Carnival Cruise Must Haves (according to me!)

As you read this, my husband and I are cruising the southern caribbean! We typically cruise once a year and have, so far, used Carnival exclusively. We’ve been to the Bahamas (twice), Mexico, Belieze, and all up the eastern coast line into Canada. We hope to, someday, do a cruise through the Panama Canal as well as a European cruise.

With all the cruising we do (sometimes just the two of us, sometimes with the whole family), I thought I’d share with you my personal Carnival cruise must haves!

Power Strip!

Carnival Cruise lines (as well as other lines) are known for their lack of outlets. The only way around this is to bring your own power strip. But BEWARE… you cannot take a power strip that has a surge suppressor!! Just don’t do it…it WILL be confiscated. If you are looking for a great power strip that is cruise OK, I recommend this one. It has three outlets and two USB ports. Perfect for all the various devices you are sure to have with you.

lanyard

On a Carnival cruise, your “sail and sign” card is your everything! You’ll use this for ID, to pay for items in the stores or to buy drinks and it’s your key to your stateroom. You’ll need it everywhere on board the ship as well as to get back on board after you’ve been out in port. You’ll want an easy way to carry it around. One that will make it accessible as well as safe. A lanyard with a hook is the way to go. Most lanyards come with a sleeve BUT ditch that thing right away! If you put your card in a sleeve, you’ll have to take it out constantly to have it scanned and to use at your door. We have a number of lanyards now, but if I were going to buy a new one, this is the one I’d go for. (getting rid of the plastic sleeve of course)

hanging toiletry bag

Cruise ship bathrooms are tiny! Unless you have a suite of some kind, you can count on your bathroom being just big enough to stand at the mirror or in the shower. Counter space is limited so having a hanging bag is perfect for keeping all your necessaries close at hand and organized. I have this one from Vera Bradley. I have it for years and it has always served me well.

Packing cubes

These things have revolutionized the way I pack! Super easy to roll up whatever you want to take and then just throw them in your suitcase. On a cruise, the storage options are slim. You’ll have a couple of small drawers and a few shelves in the hanging area of the closet. Packing cubes are a great way to keep your shelves or drawers organized.

Door tags

On a Carnival cruise ship, EVERY.SINGLE.DOOR looks exactly the same. Add in the fact that your cruise card doesn’t list your stateroom number on it, and/or if you’ve had a few too many fruity beverages…well, I’m sure you can see how it would be easy to wander for some time trying to remember which door is yours! On Etsy I found these simple magnetic name tags that will make your search much easier! LOL!

White noise app

Ok, I know this one sounds weird, but trust me this is a must have! There can be lots of noises on a cruise ship…party people in the hallways, engine sounds, cruise director announcements in the corridors and depending where your room is, you may have sounds from dining rooms or nightclubs above or below you. If you want to guarantee a good nights sleep try a white noise app like this one. I’ve used it for it’s fan sound for years now. In fact I use it every single night, at home as well as when I travel. Its just right for drowning out any funky sounds. I recommend paying for the upgraded version. If you don’t the sound will only play for a certain amount of time and may turn off in the middle of the night.

kindle

Yes, it’s true I have become a Kindle convert! I am using my Kindle exclusively nowadays and haven’t picked up an actual book since November (I think). Sometimes I miss turning acutal pages but the conveience factor wins out over page turning every time. I finish one book and bam…I have another at the ready. For cruising, a Kindle is the bomb. I loaded up a bunch of books for my reading pleasure and I slip it into my bag. It takes up less than a skinny 1/2″, 5×7 space. A big change from carrying around 4-5 big bulky books!

Baggage tags

With Carnival, you print out your baggage tags ahead of time, fold them in some special way and then staple them around your suitcase handles. This gets your checked bags to your stateroom door. This works fine, except if your paper tag gets ripped off or otherwise mangled. When we had to fly into a port, I had to wait to staple our paper tags onto the handles until we arrived at the airport. This meant I had to pack a stapler…weird right? With these heavy duty baggage tag holders, I could have eliminated that step and easily screwed them onto the handle instead. Your papers stay in one piece, assuring your bags get where they are supposed to. The tags screw into place around your handles so they really are extra secure.

Of course, you’ll also want to remember the important things….passport, boarding passes, swim suit, sunscreen and a camera of some kind. But once you’ve got those things, don’t forget to consider finding ways to make your cruise go extra smooth. I hope this list of Carnival Cruise must haves gets you thinking! Happy Cruising!