Mentally preparing to partake on a cruise can very will take a healthy amount of time to adjust to, nevermind going through the mental gymnastics required to think over everything you may thoroughly, or may not need through the adventure itself, everything from your wallet, keys, proper clothing both for relaxing, and indulging in the ship’s many festivities can take quite a bit planning to experience everything fully, but rest assured, you’ll be well equipped by the end of this.
What Things to Consider When Making Your Cruise Packing List
The type of cruise you’ve signed up for will have its own list of rules, plans, regulations, and exclusions that may very well alter the experience you will have. Still, most of these choices aren’t meant to limit what you can do, but heighten the experiences that the cruise liner itself already offers.
In most scenarios, limitations on items you can bring are either for guest and staff safety, or to make the boarding process as painless and simplified as possible, limiting what can get lost in transition and allowing you to fully experience the amenities on full display without impeding anyone else’s ability to make memories as well.
1. Checked Luggage or Carry-on Only
Depending on the cruise provider you go with, you should have access to choose either checked luggage or carry-on, with the biggest differences between the two being, checked luggage has porters that will bring your bags to your room at a later time, meanwhile carry-on will let you have immediate access to everything you brought, but you need to lug it around until you finally get to your room.
If you are enjoying the cruise alone or with someone else, carry-on might not be the worst option, primarily because you won’t have an immense number of items to keep track of and can rest at any number of locations as needed until the rooms open up.
Assuming you are attending with your family or a large number of friends, this can easily become chaotic, as organizing everyone through the crowd, weaving in and out, getting lost, finding restrooms, and any other sporadic circumstances that might arise can leave anyone feeling fatigued before the trip has even begun.
2. The Number of People in Your Cruise Cabin
As yet another safety precaution, most cruise cabins are designed for two people. Still, they can usually accommodate up to four guests at a time, with more than that potentially violating cruise line policy and getting you in trouble.
If you need to host a meeting, family- or business-wise, you can call in advance to book a larger suite that can accommodate up to 8 people, but you should definitely expect to pay more for this feature, and those guests may not have designated beds.
3. Ship and Excursion Activities Planned
Whilst enjoying your cruise, you may note that several events, activities, and excursions are planned throughout your stay; these can be both onboard and offboard, depending on the route and stops the ship intends to make.
If you do plan on deboarding to do some frolicking amongst the locale, you must make note of the time you arrive and plan to be back at least an hour before your ship plans to leave port again to avoid getting stranded, and giving yourself and your traveling companions time to get back, accounting for issues in navigation too.
4. Cruise Line Dress Code
Although the cruise ship is a vacation of sorts, different levels may cater to different kinds of entertainment. Thus, you may be expected to uphold a different dress code; for instance, it wouldn’t be ideal to enter the main dining room in your swimsuit of choice, as it wouldn’t fit the aesthetic they are going for.
When transitioning from the pool to any indoor areas, you may be expected to wear cover-up T-shirts or wraps around the waist until you can change into something more appropriate, with footwear required on almost every cruise liner immediately upon exiting the pool.
You must double-check these rules and expectations when signing up for your cruise, as certain changes or expectations can differ between cruise providers, and these guidelines should be taken as such rather than as a direct point of reference in every situation.
5. Flying or Driving to the Cruise Port
As with anything, there are pros and cons to any alternative methodology employed; if you enjoy taking your time, sightseeing, and having more wiggle room, driving may very well be a good choice for you, primarily because you set the stage for what the trip will entail. Aside from bad traffic, you have a very good idea of when you’ll arrive at your port of destination.
Flying is however very hands off, with a vast majority of the trip beginning the second you walk into the airport due to you not needing to navigate roads, or deal with any mishaps along the way, you will have to deal with flight delays, potentially risk missing your trip entirely if it is delayed, or paying for a local hotel near the port to guarantee things go smoothly, adding more expense to an already costly flight fare.
