Cruise travel
What to bring on a cruise — and what kind of cruise you're on
A ship is not a hotel: your luggage disappears at the terminal, the cabin walls are steel, irons are banned, and dinner has opinions about your shirt. This is the cruise gear checklist, the cabin tricks seasoned cruisers swear by, and the honest differences between a Caribbean week and a Drake Passage crossing.
The checklist
Cruise gear checklist
Everything cruisers actually bring, from the documents at the gangway to the magnetic hooks on the cabin wall. Open an item for the one-line reason it earns its place — and for the vacuum pack that already covers it, where one does.
The packing planner already sizes 31 of these items into vacuum packs — the rest is the cruise-specific layer this checklist exists for.
Documents
- Even a closed-loop cruise can call at a country that wants a full passport, and many ports want six months' validity. Check every port of call's rules, not just the departure country's.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Check in online, install the line's app and print the luggage tags before leaving home — the terminal queue for people without them is the slow one.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Carry the policy number and the emergency line on paper. Shipboard medical care is billed privately, so know what your cover says before you need it.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Port taxis, market stalls and beach vendors are cash economies, and nobody breaks a large note for a fridge magnet. A stack of small bills covers tips ashore too.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Independently booked tours need their vouchers with you ashore — the operator at the pier has no ship manifest to look you up in.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Some itineraries ask for proof of specific vaccinations, and expedition operators require a medical form with a doctor's signature. Check the line's requirements weeks ahead, not at the pier.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Your key card is your door, your wallet and your ID for the whole trip — and it comes as a bare card. A lanyard or clip holder means it is never at the bottom of a beach bag.
Day bag
- Every port day starts with the same bag: water, sunscreen, documents, a layer. A packable one folds flat in the suitcase and swallows souvenirs on the way home.
- Checked bags vanish at the terminal and reach your cabin hours later. Swimwear, medication and a change of clothes in your carry-on turn a lost afternoon into the first afternoon.
- Bottled water on board is priced like a cocktail, and port days are hot. Fill up at the buffet station before you walk down the gangway.
- The famous pickpocket cities are cruise ports. A zipped bag worn in front costs nothing in comfort and ends the question.
- Beach stops, snorkel trips and wet landings all want the phone, the key card and a dry shirt somewhere waterproof.
- Whales, calving glaciers and sea eagles happen off the railing, not at arm's length. One decent pair per cabin gets passed around all trip.
- These port towns are walkable and rain is routine — an umbrella works where a dripping hood ruins a day of city wandering.The planner covers this — see the pack
Cabin setup
- Cabin walls and ceilings are steel. A handful of strong magnetic hooks turns them into hanging space for hats, bags, lanyards and drying swimwear — the most repeated cabin trick afloat.
- Cabins have famously few outlets, but surge-protected strips are a fire-rule violation and get confiscated at security fleet-wide. A plain non-surge strip or a USB hub sails through.
- A cabin has almost no flat surfaces. A pocket organizer over the bathroom door holds sunscreen, chargers and medication — everything that otherwise lives on the bed.
- An inside cabin with the lights off is the darkest room you have ever slept in. A small nightlight saves shins and sleeping partners at 3 a.m.
- Swimwear needs somewhere to dry, and hanging it over the balcony rail is banned on most lines. A stretch line over the shower does the job invisibly.
- Onboard laundry bills per garment. A sink wash with travel detergent covers swimwear and smalls, and a stain stick has saved many a formal shirt mid-voyage.
- Irons and steamers are banned on board as a fire risk, fleet-wide. A travel spray — or hanging the outfit in the bathroom during a hot shower — un-creases a jacket by dinner.
- Cruise luggage tags are printed paper you fold around a handle — one rain shower at the terminal and your bag is anonymous. Plastic holders cost pennies and end it.
- Each evening a programme lists the next day hour by hour. Mark what you actually want and the day plans itself — the app version has no equivalent of a marked-up page on the desk.
- Cabin doors slam, neighbours vary, and a balcony curtain leaks light at dawn. The lightest sleep insurance there is.
- Every corridor looks identical. A magnet or ribbon on the door finds your cabin for tired kids and first-timers alike — on the steel, never over the peephole.
Clothing
- Socks, underwear and sleepwear — the layer the planner counts per day, and trims once laundry is in reach.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Deck and port wear: shorts, tees, sundresses. Two or three mix-and-match sets go further than seven single-use ones.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Port days are fifteen-thousand-step days on cobbles and gangways. Broken in before the trip, never on it.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Most dining rooms ask for "no swimwear, no vests" after six. One or two evening outfits cover every non-formal night.The planner covers this — see the pack
- The deck is 30 degrees and the theatre is 19, every single day. A cardigan or light jacket lives on the back of your dinner chair.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Squalls at sea arrive in minutes and leave in minutes. A packable shell beats an umbrella on a windy deck.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Pool deck, beach stops and stony coves. Water shoes double as footwear for wet tender landings.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Sea-day gyms are the best-equipped you will ever use for free — and the running track has the best view on the ship.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Deck parties have announced themes — the white night is the classic. Check the line's app before packing; the onboard boutique charges resort prices for a plain white shirt.
- Covered shoulders and knees are the entry ticket to cathedrals and temples alike. A light scarf and long shorts in the day bag settle it at the door.
- One piece that is sun cover ashore, a dress code fix at a church door and a wrap against the dining room's air-conditioning.
- A cabin wardrobe is shallow and the voyage lives out of one unpack. Cubes turn drawers into shelves and keep the formal outfit separate from the beach layer.
Formal wear
- One dressy outfit — a cocktail dress, or a shirt with a jacket — covers every formal night on board; nobody notices a repeat. The planner's smart-casual pack is built for exactly this evening.The planner covers this — see the pack
- The one pair that does not obey flip-flop logic. If luggage is tight, wear the heavy pair on the flight there.
- A crossing's gala nights are the real thing: tie or bow tie, cufflinks, an evening bag. This is the one itinerary where the garment bag earns its space.
Beach & pool
- One is always wet. Even glacier itineraries have hot tubs and heated pools, so this line skips no cruise.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Sea air under-reports the sun and the onboard shop charges triple. Several island ports require reef-safe formulas by law — check the label before you fly, not at the pier.The planner covers this — see the pack
- The breeze on a moving ship claims every unclipped towel. The plastic clips are the cheapest quality-of-life upgrade on the sun deck.
- Excursion rentals exist, but a cheap set of your own turns any beach stop into a snorkel stop — with nobody else's mouthpiece involved.
- Beach days, pool decks and water slides: the phone comes along anyway, so seal it. It shoots photos straight through the pouch.
- Deck sun arrives twice — once from the sky, once off the water. A brim that clips to a deck chair survives the breeze.The planner covers this — see the pack
Cold weather
- Deck viewing is standing still in moving air — the coldest kind of cold. Thin layers you can add and shed beat one heavy coat.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Wind off a glacier face cuts through anything that is not windproof, and the best views keep you on deck in it.The planner covers this — see the pack
- The difference between watching the glacier calve and watching it through a window. Pack them even in July.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Wet landings and rain-forest ports want proper boots — but expedition ships usually lend polar boots on board. Check before a pair eats half a suitcase.
Health at sea
- Pack them before you know you need them — the first rough evening is too late to start most remedies. Ask a pharmacist which format suits you; tablets, patches and acupressure bands all have their fans.The planner covers this — see the pack
- The onboard shop stocks sunscreen, not your prescription, and a missed port can add days. Bring more than the itinerary needs, in original packaging, in the day bag — never in checked luggage.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Plasters, blister care, something for unsettled stomachs. The medical centre exists — and bills like a private clinic for things a kit handles for free.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Ships live and die by hand hygiene: one norovirus outbreak confines hundreds to cabins. Use the dispensers, carry your own ashore, and wash before the buffet.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Port afternoons in the tropics are mosquito hours. Apply it after sunscreen, and re-apply after swimming.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Day one on deck burns more people than any beach. After-sun lotion rescues nights two through seven.The planner covers this — see the pack
Tech
- One charger per person plus a spare cable — cabins eat cables. Everything you will need at the terminal should be downloaded before you leave home.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Ships mix outlet standards cabin by cabin — many carry both North American and European sockets, and older ships have shapes your chargers have never met. One universal adapter settles it.The planner covers this — see the pack
- A port day runs the phone flat by mid-afternoon: photos, maps, translation. Airline rules still apply on the flight to the port — it travels in the cabin bag, never checked.The planner covers this — see the pack
- Satellite internet is slow and sold by the day, and roaming at sea bills at maritime rates — set flight mode at sailaway. Maps, playlists, shows and books all come aboard with you, downloaded at home.
- Phone cameras flatten a glacier to a white line. If you own a zoom lens, this is the trip it was bought for.
