7 Great Gifts For Cruise Lovers (Fun, Practical and Personalised)

You might be looking for the perfect gift for your cruise-loving friend or family member. Look no further! I have put together a list of some cruising presents that they will love.

They range in price from as little as ten pounds/dollars. Some are practical, and some are just fun! I think there is something for everyone in this list.

#1 Daylight Alarm Clock

If your loved one likes cruising, they might consider booking inside cabins to save money.

Some itineraries, for me don’t want the extra spend on a balcony cabin. If i am travelling to Northern Europe in winter for example, its going to be dark, cold and often wet – a balcony seems like an unnecessary luxury.

Often, an inside cabin is FAR cheaper than a balcony or oceanview. Although inside cabins aren’t for everybody, I love them.

I sleep extremely well in inside cabins – often too well. With no daylight to disturb me, I can just sleep and sleep and sleep!

I get around this problem by packing my daylight alarm clock. It wakes me up gently by slowly lighting up the cabin in a way that simulates the sunrise. You can have a range restful of sounds too – like tweeting birds!

It isn’t big, bulky or heavy to pack, I wouldn’t be without it. Find out more about daylight alarm clocks here:

#2 Captain Hudson Story, Activity Or Colouring Books

I have written a range of fun books with talented author Jerome Vincent.

They tell of how our channel mascot, a cat called Hudson, fulfilled his dreams by becoming a cruise ship Captain. Follow his magical adventures on the high seas!

The books were written with children aged 8-12 years in mind – but they are also loved by adults and younger children who have had the stories read to them.

There is also an activity book, and a colouring book too! Find out more here:

They are perfect for preparing children for their own cruise adventures, and will get them excited about their trips (unlike me – I had no idea what to expect on my first cruise!)

#3 Universal Travel Adaptor

If you buy your loved one this smart, practical, compact adapter, they will be prepared for any eventuality on a cruise ship or vacation/holiday. It’s all they will ever need.

It’s hard to know which adapters to pack when you travel. Plug sockets/outlets aren’t universal to all ships. Newer ships have more sockets, often with USB ports for charging your phone by the bed, while older ship cabins are often short of useable sockets.

If you want to find out what outlets/sockets your cruise ship will have, check my searchable table here:

Complete Cruise Ship Plug Socket Guide: Search by Ship

It can’t be simply solved by bringing a power strip/ four socket extension lead along to plug in.

Many cruise lines have banned bringing power strips on cruise ships due to the chance that the surge protector will overload the circuit and cause potential electrical damage or fires.

This universal travel adapter makes the perfect gift. Compact and easy to pack, it will last for years and is everything you need.

#4 Cruise Map Showing The Route Of Their Cruise

I am a co-founder of Cruise Maps, a company that produces high-quality maps showing the exact route of your cruise.

These maps aren’t just printed to show the standard scheduled itinerary of your cruise, they use real satellite data which is so much better. The quirky itineraries are so interesting.

If your cruise itinerary is changed for any reason – missed ports, bad weather, medical emergencies – the change of route will be shown on your personalised cruise map.

They also have a range of cruise albums in case your loved one doesn’t have enough wall space!

As I am the company’s co-founder, you can get a 10% discount by entering the code EMMACRUISES at checkout. Postage and Packaging is free worldwide.

Maps of cruises going back as far as 2015 can be ordered, so what are you waiting for?

We also have Emma Cruises limited editions here!

#4 Phone Cruise Card Holder

This is a cheap and cheerful gift – and something I would NEVER cruise without!

When you embark your ship, you will be given a cruise card. You use this to open the cabin door and buy drinks or put other purchases on to your onboard account.

Traditionally, people often attach it to lanyards around their necks to keep the cruise card safe. To me, lanyards remind me of my nine-to-five, dull office job, so I hate wearing them.

Instead, I have a sticky holder that attaches to the back of my phone. I am never without my phone, it is my main business tool. This way, I always have my cruise card with me.

You can use it for credit or debit cards when on land too – a perfect, cheap, useful, multipurpose gift!

#5 Luggage Tag Holders

Again, another really cheap but useful item!

I have found out from personal experience that paper luggage tags that you print and attach yourself, aren’t very robust – particularly in rain or snow.

These plastic luggage tag holders are such a fantastic idea. I always have one in the front pocket of my case, which I take out and attach with the cruise line luggage labels inside when I reach port.

No need for staplers or sellotape to stick them onto the handle of your case.

They are unlikely to get damaged, you slide your paper label inside and seal. They have rings with screw-up fastenings to attach to the handle of your case.

You can use these luggage tag holders time and time again, I haven’t yet had one break on me…

#6 Wooden World Map

If you regularly watch my live streams, you will have seen my beautiful wooden map on the wall behind me.

They come in a range of colours and sizes and are a really high-quality product.

I put the map up by myself, and it was pretty easy. Each piece is stuck onto the wall using double-sided sticky tape, which is provided. It took me around an hour, but it was good fun!

It looks like it’s a more difficult task than it is, because the big chunks already come assembled.

The bit that took time was sticking on all of the individual islands! It looks amazing when it’s finished though, so well worth all the hard work!

Again, I have a discount code for these wooden wall maps, so don’t forget to use it!

Find out everything else you could possibly wish to know about these amazing wooden maps here:

#7 AirTags

Although these are a more expensive present, if you have an iPhone, they are invaluable – as I recently found out on my Uniworld river cruise to Venice!

You simply pop one in your suitcase or bag, and its location will be tracked.

When I arrived back from Venice, my Dad’s suitcase appeared, but nobody else’s did! It was easy to see that my luggage – along with that of many other guests – was still in Venice!

That was really handy, as there was no one in the arrivals hall from the airline to help.

I could have been stuck there for hours waiting for my case to arrive – and trying to sort out the paperwork when it didn’t!

I was able to tell the others from the river cruise what had happened to our cases, and help them fill out the lost luggage paperwork and customs forms.

My case was delivered back to my house a couple of days later by DHL.

Luckily, there was nothing valuable in the case, just lots of very dirty clothes! Venice was very hot when we visited, and we were showering and changing multiple times a day.

Find out about that very hot, luxury river cruise here:

Before You Go

Find out about the rise of cruising, from a luxury pursuit enjoyed by the most well-off in society to a mass market holiday/vacation enjoyed by millions every year:

The Rise of Budget Cruising: How Cruises Went from Ultra-Exclusive to Mass Market

Find out about the items most likely to be confiscated by the cruise line here:

These Are The 5 Items Most Regularly Confiscated by Cruise Lines