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Not your average cruise list. This is the stuff that saves space, avoids headaches, and makes your trip feel easy from day one.
Cruises are one of my favorite ways to vacation because once you’re on board, life gets simple. Food’s handled, entertainment’s built in, and you wake up somewhere new without hauling your suitcase around. But packing for a cruise is its own thing. Cabins are smaller than hotel rooms, stores onboard are pricey, and some everyday items are straight up not allowed.
So instead of giving you another basic list of socks and swimsuits, I’m sharing the extras I always bring. These are the things that make cruising smoother, especially if you’re traveling with kids, sharing a cabin, or just want to feel organized.
First, a quick cruise packing truth
Cabins are cozy. Even on big ships. There’s usually a small closet, a couple drawers, and maybe a few shelves. So if you pack like you’re going to a resort with a walk in closet, you’ll feel cramped fast.
The goal is simple:
Pack light on basics, smart on helpers.
Space saving items that are worth it
- Shoe bag for bathroom – Hang one on the back of the door and use the pockets for toiletries, hair tools, sunscreen, meds, and random small items. It clears the counter instantly.
- Sweater bag for closet – Perfect for kids’ clothes, pajamas, swim coverups, or anything you want to grab without digging.
- Soft sided luggage – Hard suitcases eat up floor space. Duffels or soft rollers slide under the bed once you unpack.
- Packing cubes – Not fancy, just a simple way to keep outfits grouped. Great for separating shore clothes from ship clothes.
- Collapsible laundry hamper – Dirty clothes pile up fast. A pop up hamper keeps things contained and makes repacking easy.
- 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.
Smart cruise items you’ll be so glad you packed
None of these are “you must bring this or you’ll cry” items. But they make everything easier.
- Non-surge power strip – Cruise lines ban surge protectors because of fire risk, but a plain power strip is usually fine. Double check your line’s rules, but make sure it does NOT say surge protected.
- Magnetic hooks – Cabin walls are metal. Stick these up to hang hats, lanyards, bags, or wet swimsuits.
- Lanyard with card holder – Your cruise card is your room key, payment method, and ticket on and off the ship. A lanyard keeps it from vanishing into the bottom of your beach bag.
- Disinfecting wipes or spray – Quick wipe down of high touch spots makes the room feel fresh.
- Stain remover pen or wipes – Someone always drips salsa on a white shirt. Always.
- Poo Pourri or small bathroom spray – If you’re sharing a cabin, this is a friendship saver.
- Plastic clothespins or towel clips – The wind on deck is no joke. Clips keep towels on loungers and swimsuits on the line.
- Zip top bag – Great for snacks on shore, wet swimsuits, keeping sunscreen contained, or tossing a phone in if you’re headed to a splashy excursion.
- Small soft cooler bag – Nice for grabbing a few drinks or snacks for port days. Many lines allow this as long as it’s empty when you board.
- Especially for tropical ports. You’ll be happy you tossed it in.
- Waterproof phone pouch – Shore days are wet. Even if you don’t plan on swimming, it rains, boats splash, and phones slip.
Carry on must haves for embarkation day
Here’s what I always keep in my carry on because checked bags can show up late.
- Swimsuit – Sometimes luggage arrives after dinner. You will want pool time right away.
- Change of clothes – Even one clean outfit feels great if you’ve traveled all day.
- Meds and basics – Never check prescription meds. Add pain reliever, stomach stuff, allergy meds, and a few bandaids too.
- Travel documents – Passport or birth certificate, boarding pass, confirmation emails, and travel insurance info.
- Phone charger and portable battery – You’ll use your phone a lot for photos, apps, and schedules.
A few newer cruise rules to know before you pack
- Some items people used to bring are now a problem.
- No surge protectors or extension cords -Even if you brought one before, many lines confiscate them now. Use a non surge strip instead.
- Be careful with CBD – Even if it’s legal where you live, some lines and ports ban it completely. Guests have been denied boarding for CBD gummies.
- Skip loud Bluetooth speakers – A lot of lines don’t allow them, and honestly, you don’t need to be that person on the pool deck.
- Check the cruise line app -Most ships now run daily schedules, dining, messaging, and port info through their app. Download it before you leave home
And there you go, everything I pack to make cruise life feel simple and stress free. If you toss a few of these smart extras into your suitcase, you will save space, skip the overpriced ship shops, and feel settled the second you step into your cabin.
If you have a favorite cruise must have that I did not mention, tell me in the comments. I love stealing, I mean borrowing, good ideas. Have the best trip and enjoy every minute of that floating vacation bubble.
i always pack my favorite liquid antibacterial soap to keep at the sink. It reminds my whole family to wash our hands often. Plus I hate sharing bar soap! Also stain remover like spray n wash is good for unexpected stains. Treat the stain and wash when you get home!
