I tried buying everything I needed to make my cruise ship cabin better by shopping exclusively at a dollar store to see if I could save money.
Whether it's your first cruise or not, I think a lot of people do pre-cruise shopping before any voyage to ensure they have everything they need before they get onboard.
Not only can you not run out to the store once you're on the ship, but most people want to be prepared. Typically, I'd buy these items on Amazon or at a big box store. There's nothing wrong with those places, but I was curious if a dollar store would do the trick while also saving money.
Prior to a recent cruise, I went to a Dollar Store with a list of the best things to buy for a cruise to make your cabin experience better.
I spent just $21.94 for 13 of the things on my list, and I was surprised how cheap everything was, even if tracking down everything wasn't easy.
Tissues
There is a tissue box in your Royal Caribbean stateroom, but I find them to be harsh to the touch. They work, but if you had a runny nose it would get uncomfortable quickly.
I recommend bringing your own tissues that will feel much softer.
I found a box of of tissues, along with travel size tissues. The travel size is perfect for packing, so I went with those instead.
Dry erase board
A fun and popular way to stay in contact with people in your room is to get a dry erase board with a magnetic back to it.
The idea is to put the board on your door and leave messages to let cabin mates (or friends) know what you're up to.
Since I was solo, I used the board to leave fun messages for others, like what drink they found that's really good.
It worked well until the (presumably) teenagers nearby discovered it and then started writing the "6 7 meme" all over it.
In the future, I'd leave the dry erase board on the inside of the door as a way to leave messages for cabin mates. That or just stick with a WiFi package so we can text.
It was fun before the teens got to it, but live and learn.
Pencil case
Families traveling with various forms of paperwork and identification might find buying a pencil case a neat idea.
I got this idea from Life Well Cruised to use a pencil case as a convenient way to keep your passports, paperwork, and any other important documents in one place. Zip it up and you're good to go so you're not digging through pockets to find it all.
I think it worked well, although some other cruisers suggested using a gallon size zip lock bag instead. That would probably work too.
Travel size toothbrush and toothpaste
I've been traveling with a spare toothbrush and toothpaste for years, and that's because when you forget your good toothbrush on a trip, it stinks.
For about $2 I can get essentially a disposable set to use on a cruise and then throw away when I'm done.
The downside to buying at the Dollar Store is you're going to find generic brands, which means it's not the flavor I'm used to. Nor will it have a specialty type of toothbrush or toothpaste that you may prefer.
Shower travel kit
Royal Caribbean provides a 2-in-1 mystery liquid in your stateroom shower, but I think a lot of people prefer the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash they're used to.
A more economical idea than finding travel versions of your preferred brand is to get a shower travel kit.
You get 3 mini bottles that you can fill with your favorite shampoo and body wash, and if you bought a giant size, then you can get more value out of it.
Medicine
No one thinks they'll get sick on a cruise, but it's really smart to travel with common over the counter medications, just in case.
Royal Caribbean sells some medicine onboard, but you'll pay top dollar for it. And they don't include every kind of medicine.
One woman went down to the ship's medical center to get Benadryl but was charged $390.
The Dollar Store had plenty of generic drugs to get, including meds for a headache, diarrhea, nausea, and basic cold symptoms.
Disinfecting wipes
I'm not one to wipe down every surface I encounter, but it's not a bad idea either.
I found they had a few kinds of wipes to choose from, but I wanted a disinfectant wipe that I could use on any surface.
Just be sure not to flush these wipes down the toilet (or any wipe, even ones claiming to be "flushable").
Odor control spray
Real talk: cruise ship bathrooms don't have fans and there's really no air flow in there. So you can imagine what could happen in there after being used.
The Dollar Store had an off brand toilet spray, which is exactly what I needed. It wasn't a travel size, so those flying would have to put it in their checked luggage as it wouldn't adhere to TSA carry-on liquid size regulations.
Collapsible storage container
Another smart hack I ran across was to buy a storage container for keeping shoes organized.
Usually I just pile up all my shoes in a corner, but they easily get thrown around the cabin.
A collapsible storage container makes it easy to pack and then use as a designated shoe box.
You probably need more than one for more than two people, but it was nice having my shoes in one spot.
Liquid hand soap
Ever since I started bringing liquid hand soap with me, it's been a gamechanger.
We started bringing liquid hand soap to make it easier for my kids to wash their hands on a cruise when they were young. Royal Caribbean provides bar soap in the cabin, but it's inconvenient and they always leave my hands feeling dried out.
A cheap liquid hand soap dispenser makes a big difference and I always bring it on my cruises going forward.
Deodorant
Consider this a public service announcement: in case there was any doubt, everyone should be wearing deodorant every day of their cruise.
Similar to the toothpaste idea, buying a travel size version makes it easy to pack.
Sunscreen
No matter how many times you think you won't get sunburned, it happens to the best of us.
Ordinarily I'd put sunscreen in the same category as medicine, but it's really important to have so it gets its own call out.
The only catch might be the time of year you shop, because the Dollar Store in Redding, PA might not carry sunscreen in February.
Since I live in Florida, there was plenty of it. So be sure to do your shopping to leave enough time to get some online if necessary.
Stain wipes
I went into the store looking for a stain pen that you can easily blot out stains from clothes, but they had wipes instead.
I never cease to be amazed how I can still spill spaghetti sauce, soy sauce, or curry on my shirt or pants. I probably need to wear my napkin as a bib, but since I won't do that, having stain wipes handy is a good idea.
Using these can easily blot out a stain before it sets and ensure you don't have a permanent reminder of that spaghetti bolognese.
I tried to buy magnets but they didn't have the right kind
The one thing they didn't have were heavy duty magnets to buy.
A set of heavy duty magnets is one of the best cabin hacks out there because they're so versatile. You can use them to hang clothes, decorations, hats, and more.
The only magnets my store had were magnets for holding up papers, so I skipped it. Looks like I'll have to rely on Amazon for finding the right kind of magnets.
I wouldn't buy an outlet extender at a Dollar Tree
Another great idea for almost any cruise room is to bring an outlet extender because there are so few power outlets.
The problem is nearly all the outlet extenders my store had were the kind that are banned by Royal Caribbean because they have more than one electrical outlet.
You can bring an outlet extender that has one electrical outlet and as many USB outlets as you can fit. Whether it's wired or not is irrelevant.
I recommend picking up this outlet extender because it's not only cruise line approved, but works well when traveling overseas.
I'd also skip the over the door shoe organizer
One of the oldest cruise cabin tricks in the book is to buy an over the door shoe organizers. While they were available to buy at my Dollar Store, I'd recommend skipping it.
You put them on your bathroom door but I find they are very shallow, limiting what you can really use it for to store things. Plus, it always gets caught in the door when the door is opened or closed.
While it's only a dollar, I'd still skip it because I don't think it adds as much value to your life as it does become a nuisance.
