The Best Practical Cruise Gift Ideas

I love this little book. It provides plenty of hints that will be relevant to ANY cruise vacation. It also provides a wonderful list of top 10 recommended shore excursions and do-not-miss sights for cruise tours in each of the different geographical areas that people cruise in. It won't replace a big cruise guide but it is extremely practical for providing hints about onboard life and at under $10, it is quite affordable. It offers insight into how to handle different situations on a cruise ship that you do not find in other cruise books.

Click here to order the 4th edition of
Jim West's The Essential Little Cruise Book
from Amazon.

We took two cameras on our Baltic cruise. My teenage son is a budding photographer so he took his Digital SLR camera but, unless you are also a really keen photographer, I would highly suggest you take a compact camera.

As our compact camera, we took the Nikon Coolpix and were more than pleased with it. It is a very compact camera which is very affordable at around $100. It was nice because it is very lightweight and would slip in a pocket quite nicely. We carried it discretely everywhere on the ship without feeling burdened by a camera.

AMAZON CUSTOMER REVIEW:

"This time I wanted a smaller pocket sized camera, that took AA batteries, and that gave great photos, with all the features I was used to. This camera fit the bill!" ~ Andi

Click here to order the
Nikon Coolpix Digital Camera

If you are going on a Caribbean cruise, you might be able to get away with skipping an umbrella. However, we were cruising in the Baltic and thank goodness we were well prepared! If you are going anywhere where it might rain on you, be prepared. Don't let the rain ruin your precious time ashore! We carried a couple of these Totes Micro Umbrellas plus lightweight raincoats that folded into tiny pouches and believe me, we used both of them!

The well reviewed Totes Micro umbrella is small enough to fit in your purse or your backpack. It is compact in size at 6.25 inches when it is folded up but features a 38 inch diameter when opened.

AMAZON CUSTOMER REVIEW:

"This Micro Umbrella by Totes is compact for putting in your backpack or purse. When deployed, it is as big as a full-sized umbrella. I've had my Totes Micro Umbrella for a few years and it's held up to strong winds and heavy rain. It may not be the the spring-loaded kind that opens up automatically with the press of a button, but it folds up very compactly. The craftsmanship is superb, from the stitching on the velcro strap and the canopy, to the skeletal frame and the telescoping handle - the quality is simply top-notch. The microuUmbrella is, in sum, practical, well-made, durable, and *compact*. I'm extremely pleased with it. Definitely recommended! ~~ A Music Fan

Click here to order your
Totes Micro Umbrella
from Amazon.

On our cruise my husband and I each had a small light on our bedstand. Believe me when I say that it is very dark in an inside cabin at night! Heck, it is dark in there during the daytime when the lights are out. Anyway, we each used a light for going to the washroom at night. It definitely made moving around at night easier.

This unit, the Garrity flashlight and night light combination, sounds like it might even be better than what we had or possibly a good addition to what we had. It is a flashlight and a nightlight which plugs into an outlet and recharges. It has a solid reputation with Amazon Customers and would be useful both at home and when traveling.

AMAZON CUSTOMER REVIEW:

"FANTASTIC! Good emergency lighting at home - INVALUABLE for travel! Nice night light but could be invaluable if used in a motel room - whether or not there's an emergency. Plug it in and nightlight comes on automatically at dusk. At night, with the nightlight on, it's easy to find it if you need a flashlight. Lose power?? the flashlight automatically comes on as an emergency light. Could be a lifesaver! ~~ hereistand

Click here to buy the
Garrity LED Flashlight and Night Light
from Amazon.

Let me introduce you to the bag of my life! I took this one on our cruise. It traveled everywhere with ease. I wheeled it through airports and on cobblestone walks. I hauled it up the stairs onto trolleys and trams. I stuffed it full. Well, that's actually not quite true, there was room left in the bag when I had loaded my gear into it. All this and it NEVER complained. I cannot recommend it enough. And yes, I'd recommend this bright bold green color because then, when you come off the ship to claim your luggage, it will jump out at you amongst the sea of black suitcases.

This suitcase that I am in love with does actually have a name. It is the Swerve 32 by Eagle Creek and I hope they never stop making it so that everyone who wants one can get one, too. I have already written a full page devoted to it so if you are looking for lightweight easy-to-maneuver rolling suitcases, check it out. You'll find my complete review of Eagle Creek's Swerve 32 by clicking right here. Or if you would rather, you can read more about it at Amazon by clicking right here.

On a previous trip we had taken an old suitcase that didn't wheel very well. I swore never to travel with it again and I am pleased to say that is gone, it's place taken by my much-loved green Swerve 32! (My conservative husband and teenage son preferred the bag in black.)

Order your rolling suitcase
from Amazon by clicking
right here.

Every traveller, whether travelling on a cruise ship or not, needs a luggage tag. The leather luggage tags shown here are affordable and practical choices.

To see Amazon's complete collection of leather luggage tags, click right here or to see all of Amazon's luggage tags, click right here.