We are about to EMBARK, again!

Every year we have the opportunity to EARN a trip through my partner company.
Yes, EARN a fancy little getaway as a THANK YOU for helping other women lead healthier and more fulfilling lives – AND – help other women BUILD their own businesses doing the same!

It’s always in the spring, always somewhere tropical, and every few years, on the largest Ship we can get our hands on.

This upcoming year its the Royal Caribbean’s – Harmony of the seas!

This is the 5th vacation trip my hubs and I have earned, but we’re taking it up a notch and trading in our usual solo ADULTs only trip and bringing our kiddos along, which means a HECK of a lot more packing to do!

Amongst my google searches and talks with my teammates, some of which are going on their FIRST CRUISE I realized the compilation list of what to take on a cruise is ENDLESS and having cruised a half dozen times before I should share my top MUST HAVES!

A few things I want to touch on a little more closely:

1. First aid kit/ Sea Bands/ Tylenol or other medications – First off these items will be available on the ship – but at a hefty inflation rate. Supply and demand my friends! And the last thing you want to worry about is finding children’s ibuprofen in the middle of the night if a little one gets sick. These are most definitely items to pack in advance and if you end up bringing them home PERFECT! Our kiddos are first time cruisers, so we added in some sea bands and dramamine for motion sickness.
2. Sunscreen – Just like the medicine, you can absolutely buy this on the ship or in port but the cost is outrageous. What you see in the image below is a small representation of a gallon ziplock bag filled to the top! We all have our own preferences on sunscreen so I have 3 full bottles of the kiddos pick, 2 for the hubs and 2 for myself. Again feel free to bring home what you don’t use, but you will be happy you have it!
3. Power cord strip WITH USB ports – Cruise ship rooms are smaller than traditional hotel rooms (I mean its a hotel that FLOATS people!!!) which means plugs are not abundant! Having a power strip with USB ports will allow you to use one outlet to charge your phone(s), laptop, and anything else that may need plugged in!
4. Sanitizing wipes and a small sanitizer – again this is a floating hotel! Even with daily cleaning service and hand sanitizer stations at most corners you turn, having your own wipes and little bottle in your bag won’t hurt!
5. Aloe/after sun lotion – On my last cruise I made the mistake of NOT reapplying my sunscreen in attempt to get a nice golden bronze color to come home to and I fried like a LOBSTER. On top of the pain, it was the day before our couples, hot stone massage. It was so bad we couldn’t even do the hot stones. The masseuse convinced me to buy the spa’s lotion to ease my pain and at a hefty price of $80 for the bottle, I made aloe a necessity for any warm weather vacation!
6. Tide pen – Its unlikely that you’ll be doing any laundry during this trip but if you find yourself spilling a strawberry margarita on your new white dress or a kiddo drops ketchup down their new polo at dinner, you’ll be thankful you have this backup to lower the risk of stains!
7. Towel clips and clothespins and suction hooks– There isn’t a lot of excess room in the cruise rooms and those little towel bars in the bathroom aren’t exactly made to hold a family of 4’s wet and sandy swimwear. No worries friends – I got you! You can use clothespins to clip more items and the giant towel clips will allow you to utilize your balcony space without worrying about your clothes and towels going overboard. Little suction cup hooks are great too for extra towel space if you don’t have a balcony room.
8. Over the door shoe rack – This tip was just shared with me and I screamed GENIUS! Because of the small(er) bathrooms and shortage of counter space this allows you ample room to store a hair dryer, curling iron, make up, skin care, lotions, sunscreens, etc…Its lightweight, packs easily and just slips over the door!

I hope you find this list helpful and you ENJOY your next cruise or trip!

If you’d like to learn more about how I have been able to earn these annual trips for me and my husband/ family fill out this application below and I’d be happy to share more info!

Happy Sailing!