The Packing List
On you when you leave for your cruise
It’s super important that a couple weeks before your cruise, you locate your documents. Whether you’re cruising with a passport, or ID and birth certificate, lay eyes on them well in advance so there’s no last minute scrambling for a new birth certificate, which normally can be obtained quickly in a pinch from your local department of health. We have this document holder that keeps us organized- before we leave for port, our passports and boarding passes go inside, and once we're parked at the port we throw our IDs inside too so we're not digging for them when we're in line.
ID
Passport or Birth Certificate
Boarding Pass
Cash to tip porters
Lanyard so you can get that room key around your neck ASAP. We prefer the one I linked because it has a clip to unclip and hand your card to the bartender, or to insert your card into the slot machine. It also has the retractable cord so you can open your cabin door without removing the whole lanyard.
Portable charger and cord in case your GPS ate your battery
Pre-tagged luggage with luggage holders- luggage holders are cruise line specific- Carnival, Princess, Norwegian, MSC & Holland America Cruise Lines and Royal Carribean.
Sunglasses- I love these because they're super reasonably priced, but are very good quality- not only are they polarized, but they also come with a really nice hard case.
Hair tie for the wind
Chapstick with SPF- people don’t realize how quickly their lips will get burned!
Wine/soda if bringing and a wine key.
Prescription medication organizer
OTC medication organizer- will cover in the next section
Medication Organizers
These medication organizers are absolutely wonderful! I use two of them for OTC meds and they’re basically set up the same. OTC meds on the ship can be quite expensive, and the store isn’t always open. Utilizing these organizers ensures you have a little of everything you could possibly need.
As I said, I use 2 for OTC meds. One goes in my EDC (covered later) and one goes in my excursion backpack (also covered later). This ensures that I always have one with me personally, while the other is in the room.
I use a third organizer for my prescription medication which is always in my EDC.
Pain - Tylenol and Ibuprofen
Pain - Alieve and Aspirin
Meclizine (Bonine)
Gas and Digestive (Beano)
Pepto tablets
Zofran (prescription) or other nausea med
Imodium
Antacid
Cough
Day and night allergy (Zyrtec and Benadryl)
You can obviously tailor these suggestions to your needs but this is what works best for us. Later we’ll also cover your medication bag too!
General Packing
This section comes with a lot of explanation. Some of these things a lot cruiser swear by, and plenty of other cruises would never pack. If you think it’s something you’d use, pack it! If you don’t end up using it then you can leave it at home next time.
Packable backpack. We use these for excursions rather than a traditional beach bag. They fold up pretty small and don't take up much room in your suitcase, but are still comfortable for walking around. If you're more of a traditional beach bag person, this one is great- super roomy and mesh so it won't hold onto all that sand! I've seen people recommend the Bogg Bag, and we do have one from our time living at the beach. While they're super durable and super roomy, we don't take ours on cruises. They take up a lot of extra space.
Sunscreen. Just all the sunscreen. I make sure to bring a face specific sunscreen as well as body spray... and some glittery sunscreen for fun.
A small sewing kit. You never know what’s going to happen. Make sure to have extra safety pins.
Pop up laundry bag. The one I linked folds completely flat and fits perfectly in a suitcase, and also fits perfectly in the closet on the ship.
Ziptop bags. Handy for multiple things but we mostly use ours to get an extra sandwich from the deli and bring it back to the room, or to put room service leftovers in.
Charging cords and wall blocks. I tend to pack 3 of each type of cord - assuming we both need one at the same time, if one stops working we’re still ok.
Outlet extender or non-surge power strip. The room will probably only have one outlet, maybe two if you’re lucky. They will confiscate anything surge protected.
Kindle or books if you’re a reader. Make sure to download a few books before your trip- WiFi access on the ship is odd and it’s a pain to sign into it on your Kindle.
Small fan- I prefer the battery powered because you can get a little creative with magnetic hooks and hang it from the ceiling or wall. A corded one would be fine too but could be semi useless depending on the location of the outlet.
Magnetic hooks and magnetic clips. We use the hooks to hang hats, my EDC, wet clothes if there’s just a couple, my fan, and our clothes line if we need it. We use the clips to hold our excursion tickets right by the door (so we don’t forget them!), and other important paperwork we get from the ship (port day instructions, disembarkation instructions, etc). Here’s another link for a lighter duty hook good for hats and stuff.