Another tick before moving forward, if you do intend on driving, be sure to take note of how much you will potentially be paying for gas, and gauge whether or not your car is going to be able to handle the wear and tear that the trip will cause, getting to go on a cruise in your struggling vehicle isn’t worth it if it means you run the risk of breaking down on the way to work when you get back!
6. Weather
Mother Nature plays by her own subset of rules. While you do need to partake, there isn’t much you can do to circumvent its plans; poor weather can cancel flights and cruises and can even hinder travel by car during severe thunderstorms or tornadoes, depending on how far you are traveling to your cruise.
You would be wise to plan your trip accordingly to try and avoid a vast majority of the worst weather situations, unless you are attempting to escape a certain weather condition to enjoy another, looking at you winter escapees looking for a jaunt in the Caribbean!
What Should You Take On a Cruise With You?
Ideally (pun fully intended), you’ll want to have your ID and other identification on you to ensure you can travel from point A to point B without much hassle, after that you’d want to double check and see if you have things that make your day to day living possible, wallet, cell phone, charger for said phone, and anything required for your own daily need medicinally.
Initial Must-Haves:
1. Government ID and Passport
Regardless of how far you intend on traveling, or where you plan on going, you will need your ID and Passport, even if it’s for a “Just in case” scenario, better safe than sorry, being able to prove you are who you say, and lean into anything that might require that information, hotel stay, banking, anything of the like will give you passage to most places you’ll visit. Hence, these are almost non-negotiable in almost any circumstance.
2. Cell Phone and Charger
Just about every person walking the earth either has a cell phone, or direct access to one, to that end, you’ll want to be sure you have your pocket computer and accompanying charging cable, partially for communication, but even more so for being able to validate, verify and confirm lodgings, do quick research on local places to visit, or organize where everyone should meet up. Make sure the charger you bring is a cruise-approved power bar that is not surge-protected.
3. Wallet and Keys
It is incredibly difficult to imagine someone not doing the standard wallet, keys, ID, pat-down before traveling anywhere (not to mention doing so every time they get ready to move), but always keep your method of payment and keys on you so you can get into your room, or ID/pay for yourself whilst on the move.
It’s worth noting that not every location is ideal for tourist safety, so things like a wallet chain and key attachment might prove invaluable in the long run; even if you’re not looking out for thieves, you could save yourself a hassle if you are prone to losing sensitive or important items.
4. Cruise Documents
Similarly to why you need to carry your wallet, having proof of your cruise stay and what room you belong in can shorten a very long-winded conversation, especially if you happen to deboard and are seeking to get back on in a hurry.
Certain establishments and accommodations on the cruise will need you to verify that you purchased a specific package that grants you access to them, or that your purchase entitles you to bringing an extra person to partake in said benefits with you, so be mindful that you have your information in order both before and after boarding.
5. Luggage: Carry On and Hard-Shell
Even though we’ve divided them, both carry-on and hard-shell are different types of carry-on baggage, with one being flexible in how it’s made and can contort to whatever storage method you plan on using, whilst a hard-shell suitcase will not easily collapse on itself if it is pressed on.
The biggest pro to taking a hard-shell suitcase with you on a cruise would be the ability to safely transport items that can easily break or shatter in transit, things like laptops, tablets, anything with a screen can be trusted within one of these (depending on the material of course), with some level of reliability in knowing that if you are bumped into, you probably won’t be looking at a repair fee on top of your cruise ticket expenses.
6. Shore Excursion Bag
When choosing to go on a cruise that has shoreline excursions (places the ship will stop at and allow you to deboard and explore the local area for a certain time before getting back on, and continuing the cruise), you would be wise to have a separate bag ready for everything you’ll need whilst on the move, and more importantly, you can grab it and go.
The biggest benefit of having a ready-to-go shore excursion bag is that you can plan for the weather, perhaps a quick clothes swap, and certain niceties like sunscreen and other baubles that can prove useful; best of all, you can grab it and walk out of the cabin!
