What to Pack on a Cruise

Wondering what to pack on a cruise? These are 33 things to bring on a cruise you won’t want to forget when you’re getting ready to go on a cruise ship vacation!

What to Pack for a Cruise

Hi friends! I’m just three days away from leaving on what will be our family’s 7th cruise in just as many years. Our family just loves cruising, it’s a great way for us to take a family vacation all together while still getting some mom and dad alone time as the kids enjoy the camps.

We cruise Carnival and live driving distance to a port so that makes it all the more affordable. We try to go at least once a year and have been planning our current cruise for about eight months so obviously I’m a little giddy that its almost here.

Things to Pack for a Cruise

I just started packing and thought I’d share with you some cruise essentials on my packing list. Here are 33 things to pack on a cruise that you won’t want to forget.

(Some of these apply only to Caribbean or tropical cruises, while others will be helpful on any cruise.)

1. Beach Bag

You’ll want a pool and beach friendly bag to pack for heading to the Lido deck or taking to the beach when in port. I like to get a mesh bag so the sand can shake out of it, preferably not in your room!

2. Towel Clips

The first thing I throw in my beach bag is towel clips. These help keep your towel from blowing off your chair when you get up and can help you find your chair in a sea of cruise logo towels by the pool! I have these cute ones but I also bought these affordable ones for the kid’s towels.

3. Sunscreen

This one may seem obvious but what I wanted to point out is to bring LOTS of sunscreen. We normally do week-long cruises and our family of five packs at least three full sunscreen containers with us. Do not underestimate how many you’ll use or you’ll be stuck paying high cruise ship or port prices for more. Also, even with myself being from the southeast, the sun in the Caribbean is much stronger than at home so don’t skimp on reapplying while you’re gone, it’s no fun to be sunburnt on your vacation!

4. Bug Spray

Depending on your ports and excursions you may also need to bring bug spray. I’m a mosquito magnet so anytime I’m not going to be directly on a beach or the ship I have to spray myself to avoid getting bit!

5. Highlighter

A highlighter doesn’t take up much space in your luggage and is useful for marking events you want to attend on your daily newsletters while on the ship.

6. Nightlight

A nightlight is helpful even if you don’t have children. It can surely help the kiddos fall asleep but it’s also useful for those middle of the night bathrooms trips. We use these inexpensive nightlights both at home and on the cruise.

7. Powerstrip with USB

Most cruise ship cabins have only one outlet and that’s not nearly enough for today’s age of various devices. We bring a powerstrip like this on that also has USB charging built in. This lets everyone charge devices overnight and makes sure my boys aren’t clobbering each other over who get to charge their iPods!

8. Wrinkle Release Spray

It goes without saying that there’s no way you’re getting me near an iron on my vacation! I always pack a wrinkle release spray to bring with me. It can also help to put clothing that might be wrinkled in the bathroom while you take a steamy shower, then press it out flat on the bed. Here is my recipe for homemade wrinkle release spray.

9. Water Shoes

I don’t personally bring these but I know many who do. Some beaches will have very sharp/rough bottoms and if you’re visiting one it wouldb e worth it to bring water shoes along. A little quick research on your destination can help you know whether these would be needed.

10. Cash in Small Bills

Bringing a stash of ones, fives, and tens can help you easily give tips while you’re in port. Most tips on the ship are taken care of with your ship account but it is nice sometimes to leave cash for your room attendant or have some on hand for room service as well.

11. Magnetic Clips and Hooks

Most cruise ship walls are made of metal so bringing some small magnetic clips and hooks is super helpful for organizing your things in the tight spaces. I use clips like this for hanging the newsletter up or keeping track of papers I don’t want to get lost. Heavy duty hooks like these are useful for hanging drying bathing suits and towels.

12. Motion Sickness Medicine

{Knock on wood} we have never had an issue on a cruise ship but my husband has gotten seasick on smaller boats so its peace of mind to carry a little motion sickness medicine with us just in case. Remember that higher cabins and cabins near the far front or back of the ship will feel more motion so if you are nervous about seasickness book a cabin on a lower floor in the middle, which is what we usually do.

13. Reusable Water Bottle or Insulated Cup

You’ll never find me far from my Yeti cup so that’s what I bring on my cruises, but any reusable water bottle would be helpful to have. It will save you from buying water bottles on board and help you keep your drinks cold longer in your room. I’m currently drinking from this one as I type and I have this straw top I use with is as well. (I’m really a Yeti addict, I have about 6 that I rotate through and two of the straw tops so I always have a clean one, my friends tease me about how many I collect!! But I drink more water with them than I used to!)

14. Mini First Aid Kit

I don’t buy a pre-made first aid kit but put together my own in a small baggie to take with us. We always need to access it at least once, usually more. This is what I include in mine:

Motrin (regular strength and children’s)
allergy medicine like Benadryl (a few adult pills and liquid for the kids)
anti-diarrhea medicine
antibacterial spray for cuts
antibiotic ointment
hydrocortisone cream
bandaids

This usually covers us for most issues and keeps you from having to visit the ship’s clinic, which is no fun.

15. Toiletries Beyond the Basics

When we first started cruising there were a pretty wide variety of toiletries in the staterooms but nowadays you’ll only find shampoo, bodywash, and bar soap. Be sure to take all your essentials with you including conditioner, shaving cream, makeup remover, and lotions.

16. Nail Clippers

You’ll never have a more annoying hangnail or broken nail than the one you get on a cruise and can’t clip off because you left the clippers at home. Trust me on this one.

17. Laundry Bag

A lot of people I know use a mesh pop up laundry bag like this one that can easily fit in your luggage and help you keep your clothes corraled during your cruise. I personally don’t do this. What I do instead is designate one large empty suitcase as the hamper after we’re all unpacked. All week everyone puts their laundry in the suitcase (if it gets filled we close and store it then designate a new one.) This keeps me from having to handle the dirty laundry (I have a thing about that) and when we get home I can just roll those suitcases directly into the laundry room and dump them in the washer knowing only dirty clothes are inside.

18. Closed Toed, Comfortable Shoes

But it’s a beach vacation, I don’t want sneakers! I know my friends, but you’ll be sadly disappointed when you can’t do some of the activities on board and in port without closed toed shoes. On our Carnival cruise ships, they have an elevated ropes course that requires closed toed shoes. my kids love it (not me, I hate heights) and would be so sad if they missed out because they didn’t have the proper footwear. Some excursions also have a lot of walking that call for comfy shoes as well.

19. Over the Door Shoe Organizer

This is another one I don’t use myself but I’ve been thisclose to getting one. By hanging an inexpensive organizer like this on your bathroom door you can keep everyone’s belongings corraled and easy to see and access. I’ve almost purchased one of these when all five of us were using one bathroom but then we switched to booking deluxe rooms with an extra partial bathroom which helped with the bathroom clutter. This cruise is our first with adjoining rooms and I’m pretty sure it’s going to feel like an amazing amount of space compared to our past cruises.

20. Small Umbrella or Poncho

It rains frequently in the Caribbean so having a small umbrella or foldup poncho can make a big difference in port!

21. Lanyard for Ship Key Card

Your key card on the ship (Sign and Sail card on Carnival) is your one-stop shop on board. You’ll need it to access your room, buy drinks, shop on board, and exit and re-enter the ship. You definitely don’t want to lose your card! Bring a lanyard like this one to make sure you keep track of it. Guest services will punch a hole in it for you if necessary.

22. Laundry Detergent

I don’t do laundry on the ship (it’s my vacation, I’m on break from all that!) but if you plan on it to cut down on packing then bring a small travel detergent so you can avoid the high-priced ones on board.

23. Ziploc Bags

I always bring a few sandwich and gallon-sized Ziploc bags in my luggage, they come in handy for a variety of things!! When my kids were younger they were a life-saver if someone had an accident in their clothes so the entire room didn’t smell. They are also good for a little extra protection for your phone in your beach bag. My husband keeps our cards and his wallet in one when we’re on excursions. Believe me, something will happen on the trip that will make you grateful you packed them!

24. Disinfecting Wipes

I pack these in my carry on bag and give the cabin a good once-over as soon as we get in there. I wipe down doorknobs, remotes, the phone, pretty much every hard surface. The cabins are cleaned well by the cabin crew but there are so many germs on board it gives me peace of mind to have these wipes with me and know that we’re starting with a clean slate. (Incidentally, I do this at least once a week at home with doorknobs, remotes, and light switches during cold and flu season too!)

25. Hand Sanitizer

On that same note, hand sanitizer is a must. There are hand sanitizer and hand washing stations all over the ships but having your own doesn’t hurt. Anything you can do to not share germs with the other thousands of people on board is a win!

26. Sticky Notes

If you’re traveling with others a little pack of sticky notes can help you leave notes for each other and keep track of everyone. Carnival now has an app you can use on your phone to help you text others on the ship inexpensively as well which can help accomplish the same thing.

27. Walkie Talkies

If you’re not using the onboard app walkie talkies are a great way to communicate with those you’re cruising with. We cruised with family a few years ago and it was so easy to check in on where the others were on the ship. Make sure to get decent walkie talkies, not the toy ones. We bought these and they worked great on our cruise!

28. Lint Roller

You don’t want to be caught covered in lint on formal night! Pack a travel-sized lint roller to prevent getting stuck covered in fuzz!

29. Watch

Even if you normally use your phone to tell time, you may want a watch on your cruise. You can set it to ship time to help you keep on schedule and if you get a waterproof watch you can take it with you swimming.

30. Jacket/Sweater

You may be in the tropics but some parts of the ship can still be down right cold. I usually take a light cardigan and it comes in handy when catching shows in the evenings.

31. Book/Podcasts

I always download a bunch of podcasts before leaving on the cruise so I can listen to them without wifi. I also like to bring a good book, whether it be a novel or something nonfiction. This fiction novel was a great read and this was my favorite nonfiction book I read recently. I usually try to bring a business book like this one that I loved this month. (I bought it for the cruise but couldn’t wait!) For Podcasts, I love The Dave Ramsey Show so that is my guilty pleasure on the cruise!

32. Two Swimsuits per Person

I hate putting on a damp swimsuit and they don’t dry quickly in the cabins so I always pack each person in our family two suits to alternate through.

33. Safety Pins

I always keep a safety pin or two in my travel toiletry bag and over the years it has paid off with broken straps, loose waistbands, etc. Another thing that’s easy to pack and takes up almost no space but can come in pretty handy!

Whew! What a list! I know it sounds like a lot of things to bring on a cruise but it really isn’t too much and so many of these things will save you a lot of trouble once you’re on board. Did I miss any you think are a must? Let me know in the comments. Or, let me know where your next cruise wil be visiting!

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