This list is great! If you’re traveling with kids especially, you must not forget to pack EXTRA swimsuits and coverups so that they have a change when the wet ones are drying. Found a cute little girl’s swimsuit and many of these list items online at http://lovemycaribbean.com/online-shopping/caribbean-vacation-cruise-hotel/
Love the list and feedback. After my last cruise I will also bring a travel can of lysol to spray the bed, bath, and general room immediately and then explore the ship while it works. Unfortunately last time I got a virus half way through…and upon reflection, there is so little time in room turnover that the extra care could mean more enjoyment.
I will definitely come back to this page though for my next cruise. š
I haven’t read through all the comments and readers’ suggestions to know if this tip has been given already, but after having to rent a pool float on a beach excursion for $20 for about 4 hours on our first cruise we now pack our own inflatable pool floats that we bought on after-summer clearance! I’ll never forget the time we did an Atlantis excursion in the Bahamas and we had our own pool floats for the ocean and there was no rental cabana. We had so many people asking where we got our floats from that we ended up selling our floats to other cruisers once we were done with them (and knew we wouldn’t need them again for the duration of the cruise)!
Love your list! I keep a medium-sized toiletry bag packed with family essentials for ALL trips. Its in our laundry room and I figure it might come in handy in an emergency at home one day, too!
In addition to your great list, here are a few things I’ve found exceedingly helpful to make the most of crummy situations on the road with our kids:
– Sharpies! — to label everything from kid cups to room keys (name, not room #)
– scissors and tweezers
– wine / bottle opener and a paring knife (blade in a sheath)
– reusable plastic “sporks” — found ours at the Container Store; also available where camping gear is sold
– zip ties — you’ll be amazed what you can fix or rig with these puppies!
– bandaids and tampons š
Absolute must haves: ziplocks of all sizes.
Here’s to being the family hero on your next trip! Happy travels!
Scan all your documents and email them to yourself. If you loose your documents you should be able to access a computer from somewhere and at least get copies.
When I cruise I bring a small foldable step stool. It’s light and easy to fit in my suitcase. I use it in the shower to prop up my leg – makes shaving legs so much easier! There’s usually nowhere to prop your leg. I also bring a pack of Clorox wipes. I wipe everything in the room – door handles, faucets, TV controls, etc. I ALWAYS have a small flashlight with me. If power fails, you’ll be able to get around. This may sound cheesy, but I bring small Tupperware containers. We fill them with foods and ice and take it with us in my thermal lined beach bag! Cheap blow-up floats take up no space and are fun to float around on at the beach. Finally, I bring small empty clear glass bottles with tops. At the beach we fill them with a little sand, some small shells, and water from the beach – free keepsake to take home!
Forget shaving! Get waxed before you go. Saves so much time.
Great list! Since I was little I’ve been on many cruises (including the ultimate, disney cruise) and one thing that my parents have bought and would recommend times a thousand (and myself) would be a nice decent set of walkie talkies. These are great if you are traveling with multiple families or booking multiple rooms and can be used if you let your younger children roam the ship by themselves (Personally I do NOT recommend that because stranger danger is just as real on a cruise ship as it is on land). We’ve used them every single cruise since we’ve gotten them and it turns out, not just our family was using them. Just plug em in at night and in the morning you got fully charged walkie talkies that work BETTER than cell phones (read no extra charges) and work when you’re out of the cabin.
My husband, son and I LOVE cruising. We recommend it to everyone to try at least once. No other vacation you take can give what cruising does (room, food, constant entertainment-for all ages, & the opportunity to see so many great places). They usually get the drink packages so I bring a small bottle of dish detergent &/or disposable detergent filled sheets so I wash their cups as often as I want. I also always pack extra Ziploc bags, a back pack for excursions, plenty of sunscreen, Ibuprofen, feminine products- just in case-very expensive on ship, trashbag for our dirty laundry, & hand held scale to weigh your luggage. Love all the other ideas as well.
If you plan to wear shorts or sundresses a lot, and you have bigger thighs – bring some anti-chafing gel (Monsitat makes a great one!). Walking around the ship or in port cities all day in the hot, humid weather can wreak havoc on your thighs! Anti-chafing gel is a lifesaver! It’s also great if a pair of shoes is giving you a blister, or if the shoulder straps on your beach bag or bathing suit are rubbing you the wrong way!
Also – keep a tube of it in a bin of ice and rub it on your face after a hot day in the sun. Instant refresher!
That is seriously the best tip on here! It’s so true…..if you don’t have a “thigh-gap” (and let’s be honest, who really does?) then this is a life-saver!
There is also a talc powder spray on the market that sprays on and dries as a powder…. it smells great and is easy to apply.