The Packing List That Took Us Over 50 Cruises to Perfect
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Seventy Cruises Later, We Finally Got This Right
Our first cruise, we packed like we were evacuating a country. Two garment bags, a suitcase Terry could barely lift off the belt, and a separate bag just for shoes — and we still forgot the one thing we actually needed. Sunscreen. On a Caribbean sailing. That was cruise one.
This is after cruise seventy. Somewhere between the Mexican Riviera and Iceland, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, we stopped packing out of fear and started packing on purpose. Every single item on this list earned its spot the hard way — either it bailed us out on a trip, or its absence taught us a lesson we didn't repeat twice.
So here it is. The actual list. No filler, no "pack light" platitudes with nothing behind them — organized the way we wish someone had handed it to us before our very first sailing.
Quick answer:
For a week-long cruise, pack two swimsuits, a carry-on bag with one full outfit plus your medications and valuables, a portable charger, a non-surge power strip, and one elevated outfit for formal night that you can restyle with accessories. Skip the iron, the extra shoes, and cash for every port — a fee-free card and the ship's laundry room cover both.
The Non-Negotiables
These go in the suitcase first, before we've even decided what we're wearing to dinner.
A day-of-the-week pill organizer, even for a seven-day trip — it separates your medication from the rest of your luggage in case a bag ever goes missing.
A slim portable charger and a short charging cable. Cabin outlets are never where you actually need them.
Two swimsuits minimum, always. One is drying while the other is on your body, and nothing ruins a pool morning like a damp suit at 9am.
A non-surge power strip — check your cruise line's current policy before you pack it, since Carnival, Royal, and Virgin have all changed the rules on this at different points.
Copies of our passports and boarding documents, saved as photos in our phones and printed on paper, tucked in two separate bags.
What Goes in the Carry-On, Not the Checked Bag
Embarkation day can mean four, five, sometimes six hours before your checked luggage shows up at your cabin door. We learned this the expensive way on an early Carnival sailing, standing around in street clothes we couldn't change out of because our bags were still on a cart somewhere on deck three.
One full outfit, including shoes.
Medications and anything you genuinely can't sleep without.
Jewelry and anything you'd be sick over losing.
Chargers and headphones.
A swimsuit, so you can hit the pool the second you board instead of waiting on a bag.
Formal Night, Without the Extra Suitcase
Addy's chef instincts kick in here — she thinks about what travels well the same way she thinks about what holds up on a buffet line. We stopped packing a brand new "formal outfit" for every formal night years ago. One elevated dress, one blazer for Terry, and we change the whole look with jewelry, a different tie, a wrap. Fabric matters more than the outfit itself. Anything that survives folded in a suitcase beats anything that only photographs well on a hanger.
Terry's rule: "One good blazer does more work than three cheap ones. Pack the one you'd wear to a nice dinner at home, and you're set for every formal night on the ship."
The Small Stuff That Actually Saves the Trip
Motion sickness bands or medication, even if you've never needed them before — new ship, new itinerary, new stomach.
A handful of ziplock bags, for wet swimsuits, leftover snacks, or a phone on a rainy excursion day.
A small first-aid kit — blister pads, stomach medicine, the basics.
A sunscreen stick, not just spray or lotion. It clears security faster and doesn't eat into your liquid limit.
Clothespins or a small clip, for holding curtains shut in cabins where the blackout doesn't quite reach the edges.
What We Stopped Packing After Cruise Twelve
This list is as much about what we removed as what we added.
An iron. They will ALWAYS get confiscated and most ships have a self-service laundry room or steamers available. And when all else fails, just pay for the pressing service with laundry.
Full-size toiletries. Travel sizes, refillable bottles, or just use what the ship provides.
A different outfit for every single dinner. Nobody on that ship is keeping a spreadsheet of your looks.
Cash for every currency on a multi-port itinerary. We bring one card with no foreign transaction fees and a small amount of cash for tips and markets. That's it.
Extra shoes "just in case." Two pairs of walking shoes and one pair of dress shoes has never once let us down.
Our Night-Before-We-Sail Checklist
1. Lay Everything Out By Day
Before anything goes in the suitcase, we lay out one outfit per day across the bed — port days and sea days separated. If we can't picture actually wearing it, it doesn't make the cut.
2. Charge Every Device the Night Before
Phones, chargers, cameras, the portable speaker — all charged and packed together, so embarkation morning isn't a scramble for outlets.
3. Screenshot the Boarding Documents
Ship wifi isn't guaranteed to be fast, and paper gets left behind in hotel rooms. A screenshot means we always have it, no matter what.
4. Pack a "Go-Bag" for Embarkation Day
Separate from the checked luggage — swimsuit, sunscreen, one outfit, chargers, medications. This is the bag we hold onto ourselves, not the one we hand off at the port.
5. Weigh the Bag if You're Flying In
Nothing derails a trip faster than an overweight bag fee at the airport, on the morning you're supposed to already be relaxing.
Cruise Packing FAQs
How many swimsuits should I pack for a cruise?
Two, minimum. One is drying while the other is in use, and on a week-long sailing you'll want a dry suit most mornings.
What should go in my cruise carry-on?
One full outfit, your medications, valuables, chargers, and a swimsuit. Checked bags can take four to six hours to reach your cabin on embarkation day, so your carry-on needs to cover you until then.
Do I need to bring cash on a cruise?
A little, for tips and port markets. For everything else, one card with no foreign transaction fees covers it — you don't need cash for every currency on a multi-port itinerary.
What's the biggest cruise packing mistake first-timers make?
Packing out of fear instead of experience — a new formal outfit for every night, full-size toiletries, an iron. After seventy cruises, we can tell you almost none of it gets used.
Should I pack an iron for my cruise cabin?
No. Most staterooms don't allow them for fire safety reasons, and most ships offer a steamer or a self-service laundry room instead.
Seventy Cruises Later, Here's What We Actually Believe
This list isn't really about the stuff. It's about walking onto that ship with your hands free and your mind already on vacation, instead of wondering what you forgot. We didn't get here by reading a packing list once. We got here by forgetting sunscreen in the Caribbean, standing around in wet swimsuits waiting on a bag, and ironing a dress with a curling iron at 6pm on formal night. (Don't do that.) Every single item above bought its place on this list.
If you're the kind of woman who wants to travel like this — organized, elevated, no wasted stress — this is exactly the energy we bring into every group trip we host.
and
are both built around that same philosophy — pack easy, arrive ready, spend your energy on the experience instead of the suitcase. For more of our real port and packing intel, browse the rest of our blog.
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