7. Shoe Bags
In much the same way the shore excursion bag allows you to walk out and head to your next adventure, shoe bags allow you to swap foot protection or comfort in just a few moments. The best use for a shoe bag is to change out dirty flip-flops for a clean pair before boarding again.
Accompanied by a water bottle, you could rinse your feet off on the side, swap your sullied sandals for clean ones, place the old ones in a smaller plastic bag (to prevent the shoe bag from getting dirty and necessitating a cleaning later), and you are done.
8. Hanging Toiletry Bag
Regardless of whether you are incredibly particular about what you need in the restroom or for certain skincare routines, a spare toiletry bag can prove invaluable when traveling. Once again, you can use this very same bag in a shore excursion bag (depending on size, of course), allowing you to have additional access to whatever creature comforts you need while out and about.
9. Put Contact Information Inside Your Luggage
While you shouldn’t necessarily plan around losing your belongings, preparing for the possibility of something happening definitely wouldn’t go amiss, especially if you are bringing high-value items, either monetarily or emotionally.
The best way to reclaim lost items is to leave some contact information with the luggage itself, ideally your name, phone number, and email. Hence, people have myriad options to reach out to you should you lose your things.
This relies heavily on people being honest, or even thinking to open the luggage in the first place, and should this happen, it might be better to mentally prep for certain things to be missing, rather than to desperately give yourself false hope that everything will be in order.
10. Pack With Packing Cubes
If you aren’t in the know, packing cubes are typically small mesh or fabric bags that are loosely cube-shaped and let you stuff things into them and separate/organize items without having to go out of your way to fold them (unless you want to).
Packing cubes work great for people who love moving on the go, and can be swapped out easily for “Clean clothes” and “Dirty clothes,” allowing you to color-coordinate different cubes for different purposes, making the whole sorting process incredibly simplified once you develop your own system.
11. Utilize an Airtag
Taking personal item security to the next level, AirTags are portable tracking devices that use Bluetooth to give you real-time location of your item, especially useful if something is lost in transit or stuck at an airport.
AirTags have extreme utility for tracking your items, with some even capable of emitting sounds to effectively “ping” their luggage, letting handlers find it easily in airports or cruise luggage handling, or allowing you to find it in a lost-and-found setting.
The tags themselves are not only water-resistant but, upon purchase, should last for upwards of a year, giving you a fairly extreme peace of mind in just about any situation. They can use other local Apple devices to secure a “Tracking line” that provides near-pinpoint accuracy of the luggage’s location.
12. Luggage Tag Holders
In much the same way that putting your personal information for contacting works, luggage tag holders are made specifically for this, usually secured with a zipper. They are typically clear vinyl badges that hang from your luggage, showcasing your name, number, and other easily identifiable information, allowing you to be contacted if someone sees your luggage.
Using a tag holder in tandem with an AirTag makes it almost impossible to lose your luggage once it goes missing, short of extreme negligence by your transportation provider or whoever stumbles upon your bag.
Clothing Items to Consider
They say the clothes make the man, or woman, but in either case, you’ll want to wear attire befitting not only the location you plan to enter but also the weather of the places you plan to visit.
Giving yourself a robust selection of clothing for just about any situation will let you not only feel prepared, but for some, can let you make any number of outfits with just a few pairs of clothing, perfect for anyone who needs to showcase their style, or cannot stand the thought of being viewed as someone wearing the same thing twice.
1. Multiple Clothing Outfits
- Shorts or linen pants
- Light tops or tank tops
- Casual sundresses or rompers
- Swimsuits
- Beach or pool cover-ups
What not to bring for casual clothing:
- Duplicate of the same style clothing – consider bringing versatile style clothing
- Things you have yet to wear
- Tight or restrictive clothing
2. Formal Wear or Dressy Outfits
- 2-3 stylish blouses with skirts or pants or casual dresses
- 1 formal outfit
- 1-2 pairs of comfortable dressy shoes or wedges
- Light sweater for air-conditioned dining areas’
What not to bring for formal or dressy outfits:
- Outfits that will wrinkle easily or need steaming
- Full tuxedos or gowns (unless the cruise ship is known for formal nights)
- Extra shoes only worn once
3. Workout Clothing
- Sneakers or trail shoes
- Sports bra, sun hat, socks, water bottle
- 1-2 sets of workout clothes
What not to bring for workout clothing:
- Large, bulky gear like hiking boots unless you will be on major trails
- Equipment like helmets or life jackets that is provided by the cruise or tour operations
4. Large Hats for the Sun
If you are traveling on a cruise, there is a strong possibility you will be going somewhere sunny or, at the very least, warm; in either case, wearing larger hats to protect both your eyes and scalp is a must.
You don’t necessarily need to go for the large straw hats. Still, these materials are used for a reason: they’re typically highly breathable, help you avoid a sweaty, oily head, protect you from the sun, and keep you cool.
5. Comfortable and Classy Shoes
While most comfortable shoes aren’t classy, it’s good to have a few pairs of footwear available to you, especially for longer voyages. Something to wear for dinner events and something to wear poolside should be your mantra as you approach this, so you’re well equipped in either situation.
6. Water Shoes
Unfortunately, not all wading water is created equal, nor are the beaches you may find yourself visiting. To that end, you’ll want to bring shoes that protect your feet from foreign objects or creatures you might step on.
Before settling on any pair of generic water shoes, you should definitely shop around for shoes that not only reflect a style you are comfortable with but are also made of quality materials that will prevent punctures and offer “Full” foot protection.
While Crocs and the like can definitely be considered water shoes, they also have small holes, partly for breathability. Still, these very holes can allow for small spines from coral or other water hazards to gain access to your feet, so be careful about what you choose.
Other Items to Pack:
Consider your personal needs, as not everyone’s travel standards are the same. Some people can walk out the door with a half-empty backpack, ready to adventure almost anywhere on earth, whilst other people want to be Batman-level prepared for any situation. Gauge your needs, and pack accordingly; your satisfaction and safety are the only real factors here.
1. Luggage Sleeves
In the off-chance that you do intend on bringing quite a few items with you, both normalized bags, and carry-on suitcases, you may want to make use of luggage sleeves, which are small straps or bands that can be attached to the back of a bag, allowing it to secure onto the handle, allowing you greater range of mobility, and forsaking the balancing act needed to carry smaller bags typically.
2. Travel-Sized Toiletries
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Lotion
- Vaseline
3. Medicine Items
- Seasick Medicine
- Pain Relievers
- Cough Medicine
- Throat Drops
4. Pill Organizer
Whilst traveling, it’s imperative to keep up with any medication regimens you are on or any additional dietary measures you are following, as going on an adventure does not mean your life or needs stop. Keeping a pill organizer on hand can make this entire process fire-and-forget, saving you time in the long run.
5. Ziplock Bags
Efficient use of Ziploc bags can allow you to separate any number of smaller important items you might need on the go; anything from different forms of currency to smaller bits of makeup can be stored and stashed away, even snacks if the situation calls for it!
6. Sunscreen and Aloe Vera
If you do intend on being in areas that are open, with very little access to shade (perhaps even if there is shade), you’d be wise to bring either sunscreen or aloe vera to combat your constant UV exposure, preventing sunburn, or a particularly painful trip home, with both memories and skin damage to reflect on.
7. Lip Balm
If you care about the skin on your body, it only makes sense that you’d care about the skin on your face; to that end, lip balm will keep your lips moisturized and prevent them from becoming potential spark generators if you happen to get a little too dehydrated.
8. Lanyard for Cruise Ship Cards
Struggling to find your cruise ship card in your wallet, with all the extra information required to navigate the ship itself, can make getting into your room or getting back on board a hassle. Investing in a lanyard can simplify this whole exchange and make the cruise itself more enjoyable by association.
