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Before arriving at the cruise terminal, make sure you have a separate carry-on bag for essentials. 

The porter will assist you with your larger pieces of luggage, and you won't see them again until you are onboard. Likely, your suitcase won't be delivered until a few hours after you embark. 

As such, you don't want any important travel documentation, medicine, or valuable items stashed away in your luggage. It's common sense not to pack your cell phone or passport, but what about luggage tags?

Here are 27 items you should always pack in your carry-on bag!

Cruise ships are floating resorts packed with everything from multiple restaurants and bars to theaters, rock climbing walls, mini-golf courses, go-kart tracks, and surf simulators. Recently, however, cruise lines have been upping their waterslide game. 

In the past few years, popular mainstream cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Norwegian have introduced mind-blowing waterslides, transforming the top decks into aquatic playgrounds. 

Cruising is a unique and exciting way to travel because you can explore different places while enjoying the comforts of a floating resort. After spending the day ashore in places like St. Maarten, Skagway, and Mykonos, you return to the ship for a multi-course dinner in the dining room and lively entertainment. 

However, even the most seasoned travelers can make silly mistakes. One crew member, Lucy, took to YouTube to share common first-time mistakes she's witnessed passengers make. 

Cruise ships are a foodie's heaven. There's something for every craving, whether it's late-night pizza, a juicy steak, seafood, or salad for those looking for a lighter option. Plus, it's possible to not spend an extra dime on food—so long as you stick to the complimentary restaurants. 

That said, cruise lines aren't typically known for their high-quality food. While that's not to say you won't have delicious meals, not everything offered will be the same quality you would expect in fine-dining restaurants. 

While vacation is a time to kick back and relax, there are certain items you should leave at home. For example, many mainstream cruise lines have banned multi-outlet power strips and steamers due to safety concerns. 

I've spent 55 days at sea on five different cruise lines within the past year, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Disney.

My voyages took me everywhere from the Bahamas to Alaska, the Caribbean, and the Greek Isles. Sailing on various lines also meant the onboard experience varied. 

Even as a frequent cruiser, I learned something from each trip. Here's some cruising advice I'm applying to my 2025 travels. 

Unlike weeklong Caribbean cruises, only so many ports can be visited on short Bahamas getaways. For example, a 3-night voyage from Florida likely calls at a cruise line private island, such as Perfect Day at CocoCay or Half Moon Cay, and Nassau.

However, Nassau ranks poorly in customer satisfaction surveys, despite consistently setting one-day passenger records. On Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, the Nassau Cruise Port welcomed over 29,000 guests from six ships, breaking the previous record on Feb. 27, 2023. 

Nobody wants to sail on a nasty cruise ship, so the CDC routinely inspects ships to ensure a safe, healthy environment for passengers and crew members. Each year, they release their findings, and in 2024, they reported that out of 151 inspected vessels, 29 received a perfect score. 

The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) conducts random inspections to ensure cruise lines meet health standards, rating ships from 0 to 100. Like restaurant and grocery store inspections, the goal is to minimize the risk of illness for passengers and crew. 

Can you smoke on cruise ships? Absolutely. Smoking is permitted onboard cruise ships. However, you cannot light a cigarette just anywhere. There are restrictions as to where you're allowed to smoke. 

You can't, for example, smoke in your cruise ship cabin. However, many mainstream lines permit smoking in their casinos. If not, there's usually a smoking area on the pool deck on either the port or starboard side of the ship. 

Thankfully, you don't have to survive on nicotine patches while onboard. Here's everything to know about smoking on a cruise ship.