There’s a lot of topics to cover. I’ll kick it off with some room decor. I’ll link to Amazon for specific items I bought from there, with an affiliate link. But not everything is going to be from there. Other stores exist.
So, the walls of most (all?) cruise ships are ferromagnetic, meaning magnets stick to them, but honestly, you can say magnetic. It’s fine. I’m not going to be pedantic and get upset over it, but others will.
That means magnets can be used to hang up stuff, but also to just put up magnetic art themselves. There’s a huge amount of magnets out there, but some are worse than others, since they can be made way too cheaply, especially using awful AI art now. Also, you want to avoid anything that uses adhesive. And every cruise line has different requirements. I believe Norwegian disallows paper since that burns easy. So check up on your own line and ship first. Also, keep in mind the ceilings are also just as magnetic. so you can hang stuff up there, too. Just don’t forget about it when packing up.
#1 – Magnetic Hooks – https://amzn.to/4n3OXF6
So, this is an obvious one, but there are nuances to it. You want magnets that are strong, to hold up stuff, but with a kid, I also gravitate towards colorful ones. They’re going to want to hang up stuff and sort things, so I’ve ordered this rainbow set a few times. These magnets are pretty strong so for some ships (Like the Carnival Vista) they’ll help hold up things when ceramic magnets (Like the fridge type) would fall down.
Don’t expect them to hold up too much, but for a single item or two, it’s great.
#2 – Magnetic Squares – https://amzn.to/4cX84vW
This is the other half to that. This a rainbow grid of glass squares with magnets on the back. They’re not as strong as the magnet hooks I bought, but they’re great for holding up papers, whether it’s a ship schedule, art from the kids club, or just holding up other decorations. Basically these magnets and the hooks all end up in a single bag that my kid will take the time to decorate the wall with every time we first get into the stateroom
#3 – Magnetic Push Pins – https://amzn.to/42d4qsU
Pretty much the same as the last item, but these are semi-strong colorful ‘push pin’ magnets. Basically more stuff to decorate the walls with.
#4 – Aquatic Magnets – https://amzn.to/4dmvNHf
Okay, now we’re getting into the actual art of it. This was one of the first magnet sets we bought. This one had a lot of variety of creatures on it, but also if you notice it includes a lot of little bubbles. Yeah, it inflates the piece count of the product, but honestly, the little air bubbles add a lot of life to the rest of the item placement.
#5 – Duck Magnets – https://amzn.to/3R15rBU
This is my favorite set. I love all the ducks, and the big ship piece is a HUGE piece and it’s hard to make it not get bent a little, but it’s GREAT for writing messages onto. Unlike a lot of other sets, the art is consistent and not obnoxious.
#6 – Holiday Magnets – https://amzn.to/4uw1R1j
If you end up going around a holiday, don’t forget to get magnets that tie into the current holiday. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mardi Gras, etc. Christmas ones are super easy to find. The rest can be hit or miss, so look at the reviews talking about the quality. The key thing to keep in mind is a disturbing amount of negative reviews are from people trying to put these on their car and upset they’re not huge door-sized decals.
#7 – Magnetic whiteboard – https://amzn.to/4wcziYs
This one was a game changer for us. Getting a handful of whiteboards to write messages on has been great. This set includes dry-erase markers that are magnetic themselves, and an eraser, too. That way you can leave messages for your family. But also, we use them on our stateroom door. We actually write a bunch of stuff on these and it’s why we aim to have cabins that are near elevators.
On these, we usually write a bunch of things. Specifically, we add the day of the trip with the port we’re at. Then I also add a joke (Or two) of the day, and a poll. Basic stuff that won’t upset anyone. Like choosing pizza or hot dogs. The key part for us was leaving a blank area for suggestions from other guests. By the end of the trip, people were getting invested in which option won the poll each day, and more cabins were copying us. It added a lot of excitement of heading back to the room.
#8 – Boho Bracelets – https://amzn.to/4n9rN08
Okay I know you’re confused, but hear me out. Those hooks I mentioned? Put some on the stateroom door with some bracelets on them. These boho bracelets are super-inexpensive since they’re intended to wear a bunch at a time. But leave out like a half-dozen and people will take one or two throughout the trip. It’s a little self-service gift that people will appreciate. It works out to about 25 cents a bracelet or so and they’re grouped by color, so you can focus on a color set each day. We’ve done this on our last few cruises and the little girls (and older women) have loved it. Came in handy for last minute decorations on the fancy nights, too.
#9 – Joke Books – https://amzn.to/3OJGHO2 – https://amzn.to/4tR6cMA
So, you know those jokes of the day I mentioned? Don’t rely on dredging up some from the Internet on the ship because dear lord it can be unreliable. Get an actual joke book. Dad jokes are safe and fun. That second link for 365 days of jokes works better, but it’s a bit larger, so if you want a more compact option, go with the first one.
#10 – Duck Mail Box – https://amzn.to/4uwlJS1
Okay, so I’ll get into cruise ducks in a later post, since they’re their own beast, but at the least this is a decoration. It’s 3D printed, so I bet you can go onto some site and get the files and make it yourself at a library if you were so inclined. But this is a fun little door decoration where you can leave a duck for people to take and I guarantee other people will put ducks inside for you, too.
#11 – Magnetic Markers – https://www.fivebelow.com/products/magnetic-dry-erase-markers-with-built-in-erasers-6-pack?variant=3168317&sr=1
I also did get more dry erase markers, but I picked them up at Five Below instead. They’re magnetic on the cap and have a good range of colors in the set. Just be sure to not write on the actual walls, but only on the dry-erase boards you stuck up.
#12 – Magnetic cup – https://shop.daisosingapore.com.sg/products/4550480338088
Daiso has great magnetic stuff, too. We have a few of these magnetic cans. They’re great for holding little items. Just be careful of the clear lid. It’s really easy to scratch it. They also have little magnetic shelves and cups for pens. Great stuff. Definitely pop in there and take a look around. If it doesn’t work, you’re only out like $2.50.
#13 – Muppet magnets – https://amzn.to/3R3jFlP
We got these and my kid loved setting up the Muppet show. But any fridge magnets work, so find some fun sets. Cost Plus World Market is a good spot if you have a coupon.
I think that covers decorations for the walls and door. My next list will cover the toys we bring to placate my pre-schooler, even if there’s overlap with the magnets as toys.