Category Archives: Tips

A Great Travel Wine Bottle Opener!

Mini Wine Opener | Travel Portable Pocket Air Pressure Pump Wine Bottle Opener | Assemblable Design Corkscrew 7S Quick Bottle Opening | for Home, Restaurant, Party,Wine Lovers

Most cruise lines allow you to bring a couple bottles of wine onboard. Usually its one per adult, maximum of two per cabin brought with you on embarkation day. Check with your cruise line for specifics.

You can also generally purchase unopened bottles of wine onboard to drink later in the cruise.  This might makes sense if you’re getting a discount. For example, Royal Caribbean offers a hefty discount on bottles of wine with qualifying dining packages. So, getting an extra bottle of wine for later may make sense.

When it comes to opening wine that you brought on board, some cruise lines charge a corkage fee to open a bottle at a restaurant or bar. Enforcement of this policy can be lax, but we have had it happen.

All that to say, it’s great to have a corkscrew or other way to open a bottle of wine one your own.

We’ve used a few different kinds including something like this…

Chef Craft Select Travel Corkscrew

Although that style is compact, I’ve found it very difficult to use. It offers no leverage in terms of getting the cork out.

I ended up picking up this opener and love it. I’m really happy with it. It’s compact and works great. It’s basically a small pump that dissembles and pack

The opener features a needle that threads into a pump handle. Insert that needle into a wine bottle cork and give it several pumps. The causes the cork to push out of the bottle or at the very least makes it come out easily when you pull on the opener. For storage and transportation you unscrew the needle from the pump and insert back into the pump. Whammo!

Mini Wine Opener | Travel Portable Pocket Air Pressure Pump Wine Bottle Opener | Assemblable Design Corkscrew 7S Quick Bottle Opening | for Home, Restaurant, Party,Wine Lovers – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Based on the look and function of this opener, I would say it’s a checked bag only type of gadget.

What about wine glasses?  There’s no need to take your own wine glasses on board. Just swing by a bar and ask for some.

For lots more about what you should pack for your next cruise check out our complete packing list.

This article may contain affiliate links. We may make a small percentage if you use our links to make a purchase. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting Cruise Packing List and more content like this. Thank you for your support!

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. top:wineopener tag:tpr

Do AirTags Work on Cruise Ships?

What is an Apple AirTag?

An Apple AirTag is a small tracking device developed for the Apple “Find My” Ecosystem. It uses a replaceable button cell type battery along with Internet connected iOS devices to update locations. If you’re within close range of an AirTag you can also find the device using the “Find My App” or trigger the AirTag make a sound.

Battery life is about one year. Apple achieves all of this by using a crowd-sourced network of iOS devices. AirTags themselves do not connect to Internet and update location. They use ultra-wideband to connect with iPhones that in turn update locations. This relationship keeps AirTags small, gives them a great batter life and makes them reasonably priced.

It’s worth noting that any nearby iPhone can update your AirTag location. It doesn’t have to be your iPhone. This is all done automatically and anonymously.

Check Current Price and Availability:

  • Apple AirTag  – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link
  • Apple AirTag 4 Pack  – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

Apple AirTag for cruise ships

What About Android Users?

If you’re not an Apple user, consider Tile Trackers

What Can You Track with AirTags?

Well… lots of things. As far as travel goes we use AirTags on our travel backpacks, carry-ons, purses/handbags and checked bags. I also use them on my keys and vehicles.

Do AirTags Work on Cruise Ships?

Hey, here’s an AirTag on a towel animal from one of our cruises!

Yes, they work, well… kind of. With some caveats.

Since AirTag location is updated periodically when AirTags are in range of connected iOS devices there can be a disconnect of sorts when you’re not right by your AirTags.  You normally do not see this on land because items are either stationary or physically with you.  Since the ship is moving lack of location updates can make it seem like AirTags have been left behind.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. At the point this screenshot was taken the blue dot is where the ship is located. As you can see my bags and keys appear to be 21 miles back somewhere in open ocean. If this happens to you you can relax… your bags are probably still in your cabin.

You can also see your bags “catch up” with your ship if someone with a connected iOS device gets close enough to your cabin. That lets the AirTags update their locations and may make it seem like they’ve caught back up with the ship.

The other caveat is the AirTags have no awareness (at least presented to the user) of elevation. So, an AirTag that has recently updated location on a stationary ship would should the position of the AirTag on the ship with no indication of what deck it’s on.

Notification that items are left behind.My Apple Watch letting me know my bags have been left behind in the middle of the ocean 🙂

Conclusions

In spite of the quirkiness of their operation while at sea AirTags work great. They offer little benefit while moving at sea, but after you get on board with your stuff, you really don’t need location updates. Your stuff is… probably in your cabin. They are extremely helpful while traveling to the ship. You can know that your bags have made it on the plane or on the ship, or if something was left behind while in transit. Beyond that, these have given us peace of mind when bags have gotten lost. We’ve been able to provide the carrier with information about their location.

After using AirTags for quite a while, I like them very much and wouldn’t go back to traveling without them.

Check Current Price and Availability:

  • Apple AirTag  – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link
  • Apple AirTag 4 Pack  – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

What About Android Users?

If you’re not an Apple user, consider Tile Trackers

For lots more about what you should pack for your next cruise check out our complete packing list.

Apple AirTag for cruise ships

Apple AirTag

What size luggage should I take on my cruise?

This article may contain affiliate links. We may make a small percentage if you use our links to make a purchase. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting Cruise Packing List and more content like this. Thank you for your support!

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. top:AirTags tag:tpr

My Cruise Reservation Tracking Spreadsheet!

My Cruise Reservation Tracking Spreadsheet

When you start racking up future cruise reservations juggling emails starts getting complicated. I’ve kept a spreadsheet to track these for a long time. It makes it easy to see what’s up, works as a to do list and makes it easy to check prices.

Here’s an explanation of how the spreadsheet works

The first section has basic information about each cruise… departure date, embark port, scheduled ports, cabin type, seating times, reservation number and cost.

The next section is for reservation requests and acts as a to do list when setting up your reservation. I actually have some more items here, but those are particular to me. Add items you regularly want to double check to this section.

The next section has final payment date along with three key dates… Check in, cruise planner entertainment available (or check to see if it’s available) and notify cruise line of shareholder benefit. Each has a box below it to note if you’ve added a reminder to your calendar.

Below that is a link to easily check prices. I like to Cruise Plum for this. That tool makes it super easy to check prices and you can link directly to a specific sailing. For the Cruise Plum price I enter the current price for my cabin category as it shows up on the Cruise Plum page at the time of booking (or re-pricing). That way I have an easy at a glance way to see if the price has changed.

The next section has spots to track prices of other related purchases for easy comparison and as a note to yourself that you’ve completed that task. Again, you can tweak this for your particular needs

After that I have a section for things that we commonly purchase onboard. When tracking a price here, I put down the price before taxes and fees at the time I purchased it. By excluding taxes and fees I can an easy at a glance reference to see if prices have gone down.

After that there is a section for notes and a section to track previous cruise prices. I’ve saved a lot over the years by tracking and re-pricing cruises and this section allows you to see what’s happened with a particular sailing.

At the very end of each column there is a variables section that allows you to change the number of days used to calculate dates in the reminders section. Since cruise lines vary, this allows you to easily tweak these calculations.

Other Notes and Download

There is a sample data tab that illustrates how the spreadsheet works. Track your cruises on the My Cruises tab. Easily check for the current version by clicking the link on the version tab. The current spreadsheet is in Microsoft Excel format. I also plan to do a Google Sheets version.

My Cruises Tracking Spreadsheet

What Else?

If you have a question or suggestion for this spreadsheet, let me know or leave a comment on this post.

For lots more about what you should pack for your next cruise check out our complete packing list.

This article may contain affiliate links. We may make a small percentage if you use our links to make a purchase. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting Cruise Packing List and more content like this. Thank you for your support!

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. top:spreadsheet tag:tpr

Don’t Pack This If You’re Flying To Your Next Cruise…

don't pack this for your cruise

We strive to make the most up to date and comprehensive cruise packing list available on the Internet. Along those lines we’re continually researching, testing and reviewing.

We recommend a good number of rechargeable items in our list – night lights, battery banks on and more.

I stumbled across this being recommended for cruise travel. It looks like a great fan. It’s rechargeable so you don’t need to occupy a precious outlet and it has a beefy looking clip for easy placement.

But… if you’re flying to your embarkation port. There’s a problem. The fan is rechargeable and features lithium batteries. Since you cannot put lithium batteries in checked baggage, you’ll need to put this in your carry on bag. Looking at the fan it’s pretty chunky. I don’t know that I’d want to lug this around in my backpack.

Make sure and look at the battery types being used in your cruise gear. Good old alkaline are a great option for checked items. We picked out this trimmer for exactly that reason. It uses regular, easy to find alkaline batteries.

On the other side of the coin. I’m a big… water flosser user and my travel flosser does have Lithium batteries. For me, it’s worth it to carry that in my backpack.

Update…. Not so fast…

As of this update in October of 2023 the TSA says…

“Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. Lithium metal (non-rechargeable) batteries are limited to 2 grams of lithium per battery. Lithium ion (rechargeable) batteries are limited to a rating of 100 watt hours (Wh) per battery. These limits allow for nearly all types of lithium batteries used by the average person in their electronic devices.”

The way I read this is that this means many devices with installed lithium batteries can be checked.

Check the TSA for current information and clarification… What Can I Bring from the TSA

This article may contain affiliate links. We may make a small percentage if you use our links to make a purchase. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting Cruise Packing List and more content like this. Thank you for your support!

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

Cruise Ship Power Solutions – Making Use of the 220 Volt Cabin Outlet On Your Next Cruise

All About Night Lights for Your Next Cruise!

Prices, promotions and availability can change quickly.  Check product page for current info and availability.

All information provided is deemed accurate at time of publishing, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. top:dontpack tag:tpr

The Most Powerful Tool for Finding Cruise Deals…

find cruise deals

Once upon a time we were looking for a suite on Royal Caribbean. We were close to moving up a level in Royal’s Crown and Anchor Society and we were considering a suite to, among other things, make the jump more quickly. The problem was that in order to get suite pricing I had to drill into every search result to get actual costs. I started looking for a tool to more easily find suites pricing.

I found that and so much more when I stumbled across cuiseplum!

cruiseplum allows you to search by almost every aspect of your cruise… cruise line, cabin type, length, ports visited, ports NOT visited, price per day, embarkation month, embarkation DAY,  debarkation day, embark part, depark port and lots more.

cruiseplum also shows you an historical pricing chart for your sailing. We’re booked on Celebrity Ascent after it starts sailing. The chart above is from that sailing.

After entering your criteria you’re presented with a list of results. You can sort that list by total cabin price, and cabin price per day and more. When you find a sailing you’re interested in you can look at the historical pricing for that cruise.

The other thing you can do is create a bookmark to a specific cruise. Most cruise line websites don’t allow you to easily bookmark a specific sailing, You have to go through the search process to get back to it.  I have a field in my reservation tracking spreadsheet were I put the cruiseplum link so I can easily click on it to see current pricing.

Cruise plum also maintains a hot deals list, a last minute deals list, a list showing today’s price drops, suite search and a search to help solo cruisers find deals.

cruiseplum is a game changer that helps you more easily find the cruise you’re looking for and find deals.

cruiseplum.com

Also: Problem Solved… MagSafe Wallet for Your Ship Card!

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

This article may contain affiliate links. We may make a small percentage if you use our links to make a purchase. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting Cruise Packing List and more content like this. Thank you for your support!

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. top:cruiseplum tag:tpr

What size luggage should I take on my cruise?

Travelpro Maxlite 5 Softside Expandable Luggage with 4 Spinner Wheels, Lightweight Suitcase, Men and Women, Black, Checked-Medium 25-InchPictured: Travelpro Maxlite 5 Softside 25-Inch

Disclaimer: Bag size is largely a personal preference type of thing and if you have something that works for you… go ahead and check out our complete list for some more recommendations and tips.

Bag Sizes

The general bag sizes are 29″, 25″ and 21″. That measurement refers to the bag height and can range a little bit. For the medium size bag you’ll see bags from around 24″ to 26″.  Bags in the 29″ and 25″ ranges definitely need to be checked when flying. Bags in the 21″ range can usually be carried on depending on the airline, aircraft and the bag.

Luggage Features and Construction

Beyond size, bags are made from different materials and have different features.

  • Soft side bags – are made from fabric like woven nylon.
  • Hard side bags – are made from hard plastic.

Hard side have the general advantage of being more robust and they can be wiped down for cleaning. Soft wide bags are more expandable and can have zipped outside pockets.

Bag features can include rolling wheels (yes!), telescoping handles, extra pockets and compartments and more.

What size luggage should I take on my cruise?

My recommendation is… as small as possible. Figure out what you need – our complete packing list – along the items that will make things a lot easier and get a right-sized bag. Too big equals extra cost and weight and stuff sloshing around as you make your way to your cruise. Too small equal… too small.

Downsides of Bigger Bags

Sure the larger 29″ size checked bags are appealing because you can get so much stuff in them. But, when you get so much stuff in them… you have that much stuff to lug around.

Weight = work. If you use and need all of the stuff, that’s one thing, but what if you can have just as good of a time without the extra stuff?  Why spend part of your vacation lugging around extra stuff you don’t need?

The other thing about huge bags is that it’s tough to actually fill these up without surpassing airline weight limits. If they’re half empty your stuff gets to bounce it’s way around to the next cruise.

When 4″ = 2,481 sq inches

25″ to 29″ sounds like, uh.. 4″. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is. Using Travelpro’s Maxlite 5 as an example the 25″ bag has about 4,950 cubic inches of interior space while the 29″ bag has about… 7,431 cubic inches of interior space. That’s just over 50% usable space. That’s a lot.

For Us, Medium Works Best

Personally we prefer medium sized checked bags in the 25″ range. We both each have one of these or direct from Travelpro.

The fact is people are going on cruises everyday using carry on size bags in the 21″ range. We’re not willing to go that far, but for us, the medium size 25″ bag is a reasonable size for most cruise vacations.

For lots more about what you should pack for your next cruise check out our complete packing list.

Related: Amazon Best Sellers in Luggage

This article may contain affiliate links. We may make a small percentage if you use our links to make a purchase. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting Cruise Packing List and more content like this. Thank you for your support!

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Cruise Packing List!

All information provided is deemed accurate at time of publishing, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. tag:watchsizeluggage tag:tpr