Night light or tea light. We bought the linked nightlight which is nice for the bathroom. It’s motion activated and magnetic. However, you can save some money by going to the dollar twentyfive store and getting battery operated tealights.
Insulated tumbler or water bottle. We’ve taken both on cruises. We never used the tumblers but I see a lot of people that do. We did use the water bottles a few times especially on excursions, but you can just as easily order a couple extra bottles of water the night before and taken them with you off the ship (if you don’t mind room temp water).
Water shoes or water socks. Most of the beaches are rocky. As in, there are huge rocks in the water and your toes will manage to bang off of every single one. For $20 you can get water shoes that are more like a shoe, and can be worn as sneakers if you wish. For $10 you can get the more traditional water sock.
Clothes line. There is a clothes line in the shower, but it’s pretty short and doesn’t hold much. We bought the linked clothes line and love it. We use 3 heavy duty magnet hooks to hold it up.
Pen and post its. You never know when you want to make a quick note or leave a note for your room attendant.
Hair ties. You’re at sea. There’s wind all the time. I have hair ties stashed everywhere just in case.
Hip pack or EDC. You’ll probably need something to carry around the ship with you. Maybe not, plenty of people pull it off with just their lanyard. But I need a small purse to carry with me. I prefer a crossbody. I’ll go over what I carry with me later.
Shoe organizer. This is constantly suggested in cruise forums. Not necessarily for your shoes, but for other things- your sunscreens, sewing kit and first aid kit, extra chargers, garbage bags, wrinkle releaser, electronics, etc. It does hang nicely over the bathroom door and keeps you organized, but we no longer use one. I feel like this is a great tip for a family, but for just two of us… we just don’t have that much crap that needs to be organized.
Tide stick or shout wipes. You will get food on you… and unless you pay for laundry, it’s going to stay there for days.
Wrinkle releaser. Clothes will be wrinkled from packing. There usually is one laundry room per floor, and on elegant night there is a wait to use the one iron they have in it. I buy the large bottles and then pour them into smaller spray bottles that can be refilled.
Packable extra bag. These bags are just great. They fold up small and don’t take up a lot of space in your suitcase- but if you end up buying too many souvenirs (or receive some comps from the casino) this bag folds open to a really great size and fits perfectly on top of your suitcase. They’ve saved our asses so many times- we actually take two with us each trip.
Trash bags. I like to pack some garbage bags in case our trash gets really full, but it’s also nice to pop one in your excursion bag to put your wet clothes in until you get back to the ship.
Sneakers. I usually wear flip flops the entire trip, it’s what I’m comfortable in. There are some things you may need sneakers for like the behind the scenes tour or other excursions that might require closed toe shoes.
Ear buds. Sometimes I like to listen to books. If you get the internet package you might want to YouTube or TikTok. Or just sit in the sun and listen to music. The ones I linked are good quality for the price but won't break the bank if you lose them. They also have an incredibly long battery life.
Inflatables. We are absolutely in love with these sling inflatables. We go to the beach, get a drink, and float in the ocean for hours. They pack up nice and flat and fit in our backpack with plenty of room.
Pump. If you’re bringing inflatables, I highly recommend bringing a pump too. We’ve only used ours for the last 2 cruises but it’s a must have now. The thing is tiny, and will inflate your sling in about 30 seconds. The best part though is that it will also deflate them- getting all that air out so it can be folded as flat as possible.
After sun care. Living in the Outer Banks for 3 years, I can tell you that this is the best after sun care you’ll find. It’s pricey tho so I’ll drop this one here as a wonderfully cheap alternative.
Bug spray. I see this come up on a lot of lists. We never take any and haven’t had a need for it, but I linked the one we used when we lived at the beach.
Beach hat. I love this one. I can still get my hair off my neck to stay cool, but still have a good hat on.
An empty vacuum seal bag- or two. We somehow always come home with way more than what we came with. Vacuum sealing our clothes to take them home gives us so much more space in our suitcase. Bringing Two means you can use one for your dirty clothes and one for anything that's still clean- gotta keep 'em separated! The ones I linked come with a hand pump which really isn't all that awful to use, but if you buy the inflatable pump I linked above, it comes with an attachment for vacuum bags.
