India, Feb. 23 -- When I took my first cruise in 2008, life was different on board-and so were the contents of my suitcase. With no trackers to find bags and smartphones just rolling out, the focus was more on clothing than technology. I've been cruising for 18 years now, sailing in the Caribbean, along the coasts of Mexico, in Alaska, and in Europe. These days, you have a choice of travel-friendly gadgets that help make the cruise sail smoothly, most of which are available with the click of a button at Amazon.

Even though cruising is an ever-changing landscape, several things remain true at sea, including needing comfy shoes for the thousands of steps you'll log on the ship, a scarf or shawl for when you get chilly, and packing cubes t...