- Loaded before departure — the ship's wifi will not download a season of anything. Sea days are long and the kids' club closes for meals.
- There is no phone signal between decks and no messaging without the ship's wifi plan. Cheap walkie-talkies or the line's app chat keep a family findable on a sixteen-deck ship.
Compare
Twelve kinds of cruise, side by side
The kind of cruise decides the suitcase. These are the five facts that change what you pack — the climate, whether formal nights survive, how much the ship moves, what a shore day looks like, and how many days you spend at sea.
Cruise
Climate
Formal nights
Sea
Shore days
Pace
Cost
CruiseFirst cruise
ClimateVaries
Formal nightsRelaxed
SeaSheltered
Shore daysMixed
PaceBalanced
CostBudget
CruiseCaribbean cruise
ClimateTropical
Formal nightsRelaxed
SeaOpen sea
Shore daysBeaches
PaceBalanced
CostMid-range
CruiseMediterranean cruise
ClimateMediterranean
Formal nightsRelaxed
SeaSheltered
Shore daysCities
PacePort-intensive
CostMid-range
CruiseAlaska cruise
ClimateCool
Formal nightsRelaxed
SeaSheltered
Shore daysNature
PaceBalanced
CostUpper mid-range
CruiseRiver cruise
ClimateVaries
Formal nightsNone
SeaCalm
Shore daysCities
PacePort-intensive
CostUpper mid-range
CruiseNorwegian fjords cruise
ClimateCool
Formal nightsRelaxed
SeaSheltered
Shore daysNature
PacePort-intensive
CostUpper mid-range
CruiseBahamas cruise
ClimateTropical
Formal nightsRelaxed
SeaSheltered
Shore daysBeaches
PacePort-intensive
CostBudget
CruiseFamily cruise
ClimateTropical
Formal nightsRelaxed
SeaOpen sea
Shore daysMixed
PaceBalanced
CostMid-range
CruiseExpedition cruise
ClimateCold
Formal nightsNone
SeaCan be rough
Shore daysLandings
PaceBalanced
CostPremium
CruiseTransatlantic crossing
ClimateVaries
Formal nightsTraditional
SeaCan be rough
Shore daysCities
PaceMany sea days
CostMid-range
CruiseAsia cruise
ClimateTropical
Formal nightsRelaxed
SeaSheltered
Shore daysCities
PacePort-intensive
CostMid-range
CruiseHawaii cruise
ClimateTropical
Formal nightsNone
SeaOpen sea
Shore daysMixed
PacePort-intensive
CostUpper mid-range
Cost bands are relative to the other rows, per person per night before extras — never a price. Every itinerary has outliers; the row describes the typical booking.
Pick your cruise
Which cruise are you packing for?
Each page filters the checklist to that itinerary and adds the tips and traps specific to it — then hands the trip to the planner with the answers already filled in.
First cruiseWhat to expect, and what to bringCaribbean cruiseBeach days, sea days and sudden squallsMediterranean cruiseA city a day, on footAlaska cruiseGlaciers, layers and rain that doesn't cancel anythingRiver cruiseA floating boutique hotel that parks in the town centreNorwegian fjords cruiseWaterfalls, sheltered water and weather with opinionsBahamas cruiseThe long weekend at seaFamily cruiseOne ship, every age group, zero drivingExpedition cruiseZodiacs, parkas and the Drake PassageTransatlantic crossingSix sea days and a gala wardrobeAsia cruiseTemples, megacities and monsoon mathHawaii cruiseVolcano mornings, beach afternoons
The reference pages
Printable cruise checklistThe whole list as a tick sheet — filter it to your cruise, print it, pack against it.Open the printable sheetFormal nights, explainedWhat the dress codes actually mean, what one outfit covers, and how to skip the whole thing honourably.Decode the dress codesCruise glossaryTender, muster, guarantee cabin, all-aboard time — the vocabulary of a ship, in plain words.Learn the ship words
Related on packset
Cruise packing list, generatedThe ready-made list for a reference cruise week — itemized, weighed and printable as a plan.Cruise travel cover, explainedMissed ports, cabin confinement and medical care at sea — what standard policies miss on a ship.Luggage that fits a cabinReal bag models compared by the numbers — because a cruise cabin stores less than a hotel room.Visas for every portCheck your passport against every country on the itinerary, port by port.
Ready to pack
Turn the checklist into a packing plan
The planner counts the clothes per day and person, weighs the vacuum packs, and starts with the cruise answers already filled in.