A safe- Lots of people ask in the cruise groups about the safety of their belongings at the pool or on the beach. We did purchase this safe and used it on a few cruises but we no longer use it. If you really think you need a safe, this is the one to get- it fits both Lord and Lady Lido's phones, sign and sail card with lanyard, the Lord's wallet and still has room for a couple other small things- all while being pretty darned light. We don't take it anymore because we don't feel like our stuff is really at risk- even when were in the water (and the Lord does love his water!) we never wander out of eye shot of our 'home base' - so if anyone did approach our belongings, we could be standing next to them before they find anything 'good.' I would suggest it if you're taking a large party or multiple kids- just to have that 'safe place' where you personally know where your important things are located and it''ll be less likely to lose anything in the chaos.
Toiletries
A lot of this also comes down to personal preference but I’ll let you know what works for us.
Shampoo. Shampoo is provided on the ship and I think it’s perfectly adequate for 7 days. It’s definitely not the best but if it means one less thing to pack, I’m fine with adequate so I never bring my own.
Conditioner. Not provided by the ship
Soap/body wash. Again, provided by the ship and for a week it’s fine.
Deodorant
Makeup
Poopourri. This stuff actually does work. A couple of drops before you go and it really cuts down odors.
Contact lens paraphernalia
Hair brush
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss or flossers- flossers are great for your EDC
Nail clippers
Razor
Shaving Cream
Hand soap. The ship does provide a small bar of soap by the sink, but I just prefer liquid hand soap. It also doubles as dish soap if you bring a tumbler or water bottle.
Baby wipes. Seems silly, but I like to take a pack to keep in the room for a quick face refresher, and I keep one of these smaller refillable packs in my EDC.
Poo foam. I have a bidet at home. I like my downstairs to be clean. This is a foam you put on the toilet paper to get you sparkling clean down there. Can be very handy if your routine has changed at all due to the cruise food.
Face wash. Between the sun and the salty air, you need something hydrating. If you need something a little extra, this facial moisturizer is also great and has sunscreen built in!
Bobby pins and hair clips. For those annoying flyaways.
File
Tweezers. These are expensive but they really are the best tweezers I've ever owned.
EDC for the ship
Again, personal preferences. You can get away with just a lanyard, but I’m high maintenance and too lazy to go back to the cabin.
Mini first aid kit
Floss or a few flossers
Ziptop bags. Great for bringing an extra sandwich back to the room for a midnight snack, or a couple pieces of fruit from the buffet for a healthy snack later in the day.
Straw - if the ship has straws, their candy ones that are perfectly fine in a Pina Colada or Mocha Getaway, but not so great for a vodka club.
Pen and a small notebook- important to write down the names of the outstanding crew members for your after cruise survey- those shoutouts are passed along to the crew members and their bosses! Also good for taking down notes if you’re favorite drinks, new friends info, and memories.
Hand Sanitizer. Always sanitizer before hitting the buffet and then again before you eat! Noro is terrible, and the last place you want to be sick like that is on a ship in the middle of the ocean.
Tide stick or shout wipes. - important to have them on you so the stains don’t set. Refill from stash in cabin.
Excursion Bag
Most of this will depend on what type of excursion you’re doing, but this is a good base list.
Remember to check to see if you need to bring a towel. On the private islands most of the time they do provide.
Small hair brush. I have long, thick hair and dealing with it after coming out of the water is impossible without this brush.
Mini first aid kit
Quick dry towels - the ship does provide towels you can take off with you to ports, and when stopping at a private island, they normally have a towel station or two set up right on the island. However, these towels are super thick and can be pretty heavy when wet. We started taking our own quick dry towels- they fold up compactly and dry surprisingly quickly.
Medication Bag
We have one larger bag that holds some extra meds and gives us a central place to keep the OTC meds in the room. Our prescription meds are sometimes in this bag or in my EDC.
Large bottle of antacid to refill med organizer
Seasickness patches (prescription)
Liquid IV . If you plan to drink on the ship, or even if you don't, Liquid IV is a lifesaver. Mix one packet with a bottle of water and drink the after a long night, and have one more in the morning and you'll feel like a brand new person. One a day is also a great help with dehydration associated with overexposure to the sun.
First Aid Kits
Main First Aid Kit
Assorted Band-Aids - and these are a little more fun!
Moleskin for blister prevention - and blister covers in case you get one
Duct tape - seems silly, but has many uses, not all first aid-one example is fixing your suitcase if your zipper decides to break (yes, this has happened to us).
Super glue - I think these mini, one time use tubes are perfect.
Mini First Aid Kit for your EDC and Excursion bag
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