Preparing properly for a holiday means you're far more likely to have a stress-free experience.
And that's no different for a cruise, with one cruise ship worker sharing some essential advice on seven things you should get your hands on before boarding.
Lucy Southerton, who runs the Cruising At Crew YouTube channel, is behind the advice.
After spending a decade working on the ships, the Birmingham native often shares her expertise, tips and tricks when it comes to cruising so that the ordinary person can have as best an experience as possible.
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Lucy has previously spoken about the one vital question you should ask crew members. She's also revealed the worries among staff about STIs, but that's a different conversation for another day.
Here are her top tips when it coming to packing for your trip:
Portable power bank
The first thing you need is a portable power bank, according to Lucy.
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And she says, it is for crew members and passengers alike, with it needed by pretty much everyone.
She says: "On a cruise, you're obviously going to be out in port and if you don't do an excursion then you're most likely going to be using Google Maps to try and navigate your way around the port.
"Or if you don't buy the internet package when you are on board, when you get off the ship in these ports you're going to want to find a little internet cafe and use the Wi-Fi, so I always recommend taking a portable charger because there's nothing worse than getting halfway through your day and your phone is on 10% battery.
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"Even worse if you're using your phone for Google Maps and then it does because you're winging it now. So, if you take a portable charger it just means that you're not going to run in to this issue.
Travel first aid kit
Next up is a travel first aid kit, which you should fill up with specific stuff that is thankfully easily available.
Lucy says: "While in this first aid kit I would take bandages and plasters and you know, everything you find in a traditional first aid kit. I would absolutely take seasick tablets, I would take some Imodium, I would take some painkillers. Anything that you might need because, although the shops on board will always have a supply, they've got you haven't they.
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"You're a captive audience so the price is going to be ramped up."
Lucy said a packet of seasickness tablets could be more than triple the high street price. We're talking $10 instead of $3.
Waterproof phone case
For Lucy, she thinks it's really important to pack that waterproof phone case.
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The thing with a cruise ship holiday is that you're often surrounded by water; whether that be sitting on the pool or a day on the beach after your ship arrives at a port.
"If you're going to go on a boat trip or an excursion or even if you like to lie by the pool area on a cruise ship because you know that's where everything's going on," Lucy says.
"I had a friend who was on a vacation she was lay by the pool because she liked to people watch and see everything going on. They did the belly flop competition and she wasn't really thinking about where she was in relation to the belly
flop competition, so they did the belly flop competition, my friend was absolutely engrossed in what was going on and didn't realise that her phone was actually in the splash zone.
"Half an hour of belly flop fun had gone on before she realised that her phone was actually soaking wet. So, if you know that you like to position yourself by the pool, maybe you've got the kids and you need to keep an eye on them while they're playing, waterproof phone case will never not be useful."
Noise cancelling headphones
This one relates to noise and more specifically, blocking it out.
Noise cancelling headphones are the essential item here, although how much they're needed 'depends on what cruise ship you are going on', Lucy says.
"Some ships, you just can't get away from [the noise]," she says.
"So, Icon of the Seasons, you're on this huge cruise ship, because they're so large you're able to go to the quiet zone and you can't hear anything that's going on in the pool area."
But the smaller ships are obviously more compact, meaning it's just more difficult to get some R&R without heading back to your cabin.
Lucy says: "A good set of headphones, noise cancelling headphones, is a great idea because it just means that you can plug yourself in and pretend you're on your own and you're in a serene environment."
A backpack
Being prepared is essential here, so make sure you're taking a decent enough backpack with you.
"Even if you're a handbag girl or you don't think you'll need it when you out in port, you do want to go out prepared," Lucy says.
"If I'm talking to the mums or the dads you have to have everything for the kids but if you're going on a couple's holiday then I just want to warn you that when you get off the ship, you are going to want to take sunscreen, a bottle of water. You're going to want to prepare for every eventuality and also you're going to want your hands free to just explore the ports.
"I think that's a lot easier if you have a little backpack that you can chuck everything in."
Universal adapter
Labelling this one as 'one of the best purchases she has ever made', Lucy says it's time to get that universal adapter secured.
"Instead of taking a European adapter, an American adapter, an English adapter, blah blah blah, you can just take one adapter and it will have you sorted for all eventualities," she says.
Lucy said that a lot of cruise ships are 'still a little bit behind' and lack USB ports, meaning this is more important than ever.
Pre-load your gadgets
For Lucy, she said pre-loading your phone or tablet with the apps you need is essential before getting on board.
She said: "If you think you're going to need any apps to help you navigate the port or help you navigate your time on the cruise then please make sure that you've downloaded these before you get on the cruise even if you're going to buy the Wi-Fi package when you are on board the cruise, the Wi-Fi will not be strong enough for you to download stuff you don't want to be running around in port to find Wi-Fi to download an app."
Topics: Cruise Ship, Holiday, Technology, Travel, UK News, World News, YouTube, Health
Tom Earnshaw