The Best Cruise Packing List – Not your average packing list. Important things to Remember to Bring on Your Cruise!
Cruising is so much fun – for my family it is one of THE best family vacations. The preparation for a cruise can be somewhat overwhelming. We have been fortunate to have gone on a number of cruises and have learned some good cruise packing tricks. We are going to share out best cruise packing tips with you today!
We absolutely love to cruise. We find that cruising makes a very easy vacation for everyone involved.
We have cruised with and without our kids. True, they are very different vacations, but either way, they have been some of our favorite trips of all time.
We have recently been on Princess Cruise Lines and traveled to Alaska and the Mediterranean. We have some great tips for packing for an Alaska cruise, as well as some other great tips for cruising to Alaska. We also have some good information if you are planning a Mediterranean cruise – be sure to check all of these articles out as well as our Mediterranean Cruise Packing List.
One of our favorite family-friendly cruise lines is Disney Cruise Lines. A Disney Cruise is great because it offers something for everyone in our group – ages 1 to 70-something! Disney knows how to do family vacations.
They bend over backward to make sure you and your family are having the time of their lives! There is something for everyone! Not sure which Disney Cruise Ship to book – this article may help on Choosing the Right Disney Ship – Disney Fantasy vs. Disney Magic.
I get asked all the time “what types of things should I pack for my cruise?” This cruise packing list is going to be your new best friend!
There are “standard” packing lists all over the web. This one isn’t going to have your usual shirts, shoes, dresses, bathing suits, etc. This cruise packing list has the “extras”…. some are space-saving and some are just those items that make your life easier on board.
Cruise Packing – Space Saving Items
Like I mentioned before, cruises have something for everyone. However, there is one thing that is lacking on a cruise – space!
Not space around the ship – these mega-ships are enormous and amazing! There have been ships that I have been on for a week that I haven’t seen the whole ship! What I am referring to are the staterooms.
The cruise industry has tried everything to maximize the space in the staterooms – some do it better than others (Princess and Disney do a pretty darn good job!) – but however you slice it, there just isn’t a lot of room.
- Shoe bag for bathroom – hang it on the back of the door and put your smaller toiletries in the pockets i.e. toothbrushes, toothpaste, razor, hairbrush, hairspray, mousse, etc.
- Sweater bag for closet – this is great for the kids clothes, t-shirts, shorts, underwear, etc.
- Soft sided luggage – pack in duffles or things that you can slide under the bed after you unpack.
- Tip: ask your cabin steward for extra hangers – you can hang a ton of stuff up, but there isn’t a lot of room in the drawers – hang your bulkier items and use the drawers for your smaller items.
Cruise Packing – SO Smart Items
Not one of the items below are “essential” by any means. They will just make your life easier on board!
- Plug power strip – there are usually on a few outlets – this will give you plenty of extra outlets to charge all of those important devices. Some people say that certain cruise lines will not allow them, however, I have never run into any issues.
- Clock – I have no clue why, but many of the ships do not have a clock in the room
- Landyard with a card plastic holder – this is great to carry your room key (you can buy them here on AMAZON before you go for WAY cheaper than if you get them on the ship!)
- Magnetic door sign – all of the doors look alike…. this will help you remember which is yours (I kinda love these magnetic white board sheets that you can leave messages for each other i.e. “Meet at breakfast at 10a.m.”
- Pillow case and fabric markers (Disney Cruise only – give this to the guest services desk when you get there and they will have all of the characters sign it and give it back to you the last day)
- Motion Sickness Bands – JIC (just in case). Also, I prefer Bonine over Dramamine – it makes me less drowsy
- Shampoo and conditioner – believe it or not, many do not provide these
- Nightlight – the room gets REALLY dark at night – put a nightlight in the bathroom
- Ziplock bags – we like our snacks! We will grab some stuff off the morning buffet and bring them off the ship when we are walking around. On Disney you can order PB&J sandwiches from room service and they will send you Uncrustables – these are GREAT to bring off the ship for a cheap and easy lunch. Also, we put our remote in a ziplock bag (I am a germaphobe)
- Soft-sided coolor – also to bring snacks off the ship – like I said, I like snacks
- Highlighter and Sharpie – don’t ask why, but we always use it
- Old hotel room key card – many of the cruises make you put your room key in a slot by the door to turn on the lights and the air conditioning. They are standard hotel room key size – if you have an extra you can just keep that on in there and then the room will still be cool when you come back from the hot sun!
- Ducktape – just like the highlighter, for some reason, we always use it
- Pack of sticky notes – great for leaving notes on the door or on the mirror to tell your family where you are (or maybe you prefer for them not to know!!)
- Clips – i.e. towel clips or clothes hangers – it gets really windy on the pool deck… these will keep your towel from flying away!
- Insulated cup with straw – I looooooveee these mugs!! They keep the ice from melting fast in the sun.
- Lysol Wipes – because I am a little clean crazy and like to do an extra wipe down cleaning.
- Hairdryer – this is a personal thing – I find the hairdryers in hotel rooms and cruise ships to be on the weaker side! If you are picky, bring your own!
- Poo-Pourri – trust me…your roommate will thank you!
- BUG SPRAY – the bugs on these beaches can be brutal!
- Travel Steamer – who wants to iron??