9. Pop-up Mesh Laundry Bag
We briefly touched on the importance of square storable bags, and, truthfully speaking, pop-up mesh laundry bags serve the same purpose without nearly the same hassle and can make your cruise even easier to sort, proving infinitely more useful if you have small children at your tow.
10. Waterproof Phone Case
It only makes sense to have a waterproof phone case if you intend on going on a cruise; not only do most cruise liners have pools on several of their decks, but between ocean spray, shoreline excursions, and even simple spills or brief, wet hugs from kiddos, to say your phone may get wet is almost an inevitability.
Getting the case will not only keep your most valuable line of communication safe, but it’ll also let you stash other important information or spare funds alongside it, guaranteeing you have some level of agency in just about any situation, especially if you are prone to losing your wallet.
11. Wine and Corkscrew if Desired
Those of us who cannot leave the house without a Swiss Army knife and an assortment of fire-starting kits and survival gear in our cars can appreciate something as simple as a wine-and-corkscrew device.
Granted, some of these aren’t allowed on planes, and some may not even be allowed on cruise ships, so getting one and keeping it isn’t guaranteed. Still, if your cruise does have wine available, they will almost always have access to a wine opener, so this might just be going overboard, perhaps.
12. Travel-Sized Mugs and Water Bottles
Specifics and preferences definitely do matter, and to that end, you can pack your own travel mug or water bottle, should you desire. Most cruises will grant you access to refreshments and other beverages, either included or à la carte, but bringing your own is definitely something you can do.
13. Reusable Straws (If Desired)
Using cups whilst traveling, or utensils might be a germaphobe’s worst nightmare so you can purchase reusable straws should you so desire, but as with most “extra’ things you can bring, getting them past airport security, or on the ship is a finicky situation, and not necessarily guaranteed to go your way.
14. Money (Small Bills)
If you are someone who believes in having a rainy day fund, you’ll more than likely appreciate having some spare funds stashed away in a few different places in the off-hand chance you lose your wallet, anything from the aforementioned phone case, or even lanyard can hold a few bills to either give your kiddos to enjoy something on their own, or ensure you can catch a cab if need be!
15. Credit Cards
If you are bringing your wallet, you are likely bringing your credit cards too. Still, if your lifestyle doesn’t make use of them, nobody is shaming you; getting a credit card as a “Just in case” measure before traveling is one of the most failsafe options you can do if all else goes wrong, or you happen to spend a bit more than you were expecting at any point of your trip.
16. Inexpensive Watch
Keeping tabs on the time can definitely be done with your phone, but needing to pull it out every time you want to check seems rather excessive, especially if you are wanting to keep it casual in certain situations; to that end, a cheap watch will do you wonders, and in particularly questionable situations, it’s better to lose a watch than your phone.
17. Inexpensive Sunglasses
Skimping on eye protection isn’t ideal, but you don’t need to invest in several hundred-dollar sunglasses to risk forgetting them by the pool either, so grabbing some throwaways can be the perfect blend of prepared and overinvested.
18. Children’s Items
While being a relatively broad category, children’s items can mean anything from simple entertainment, as in toys and other coloring books, or spare diapers, wet wipes, and more, the need is flexible but the mentality remains the same, this is doubly true if you intend on doing a shoreline excursion, in which case you’d want both that bag, and a baby bag on the go.
19. Sand Toys
While more niche, this ties in wonderfully with children’s items as well; you can usually get a sand castle set for just a few dollars, and because most of them are either collapsible or stackable, you’ll get all the benefit of the experience you can craft, without it taking up too much room in your traveling bag.
20. Towels and Towel Clips
Being particular about your toiletries is something we noted earlier. Still, the same can be said of using your own towels, or even towel clips. Sometimes, bringing a bit of home is what makes the trip all the more enjoyable, and a creature-comfort favorite could be drying off with your special towel.
