What to pack for a cruise is different from packing for a hotel stay — here’s what actually earns a spot in your suitcase.
By Vacation Intel
The Cruise Packing Essentials
Pack a printed copy of your booking confirmation and boarding documents, a portable phone charger, and a small day bag for port days. Bring at least one nice outfit for formal or elegant night, even on casual lines, since most main dining rooms still lean slightly dressier in the evening.
A Power Strip (Non-Surge Protected)
Cabins typically have very few outlets. Most cruise lines allow a basic power strip as long as it doesn’t have a surge protector or circuit breaker — check your line’s rules before you pack one, since a banned one will be confiscated at security.
Motion Sickness Remedies
Even if you don’t normally get seasick, pack motion sickness bands or over-the-counter medication just in case — rough seas can catch first-timers off guard, and the ship’s medical center will charge far more than a drugstore.
A Reusable Water Bottle and Lanyard
A refillable water bottle saves trips to the buffet drink station, and a lanyard or badge holder for your cruise card keeps it from getting lost in a pocket or bag.
Clothing Essentials for a Cruise
Layer for temperature swings between air-conditioned interior spaces and warm outdoor decks – a light jacket or wrap is genuinely useful even on tropical itineraries. If your cruise includes a formal or elegant night, pack at least one dressier outfit, since most mainstream lines still have one or two elevated dining nights per week.
Our cruise planning tips cover more on preparing for your first cruise, and Cruise Critic’s packing forums are a good source of ship-specific advice from recent passengers.
Documents and Money for a Cruise
Bring your passport (even for closed-loop sailings where a birth certificate technically suffices, a passport avoids complications) plus a printed copy of your booking confirmation and any required visas for your ports of call. A small amount of cash in small bills is useful for tipping outside the included gratuity and for ports that don’t take cards easily.
A portable phone charger and a lanyard or crossbody bag for your ship key card round out the essentials most first-time cruisers forget until they’re already onboard and wishing they’d packed them.
Sunscreen and after-sun care matter more on a cruise than most trips, since pool decks and port excursions add up to more sun exposure than a typical vacation. Bring more than you think you’ll need – shipboard shops mark it up significantly.
Finally, pack a small day bag for excursions, since you’ll want somewhere to stash water, sunscreen, and souvenirs without hauling your whole suitcase off the ship at each port.
What Not to Pack
Leave irons, candles, weapons and surge-protected power strips at home — they’re commonly confiscated at security. Most cabins have a small iron or pressing service available if you truly need one.
Vacation Intel Tip
Pack one full outfit and a swimsuit in your carry-on bag. Checked luggage isn’t delivered to your cabin until later in the afternoon, and you’ll want to be poolside, not stuck waiting in cruise clothes.
A collapsible laundry bag helps keep dirty clothes separate for the rest of the trip, and a few reusable clips are handy for pinning wet swimsuits to your balcony rail or bathroom to dry between pool sessions.
Motion sickness remedies are worth packing even if you don’t normally get seasick, since larger ships in rougher waters can catch first-time cruisers off guard. Ginger chews, wristbands, and over-the-counter medication all pack small and take up almost no suitcase space.