Cruise Packing List:
Cruises are the perfect way to comfortably explore and experience new areas. This cruise packing list contains a list of recommended items and travel gear to take on your cruise to anywhere. You may need to adjust the number of clothes depending on the length of your cruise.
Climate of Cruise Destination(s):
The climate or your cruise’s destination can greatly effect what you should pack when visiting. Before embarking on your cruise, first check out the weather of the areas that you will be passing through. Depending on the weather, you may want to bring more or less warm weather clothes or cooler weather clothes. A great source for checking the average weather per month, and average rainfall is worldweatheronline.com
Backpacks/Luggage:
The weight limit for luggage on cruises usually depends on your cruise line. Remember to check the rules and regulations of your cruise line before leaving and packing. This is an example of Carnival Cruise Line’s luggage regulations:
Guests are encouraged to limit their checked luggage to two suitcases per person, with each suitcase not to weigh more than 50 pounds and not exceed 16″H x 24″W x 30″L. Please attach your Carnival Cruise Lines luggage tags PRIOR to leaving home and make sure that they are still on your bags when checking in with us. In many ports, guests have the option of carrying luggage on board at embarkation and off the ship at the end of the cruise as long as it does not exceed 24″W x 16″H x 30″L. This is an advantage you may want to consider as it will allow for quicker easier access to your bags.”
Depending on your style of travel, you may want to bring either a suitcase or a backpack or even both. I tend to pack relatively light, and took a medium sized suitcase and a small backpack with me. This is what I packed when on an 11-day cruise to the Caribbean.
Luggage – If you are looking for a suitcase to bring on your cruise, you may want to check out the eBags EXO 2.0 Hardside Spinner, or the Samsonite LIFT Spinner. These two suitcases are durable and lightweight. The spinner wheels on the suitcases allow them to be rolled around easily.
REI Flash 18 – In addition to my suitcase, I also brought the REI Flash 18, which is an 18-liter daypack. Whenever we arrived in the ports, I would take my 18-liter pack while touring the area for the day. I usually pack the backpack with some essentials such as a water bottle, camera, cash and snacks. My suitcase would be left in the cruise ship. When not in use, I would pack the Flash 18 back into my luggage. The pack weighs less than a pound and can be rolled up to take up less space, which makes it a good choice for being a secondary backpack. See my review of the Flash 18 here.
Clothing:
This a list of clothing that I packed while on a 11 day cruise:
*Note: Depending on your needs and activities, you may need to bring more or less clothes. You usually don’t need to bring too many clothes since you can always wash your clothes in the cruise ship. You can also hand wash your clothes.
1 Pair of Jeans – Jeans are perfect to wear while on a cruise since they are durable and versatile. Jeans can be heavy and take up lots of space in your suitcase, but their versatility and durability makes up for the extra weight. Depending on the length of your cruise, you may want to bring another pair of jeans.
1 Pair of Convertible Pants – Pants that convert into shorts are especially useful in while on a cruise because they can be used as shorts when arriving in hotter more tropical destinations and as pants when it gets cold at night or in a colder area. When it gets hot during the day, you can easily unzip your convertible pants into shorts. Some convertible pants such as the prAna Stretch Zion Convertible Pants are water resistant and UV protective. Convertible pants are also much easier to hand wash and are faster drying than jeans.
2 Pair of Athletic Shorts/Shorts – Athletic shorts are casual, lightweight and can even be used as pajamas. If you are planning on traveling to a hot area or exercising in your hotel, athletic shorts are extremely helpful.
4 T-Shirts – I prefer for my travel t-shirts to be made of materials like polyester rather than cotton. Polyester is usually lighter, easier to hand wash and faster drying. I would highly recommend are the Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight T-Shirt, which is quick drying, UV protective and odor resistant.
1 Polo Shirt- For dinner in certain fancier restaurants.
1 Long Sleeve Shirts – I brought two long sleeve shirts, one being the Columbia Baselayer Midweight Mock Neck Long Sleeve, which I wore often. The Columbia baselayer is both odor resistant and extremely warm while being lightweight.
1 Rain Jacket – Depending on where you are traveling to, you may or may not want to take a rain jacket with you. Waterproof jackets with waterproof and breathable technologies such as GORE-TEX, are fit for serious outdoors enthusiasts and can handle the most extreme conditions. They can be expensive, but worth are the cost if you wear them often. If you aren’t planning on using your rain jacket often, you can just bring a poncho. You also might want to bring something that is windproof since it can be extremely windy on the top deck of the cruise or in your balcony.
