Everything you will find on this page is an actual piece of gear or items that we use for cruise traveling. If we find something doesn’t live up to our expectations, we toss it out faster than a politician spending your tax dollars.
Just click on the little “+” icon, and you can read more about the items, and why we recommend them. The links inside lead to the products.
The items you will find here are useful for just about any cruise you’re going to take. Yes, the links inside lead off the site. Yes, if you click on them and then purchase something, we PROBABLY get a commission. But don’t worry, it won’t change the price you pay on the website and we promise to spend any commission only in a responsible way. Like more cruises.
Most (if not all) cruise ships seem to have metal walls. They may look like wood, paint or wallpaper, but those are just thin veneers that are covering underlying metal. A set of magnetic hooks can be a really useful tool, especially since storage space is at a premium inside a cruise ship cabin. You will want to be sure that you have a set of hooks that provides enough sticking power that your items stay in place, and don’t drop to the floor. These hooks from Amazon are the exact ones that I use. I got these even though they were about $2 more, because they claim to hold up to 40 pounds. I can’t say if the 40 pound limit is accurate or not, because I use these mostly to hang things like my baseball cap, shopping bags, that sort of thing. If I were gambling, I’d say the 40 pound claim is way off. But that is why I got these over this set of hooks that is a bit cheaper, but only claims to have a 27 pound capacity. These hooks come in two pieces, and you just screw the hook into the base and BOOOOOM, you’re ready to hang those sunglasses where you won’t lose them.
Most (if not all) cruise ships have walls made of metal. They may appear to be wood, paint or wallpaper, but those are just thin veneers that are covering underlying metal. A set of magnetic clips can be a really useful item for keeping track of daily schedules and cruise information that will be delivered to your room every day. And often there are LOTS of papers with TONS of information. These clips from Amazon are the exact ones that I use to keep my documents in order. I went with the colored ones, but you do you. These area bit more expensive than some others I have tried in the past. I had a set that was plastic, but they are not good for holding much more than those Powerball tickets I get every week that have just NOT PAID OFF in the least. Why do I keep buying them? This pack came with 10 clips, and even though I use several of these to organize my papers (as well as some of my YouTube shot lists and video ideas) I went ahead and got the 10 pack because inevitably there is always one of these where the magnet or the clip isn’t as strong as I want it. What happened to the “good old days” when you could still find a quality product? In any case, these have a done a pretty good job for what I need.
There are a whole lot of cruise ships heading up the West Coast to visit the great State of Alaska. Now, you may not know this, but Southeast Alaska is part of a rainforest. It can be wet. It can be cold. So be prepared!
One thing you won’t want to be without on an Alaskan cruise is a great pair of binoculars. In fact, I would suggest that you have a pair for each person in your party, because you don’t want to be waiting on swapping with your shipmate while those bears, whales or eagles are in view. Sometimes there are just seconds to catch a glimpse of the action. Ginger and I actually use two different pair of binoculars, each with a different strength. We do trade back and forth, but at least you can always be sure you are getting a closer view of the wildlife or scenery, even if you aren’t getting the MORE EXTREME close-up view. The stronger pair of binoculars we use are a set of Nikon Aculon A211 16×50 binoculars. While they are not cheap, they don’t break the bank as some of the more super-high-end binocs with super great optics out there, like the Nikon 7583 Monarch 5 20×56 binoculars. The Monarch 5’s are amazing. But be prepared to spend north of $850 or $900 dollars for those babies. Worth every penny, though. The optics on the Aculon A211 are pretty doggone good. I’ve got no complaints. The other pair of binoculars we use has less power, but they are easier to carry. These are the Nikon Travelite 12x25mm Black Binoculars which weigh less than 10 ounces.
The southeast part of Alaska is part of the Tongass National Forest, which is a temperate rainforest. While the temperate rainforest is much cooler than a tropical rainforest, it will still get as much or more rain than their hotter counterparts. Now, we recommend waterproof jackets of some type, and even treating those jackets with water repellant, but we also take a pack of disposable raincoats (or rain ponchos – whatever you want to call them) with us in case the weather is extra wet. Don’t worry if you forget yours AND you love to spend money, because the cruise line will likely have one for you to buy… for around $20. That is more than I sometimes pay for a 5 pack. I buy these things for fall and winter football games, too. But I like to have a pack on hand in order to stay dry and warm. And if you have extras on board, you can probably find someone who needs one. The people who need on are easy to spot… they have their head hanging down and they walk/run a bit faster in the port towns trying to find some shelter. When I order, I usually get the package of yellow rain ponchos so I can spot my wife as she wanders off into some shop selling trinkets. Like I said, I put this on over my other rain gear, just as an added measure to keep my base layers dry. Alaska can be wet.
The southeast part of Alaska is part of the Tongass National Forest, which is a temperate rainforest. The key word there is RAINFOREST. More rain = more mosquitos. I hate mosquitos. Hate ’em. With a passion. But, they LOVE me. They can’t get enough of me. I’m so tasty to the mosquito. In an effort to dissuade their love, I use chemical tactics. I’m out here waging chemical warfare against the mosquitos of Alaska. There are at least 50 species of mosquito up there, and I don’t want to know any of them. This matter a lot more in the summer months, obviously.
One thing you can do is keep your skin covered with long sleeves. This can be fine if the weather is cool, but if the temperature is warm enough to allow for a short sleeve shirt, you may want to keep that skin protected from these blood sucking savages. I’m one for FULL STRENGTH chemical warfare. I don’t know if this DEET is going to make my hair fall out some day, but I’m willing to risk it. That’s why I typically go for the sprays like the Cutter Backwoods High DEET. This stuff is 40% DEET. If you want to stay away from the sprays, or you are applying this stuff to your face, you may want to try these insect repellant wipes instead. They have a little less DEET content at 30%, but still pack a lot more punch than some of the brands out there that are as low as 7% of the chemical deterrent.
If you are looking for something that is DEET free, and plant based you can try Repel Mosquito Repellant with Lemon and Eucalyptus oil. Pretty effective stuff, though I usually opt for the chemical laced stuff myself. This stuff smells better than the DEET sprays, but it is a little oily. Whatever you do, try something, because you might get eaten alive if you just go bare skinned.
Hop over to our YouTube channel and watch some of our cruise tip videos. You look like you have some free time right now. What’s stopping you?