In the not-so-distant past, cruisers that traveled with personal technology – such as tablets and smartphones – were virtually nonexistent.

It was actually one of the more appealing aspects of a cruise vacation. You were almost forced to disconnect, a welcome break away from the real world.

However, in recent years with major technological investments from the cruise lines, most ships now offer Internet Cafes, Wi-Fi hotspots or even full Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the ship. Packages are available for purchase, or you can pay-by-the-minute.

If you are a tech savvy cruise traveler, we’ve compiled a list of beneficial cruise travel tech accessories that will make life easier and may even allow you to pack a little lighter.

Cool Cruise Gadgets & Travel Tech Accessories

1. Retractable USB Cables & Headphones: eliminate cord tangles and frustration with retractable USB cables and headphones. These accessories are ultra compact for convenient storage.

2. USB Wall Charger: cruise ship staterooms lack an abundance of electrical outlets; simultaneously recharge a variety of personal electronic devices with a travel wall charger that includes multiple ports.

3. Travel or Mini Power Strips: if you usually find yourself using more than one or two outlets, you may need to bring a travel power strip to maximize the number of gadgets you can use and charge. Some cruise lines may discourage the use of power strips, so please check with your travel agent.

4. Universal Travel Adapter: charge your electronic gadgets worldwide and also protect it from power surge. A universal travel adapter changes the plug shape to match the outlet, they do not convert voltage. Adapters operate on two standard voltages, the 100-125V in North American and Caribbean systems and the 220-250V in Europe and rest of the world.

5. Alarm Clock with Light: at night your cabin is quite dark, especially if booked in an interior stateroom. We suggest packing a night light so that you do not have to keep on an overhead lamp, yet you can still make a trip to the restroom or read a few chapters of your book. Timex and Magellan both make units that conveniently combine alarm clock and light into one.

6. Portable Speakers: enjoy your vacation tunes, lullabies or movies with travel speakers. Brookstone’s Mobile Mini Speaker gives any tablet or smartphone a better sound and features a retractable cord.

7. Fitness Trackers: in addition to technological advancements onboard, cruise ships have expanded their wellness programs and now offer a wide variety healthy eateries, state of the art fitness centers, and high energy onboard activities. Active guests can take advantage of fitness wristbands or watches that maintain their goals at sea by measuring steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, hours slept and quality of sleep. Top rated fitness trackers include FitBit, Basis and Nike Fuelband.

8. Waterproof Cases for Phone and Tablet: while traveling, you may surf, swim or find yourself in a sudden downpour. Whatever the situation, you want to be prepared and your technology protected. Waterproof phone cases like the iPhone Scuba Suit even allow you to take photos underwater. Travelon’s Waterproof Portfolio for the Tablet is air and water tight so you can use around water, sand or dirt. And if traveling in Alaska or other snowy destinations, don’t forget your touchscreen-compatible gloves!

9. Protect Your Travel Tech: shield your tablet and other personal devices from harm while traveling with Grid-it‘s versatile design of rubberized elastic bands that hold your items securely in place.

10. Smartphone Tripod: capture each precious moment with the GripTight GorillaPod Stand, a flexible and reliable way to secure your iPhone or Android in place for high quality video and photos wherever you go.

11. iPhone and Android Camera Lenses: use your smartphone to produce pro quality photos with Photojojo Fisheye, Telephoto, Wide Angle and Macro cell phone lenses.

12. iPad Camera Connection Kit: use this kit to download and save images directly to your iPad from your phone or digital camera via a USB cable or SD Card Reader.

Cool Travel Gadgets and Accessories for the Kids

13. Crayola ColorStudio HD + iMarker: you can bring a world of coloring options as you save valuable room in your bags with ColorStudio HD and iMarker, a stylus that looks and feels like a marker or colored pencil and is conveniently a no-mess, no-ink, kid-safe product.

14. LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer: this educational tablet for children ages 3-9 creates learning fun with front-and-back cameras and video recorders, 4GB of memory and a library of 800+ games, apps, eBooks, music, videos and more.

15. Kid-Friendly Digital Camera: capture your vacation from a child’s perspective by providing them with a durable digital camera. Kidizoom Camera from VTech is perfect for ages 3-8 offering storage of up to 1000 photos, wacky editing effects, video capability and games. Another family-friendly camera for older kids is the entry-level and relatively inexpensive Nikon Coolpix S31. This digital camera is easy to operate, shockproof and even waterproof.

16. Fun Headphones and Earbuds: playful headphones with safe volume technology are perfect for little ones on the go. iFrogz Animatone headphones feature fun, colorful designs and more importantly are sturdy, lightweight and comfortable. Logitech Loud Enough earbuds include three sizes of silicone ear bud tips including a set of extra small tips fit for a child’s ear, 3 colors to choose from, and noise isolating technology with built in volume control.

For the tech savvy cruiser prior to setting sail, Cruise Finder™ by iCruise.com is a free award-winning, comprehensive cruise vacation-planning app available on the iPhone, iPad and Android. Cruise Finder provides detailed cruise information on 32 different cruise lines, 310 ships including staterooms photos and deck plans, 25 destinations, and 25,000+ itineraries complete with route maps.

Do you have a favorite travel tech accessory when you cruise? Share with us in the comments below!

About Alara Shannon, Cruise & Travel Writer

Alara has traveled extensively since an early age. After the birth of her daughter, when an opportunity for a career in cruise travel presented itself, Alara decided to re-enter the workforce. She hopped on board with one of the largest cruise agencies and excelled in both cruise sales and customer service. This led to the chance to dive headfirst into the Internet Marketing world; taking on the roles of resident Bloggess, custom content creator and social media expert. Beyond a love of anything travel related, her life revolves around her family of four (husband + 2 little ones), writing, playing piano, coffee, recycling, and crafting (well, attempting to craft). Her dream destination? New Zealand!