Cruise and Travel Essentials
Clever Cruise Gear Tried and Tested by Tom and Dom
If you have spent any time watching our weekly vlogs, you will know that packing for a cruise holiday is completely different to a standard beach getaway. Cruise cabins are incredibly clever spaces, but they also come with their own unique quirks, such as magnetic metal walls, a distinct lack of power sockets, and pitch-black inside cabins. Over our many thousands of nautical miles at sea, we have made plenty of packing mistakes so that you do not have to!
On this page, we have gathered together the exact travel gear we use on every single voyage to stay organised, avoid terminal stress, and make cabin life effortless.
Disclaimer: We utilise affiliate links across our recommendations, which means we earn a small commission if you choose to buy through our links, at absolutely no extra cost to you. This directly helps support the channel and keeps our honest reviews coming!
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1. Cruise Ship Luggage Tag Holders
One of the most stressful parts of embarkation day is handing your bags over to the porters at the terminal and hoping they show up outside your stateroom. Most major lines, including P&O, Princess, and Royal Caribbean, require you to print off paper baggage tags at home.
Stapling or taping these paper tags directly to your suitcase handles is a recipe for disaster, as they easily rip during transit or get ruined in the British rain. We always slide our printed passes into these heavy-duty, waterproof plastic sleeves. They feature a secure stainless steel wire loop that locks onto your bag, ensuring your luggage arrives safely at your cabin door.
2. Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clocks
We absolutely love the value of staying in an inside cabin, but waking up in complete, pitch-black darkness at 8:00 AM can completely disrupt your body clock. There is nothing worse than turning on a harsh bedside switch first thing in the morning and blinding yourself.
Our ultimate inside cabin hack is this sunrise simulation clock. You simply set your wake-up time, and the lamp will gradually increase its brightness from 10% to 100% over thirty minutes, mimicking a natural dawn. It is an absolute game-changer for waking up refreshed and ready for a busy port day.
3. Extra-Strong Magnetic Cabin Hooks
Space is at a premium in any cruise cabin, and one of our biggest pet peeves is the lack of hanging space for jackets, hats, and daily schedules. Because cruise ship cabin walls are constructed from heavy-duty metal blocks, you can turn your entire room into storage by using magnetic hooks.
We never sail without a pack of ten high-strength neodymium magnets. A single hook easily holds a lanyard, sunhat, or cruise card, and you can double them up to hang heavier damp items like hoodies or swimwear in the bathroom. They pack completely flat into your hand luggage and save massive amounts of surface clutter.
4. Multi-Port USB Compact Chargers
With smartphones, cameras, smartwatches, and smart Medallions to look after, a modern traveller has a lot of tech to charge overnight. Older cruise ships are notorious for only having one or two accessible plug sockets near the vanity desk, which can lead to a nightly battle over who gets to plug their phone in.
We have trusted Anker charging tech for years because they offer incredible quality at a fair price. This ultra-compact 3-port plug features two rapid USB-C ports and a standard USB slot, allowing you to charge your phone, tablet, and watch simultaneously from a single wall socket. It handles variable maritime voltages perfectly and frees up your cabin outlets.
5. Packable Hanging Toiletry Bags
Cruise ship bathrooms are brilliantly engineered, but their shelving can be incredibly narrow. If you are sharing a cabin, your various bottles of shampoo, deodorant, and skincare will quickly start to play a game of musical chairs every time the ship encounters a gentle sea swell.
We always travel with a folding, hangable toiletry bag. When you arrive in your stateroom, you simply unclip it, hang it from the back of the bathroom door or a towel rail, and your entire morning routine is laid out perfectly. It completely eliminates the hassle of packing and unpacking your toiletries at the start and end of your holiday.
6. Compression Packing Cubes
If you are anything like us, trying to fit a fortnight's worth of casual wear, formal outfits, and layers into a standard suitcase can feel like a game of high-stakes Tetris. It does not take long before you are physically sitting on your luggage just to get the zip closed.
Our absolute secret weapon for stress-free packing is a set of compression packing cubes. Unlike regular travel pouches, these clever bags feature an extra perimeter zip that actively forces out excess air as you close it. This compresses your clothing down to half its original volume, allowing you to fit significantly more into your luggage while keeping everything perfectly organised by outfit type. When you arrive in your stateroom, you simply lift the cubes straight out of your suitcase and drop them into your wardrobe shelves, completing your unpacking in less than two minutes.
7. Pop-Up Mesh Laundry Hampers
There is nothing that ruins the premium feel of a cruise holiday faster than a giant, messy pile of dirty socks and worn clothing slowly taking over the floor of your wardrobe. Leaving everything tossed in the bottom of your suitcase is just as frustrating when you are trying to get dressed for a formal night.
