Our posts may contain affiliate links.
PACKING
Clean out and buy toiletries. At 30 days, I do a quick inventory of my personal care items. This includes things like shampoo, deodorant, and lotion. I want to make sure I have what I need and check my stash of travel sizes. It’s also a great time to double-check expiration dates on more rarely used items like sunscreen and insect repellant.
Prescriptions. Please make sure you have plenty of your needed medications to last through your trip and make plans to purchase more if needed.
Plan and stock a rescue kit. Travel aside, I never leave home without a small bag of remedies. I recently got the flu while traveling and realized just how happy my rescue kit was stocked! Items I had on hand included pain relief, a decongestant, cold/flu medication, antacids, cough drops, and throat relief tea. I also recently started carrying these cool patches for headache relief and they were AMAZING for my achy head.
Cruise ships do have some basic supplies in their stores on board, but you will be paying a much higher price than you would elsewhere, and the quality of the items is not always the best. Furthermore, the selection is quite limited so it is best to bring your own preferred toiletries.
In addition to cold, flu, and stomach meds; my little remedy bag also contains other comfort items. Bandages, moleskin, small scissors, nail clippers, extra contact lenses, floss picks, melatonin, and eye drops… It sounds like a lot, but to save space, I use small zipper bags to carry a few tablets. Just be sure to label the medication name, expiration date, and dosage instructions if needed.
TRAVEL
Locate your IDs and visas. It’s one thing to have a passport, it’s another to remember just where you last stashed it. If you are not sure what is required for your trip, be sure to consult your cruise line’s website.
Confirm EVERYTHING. Call me paranoid, but I like to make sure there haven’t been any changes and my reservations are set. This includes hotels, house/pet sitter, and airline. And on that note…
Print travel details. Yes, I love my phone, but I hate having to open three different apps to track down travel details. Instead, I keep all of my travel info on one sheet of paper. My doc includes my airline information (flight number, booking number, departure times) and my hotel information (address, phone number, confirmation number, check-in time). I also include the address for the cruise port as I’ve learned the hard way that some cities have multiple ports and/or cab drivers won’t always know the address.
GET CRUISING!
Complete online check-in. Almost every major cruise line has the option for you to check-in online (and some require it). For most, you will need your passport/ID, flight information, emergency contact information, and the credit card you wish to use onboard.
Print your boarding pass and luggage tags. Once you’ve completed online check-in, you will be able to download and print both your boarding pass and your luggage tags. Just remember, attach your luggage tags when you are ready to leave for the port. Otherwise, you risk losing the cruise luggage tag in airline transit. And, you’ll either need a stapler or a cruise luggage tag holder to secure your tag.
I hope this cruise checklist was helpful! Be sure to follow us on Pinterest and Twitter to see our countdown for preparing for your own cruise! And, if you missed it, be sure to take a look at our 90-day pre-cruise checklist and our 60-day pre-cruise checklist!
Leave a Reply