Essential Cruise Tech - TOP 10
With the holiday season fast approaching now is probably the perfect time to start building your ‘wish list’ on Amazon - a little hint list of all the things you’d like your nearest and dearest to pop into your Christmas Stocking! With that in mind it seemed a good idea to give you some information about the sort of thing that we love to take on cruises with us - starting with our list of TOP 10 Essential Cruise Tech…
Now, some of these are items that we take with us on every cruise and others and items that we wouldn’t mind finding under the tree ourselves this year! In each case you can click on the image and it will take you directly to the link on Amazon so that you can find out more about our recommendations and maybe even build your own personal Wish List - its a good way to avoid another Christmas of socks and smellies!
These are affiliate links so if you do purchase through them we get a (very!) small commission but tit doesn’t cost you any extra to purchase in this way - it just helps to fund our website etc.
#1. Portable Charger - if you’ve read my Blog about our ‘Worst Day Ashore Ever’ you will know why I’m obsessive about having one of these in my bag! Using your smart phone for photos, directions, note taking, internet and even phone calls can drain the battery very fast! I always carry a portable charger and I love this one because it is lightweight but it is also a torch and reading light. Amazingly it can quickly charge 2 devices - at the same time! The little blue paw print tells you how much power you have left!
2. SD Card reader - portable SD card readers are great for quickly backing up or downloading the pictures from your camera - something we always do as soon as we’re back on board - partly because I’m paranoid about a whole day being lost but also because they then have the correct date and location stamp and are stored alongside the pictures on my phone. If you like to take films with you on a cruise - you can load them all onto one card and save your phone memory. Its worth considering if you’re cruising with kids and this is something you might do then also look at # 10 below! This SD reader is very versatile and easy to use. It works for all phones, iPads and anything with a USB port. It works with both SD Card and Micro SD Card simultaneously.
3. Portable Speakers -the only thing that I ever managed to do with MSC’s new Zoe was to use it as a Bluetooth speaker!! I suppose one day all cabins will come with their own speakers but until they do this is one of my absolute ‘must packs’. I love to listen to our portExplore Spotify playlists (lots of different ports featured - have a look!) But I also use one with a white noise app if our cabin is a bit noisy or we have neighbours whose time clocks are not the same as ours!! This Bose SoundLink Micro Bluetooth speaker is perfect! The sound is amazing for such a small speaker - its loud, tough, waterproof, rechargeable and connects to your phone for remote calls! I love it in orange so it doesn’t get lost but it also comes in black or blue…
4. Selfie Stick - I know!! They’re a bit Jane MacDonald aren’t they, but these do have a use beyond running around the ship videoing yourself or taking the perfect selfie! If you’re in a crowded location, particularly if you’re a bit short, you can get a clear shot above everyone elses head! This one is great because it holds all phone types securely and it has a Bluetooth shutter button which means you can react to what is going on without than having to use your phones timer! Its compact, extendible, lightweight, simple to use even Jane would love it! It doesn’t have an added tripod because I would would always rather use #5!
5. Camera Tripod - this flexible tripod is great - good for balancing your camera on rocks for that perfect Instagram shot but also tough enough to hold it on your balcony rail if you’re feeling brave! Unlike cheaper copies the original GorillaPod has an adjustable swivel head - tough enough to hold a camera, phone or GoPro but very compact and light. Also quite addictive for fidgeting with!!
6. GoPro - OK, I will own up - this is something I have to borrow from my kids! I love it though - a fun little action camera perfect for snorkelling, bike riding or whizzing around on a speed boat! This entry level one would be fine for me - small, tough, completely waterproof with GPS and a touch screen. Unlike its more expensive big brothers the battery on this one is built-in so only lasts for about two hours. I think its probably worth it for the difference in price - you can spend the money saved on all its clever little gadgets….
7. USB Multi Charger - again you will find on some some newer ships that USB charge points have been built in (try looking around the bedside light but it can be a challenge!) However until I’m sure that they all have them I will continue to take my trusty charger. With two phones, an iPad and a kindle to keep charged up I love this one because it charges up to four devices at once as long as they have a USB lead. There is also a selection of slot-on adapters which means it can be used anywhere in the world and as it ISN’T surge protected you can use it on a cruise. We used to take a proper power strip with us but this has done away with the need ( but see #8). I particularly like this charger because a blue light shows when its on - nothing more irritating than waking up to find that you haven’t actually been charging overnight!
8. Power Strip & World Adapter - we no longer take a power strip because most of our stuff fits on #7 and I don’t take my own hairdryer or tongs onboard. If you do then you might still want to talke a power strip but it must NOT be surge protected ( I know - me neither!!) or it may be confiscated. All the clever ‘travel‘ ones with multi plugs are so you will need to take one of these with a separate adapter - until someone invents a ‘Cruise’ charger which will probably cost a fortune!!
9. Travel Alarm Clock - this is barely tech - in fact it is actively NOT tech as, having learnt the hard way about ships time being different from that of a country that we might sail past in the night, I never rely on my smartphone as an alarm on a ship. This little rechargeable travel clock is everything you need - light, simple to adjust, easy to see, loud and if you flip in over there is a little nightlight which is very useful in a pitch black cabin!
10. Smartphone Projector - Ooh this is fun - especially if you’re travelling with kids and you’re going to set them up with their own film show in the evenings. I think we’d use it for viewing video footage from the day and showing off our GoPro footage. This tiny little projector fits in your hand and it pretty quiet in use too! Even though it is small, it still supports full HD with a projection distance of 0.6-4.0m. It is completely portable as it is powered by plug, laptop or power bank. Whilst certainly not a ‘must have’ for cruising it could be quite useful…
BONUS… talking of which I’m going to add something that I would love but know is completely impracticable…
My Dream Item - A DRONE..
Now look you would have to be careful with this on a cruise - cruise lines do not allow you to fly Drones from a moving ship, but you might ask if you could get permission when you were in port? It would be a fun thing to take ashore though and would get you some awesome holiday shots! I admit I know nothing about these but Im told that this is a good beginners model - it folds and fits into a case with the controller, 2 batteries, extra propellers, propeller covers and chargers. This model is so small and light that it is exempt from some UK rules but you would have to make sure you knew what all the local regulations on drone flying were before using it - in the UK amongst other things you have to have an operators licence and stay away from airfields. I have a feeling I wouldn’t be be very good at driving this and I’m sure I wouldn’t able to use it much on a cruise but I’m suggesting this little, relatively inexpensive one because they are just SO COOL!!
I hope you enjoyed reading our thoughts on the TOP TEN TECH for Cruises -- please add your thoughts below in the comments section. Id love to know what Tech you travel with.
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Happy portExploring!
Love
Cathy
xx
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