Packing For A Cruise

Posted on by Traveling Tiffani

Cruises are great for many reasons. You don’t need to worry about where you are going to sleep or eat and each day you arrive in a new place. That’s all awesome, but my favorite thing is you unpack once. Compare this to a land trip where you are in and out of hotels as you arrive in each new city and you will learn to appreciate unpacking only one time.

I pack differently depending on which kind of trip I’m taking. The luggage is the same. I bring a 25 inch spinner, a smaller carry-on size spinner, and a expandable duffel-like bag. What’s inside is a bit different.

Packing cubes are my friends. They keep your suitcase organized and are especially handy when packing for a land trip but they are also valuable for cruises. You can take them right out of your suitcase and put them on a shelf in the cabin. There are never enough drawers on a ship, but there often seems to be an excess of shelves.

Everyone’s taste in clothing differs so I’m not going to tell you how many of each thing to bring, but I have to say, thanks to weight restrictions for the airlines, I have stopped bringing a different top for dinner every night. My plan is I bring tops that can do double duty. I wear one top for dinner at night with nice pants, a necklace, a jacket, or cardigan and then I wear the same top with shorts or capris the next day out in port. Nobody notices!

Some additional items I always pack for cruises:

  • A portable clothes line: I like the kind with ends that you can Velcro or loop around something. The clothes line usually seems to be in the tiny shower which isn’t big enough for a shirt and is also always in the way.
  • Battery tea lights: These are the tiny things that look like votive candles but have batteries. Cruise cabins can be dark. A battery tea light can provide just enough light for the bathroom, so you don’t need to turn on the light during the night and wake yourself up.
  • Folding bins: These fabric-like collapsible bins can provide some extra storage for your stuff. You can either put the bin on a shelf or somewhere else. The back of the sofa is a good place for them.
  • Magnets with clips or hooks: The walls of a cruise ship cabin are magnetic. Magnets with hooks create a hanging space for pajamas or a light jacket. The ones with clips are great for hanging up reminders for things like spa appointments.
  • Door message board or magnet: The cabin doors are also magnetic. A large magnet can help you identify your cabin in the endless hallway of cabins. A dry-erase marker with a magnet attached is good for friends who want to leave you messages.
  • Post-it Notes: These are great for leaving notes for cabin-mates and for the cabin steward. A note in the middle of the mirror is difficult to ignore.

What are your must-have items for a cruise?

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “Packing For A Cruise”

  1. I had NEVER thought about the magnet hooks. I will need to buy some now for our upcoming cruise.

    While I really miss the experience of formal nights on cruises, I do NOT miss packing for them. I agree completely that each clothing item should be worn at least twice (well, not underwear or socks, I suppose).

    I always bring those sink packets of Woolite to wash items if needed. Some ships have self-serve laundries, but I try just about anything to avoid having to pay the price of having the ship do it for me.

    One thing I have learned NOT to bring is a multi-plug. Depending on the cruise line and the departure port, they will be confiscated. Read that very fine print in your cruise contract…it was a surprise to me.

  2. I travel with my husband and two kids. Sometimes my parents or my MIL also travel with us. This means a lot of devices. We use a 4 port charging station at home. It has slots to hold the devices upright, but the side can come off. I throw all the parts in a travel cube that I keep stocked with extra cables for iPhone, wireless headphones, and fit bits. This way we can charge everything using only one outlet… which is a valuable commodity on a cruise ship. It’s so easy, I take it on land based trips as well, even if we are staying in a different hotel each night.

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