- Scout Beach Bag (I love the Pocket Rocket style) – Loooove this bag so much! They sand doesn’t stick to it. It has great pockets for everything you need. AND it zips shut!! It is our GO TO and best beach bag ever!!
- Inexpensive Inflatable Raft – you will find they are expensive to rent on the islands. Grab an inexpensive raft or two and leave them when you are done!
- Anti Chafing Gel or Baby Powder – if it is really hot out, you will thank me.
- Stain remover or Stain Wipes
UPDATED: I had some amazing suggestions from some of my readers that I am adding (thanks for all of the great ideas!)
- If you have a little one bring an inflatable tub – many of the ships don’t have bathtubs
- Pack a swim suit in your carry on – you may not get your bags until after dinner
- Plastic clothes pins – put them on the bottom of the shower curtain to keep it from blowing out
- Keep copies of all important information in your safe (passport, credit cards, etc.)
- Downy Wrinkle Release – many cruises don’t allow irons in the cabin and sending it out can be very expensive
- Plug Ins – to keep the room smelling fresh!
- Binoculars – to watch for dolphins!
- Collapsable hamper for your dirty clothes
- A case of water
- Wine! Many cruise lines will allow you to bring 1 bottle of wine per person. We brought screw top and would order appetizers and have happy hour on our balcony!
- Waterproof camera
- Inexpensive snorkel kit – you will probably pay less than renting it and you don’t have to worry about where it has been…..ewwww.
- Take a suction cup hook or two. You can hang you hat or cruise card etc near the door so you don’t forget to take them with you when you leave the cabin.
Are there other items that you have found to make your cruising experience better? I am always looking for new ideas!
What an amazing list. We have cruised over 30 times and there were still items we had not considered. One thing we always travel with is a small, lightweight fan. This not only keeps the air moving in the cabin, but creates white noise to help drown out any conversations of passing passengers in the hallway outside our door.
Thanks so much, Judy!!! I love the fan idea – adding it to my list!
Just returned from my second cruise and had some ideas that would be helpful. With the recent outbreaks of Norwalk virus it is better to be safe than sorry- but I recommend travel size hand disinfectant. Also disinfectant wipes for the bathroom or put in ziplock when you go to shore. Also recommend bringing a water jug with filter. You can pack things in it when traveling, but some places you don’t want to drink their water and you can fill water bottles before heading to shore. Also for carrying your money/ camera etc- I recommend a messenger bag that zips and you carry in front of you.
I wouldn’t bother with the power strip. Mine was confiscated because it wasn’t allowed and never given back!
Awesome Jenn! My first cruise! Target has bad bug a spray in small size and put Remote control in a Ziploc bag you don’t know who touched why after they touch the remote!!!
If you are a user of toothpicks, bring your own. We cruised with Carnival (loved it) and my father,who is a big user of toothpicks, wished he had brought some since they were not available. We are planning our next cruise and I simply reused a tic tac container to store a few toothpicks in. I will throw it in my purse for him. Not a big inconvenience and he will be surprised when he is needing one and viola! Just something little to make the cruise even more enjoyable for my parents.
Travel sized OTC medicines: Tylenol, aspirin, Motrin, Benadryl, cough medicine etc. These items are available on the ship, but are extremely expensive! It’s no fun paying $17.00 for kid’s cough medicine in the ship’s gift shop.
Great article! One thing we always love having is a waterproof camera. The kids love taking pics of fish and each other underwater! Also, for some beaches water shoes are a must. No one wants to step on sharp rocks! Hope you have/had a blast on your trip!
Great suggestions, Sarah W – thanks so much for sharing – I will add these to the list!
I like to bring dollar tree rafts and my own snorkle kit from Target instead of paying for excursions. We did this at 7 mile Beach and saved over $200 by bringing everything ourselves.
Janelle – THAT is a great one!! Haven’t heard that one yet – SO smart!!
I have cruised 6 times on Disney ships – all fantastic! They recently posted that they no longer allow over the door shoe bags as they were damaging the doors. They also don’t allow any tape on the doors – just magnets.
In order to keep the limited outlets free, we opted out of Glade plug-ins and instead brought a travel size air freshener from Bath and Body Works.
For our holiday cruise, we brought window clings for our port hole windows…it’s fun to decorate your room on the inside as well as the exterior door.
With the exception of handicap accessible rooms, all Disney state rooms have a split bath including a tub/shower combo – great for little ones who usually don’t do showers without a lot of tears!
I work for a website that is an online cruising guide — by cruisers for cruisers. Those fit some of our main recommendations… Other “key” items are: insect repellent, ALOE for those first few days in the sun, playing cards, and a Tervis tumbler or other such water bottle. Please visit us here: http://www.shipdetective.com/ . We also sell “Bon Voyage Bags” that you can buy for yourself or as a gift for someone going on a cruise that includes those essentials… Would love to hear more of your ideas and your future travels! Cheers!
Thanks for the great ideas!
We bring walkie talkies. That way we can split up and still be in touch.
Hi Aimee – we have tried that too! Sometimes they work, sometimes not. BUT Disney now has airwave phones that act as walkie talkies and phones. You get two per room and they work everwhere on the ship. Did I mention how much I love Disney!!!