There’s nothing more exciting than the lead-up to a cruise. At least, right up until that moment when you realize that the volume of your packed luggage is approximately three times the volume of your trunk… Doh!
True Essentials
There are just two things you absolutely must have when you arrive at the cruise port:
- Your passport (or other accepted identification)
- Your boarding pass (or a digital version thereof on your phone)
Anything else can be replaced in a pinch!
Just Clothe Yourself
That said… you may find it hard to make friends if you eat, sleep, and sweat in the same sloppy t-shirt and shorts for an entire week on board! You’ve got plenty of exciting excursions and enticing beverages to spend your hard-earned vacation money on. Bring enough clothes for the length of your cruise.
I said enough — no more!
You can wear a pair of pants twice, even in the Caribbean sun. You will only wear one shirt at a time, so you don’t need “options”. Invest in some nice packing cubes (paid link), roll your clothes to minimize wrinkles, and pack only one outfit (plus a transition to dinner clothes) per day.
Individual’s Cruise Packing List
- Theme night clothing (one option per night, or less)
- Regular day clothing (one outfit per day, and plan to re-wear those pants!)
- 1-3 pairs of shoes that cover ALL outfits (dressy, casual, and I’ll allow a pair of boots if you sail out of Galveston)
- Socks and underwear (okay, one per day PLUS an extra, I’m not a monster)
- Pajamas (one set per 3-4 days, unless you’re on your honeymoon… and then zero!)
- Swimsuit, cover-up, and swim shoes (two swimsuits, so one can dry while you’re soaking in the hot tub)
- Workout clothes (haha! at most one set, unless you have actually worked out 7 days in the past week…)
- Light jacket for cool evenings on deck (just one, it’s only for emergencies anyway)
Lay these things out on the bed next to your suitcase. Okay, now revisit the parentheses above and cut it down to the number given. Really, you’re going to be on a cruise. Relaaaaax, don’t worry about what you’re wearing!
Comfort in Emergencies
Now, your clothes are neatly rolled and compressed into packing cubes, and you still have half of your suitcase available, right? No, no, you don’t need that third pair of dress shoes, I promise, go put it back! Okay, at least a quarter of the suitcase available, right? Now, there are a few emergency items that I don’t recommend going light on.
- Seasickness meds (ginger candy, Dramamine, Sea Bands, Bonine – whatever you prefer to have on hand, just in case you need it)
- Incidental meds (travel-size Tylenol, Advil, Tums – you are likely to eat more than usual, and trips to medical are NOT relaxing)
- Nature protection (reef-safe sunscreen, bug spray, chapstick, aloe vera – maybe even one collapsible hat and some shades)
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Fun Cruise Stuff!
Is there still room in your suitcase? If not, skip this section. Nothing here is necessary! But I know for my family, we enjoy having a few cruise specifics on board with us. I’ve mentioned these before, but I will list them here as well:
- lanyards with phone connectors, to carry around our door keys and enable pocket-free Caribbean wear
- a collection of magnetic hooks for hanging up lanyards, wet swimsuits, and such
- a handful of magnet rocks for clipping papers such as excursion tickets up to the wall to keep the desk surface clear(er)
- a hanging shoe organizer (hanging on magnetic hooks) for shoes, sunglasses, and various other sundries
- an assortment of cruise ducks that we plan to hide around the ship for others to find (and passports for them to “carry”)
Be sure to leave a tiny bit of room (or cheat like I do with a separate makeup case) for the inevitable…
Last-Minute Additions
You’re almost packed! Just a few last-minute essentials that have to wait until the morning you depart:
- Toiletries (basic skincare, toothbrush & toothpaste, you know the drill!)
- Makeup & jewelry (minimal, and only if you’re the type to wear it on vacation!)
- Charger for your phone
And then check one more time — you have your passport and boarding pass, right? Your plane tickets or parking pass? Then you are ready to go!
I know, it feels strange to pack light when you are used to preparing for every contingency. Just try it this one time. If you find you really can’t live without that bright yellow clutch to contrast your favorite black dress, you can buy a new one in port… and then pencil it into your personal checklist for next time!
