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Going on a cruise and wondering what to pack? These top cruise packing tips will help you from feeling overwhelmed when deciding what to bring for your vacation!
When planning what to pack for a cruise a million different things might be running through your mind. What type of clothes do I need? How many pairs of shoes? Should I bring any medications?
Look no further for cruise packing hacks! This post will discuss everything you need to know about what to pack for your cruise from fun things to pack for a cruise to cruise essentials to pack.
This post is all about cruise packing tips.
If you’re looking for Vacation/Cruise Must Haves check out my Amazon list to see if there is anything you’re missing for your upcoming vacation!
1. Don’t over pack
This tip is pretty straight forward but I wanted to include it and include it first because it is the most common mistake people make when packing for a cruise.
Of course you need to pack for the different types of activities you’re going to have on your cruise vacation but try to be realistic with those options.
I would suggest sticking to one option per night for dinner or even things you may be able to mix and match for a couple nights to cut down on the amount of clothes you pack.
Being smart with your shoe choices will also help you not overpack.
Try to choose shoes you can use for multiple different things such as comfy sandals or tennis shoes for walking about the ship and port days. Or choosing one pair of heels you can wear with all of your dinner options.
21 Fun Things To Do On A Cruise If You Want To Maximize Your Vacation
2. Make a list
@yourstrulychelsea Top items to pack in your cruise carry on bag #cruise #cruiselife #cruisetips #cruisehacks #royalcaribbean #carnivalcruiseline #norwegiancruise #virgincruise
Making a list in advance is a great way to not forget anything you might need because you can continuely add to it until it’s time to pack so when you remember something randomly, you can add it to your list.
It’s also a good way to stay organized by checking off each item as you add it to your suitcase so you know for sure you have it already packed and ready to go.
Common things I will put on my list you may forget are:
1. Medicines
2. First Aid Kit
3. Cruise Approved Extension Cord
4. Electrolyte Drink
3. Look at the weather
One tip I have for packing for a cruise, especially a caribbean cruise you think will just be hot 24/7 is to bring one jacket.
Most people think because they’re going on a cruise to tropical islands that they will only need shorts and tank tops but you need to consider a couple other factors.
The time of year definitely will determine some of your weather. If you’re cruising to Cozumel in December the weather may be warm and perfect there but where you’re leaving from might be freezing. You would hate to be in Galveston, Texas in January in a sundress when it’s 45 degrees left without a jacket.
Another thing to consider is the AC on the ship. Some people think common areas like the theater or dining room are a little cold. You should make sure to pack one jacket just in case you need it for walking around the ship or if you’re on the pool deck at night and the wind is a little chilly.
4. Think about the type of activites you’ll be participating in
When packing clothes and shoes for your cruise you need to consider what types of activities you’ll be doing because it should greatly impact what you’re packing.
If you’re going on a snorkeling excursion you may want to bring a swimsuit coverup or wet suit.
If you’re going to play basketball, mini golf, pickleball, or go to the gym you might want to bring some athletic clothing and shoes.
If you want to ice skate you may need a jacket to keep you warm.
Take a look at the cruise line’s app before you pack to see if they have loaded the daily activities so you can see some examples of what you might need to pack for. You can also watch a ship tour on YouTube to see what venues they have.
5. Bring formal clothes
Your cruise vacation will have at least one formal night if not more depending on the length of the cruise.
You definitely aren’t required to dress up if you don’t want to or do not have formal clothing so don’t feel pressured! You are still able to go to the main dining room on formal night in regular clothes or if you want to skip all of that you can always go to the buffet that night.
For your cruise you might be curious of how formal you should dress. This varies! Some people dress casually, in cocktail attire, or suit and tie formal. All of these are accepted so do what is best for you!
Here are some dresses I have personally worn on a cruise for formal night and other more causal days:
1. Short Royal Blue Dress: Formal Night
2. Two Piece Black Set: Casual Night
3. Tropical Dress: Embarkation Day or Tropical Theme Night:
No products found.
4. Short Casual Brown Tie Dress: Casual Night
5. Red Long Formal Dress: Formal Night
6. Black Casual Long Dress: Casual Night
6. Toiletries
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The size of toiletries you can pack for your cruise depends on the transportation you are using to get to the cruise terminal.
If you are within driving distance and want to bring your full sized shampoo, conditioner, etc then you 100% can! No need to buy the smaller travel bottles.
If you’re traveling via airplane you’ll want to make sure you’re going by the guidelines for your airline. Of course this varies, if you’re checking a bag you could still bring the full sized versions if you want but if you’re just bringing a carry on you’ll have to bring the smaller options.
If you do have to bring travel sized items here are some helpful travel bottles for different toiletries you may want to buy:
1. Mini Perfume Spray Bottle
2. Mini Shampoo And Conditioner Bottles
3. Jewelry Travel Case
4. All In One Option
7. Research the theme nights for your cruise
On the majority of cruise lines there are theme nights for each day of your cruise. You can usually find these themes in the cruise line’s app before your sailing, a group Facebook page, and/or your travel agent if you used one.
Theme nights, just like formal night, are not mandatory. If you would like to dress in theme or participant in the themed parties you definitely can! If you decide against it, you will not stand out.
Common themes I’ve seen for cruise ships are: casual, formal, tropical, white night, 70s, etc.
Here are a couple examples of outfits you could buy for your cruise if you want to dress up:
1. White Night
2. Tropical Night
3. 70s Night
8. Packing Cubes
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Some people have never tried packing cubes however, I think they are vital to staying organized when packing for your cruise. They also help me follow rule #1 by not being able to overpack if it doesn’t all fit in my cubes.
You can buy several different sizes to put casual clothes, dresses, swimsuits, undergarments etc to keep them seperated. You also can buy different kinds. I personally love the packing cubes that have compression.
One company I absolutely love and recommend is Biaggi.
I own two of their suitcases and several packing cubes. It has completely changed the way I pack and store my suitcases for the better since the two I have collapse down into cubes for easy storage.
I previously collabed with them so if you’re looking to buy one of their products you should be able to use discount code “CHELSEA_15” for 15% off your purchase.
Here is another option I’ve used if you prefer to shop on Amazon:
Hopefully these tips help you pack for your next cruise vacation and take away that overwhelming feeling of “what do I need to pack for my vacation??”
Be sure to check out my other posts for more helpful cruise tips and tricks! Or give me a follow on my social media pages I have linked.
This post was all about cruise packing tips.
Wow! Super helpful post. Will save for future reference.
So glad it was helpful for you!