Semester at Sea Cabin Must-Haves

If you are in the middle of packing for SAS, or have been on a previous voyage, you know just how stressful this process can be. I’m sure you’ve spent countless hours searching and putting together your own packing list full of things that you are not sure you will even need. There are so many different lists out there, but one thing that I wish I knew before I left for my voyage was what to bring specifically for my cabin. Spending 4 months in a small cabin, with a roommate(s), will definitely teach you how to make the most of your space. I put together a list of some of the things I packed for my cabin that I could not live without. I have also included some things that I did not bring but wish I had. 

To see more of my SAS packing advice, check out my official packing list or my overall SAS must haves. Here are my top 5 Semester at Sea Cabin Must-Haves for your future voyage! 

1. Clothing Line

If you plan on doing your own laundry on SAS, this is a must have. There is a clothes line built into the shower but it is not very big and clothes do not tend to dry in the bathroom just because of all of the moisture. I brought one like this and it was super easy to pack and did not take up any space in my suitcase. You can easily hang this from one side of the cabin to the other (not on your roommate’s side of the room unless you ask), and your clothes will dry in no time!

2. Hanging Shoe Organizer

I know what you’re thinking, but trust me on this (and no, it’s not for shoes). When I was researching what to bring on SAS, I kept seeing people mention a hanging shoe rack for the back of the bathroom door.  At first I thought that was a crazy idea, but I decided to buy one and honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without it. I ended up hanging it on the back of my bathroom door, just like everyone said, and my roommate and I used it to store all of our everyday toiletries. In the bathrooms, there are two super small shelves that barely hold anything. Having this hanging shoe compartment allowed us to keep all of our bathroom supplies in the bathroom and gave us more storage space than we could have ever hoped for! 

3. Compact Storage Containers

No, I did not bring compact storage containers but I totally wish I did. In the closets, each person (depending on cabin type) gets about 2-3 shelves. This can make it very hard to keep all of your clothes organized in one small space. Looking back, I wish I had brought something like this since they are super easy to pack. I would have placed them on the shelves in my closet to keep smaller clothing items in to keep everything organized and to fit more. 

4. Clothes Hangers

Each cabin on Semester at Sea comes with about 5 hangers (if you’re lucky) per closet. If you are anything like me and you like hanging your clothes, I definitely recommend packing a cheap set of hangers that you can just throw away at the end of the voyage. I picked up a set and brought about 7 extra in my suitcase and I used all of them!

5. Pillow and Blanket

There’s nothing like a small feeling of home when you are sailing around the world. Something as small as a pillow and blanket can help tremendously when it comes to being homesick (the pillows on the ship are not that great so this is another reason to bring one lol). Before I left, I purchased a fluffy pillow and packed it in a vacuum bag to minimize the amount of space it took up in my suitcase. In the port of embarkation, I went and grabbed a blanket that I could also carry on the ship with me. I am so so so glad I decided to bring my own pillow and blanket because I honestly don’t know what I would have done without them (a lot of voyagers also end up purchasing a pillow/blanket in the first port if they could not fit it in their suitcase so that is another option to consider). At the end of the voyage, I just threw the pillow and blanket away since I no longer needed them and that left me with a ton of room in my suitcase to bring home everything I purchased along the way. 

6. Over-the-door Hangers

At the last minute, I decided to bring a few really cheap

and I am so happy I did (I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without them). There are so easy to squeeze in any extra space you have, and are perfect for hanging jackets, towels, bags, etc.. There are a ton to pick from on amazing, in all different colors, to help bring a sense of “décor” to your cabin.

7. Pictures from home

Even though you are so so excited to explore the world for 4 months, you will definitely miss your family (trust me)! Before I left, I went to my local Walgreens (or wherever you get your photos printed) and printed about 20 different pictures of friends and family. I brought these with me on the ship and set them around my bed just so I could make it feel more like home. If you have a hard day, or just miss home, you will be glad you brought these with you!

8. Sticky Notes

I know, weird, but its true. In your cabin, you are not allowed to have any sort of tape. If you are found with tape they will take it from you during their cabin checks (I learned from experience). Before I left, I had read that every voyager should bring sticky notes because they allow you to hang papers/pictures up with them, so that’s what I ended up using. They are also great to leave notes on doors, and just communicate with others around the ship.

Read more Semester at Sea posts here!