What To Pack In Your Carry On For A Cruise
Going on a cruise vacation is always exciting regardless if it’s your first cruise or 20th one. Trying to figure out what needs to go in your luggage or carry on with you on embarkation day can sometimes be overwhelming.
Once on board and until your luggage is delivered to your stateroom, you have access to everything on the ship.
Here is a list of items that should be in your cruise ship carry on bag.
Travel Documents
The most important items that you must have with you are your travel documents.
It goes without saying that if you want to go anywhere outside of the country, a passport is a must. Until your stateroom is ready, you’ll want to make sure that you keep your passport in a safe place until you receive your sea pass.
The next item you need is your boarding pass. These can be printed out beforehand and take with you on embarkation day.
If you have a smartphone, pretty much every cruise line now have their own apps that you can download. Just log into your account and it will give you access to your boarding pass and all of the cruise ship offerings.
Pro tip:
Take photos of your travel documents just in case anything ever happens.
Medications
Make sure to keep all of your medications in your carry on because it is not guaranteed that your luggage will be delivered in a timely manner. things such as prescriptions or sea sick medications.
Sometimes luggage can get lost or delivered to the wrong room. So if there are any medications that you need at all times, make sure to have it readily accessible.
Lanyards
Having a place to store your seapass so it doesn’t get lost is a must. Your seapass is like your driver license because everything you do on your cruise vacation is attached to your seapass.
You’ll need them to get off and back on the ship.
You will need them to get back through port security.
You can purchase the lanyards before you cruise or buy them in the gift shop on the ship.
Bathing Suits
When you finally get onboard, you can start enjoying the amenities that the cruise line has to offer.
Depending on the weather, make sure you pack some swimwear and a change of clothes because you can start swimming right away.
Water Bottles
You should bring some type of water bottle to fill up so you can stay hydrated. Unless you have some type of drink package, you will need something to put water in.
Having a water bottle to carry during the day will be more convenient than having to fight through the line for a cup of water.
You can never have enough water bottles! Bring a few in you carry-on bag so you can fill them with water and stay hydrated. The first few hours of the cruise can be a little hectic.
Bars will be jam packed with people wanting to take full advantage of their drink package. Restaurant will also be crowded.
Having water bottles makes it more convenient so you don’t have to fight the crowd for drinks.
Drinks
Every cruise line will allow passengers to carry on a case of water or soda. It’s all up to you how much you want to lug around.
You can also bring on a couple bottles of wine, you’d just have to pay a corking fee. You can always purchase a drink package if you feel a case will not be enough during the cruise.
Headphones
Make sure to put in your cruise carry on bag a pair of headphones. Nothing is more relaxing than lounging by the pool with a drink in your hand and jamming to some tunes.
Charging Cables
Lets face it, we have way too many charging cables for way too many devices. If you spend a lot of time on your devices, make sure you pack the right cables for each device.
There have been many incidents where I needed to charge my phone only to discover that the wrong cable was packed.
Camera
With the age of technology, we have access to a camera that’s right in our pockets everyday. Although our smartphone camera is amazing, nothing beats capturing an image with a dedicated camera.
Make sure you pack extra batteries, tripods, chargers and extra lenses so you don’t miss out on those perfect shots.
Toiletries
With so many guests embarking on their cruise vacations, your luggage may not be delivered to your room until later in the evening. You’ll want to make sure you pack all of your bathroom and toiletries needs.
Things like shampoo or body wash so that you can be fresh and clean for dinner.
First Aid Kit
If you’re traveling with kids, there’s a good chance they’ll need a bandaid for their little boo boos.
It’s a good idea to always have some type of first aid because anything can happen.
Sea Bands
Motion sickness sucks!! But motion sickness on a week long cruise is even worse.
Make sure you have your sea bands ready to go so you don’t feel sick and ruin your vacation before it starts.
Sunscreen
If you want to start swimming and basking in the sun right away then do not forget to put a bottle of sunscreen.
The sun is no joke. And sunburn isn’t fun either.
Sunglasses and Hat
You should never go outside without some type of eye protection.
Bring your shades and don’t forget them in the car. You should keep your eyes protected from the UV rays.
Bring a hat to wear to protect your head from getting burned.
Sandals
Bring a pair of sandals in your cruise bag so you can change into something a little more comfortable.
Bring crocs if you plan on getting in the pool.
Bring sneakers if you plan on getting in the gym to work off those calories.
What not to bring on a cruise
Here are a few items that are prohibited by the cruise line for the safety of their passengers onboard.
Power strips
you are not allowed to bring on any power strips due to the risk of fire.
There are more than enough outlets to charge your phone and devices.
Irons or steamer- I know you just want to make sure your outfit looks great and wrinkle free but an iron or steamers are a no no.
Weapons or firearms
For the safety of the passengers, weapons and firearms of any kind will not be permitted on board.
You will not be able to get through security with it.
Illegal drugs
You won’t be able to bring on the cruise ship any types of illegals drug regardless if it is for medicinal purposes.
Do cruises check carry on bags?
You do not need to check your carry-on cruise bag. Just like any luggage at an airport, you’ll just need to have it go through security check point.
What is a good carry on bag?
My wife and I just bring backpack each and find it plenty of space for everything we need.
Little bags with wheels that you can push around will be fine.
Final Thoughts
Packing for any type of vacation can be stressful, it all comes down to what you can and can’t live without for a week. If you forget to pack a few things here and there it’s not the end of the world.
Let me know in the comments what are some things that you must have on your cruise vacations.