Cruise Packing List

Motion sickness tablets, a non-surge power strip, reef-safe sunscreen, and your printed luggage tags are among the most common things people forget. Ships do sell essentials, but the prices onboard are steep, so anything you use regularly is better packed from home.

A few smaller things that make a big difference: a lanyard for your cruise card so you're not digging for it at every door, magnetic hooks for the cabin walls, and a small bag you can take off the ship without worrying about it getting damaged or stolen.

Cruise lines ban a number of items for safety reasons. The things most often confiscated at embarkation include:

• Power strips with surge protectors - these are a fire risk onboard. A plain non-surge strip is fine.
• Irons and steamers - not allowed on almost any cruise line. Pack wrinkle release spray instead.
• Candles and incense - no open flames are permitted in cabins.
• Drones - banned across nearly all major cruise lines.
• Camouflage clothing - actually illegal to wear in several Caribbean ports including Barbados, Jamaica, and Antigua.
• Spirits and liquor - most lines allow one bottle of wine per adult at embarkation, but hard alcohol is not permitted to bring on.

Policies do vary between cruise lines, so check the prohibited items list for your specific sailing before you pack.

For a 7-night cruise, most people get by with 5 to 7 casual outfits for daytime, 2 or 3 swimsuits, 4 or 5 smart casual outfits for evenings, and 1 or 2 formal options if the line has formal nights. That might sound like a lot, but if you choose pieces that work in multiple situations you can cut that right down.

A linen shirt or a simple dress can go from a port excursion to dinner without needing a full change. Packing cubes are genuinely useful here as cabin storage is tighter than most people expect.

Cabin towels are provided, but beach towels are a different story. Most lines give you a towel to borrow at the pool deck, and you hand it back when you're done. For port days and beach stops you really want your own, so a lightweight quick-dry towel is worth packing.

A lot of cruise lines have swapped individual shampoo and conditioner bottles for combined dispensers in the shower. If you care about your hair products, bring your own in travel sizes. Hairdryers are usually in the cabin but they tend to be quite weak, so if you use one every day it may be worth bringing yours for anything longer than a short trip.

It depends on your itinerary and where you're from. US citizens on a closed-loop cruise (one that starts and ends at the same US port) can technically board with just a birth certificate and a government ID. That said, a passport is the better choice regardless. If something goes wrong at a foreign port and you need to get home quickly, you'll need it.

For European cruises, transatlantic sailings, or any trip that starts or ends outside the US, a passport is required. Check the expiry date too as many countries won't let you in if your passport has less than six months left on it when you arrive.

A rolling carry-on and a small bag for day trips is the most practical combination. Backpacks work but can feel bulky in tight cabin spaces. Your main suitcase goes to the porters when you arrive and may not reach your cabin until the evening, so your carry-on needs to cover everything for the first few hours: travel documents, any medication, a change of clothes, and your swimwear if you want to get in the pool before your bags arrive.

For days in port, a small crossbody bag is easier to manage than a handbag and harder to snatch in busy markets or streets. If you're doing any water-based activities, a dry bag will save your phone and wallet a lot of stress.

Cruise lines don't set a hard limit on how many bags you bring onto the ship. The real constraint is cabin storage, which is smaller than most people picture, especially in inside and oceanview cabins. One large suitcase per person plus a carry-on is usually plenty.

If you're flying to the port, the airline limits are what you need to worry about. For economy that's typically 20 to 23kg per checked bag, though it varies by carrier and route. The weight estimator in the packing tool above gives you a running total as you work through your list.

It varies quite a bit depending on the line. Cunard is the strictest with tuxedos and evening gowns genuinely expected. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Princess sit in the middle with a dark suit and cocktail dress being the norm. Carnival and Norwegian are the most relaxed, with smart casual working fine even on their designated elegant nights.

A cocktail dress or a smart dress for women, and a suit or jacket with trousers for men, covers most lines. Pack wrinkle release spray because formal clothes that have been folded in a suitcase for days rarely look their best when you pull them out. The dress code option in the packing tool above automatically adjusts the list based on what your cruise line typically expects.