Cruises are a fun, convenient way to travel to a variety of top locations without having to switch hotels or do any driving in between. With tons of onboard activities to keep you entertained, couples and families alike can enjoy an ocean-going trip. No modern holiday is complete without the accompaniment of gadgets, so here are a few of the best electronic items to stuff into your luggage when you head on a cruise.
GoPro Hero Session
Action cameras are all the rage and this is the smallest, most affordable model currently offered by market leader, GoPro. It benefits from being housed in a waterproof enclosure, meaning you can use it when you are by the pool or on the beach, without worrying about damaging it. It can also record full HD footage to a microSD card and it has a built-in rechargeable battery for added convenience. It can be connected to a PC via a USB connection, but can also operate over Wi-Fi to make file transfers that little bit easier. With a two year guarantee, the GoPro Hero Session is a great investment for yourself or for the kids, when you want to capture all that goes on during your cruise.
Amazon Kindle
The base model Kindle has never been more affordable or functional, so for leisurely reading on the deck of the ship, this is a great way to keep up with the latest thrillers, factual books, newspapers and magazines. The standard Kindle now comes with a touchscreen display, Wi-Fi connectivity and a special coating designed to eliminate glare, meaning that you can read even in direct sunlight. When fully charged, the integrated battery will last for two weeks before giving up the ghost – long enough to keep going throughout an entire cruise. If you are subscribed to Amazon Prime, you can access thousands of titles free of charge each month.
Panasonic LX100
This is one of the best compact digital cameras available today, benefitting from a 12.8 megapixel sensor, a high-end lens and the ability to capture full-res images continuously at up to 11 frames per second. It can shoot video in 4K resolution and has a three inch display on the rear, to allow you to review photos and clips after they have been taken. The only downside is the price, which is competitive for this category but remains significantly higher than standard point-and-shoot cameras. If you want to remember your cruise without relying on sub-par smartphone snaps, this is a sensible gadget to purchase.
New Nintendo 3DS
While Pokemon Go set the mobile market alight as it burned bright and then faded away in the summer of 2016, the best place to enjoy the full experience of this and many other Nintendo titles is on the New 3DS, which was updated in 2015 with a faster processor and improved physical inputs. The best selling handheld on the market at the moment, the 3DS is compatible with hundreds of games that are suitable for kids and adults alike. For younger children, the Nintendo 2DS may be a better buy, because of its robust build and lack of potentially headache-inducing stereoscopic 3D effects.