Dress Shirts/Dress Pants/Dresses – Several cruise lines have designated “dress up nights”, but you should check with your cruise line. I went with Norwegian Cruise Line (which doesn’t have a designated formal night) and brought a button down shirt and a pair of dress pants.
1 Jacket or Fleece – You should definitely bring a jacket with you, just in case. I wore the First Ascent MicroTherm Down Hoodie, which is extremely lightweight and moderately warm.
1 Swimwear – It is extremely important to bring your swimwear since there will most likely be several opportunities for you to swim whether in the pool of the cruise, or in the beaches of your destination.
Undergarments – Amount depends on the length of your trip, though I wouldn’t bring more than 7 pairs of underwear.
4 Pairs of Socks – Socks are easy to hand wash, so you probably won’t need to bring too many. I brought 4 pairs of below ankle socks, which were lightweight and dried quickly.
Be sure to have extra space inside your backpack or suitcase, because you may come across several great places for purchasing souvenirs or goods.
Footwear:
1 Pair of Sneakers – I wore a pair of Vivobarefoot trail running shoes as my ‘go-to’ pair of shoes in on my cruise. They are lightweight, comfortable and have good traction.
1 Pair of Sandals – I also brought a pair of Adidas Superstar Slides. They are really comfortable and great for wearing casually. I primarily used these sandals when walking around the cruise ship and in our room.
Toiletries and Hygiene:
There will probably be several places you will come across on your cruise to purchase toiletries, so it isn’t completely necessary to bring all of your toiletries from home.
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Sunscreen
- Motion Sickness Medicine – There are several types of motion sickness medicines, such as patches and wristbands. Sometimes, your cruise line can provide it if you request for motion sickness medicine.
- Etc. – See the general packing list for a full list of toiletries you may or may not need to bring.
Read More: Toiletries Packing List
Electronics:
iPhone and iPhone Charger – You may want to purchase a protective case for your smartphone before leaving, just in case. The case in the image above is the LifeProof case, which is waterproof and shockproof. You can read my review of the LifeProof Case here. Internet is not free, and is usually expensive.
Apps – Though cruise ships have activities, you might want to load your smartphone up with game apps and other apps to keep yourself entertained while on the cruise ship. You can get board game apps, such as Monopoly and also download ebooks.
Books
Headphones
External Battery – To keep my electronics powered up on the go, I brought the Anker External Battery, which can recharge an iPhone 4-5 times and an iPad 2 once. Since my iPhone was my primary camera, it was important that it always had battery while visiting the ports. Another possible external battery that you can bring while traveling is the RavPower Element 5600mah, which is lighter weight than the Anker. You can watch my video review for the RavPower Element here.
Flashlight – Just in case there is an outage, or in an emergency.
Voltage Converter/Adapter – Just in case, cruise ships may use different voltages, resulting in your hair dryers or other electronics frying.
Hard Drive – for backing up images.
Other:
Money – You can either change your currency before leaving, or at your destination
Passport
Money Belt – Money belts are extremely helpful when traveling because you won’t need to fear pickpockets. Money belts are great for keeping large denomination bills just in case. My money belt, the Travelon Money Belt, can hold about 8-12 bills.
Sunglasses
Camera – I’m not a photographer, so my only camera was the one on my phone. If you are serious about taking pictures, you may want to consider taking a DSLR camera.
Lock – I used the Master Lock TSA Luggage Lock.
Watch – I took my Timex Ironman Sleek watch.
Optional:
- Hat
- Umbrella
- Tissues
- Travel Pillow – I would highly recommend the J-Pillow, which is a “J” shaped travel pillow that helps to support your head while sleeping. You can read my review of the J-Pillow here.
- Travel Blanket
- Magazines
- Travel Journal
- Cards
- Plastic Bags
- Pens and Pencils
- Accessories, i.e. bracelets, earrings, necklaces
- Earplugs and Eye Covers
- Goggles
See the travel packing list for more items that you may need to bring with you on your cruise.
Some links found on this page are affiliate links, meaning that we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. We would never endorse a product or service we didn’t actually use and believe in.
Related:
- Hooked On Sailing the High Seas With Norwegian Cruise Line
- How to Stop Gaining Weight and Stay Healthy While Cruising
- General Travel Packing List
Photo Credit: unsplash.com
Pin this:
