There’s a funny thing about packing for a cruise. You can bring three outfits for dinner and still end up walking around the cabin barefoot at midnight because the only place to charge your phone is across the room.
Then there’s boarding day. Your suitcase is somewhere between the pier and your cabin, the pool is right there, and guess where the swimsuit is?
A good cruise packing list takes care of those little moments. Here are 17 things worth making room for.
1. A pouch for your travel documents
Keep your passport or other required ID, boarding information, and any paperwork your sailing requires together in your carry-on.
Save your boarding pass on your phone so you can pull it up offline.
The terminal line always seems to start moving the second someone has to dig through their bag.
2. A small boarding-day bag
A backpack or tote is enough.
Put a swimsuit, a change of clothes, and anything you’d want for the first few hours onboard inside it.
If your suitcase takes a while to reach the cabin, you can still go for a swim before sailaway. That’s a much better use of the afternoon than checking the hallway every ten minutes.
3. Your regular medications
Keep them in your carry-on where you can reach them on travel day.
If possible, bring enough for a short delay on the way home, too.
When you’re counting out what you need, remember the night before the cruise if you’re staying near the port.
4. A charging cable that actually reaches the bed
In some cabins, the outlet is by the vanity and the bed feels a surprisingly long way from it.
A longer cable can save you from leaving your phone across the room when you’re using it as an alarm for an early excursion.
Pack the wall plug, too. It’s often the bit still plugged in behind the nightstand at home.
5. A light layer for indoors
A cardigan or a thin zip-up earns its spot even on a Caribbean sailing.
You can spend the afternoon sweating on a lounger and still get chilly halfway through the evening show.
A layer that folds into your bag is handy for dinner, the theater, and a walk around the deck.
6. Shoes you’ve already walked a few miles in
A port day can start with “it’s only a short walk into town” and end with a cobbled street and a long pier on the way back.
Bring the pair you know feels good after lunch, when your feet have been in them for hours.
Avoid bringing new shoes, or at least just bring brand-new sandals only for dinner.
7. A second swimsuit
If you swim most days, this one makes sense.
A suit you hang up after a late dip may still be damp when you want it again in the morning.
So remember to bring an extra one or at least make sure the one you bring dries fairly quickly.
8. A bag for wet clothes
A simple zip-top bag works. It’s especially useful on a beach day when there’s nowhere to change until just before the ride back.
The wet swimsuit goes in the bag, and your paperback and clean shirt stay dry.
Just remember to take the suit out to air when you get back to the cabin.
9. Sunscreen you’ll actually carry ashore
It’s easy to leave the big bottle in the cabin when you’re only going out for a quick look around port.
Then you order lunch outside, and stay there for two hours.
A small tube in your day bag comes in handy on those days, and on the open deck when the breeze makes it feel cooler than it is.
10. A fold-up tote for port days
The little kind that stuffs into its own pouch is plenty.
It can carry a beach towel on the way out, and a couple of market finds on the way back.
On the ship, it also saves you from juggling a bunch of things while trying to open a heavy deck door.
11. A refillable water bottle
Fill it before heading out for a long walk in port.
Back in the cabin, it’s nice to have water within reach when you wake up thirsty at two in the morning.
Make sure you get the size right, not too big and not too small. A bottle that fits in the side pocket of your bag is usually the one you’ll end up taking everywhere.
12. A few bills in small denominations
Small bills come in handy for an excursion tip or a quick purchase ashore.
Bring a little in a currency accepted at your stops.
The first time you need cash will probably be for something small, and the person taking it may have just opened up for the day.
13. A spare pair of glasses
If you rely on prescription glasses or readers, tuck a spare pair into a hard case.
Glasses have a way of getting sat on when they’re left on the bed under a pile of pool towels.
That’s when the old pair from the drawer at home starts looking like a pretty smart thing to have packed.
14. Earplugs
Even a quiet cabin can get a burst of hallway chatter after the late show.
Then there’s the neighbor who has a 7 a.m. excursion and needs to tell everyone in the family, one by one, that it’s time to leave.
Earplugs take up about as much room as a couple of coins and can really save your night!
PRO TIP: Give the earplugs a try at home if you’re a side sleeper. The ones that feel fine sitting up can be downright irritating against a pillow.
15. A little battery-powered night-light
Try finding the bathroom in a dark inside cabin when you’re half asleep, and switching on the bathroom light can wake up whoever’s still in bed.
A small, dim light near the bathroom door gives you just enough to see where you’re going.
16. A stain remover pen
A little coffee spilled at breakfast, or a splash of pasta sauce at dinner can take an outfit out of rotation by day two.
You can bring a stain remover pen. These little things are very handy in situations like these.
Just check the fabric care instructions before using it. I’d avoid using it on very expensive or delicate clothes.
17. A separate bag for dirty laundry
A drawstring bag does the job. Hang it up or leave it in the bottom of the closet and drop worn clothes in as you go.
By the last night, when the suitcases are open on the bed and there’s still a show you want to catch, you can just lift the whole bag into the case and get on with your evening.
Of course, you should adapt these tips depending on the type of cruise you’re taking.
For example, on very short cruises, like weekend getaways, you probably won’t even need some of these things.
The important thing is to pack according to your own needs and preferences.
One great way to avoid forgetting anything is to make a packing list on paper, adding things as they come to mind and crossing them off as you put them in your suitcase!
