of those magnet hooks we discussed earlier, hang it up the night before, spritz the clothing and boom! Wrinkle-free clothes by morning.

Power Strips & Extension Cords

Okay, this is a big pro tip. Pack a power strip and extension cord.

As a modern traveling family, you'll usually have quite the electronics or even just phones along for the ride. The power strip will make sure everyone has enough electricity for their items.

Sometimes the ship engineers have to sacrifice outlet placement for safety. So they can sometimes be placed in inconvenient spots within the cabin. The extension cord will make it easy to set all of your electronics where you want them to be!

First Aid Kit

A basic first aid kit will be enough to do the job! We recommend adding some aloe vera just in case you forget to put on sunscreen one day. The first aid kits you buy at the shop on board will be much more expensive than those you pick up at your local big-box store.

Stick-on Labels

You'll be visiting neat places worldwide on your cruise, and sending postcards to family and friends to let them know you're thinking of them is so much fun. So go ahead and pre-address some stick-on labels; all you have to do is peel and stick. Then you won't have to worry about locating and writing addresses!

Conclusion

We're chocked full of trip tips, and we'll be posting a lot more!

Please feel free to reach out with questions or some of your "I wish I'd have known this before" tips you can't live without.

Here at TrollStar, we're here to make your trip unforgettably fantastic from start to finish.

We can't wait to chat!