One of my favorite aspects of preparing for my cruise is having a pre-vacation shopping spree. Before every trip I take, I usually head over to Target for some last-minute essentials. I love finding new outfits, accessories, or products to bring on my cruises.
Do I actually need anything during this shopping spree? That’s up for debate! However, it’s one of the joys that I find when preparing for any upcoming trips.
Before my recent cruise on Carnival Valor, I decided to switch up my Target run for something a bit more off-the-wall: the dollar store. While cruise prices have been increasing over the last few years, so have everyday items that you need for your vacation. I made the trek to Dollar Tree with my friend Hayley, as we would be cruising together from New Orleans on her first Carnival cruise.
I’m not someone who shops at the dollar store frequently. In fact, I’ve never stepped foot in my local Dollar Tree! While I know people tend to love the good deals they can find at the dollar store, it’s not usually on my radar.
I’ve also been seeing enticing hauls at the dollar store on my TikTok feed recently from other budget-conscious travelers. And if you know me, you know I am always looking for a good deal when it comes to traveling!
So, a few days before sailing from New Orleans, we visited my local dollar store to see what the hype was about. As usual, I didn’t necessarily need anything in particular for this cruise. Instead, I wanted to see what was available and let Dollar Tree tell me what I needed.
Read more: How I spent $50 on a Carnival cruise to find the best deal
If you’re like me and haven’t been to the dollar store in a while, you should know that prices vary now.
The cheapest items at my Dollar Tree were actually $1.25, with a few items costing $3.00 and $5.00. Most of the items that I purchased were $1.25, and I only spent $23.90 on my entire purchase.
I highly recommend checking out your local dollar store before setting sail on your next cruise. From travel-sized essentials to must-have cruise items, there were plenty of great finds during my visit. I left quite impressed by the shopping experience by the many treasures I found for a fraction of the cost.
If you are looking for exactly what you should purchase during your visit, take a look at what I found during my pre-cruise trip to the dollar store, including how I used the items onboard during my cruise.
Read more: Cruise packing list: Essentials to bring on a cruise
Magnetic items
Cruise cabin walls are typically magnetic, allowing you to utilize magnetic items for a multitude of reasons.
Magnetic hooks are wildly popular in the cruise community, especially considering cruise staterooms are very small. Anything you can hang on the wall will help keep the room less cluttered!
My dollar store had a few different magnetic items that I purchased for my cruise. First, I grabbed simple magnets to use in our cabin. For the price, the 8-pack of magnets was a good find. We used these in our cabin to hang important papers on the wall, such as the daily schedule with activities and events happening on the ship.
I also purchased a 2-pack of magnetic clips for the cruise. These are bigger and more heavy-duty, allowing you to hang heavier items on the wall, such as a bag or jacket.
These were more sturdy than I anticipated, although they would be heavy to pack if you're worried about luggage weight.
Additionally, I found a magnetic box in the same area as the hooks and magnets.
Although I wasn’t entirely sure what I would use this for, I ended up putting my nightly earplugs inside and hanging the box near my bed. This helped me keep track of them, and I am sure there are other creative uses for this.
Finally, we found a magnetic dry-erase board to bring on the cruise!
Many guests will bring magnetic decorations for their door, and it’s not uncommon to see a dry-erase board. This one even came with a marker! We placed the magnetic dry-erase board near our door and enjoyed seeing other guests write messages on it.
Speaking of decorations, the dollar store is a great place to visit if you want some cheap, seasonal decor to bring on your cruise! My store had an entire section of affordable fall and Halloween decor that would be perfect for cruise decorating.
On-the-go cleaning
If you’re heading on a cruise, you might be surprised to learn that laundry isn’t readily available most of the time. Some cruise lines have self-service laundry machines while others only provide paid laundry services for guests.
In addition, if you need to purchase any on-the-go cleaning or laundry necessities during your cruise, you’ll pay a premium on the ship.
Because of this, we recommend packing some on-the-go cleaning supplies just in case you need them. Things like stain remover wipes and sanitizing wipes are great deals at the dollar store for your cruise!
The dollar store had a huge section of cleaning supplies!
Much to my surprise, the store had name-brand items available to purchase. A travel pack of Clorox disinfecting wipes caught my eye immediately, as these are always handy to have while traveling to sanitize just about anything.
Also, there was an Oxi Clean mini on-the-go stain remover. This is great to have during your cruise because of its small size and ease of removing stains. My husband swears by these pens, as he travels for work and seems to be prone to spills!
Read more: 15 Packing Tips for First-Time Cruisers
I was also intrigued by the stain-removing wipes, which I added to my cart. I ended up using them during our cruise to remove a stain from one of my jackets, and I was impressed by how well the stain came out! I plan to bring one or two of these to-go packs for every cruise from now on!
You could also find small packets of travel-sized laundry detergent in this section of the store. If you aren’t wanting to pay the cruise line to do your laundry, consider using your cabin sink to wash anything you might need during your sailing.
Those sailing on longer voyages might particularly appreciate having a small bottle of laundry detergent to use throughout their cruise. It might not be glamorous, but it gets the job done!
Hand soaps and sanitizers
Packing small hand sanitizers is a cruise essential for me, as I am constantly sanitizing my hands while traveling. It’s easy to get sick and run down, especially on a cruise, so I always have these on hand.
I was excited to find a 2-pack of hand sanitizer to bring on our cruise. The bottles were larger than my typical Bath and Body Works sanitizers, which are $1.70 each and half the size.
Another nice-to-have item onboard a cruise is a small bottle of liquid hand soap.
Most cruise ships will only provide a bar of soap to use in your cabin bathroom. Although this is not necessary, I typically purchase liquid hand soap for my cruise, and I prefer it over bar soap. I snagged one bottle of the Softsoap to have in our cabin bathroom.
