What I'm NOT Packing for a Cruise in 2024 *What I'm bringing instead*

Planning a cruise? Get The Ultimate Cruise Planner. It's a 47 page cruise travel planner with packing checklists, shore excursion planning forms and much more! ($10 off for a limted time). Details here: lifewellcruised.com/ultimate-cruise-planner/

As a Flight Attendant, I learned a little toiletry hack that works like a charm. Just unscrew the top/lid to any bottle, put a piece of Saran wrap on top, and then screw the lid back on. I've never had any trouble with leaks and it's a cheap hack. Happy Cruising!

My son and daughter-in-law invited me on my first cruise! I had no idea what to expect, so I have been binge watching videos. Yours are definitely the best! I have gotten so many tips on packing and what to bring. Thank you!

My husband takes pictures of his dinner all the time. At home. I saw that light you had for the phone and said to myself, "Yep, that's exactly what he needs to really make that broccoli beautiful." He's going to laugh until he cries when I give it to him. Thank you!

As an RN, I will do anything to NOT wear a lanyard so card holder works for me!!!!😂

Believe it or not, after 50+ cruises over 20+ years our latest "cruise gadget" is a travel pepper mill! We really enjoy fresh, crushed pepper with our meals. Royal Caribbean used to offer it at every meal, but stopped a few years back. So we now carry our own. On our last cruise a passenger at a neighboring table borrowed it (she thought it belonged to Royal Caribbean and wondered why she didn't have one on her table!) It is pocket sized, and has a cap to keep ground pepper from ending up in your pocket. I do pack it in a zipper top silicone bag anyway, just to be safe.

I always travel with 3 or 4 clothespins, the kind you squeeze. This way if the curtains don't close tight and you want to sleep in it helps keep the sun out better, plus you can use them as intended to hang up items to dry.

Magnetic hooks are a must have! We love them. Also, we take 2 small magnetic motion sensor lights that we put on the wall close to the floor, and on the bottom of the bathroom door. That way if we get up during the night, there is enough light to see, but not too much light that can disrupt being able to fall back to sleep.

The toothbrush cover is something I use even when at home, bathrooms are full of all kinds of bacteria and germs. Even flushing a toilet sprays germs all over. Any help protecting your toothbrush is a must.

I bring towel bands too. But, as someone else mentioned, they are similar to the rehab/exercise bands. So I actually bring the exercise bands which I use for a quick workout, and I use them for towels. 😊

Instead of a backpack for myself....I wear a fanny pack. I have cinch bags packed for each excursion with water shoes, coverup, sunscreen, ziplock baggies, bottles of water, water camera, envelope of small bills for tips and paper work/ tickets for excursion. Then, on the day of excursion, grab and go...saves so much time!! I still like ziplock baggies for things that could spill. The cruise we just took in November we took magnetic hooks! Oh my gosh, great idea!!!

I don't leave my toothbrush out. I repack it along with other stuff in my small bag. If you take a bag on an excursion, I recommend one that zips or snaps shut. Your things like to jump out on excursions.

Ilana, your recommendations are amazing. My husband and I went on our first cruise last summer and before we left I binge-watched all your videos. It made a huge difference to us. We were much better prepared than we would have been if we had gone on board without all that info. Thanks for all you do.

I do use a towel band, but mine has an added benefit it has a pillow attached to it. I absolutely love it you can use it at the beach or for camping . All you have to do is blow it up, and when done, just pull the plug and empty the air. It rolls up into a small tube and is lightweight.

On my first two cruises I used a sea-sick patch. This left me a little light-headed but I didn't get sea sick. Regular Dramamine (Diphenhydramine) makes me sleepy. I have switched to "Less Drowsy" Dramamine (Meclizine). I take two on embarkation day when we are in the buffet and then one a day with breakfast after that. The only time this hasn't helped is when we were near a tropical storm.

Best thing we have ever found was for the small showers on the cruise ship that never has a place for all of our stuff. Amazon has a "S&T INC. Shower Organizer, Shower Caddy or Bathroom Organizer with Quick Drying Mesh" that we can hang on the inside of the shower on the shower curtain hooks. Best shower addition ever!!

I am not in any way affiliated with Life Well Cruised--other than being a subscriber--but Ilana's Ultimate Cruise Planner document was invaluable for helping us keep our 3 cruises (all within 6 months!) organized. Well worth every penny for this downloadable document. It's easy to choose/print the pages you need/don't need (e.g. our kids are grown so those pages are irrelevant). If you purchase only one thing mentioned in this video, the planner should be the one. (FYI, most other cruise channels pronounce it BOH nine, i.e. a long 'O'. But maybe the Canadian pronounciation is different, sort of the opposite of the way you pronounce "process" vs. your neighbors to the south. 😁)

I loved those magnet clips and the hanging toiletry bag. Never would have known about those without your videos.

I love these videos as well as links. I recommend you to everyone! Even as a seasoned cruise traveler I love it!!

So glad you are having a good time on ur Crusie can’t wait for your reviews on this cruise ship ✨🛳️🛳️🛳️🩵🛳️🛳️✨💕💕✨🩵🛳️🛳️🛳️✨✨✨🩵🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🩵✨✨🩵🛳️🛳️🛳️🩵✨✨💕✨🛳️🛳️🩵✨💕💕✨🩵🛳️🛳️🩵💕💕✨🩵🩵🩵🩵🛳️🩵🛳️🛳️🛳️🩵✨