5 Small But Important Things I Do The Day Before a Cruise

Getting ready for a cruise can be stressful!

Some people have packing off to a fine art, throwing in everything at the last minute, and never forgetting a thing. Others start to pack weeks in advance, put things into the case and then taking them out again! Most of us overpack and bring things back home we have never worn!

In this article, we look at the small things I try to do the day before my cruise. This avoids any additional stress on embarkation day. I like things to go as smoothly as possible.

#1 Charge My Battery Pack

I have a small battery pack that I charge the day before I travel. If my phone battery gets low, I plug it into the battery pack, which can charge my phone up to five times.

My battery pack is lighter and smaller than my phone. As I use my phone as my main business tool, I can’t afford to let the battery go flat! I don’t want to miss filming something important…

#2 Fill Up My Travel Bottles

I used to take bottles of shampoo and conditioner with me, or if I was travelling light, I would rely on the shampoo/body wash supplied by the cruise line.

Cruise lines sometimes supply shampoo but rarely conditioner. More budget lines supply an all-purpose body wash and shampoo in their showers.

I prefer to take my own shampoo and conditioner, so decanting some into small travel bottles saves weight and frees up space in my suitcase.

#3 Pack My Embarkation Day Bag

I always take a bag with me when I fly or embark on a cruise. It contains my most important belongings.

Even if you are sailing from your local cruise port, be aware that you may hand over your case at the terminal, and it could be hours before it appears in your cabin.

When we recently sailed on Anthem of the Seas, everyone in my family had their cases appear quickly in the cabin – apart from my Mum’s, which took seven hours to appear! Luckily, she had all her most important things in her handbag, but she was worried about not having any clean clothes if it was lost forever.

Top Tip: If you are travelling as a family, don’t have one case each. Spread everyone’s clothes around between the cases, and then if one case goes missing, at least everyone will have some access to clean clothes until it is found.

In your hand luggage, put your paperwork, passport, credit cards, phone and battery pack, and any medications you need to take.

Whenever I hand in my case outside the terminal in Southampton port, the porters often ask, ” You haven’t packed your passport in your suitcase, have you?”.

Clearly, that is a regular occurrence! Keep your passport safely in your hand luggage. You will need your passport with you at check-in and to go through security – or you won’t be getting on the ship!

#4 Print Luggage Tags And Paperwork

There seems to be less and less paperwork to print these days, often you check in online via the cruiseline’s App, and all you need to do when you reach the port is show a QR code.

The port staff will check your QR code against your passport before allowing you to proceed on to security.

There should be an online option for you to print your own luggage tags. Doing this will save you time at the terminal.

It’s not the end of the world if you can’t print your own luggage tags.

Luggage tags can usually be picked up at the terminal, but you might have to waste time queuing up for them before you can drop off your case.

I prefer to get onboard as soon as possible, not spend time hanging about in the terminal building.

#5 Check Your Travel Insurance Is In Date

Travel insurance is so important, don’t consider travelling without it.

Travel insurance needs to be cruise-specific, otherwise, if you are ill and need to be airlifted to a hospital, your insurance may refuse to pay out. That could be very costly for you!

Find out all about the importance of travel insurance here:

5 Cruise Nightmares Caused by Not Having The Correct Travel Insurance (Real-Life Examples)

It is often cheaper to get an annual cruise travel insurance policy if you cruise more than once a year.

Find out more about taking out travel insurance here:

Cruise Travel Insurance – Why You Need it and How to Get It: (Step by Step Illustrated Guide)

Before You Go

Find out the top things confiscated at security by cruise lines in the article below:

These Are The 5 Items Most Regularly Confiscated by Cruise Lines

Find out the top eight cruise packing mistakes to avoid here:

Top 8 Cruise Packing Mistakes You Need to Avoid