Been Cruisin'

Last week this time, I was on an amazing cruise of the eastern Caribbean.  To say it was beautiful would be an understatement.  There's a part of me that would love to quit my job and move to the Turks and Caicos Islands or the Bahamas, and find a job on a catamaran.  Who would not want to look at this everyday?

Something I've always taken pride in, is being pretty efficient when it comes to packing.  Before I board a plane anywhere, I'm always checking online to see what other people have brought to that location.  What they found important.  Good packing tips, etc. 

The cruise ship was leaving out of Miami, so I had to get all my stuff on a plane.  I don't really mind hanging out at baggage claim.  It's more the fear of my stuff not making it to Miami, and being stuck washing a few select clothing items in the shower every night.  Plus, I'm cheap.  And checking a bag, has gotten so expensive!

I sufficiently packed enough for a week in two carry on bags, and honestly, I didn't feel like I was missing anything.  Below are some methods that I've tried, and will continue to use going forward.

• Use contact lens containers for face creams.  One of the main things I use the plastic contact lens containers for is my eye cream.  I only need a small amount for a few days, so there's no sense wasting three ounces of space in my quart size bag of liquids.  This time I also brought a small amount of my favorite moisturizing mask in case I got burnt.  I wish I had decided to also put my usual day-to-day SPF moisturizer in this smaller container as well, because I wore a heavier SPF every day, and there was no reason to bring the larger tube.  
• Use samples.  I will typically use a trip like this as a reason to try a new perfume since it comes in such a conveniently small vile.  I have a good friend who heads to Sephora before every trip to get samples of all her favorite products.  I always thought that was a great idea, especially if you use multiple products every day.
• Roll your clothes.  I actually decided to put this idea to the test on this trip.  On my way to the cruise I packed as I normally would, by neatly folding my clothes, and turning my suitcase into a game of tetris.  On the way home, I rolled all my clothes, and I definitely got more in the suitcase.  I'll be rolling my clothes from this point forward.  
• Pack a Power Strip.  A power strip may not be something you'd normally pack to go on vacation, but I will never go on a cruise without one.  By chance I had come across an online recommendation to bring one before my first cruise two years ago, and I'm so glad that I did!  There is only one power outlet in each room on a cruise ship.  One!  And, between my sister and I, we had two cell phones, a blow dryer, hair straightener, and an MP3 speaker.  
• Travel Alarm Clock.  Again, this is pretty cruise specific, but I will never go on a cruise without a travel alarm clock.  I have two cell phones, one personal and the other for work.  And, I'm not sure if it was the phone or the provider, but my iPhone (T-Mobile) kept time, but the Android (Verizon) did not.  Some of our excursions came pretty early in the morning, so it was a comfort to know that I could rely on something to wake me up.

There's something I wish I would have brought on the cruise.

• Extra plastic sandwich bags.  Anymore, you really need to bring your passport with you when you disembark the ship.  All the excursions we did were all water related, and it made me so nervous that my backpack with my passport and phone would get wet.  It would have given me good peace of mind to put my money, passport and phone into a plastic baggie while we did our activities.