Essential Cruise Items For 2023

Who knew magnets would be so important?

We consider these the most essential cruise items for 2023. We use them all. Check out our best cruise tips for 2023.

Plastic Luggage Tag Holders

Cruise lines will email paper luggage tags that you are expected to print out at home and staple onto your bags. Few of these survive their first encounter with airline baggage handling!

Play it safe by using these reusable plastic tag holders. You print out the cruise baggage tags, fold them, and slip them into these plastic sleeves. Problem solved!

There are many available with metal bands rather than plastic loops. We think the plastic ones hold up better. But either will work.

Note: Cruise Line tags vary a bit in width. However, we have the wider ones on the left and with some creative folding we were able to fit our narrower passes into them successfully.

Wider tags for
Princess, Carnival, Holland America,
Costa, P&O, Norwegian

Narrow tags for Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Cunard

The Most Essential Cruise Item is Magnets? Really?

We consider magnet hooks the most essential cruise item for 2023 and here’s why.

Almost all cruise cabin walls are metal. This means magnets are your friend for organizing your cruise stuff. We use heavy-duty 100 pound hooks because they can hold your tote bags, drying swimsuits, jackets, whatever you want! There can be a lot of paper on a cruise, keep it in sight with these. Make sure you get magnet hooks that hold at least 25 pounds. Pop a few into your suitcase. You’ll thank us later.

Keeping Your Cruise Card With You

On most cruises, your plastic cruise card is everything–your door key, your credit card, and your i.d. Use a lanyard like these to keep it with you at all times. There are MANY styles to choose from. We consider these to be essential cruise items for 2023.

Remember, with Princess Cruises you will have a Medallion instead of a card so read below for options on Princess.

Confused With Too Many Options For Cruise Gadgets?

This site helps sort them out by cruise line.

Are You Sailing on Princess?

If there is a Princess Cruise in your future, they now use Princess Medallions instead of cruise cards for everything from opening your cabin door to charging things to your account. You can even order a drink and they will use it to find you and deliver it to wherever you are.

Of course, Princess Cruises sells holders and lets you purchase personalizations.

The Princess Medallion is almost the exact same size as an Apple AirTag, so you can use AirTag accessories to keep your Medallion safe.

If your kids are coming along, you can use these to hold either Princess Cruises Medallions or Air Tags. Look for water proof or water resistant like these.

Door Decorations

With so many cabins it can be hard to find your own. For this reason, people like to decorate their doors with magnetic signs and decorations. Fortunately, it is easy.

Also, if someone in your party is celebrating a birthday, anniversary, retirement, etc. make sure to have your travel advisor request a bit of celebration. Frequently, the ship’s staff will decorate your door or cabin to help celebrate.

There are many magnetic door decorations that can be customized or not, as you like.

Here are a few fun options.

Essential cruise items for 2023: Passport Cases

Most cruises must visit at least one foreign port, which means a passport is important. We like to keep ours in a passport case. We like a style that allows you to also keep a little cash, a credit card, and your cruise card all in one place. Handy for when you are taking those shore excursions. Also, RFID blocking is a big plus.

Medications

If you take medications, bring two weeks MORE than you need for your trip, because… stuff happens. Also, we keep pictures of our prescriptions on our phone in case we need an emergency refill somewhere. Finally, we suggest you keep a hard copy of your eyeglass prescription.

We always also bring ibuprofen and over the counter allergy medications because they can be pricey while traveling.

Worried About Seasickness?

If you are concerned about seasickness, here are some suggestions. Please know seasickness can happen, but modern ships are bigger and have effective stabilizer systems.

Bring ginger candy, Ginger is known to help fight seasickness.
Anti-nausea wristbands are popular.
Good old dramamine.

We use a travel prescription medication case like these. We use the Vera Bradley because it has many pretty patterns. At home we use the first one. It’s easy to grab whatever weeks you need. And for those of you with larger medical needs, we suggest a bag like the one on the right.