This tiny, cheap piece of gear is a total lifesaver. It folds down completely flat into a neat little circle that takes up zero space in your luggage. Once onboard, it pops open instantly into a sturdy, breathable mesh basket that fits perfectly into the bottom of your cabin wardrobe. It keeps your dirty laundry completely hidden away and makes packing to go home at the end of the cruise an absolute breeze.
8. Premium Microfibre Travel Towels
While your cruise line will always provide plenty of large, fluffy towels for use up on the main pool decks, they are not always the most practical option when you are heading off on a busy shore excursion. They are incredibly bulky to carry around in a daypack, take an absolute age to dry out, and can be quite heavy when wet.
We never leave the ship for a beach day without a couple of compact microfibre travel towels tucked into our bags. They roll down to about the size of a small water bottle, absorb an incredible amount of moisture, and dry out in a fraction of the time of a standard cotton towel. They are the ultimate hassle-free accessory for exploring Caribbean beaches or taking a dip in a Mediterranean cove.
9. Travel Lanyards with Clear Card Pouches
Your cruise card, or your smart wearable Medallion, is the most important item you will carry for the duration of your holiday. It acts as your room key, your onboard credit card, and your identity pass for getting on and off the ship in every single port of call.
Because traditional summer cruise wear rarely features deep, secure pockets, it is incredibly easy to accidentally leave your card sitting on a bar table or drop it somewhere on deck. Sliding your card into a comfortable travel lanyard keeps your pass safely around your neck and completely hands-free. We always opt for lanyards with a quick-release clip, making it effortless to hand your card over to the bar staff whenever you want to order a refreshing drink.
10. All-in-One International Travel Adapters
When you are booking a cruise, you will quickly notice that different ships use entirely different electrical standards. Depending on whether you are sailing on an American-style line like Princess, a traditional British line like P&O, or an older European vessel, your cabin vanity desk could feature a mix of US two-pin slots, European round sockets, and standard British three-pin plugs. Trying to pack individual adapters for every single country and ship style can easily become a total headache.
Our absolute favourite solution to this problem is this clever Bigfish worldwide travel adapter. It is a compact, all-in-one block that features slide-out prongs to instantly fit into UK, EU, US, and Australian wall outlets, making it perfect for both your cabin and your pre-cruise hotel stays. What we really love about this specific model is the integrated charging hub, which gives you two standard USB-A ports and two high-speed USB-C slots. This allows you to charge up to five different devices at the exact same time from a single wall socket, completely eliminating the usual nightly battle over who gets to plug their phone in.
Special Mention: Our Ultimate Luggage Choice with Level8
We get asked all the time about the actual suitcases we take on our travels, and we want to give a very special mention to Level8. Over our years of constant vlogging and cruising, we have put these cases through their absolute paces, and they are hands down some of the best suitcases we have ever owned.
Now, we will be completely upfront with you, as they are on the expensive side. They are definitely an investment piece of travel gear. However, the sheer build quality completely justifies the price tag. The ultra-quiet 360-degree spinner wheels glide effortlessly across bumpy port terminals, the hard-shell exteriors are incredibly scratch-resistant, and the internal compression systems allow you to pack a surprising amount of holiday wear without any strain. They feel exceptionally premium and are built to survive the rough handling of cruise port porters and airport baggage tracks alike.
Because we love this gear so much, we have teamed up with them to secure an exclusive deal for our community. If you are looking to upgrade your luggage game for your next big voyage, you can use our exclusive Tom and Dom discount code at checkout to receive a fantastic 10% off your entire purchase and free delivery.
10% discount code: Tom&Dom10
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More Packing Ideas in Our Amazon Store
If you are looking for even more inspiration, or you just want to see our full, comprehensive packing lists in one place, we have gathered absolutely everything together over in our dedicated Tom and Dom Travel Amazon Storefront.
From handy cabin storage solutions and shore excursion essentials to the exact camera gear and vlogging tech we use to film our weekly videos, our storefront is packed with clever items we have personally tried and tested over our thousands of miles at sea. We are constantly updating our lists whenever we discover a brilliant new cruise hack or a piece of gear that makes travel just that bit easier.
Click the link below to browse our full selection, get your packing lists ticked off, and ensure you are completely prepared for your next cruise adventure!
Browse our full Amazon storefront
About the Authors
We’re Tom and Dom, the creators behind Tom and Dom Travel. Through our ship reviews, cabin tours, port guides, and cruise tips, we share honest, experience-led advice from our travels around the world. Everything we publish is designed to help you cruise with confidence.
Thanks for reading, and happy cruising.
