Here's Exactly What You Should Pack In Your Cruise Carry On

Going on a cruise and unsure of what to pack in your cruise carry on? This post has all of the top items you absolutely can’t forget!

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If you’re a first time cruiser, knowing what to bring with you on a cruise can be a daunting task. What should you pack in your cruise carry on? What should you pack in general?

If you’re wanting to know about cruise essentials, cruise must haves, cruise packing lists and more then this is the post for you!

I’ll be discussing exactly what you need to bring with you on embarkation day to have a successful cruise that’s completely stress free!

This post is all about what to pack in your cruise carry on bag.

Cruise Carry On Must Haves

Here are some suggestions if you need a small carry on bag to bring with you on vacation. These products are the top tested and used options on cruise vacations:

1. Travel Documents

First and foremost, you should always have your travel documents in the small carry on bag you will take with you on the ship.

You want to make sure you have these easily accessable. You do not want to pack these in your big suitcase because you will most likely be leaving that outside of the port with the staff that take your bags and will get them to your room later on.

If you want more information on exactly what documents you need to bring on your cruise read more here:

A COMPLETE LIST OF CRUISE DOCUMENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR VACATION

Typically though you will need your boarding pass and passport or other identification.

2. Sunscreen

If you’re going on a tropical cruise vacation you definitely need to bring some sunscreen with you in your carry on.

Whether you’re taking part in the sail away party or relaxing on the pool deck, it could be very hot with a high UV on embarkation day.

Protect your skin and don’t ruin the rest of your cruise by getting sunburned the first day.

3. Camera

You will want to pack this travel essential for all of your photo ops while on your vacation! Starting with day one!

Make sure you add this to your carry on bag so you don’t miss out on the getting on the cruise photo, first drink photo, sailaway photo and more!

You will not need this item however if you just plan to take photos and videos on your phone. This is definitely more common for the average crusier and a great way to have some memories.

4. Swim Suit

You could wear a swimsuit under your clothes or a cover up for when you’re embarking on a cruise.

Another option would be to pack one in your cruise carry on so that you have access to a suit if you’re wanting to partake in water activities on the first day.

If you’re someone who likes to get an early check in time you could take advantage of the ship being a lot more empty aka the pools, hot tubs and water slides will be more accessible.

You also might not get your luggage for several hours so even if you don’t want to immediately jump in the pool, you might want to later on in the day. If you don’t bring a swim suit in your carry on bag you might have to miss out on that opportunity.

Swim Suit Best Sellers:

5. Sunglasses

The last thing you want to forget to put in your cruise carry on bag are a pair of sunglasses.

A lot of that first day on a cruise could be spent at the sailaway party, walking around the ship, sitting on the pool deck etc.

You’re going to want your favorite pair of sunglasses so you aren’t squinting through all of those fun activities.

Sunglasses Best Sellers:

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6. Medications

It is EXTREMELY important that you pack your medications in your cruise carry on.

You never know how long it is going to take to get your luggage delivered to your room or on the rare chance that it gets lost.

To be safe you’ll want to pack your medications in your small carry on bag so you know you’ll have them with you.

An easy way to organize all of your medication in one place is to get a pill organizer. These are great for vacations so you don’t have to carry around a bunch of different bottles.

Along with your personal medications you should also consider:

Motion Sickness Medication: Whether you have been on a cruise or not you should always bring at least one form of motion sickness medicine in case of bad weather.
Allergy Medicine: Since you’ll be stuck on a ship, it’s important to bring something like Benadryl with you.

You can get this or any other medicine listed from the doctor onboard but most of the time they’ll make you pay to see the doctor. This can result in unwanted expenses.
Common Cold Medication: In case you catch a cold from someone else on the ship, it is nice to have a couple common medications with you so you can treat your symtoms.

I do want to say you should consult with your doctor before trying any medication. I am not a professional or responsible for anything that happens.

Common Motion Sickness Medications:

To learn more about the best and top rated motion sickness medications and wearable items read:

FOOLPROOF SEASICKNESS TIPS FOR CRUISE MOTION SICKNESS

7. Phone Charger

Make sure to pack a phone charger in your cruise carry on bag.

You never know how long you’ll be without your main luggage. There are several reasons on a cruise to use your phone.

Pictures, videos, staying in contact with your group and seeing what activities the ship has to offer. You’ll want to make sure your device is charged and ready to go.

You can also bring a portible phone charger as well that would be helpful for port days too.

8. A Change Of Clothes

This one might be optional but I wanted to include it just in case.

Depending on what you wear on the ship, if you got in the pool, etc. You might want to bring a change of clothes for dinner.

A lot of the time you should have your luggage before your dinner time, but not always. If you don’t want to go to dinner in what you wore on the ship, I’d suggest adding this outfit to your small carry on bag.

Need inspiration for what to wear on your cruise? Check out these lists of curated cruise outfits for every occasion!

9. Wine Or Champagne Bottles

If you’re going on a cruise that allows you to bring on wine or champagne, you’ll need to bring these with you in a carry on bag.

Some cruise lines will allow you to either bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person in the stateroom or two bottles per stateroom. These bottles have a limit of 750 milliliters per bottle. You are not allowed to bring beer, liquor, etc.

Cruise lines don’t like you to include theses in your checked bags.

The workers outside the terminals who take your bags have also warned me not to put them in there because they will most likely get broken from your bag getting thrown around.

10. Kid Essentials

If you’re bringing kids with you on a cruise most of the items listed above are valid for them as well.

You might also want to include: snacks, electronics and anything else you may need based on the age of your children.

Hopefully this list helped you learn exactly what you needed to pack in your cruise carry on.

This post was all about what to pack in your cruise carry on bag.

Here’s Exactly What You Should Pack In Your Cruise Carry On