21. Microfiber Towels
If you haven’t used a microfiber towel, drying yourself with one could feel like assaulting yourself with sandpaper. These towels are made with small microfiber indentations that make cleaning easier, but they lose some of the versatility offered by traditional towels. They are also typically more expensive, but they can definitely find a use whilst traveling!
How to Save Space When Packing
Using the above-mentioned packing cubes, folding your clothes in a specific way, or making use of every square inch of each suitcase or backpack you intend to bring will let you fit as much stuff as possible into as little room as possible.
If you are trying not to bring everything you own with you, sit down and ask yourself some defining questions about what you are bringing, why you are bringing it, and how important each of those items is with regard to where you’ll need to use it.
1. Ask Yourself if You Truly Need the Item You Will Bring
Keeping in step with the above, try to picture situations that will pan out, leaving you thinking “Wow, I’m glad I brought X item, it made this entire trip much more manageable”; if the plotline you have to create is extremely far-fetched and happenstance, odds are you don’t really need the item.
An even easier way to approach the concept is to ask yourself: how many times will you actually use the item in question throughout the cruise, and whether you could get around its use with minimal impact on the trip at large.
2. Roll Clothes Instead of Folding Them
While folding clothes is traditionally how most people put them away, pound for pound, rolling your clothes usually takes up far less space and allows you to pack more, sometimes faster too once you really get the knack for how to do it.
A simple search on YouTube can get you plenty of videos on things like “Military Folding” and other seemingly unorthodox methods for those outside the know, which can prove useful for the rest of your life once you learn them.
3. Pack Belts in Dress Shirt Collars
Yet another pseudo-life hack: you can expertly pack belts in dress shirt collars with a little know-how. We won’t go over the precise technique, as it’s rather awkward to explain, but again, a quick search or video tutorial will get you off to the races in no time, saving you even more valuable room.
4. Cover Shoes With Plastic Shower Caps
Depending on the state of your shoes or, more importantly, their cleanliness, you can make use of shower caps to prevent any shoes you pack from coming into contact with your clothes, actively forming a barrier from any dirt, grime, smudges, or worse, scents from your shoes; although if your shoes are smelling funky, you probably shouldn’t bring them.
5. Use Bubble Wrap for Fragile Items
Justifying the use of hard-shell luggage containers for safe item storage can be made a two-in-one job by doubling down on the concept: wrapping fragile items in bubble wrap, giving you two layers of protection for each item.
6. Use Dry Cleaning Bags for Formal Dresses and Blouses
In much the same way you’d want to prevent your shoes from dirtying your normal clothes, Dry Cleaning bags can be used to keep formal dresses and blouses from getting creased, dirtied, or any other number of issues that might make them less than perfect for your ideal occasion.
7. Consider Using Packing Cubes to Organize Your Suitcase
We touched on this above, but once again, using packing cubes can make sense of what’s going on inside your suitcases. If you don’t already have some, take some time to purchase them in different colors, granting yourself even more flexibility at a glance, sorting, perfect for those of us who are stressed out before travel.
8. Put Scarves, Socks, and Other Small Items in Handbags and Shoes
When partaking in a cruise, you probably won’t need to change your socks too many times. Still, if you do need to, packing spare pairs of socks inside shoes you intend to wear (especially if the shoes match the aesthetic of the socks) can add yet another layer of organization to your belongings on the fly.
9. Pack a Kitchen Garbage Bag for Dirty Clothes
Finally, give yourself a bag to sort any worn clothing that may have gotten sweaty or simply dirty during your trip, allowing you to single them out and prevent them from dampening or soiling the rest of your clothes.
Final Thoughts
Whether this is your first time or you have been on multiple cruises, it is always good to review what you need to bring. Overall, we hope this article was helpful for you. If you have any more questions about cruises, travel, or adventure in general, check out our blog for more information. We promise you will not be disappointed, especially when you have all the knowledge required right at your fingertips!