Cabin essentials
Making your cruise cabin feel not only more organized but also more like home is easy with a few essential items.
The dollar store had a wide selection of my favorite cabin items to bring onboard a cruise. For longer itineraries, I prefer to bring a pop-up hamper to keep my dirty clothes contained in the closet.
These are small and easy to pack because they are lightweight, taking up virtually no space in your suitcase.
I decided to purchase this hamper for our cruise and used it more than I anticipated. Between the hot weather and hitting up the gym, I sweat through my outfits quickly and appreciated having a designated space for dirty clothes.
Read more: I stayed in Carnival's cheapest, $290-a-day cabin on one of its oldest ships
Also, I was excited to find this 3-pack of travel jars. These are handy and versatile while traveling, as you can use them for convenient storage.
During our cruise, I used these to pack my vitamins and Tums tablets instead of bringing the big bottles from home. These saved space and I will continue to use them for future travels!
In addition, the dollar store has a wide selection of sandwich baggies. This is something I continuously pack because baggies are handy for many reasons.
You can keep belongings in an easy-to-find place, protect your passport from moisture, or grab a snack to bring ashore—just to name a few.
Finally, this small bottle of room spray was a great find for our cruise! With the small space, it can quickly become stinky and stale in your cruise cabin.
We used this room spray multiple times during our Carnival cruise to keep the room smelling fresh and clean. The apple cinnamon scent was perfect for fall!
Sticky notes are also handy to keep in your cruise cabin, especially if you do not have internet service or chat available onboard.
You can leave sticky notes in the cabin to communicate when needed. We also use these to leave notes for our stateroom attendant, such as requesting robes or additional towels.
Read more: Cruise ship cabins: Everything you need to know
Travel-sized products
If you’re trying to save space in your suitcase, you should consider packing travel-sized products for your cruise.
This will allow you to bring your luggage as a carry-on item if you’re flying to your cruise port. As someone who flies exclusively with a carry-on, I rely heavily on travel-sized products when traveling.
I was blown away by the travel-sized products available at Dollar Tree! I found a few of my favorite products in a small bottle I had never purchased elsewhere. Again, the store had many name-brand products for just $1.25, such as Dove, Palmer’s, and Colgate.
First, I grabbed a box of Crest whitening toothpaste to bring on board.
This is the same toothpaste I use at home, so I was happy to find a smaller size for travel at such a great price. There were many other name brands available for toothpaste as well.
Another great find was a travel-sized bottle of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter. I use this daily while traveling and typically utilize a reusable bottle.
I prefer using travel-sized bottles of the product, so I know exactly what’s in my suitcase. There was also a Palmer’s Cocoa Butter lip balm I purchased for the trip, as cruise cabins are typically dry and leave my lips feeling chapped.
In the same aisle, I found a travel shower kit with two reusable bottles and a travel-sized loofa. The kit included a toothbrush cover and a small jar too.
I filled up the bottles with my shampoo and conditioner at home before the cruise instead of purchasing travel-sized products. I figured I could reuse these travel bottles for future sailings!
Medication
Whenever I travel, I religiously pack my small pharmacy with over-the-counter medication and first-aid supplies. I never want to be caught in a situation where I don’t have the medication that I need.
In this case, you either need to spend an absorbent amount onboard for medication or you will need to find medication ashore during your cruise. Because of this, I have a travel pharmacy packed and ready to go. I can’t tell you how many times this has come in handy!
During my trip to the dollar store, I was shocked to see how much medication was available for purchase, both name-brand and generic. Prices varied for medication between $1.25 and $6. Most of the generic medication was on the lower price end while the name brand, such as Benadryl, was priced higher.
Some medications I always travel with include anti-diarrhea meds, antacids, laxatives, pain medication, sleeping aids, cold medication, nasal decongestants, and antihistamines. I also pack bandaids and antibiotic ointment to have on hand as well.
The dollar store had a variety of supplements, such as Vitamin C gummies, fish oil tablets, cough drops, and multivitamins. I didn’t recognize any of these brands, so I honestly might feel a little hesitant to purchase any of them.
Snacks
Although I didn’t purchase anything from this aisle, cruisers might find it useful to know that the dollar store has many non-perishable snacks and candies for $1.25 to purchase.
Some cruisers never board a cruise ship without their favorite snacks, so this can be a great place to grab some goodies before making your way to the cruise port. My local dollar store had a huge variety of snacks, such as Cheeze-its, fruit snacks, and bags of chips.
I was impressed by the selection of snacks available, as many were name brands. Those road-tripping to their cruise port might want to consider stocking up on snacks at the dollar store to save money during their journey.
Other goodies included a massive section of candy, with just about every candy you could think of. I quickly glanced at the variety, which included many different gummies, chocolates, licorice, suckers, and more.
Should you shop at the dollar store before your cruise?
In all honesty, I was a little hesitant to shop at the dollar store.
I typically prefer to shop at Target, often avoiding even Walmart before my vacations. However, with prices continuing to rise for everyday items, I figured it would be worthwhile to check out what the dollar store has to offer.
Despite my hesitations, I was pleasantly surprised by everything my local Dollar Tree had available. There were so many items that would be worthwhile to purchase for a fraction of the cost at the dollar store! I would highly recommend any cruiser check out their local dollar store before setting sail on their next voyage.
The biggest surprise for me was the amount of name-brand items sold at the dollar store. Some of my go-to products were available in a travel-sized bottle for just $1.25. Even name-brand medication was available for this low price, which really shocked me.
I walked away with two bags of goodies from the dollar store for my cruise and only spent a little more than $20 on everything.
In fact, I already packed a few of these items again for my upcoming cruise next week! I will definitely return to the dollar store before my cruise, as the savings were substantial.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
