Packing for a cruise is a little different from packing for a flight. The great thing is, you’re not limited to weights and sizes and how much you want to pack. You can pack as little or as much as you want, since you don’t pay for luggage. If you want to just walk on your cruise with your luggage and not worry about your luggage getting to you properly later, you can pack everything you need in a carry-on or duffle bag. If you want to be extra like me and pack more outfits than you need and for every occasion that may or may not arise, you can do that too. Anything bigger than a carry-on is not allowed to walk on with you. You have to “check” it at the port and it gets delivered to your stateroom later on. Knowing this, make sure you’re carrying your essentials in your immediate bag, purse, backpack, whatever (i.e. necessary medications and anything that can’t wait til later for your luggage to get to you)
Clothing wise, remember to pack weather-appropriate attire (i.e. Alaskan vs Bahamian cruise). Look up what the temperature range will be like where you are going. For example, Alaska can range from 80 degrees in the day and 45 at night for the summer. For my cruise, we’ll be going to the Bahamas and Florida so summer attire is more appropriate.
Every cruise line is also different on what they do and do not allow on board so check with your cruise line’s website for prohibited items.
For Disney cruises specifically, the following are not allowed on board. A more detailed list is also available here on their website:
Firearms and ammunition, any kind of knife, sword, dagger, bullwhip or any other type of weapon. These items are not allowed on the ship under any circumstances. Guests found in possession of any weapons or similar prohibited items on their person or in their baggage may be denied boarding and are subject to severe legal penalties.
Homemade, precooked or other perishable items.
Irons, bottle warmers, sporting equipment, balloons, candles, musical instruments, illegal drugs inclusive of medically prescribed and synthetic marijuana.
Coolers, except those carrying medications, baby food or items related to dietary constraints.
Disney also provides a cute checklist on their website of what to pack for your cruise, depending on where you’re cruising, which is a great starting point if you’ve never cruised in general before or if you’ve never cruised to a certain destination before.
As for me, this is my checklist for my upcoming adventure! It’s slightly tweaked from my travel by air checklist since there are different restrictions and less limitations.
THE ESSENTIALS
Toiletries - toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shower cap, makeup wipes, contacts, contact lens solution, shampoo and conditioner (I bring my own in since I don’t ever use the ones provided by hotels or cruises. This is important especially if you have color treated hair), hairbrush, travel hair dryer, curling iron, perfume rollerball. - Note that you are not bound by the 3 ounce rule like you are on airlines for your carry-on though so you don’t have to waste money buying smaller travel size toiletries.
Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen - not so much for me, but for the boy since he’s pale as a MF and burns up in 15 minutes. I do need it too since I hate tanning and the occasional sunburn I experience from time to time. I only trust Neutrogena SPF 100+ so if you burn easily, I'd advise in getting a good brand that works for you. Don't go too cheap. It's your skin after all. Taking care of it now will save you years of sun damage and wrinkles as well as help reduce your chances of skin cancer. It's no joke.
Makeup
Skin: Toner, moisturizer, primer, foundation, concealer, powder, setting spray
Eyes: Brow pencil, eyeliner, mascara, curler, lash glue, 1-2 sets of lashes, and 1-2 palettes. I try to stick to one palette if possible so I’ll experiment the week before my vacation to narrow it down to the one palette that would universally work well for all my looks. I’m big on palettes rather than singles since at least if you’re stuck with one palette, you still have a few options.
Face: Blush, highlighter palette, lipsticks, lip pencils, makeup brushes, sponges, makeup remover, face wipes, q-tips
Underwear - this should go without saying but the common sense nowadays is lacking. But you should bring a pair for each day and then some extra just in case. Bra-wise, I’ve been wearing soft bralettes over padded bras lately for comfortability and sticky nude bras for those cute backless dresses and low cut tops.
Shoes - I usually try to bring shoes that will universally pair with most of my outfits, if not all, as well as work for a variety of occasions. But since I’m not limited here on weight and space, what I like to do is plan all my outfits out and make sure every outfit has the appropriate footwear packed along with it. So I’ll pack a pair of comfortable walking flats for walking around the ship, a pair of fancy shoes for formal night(heels or sandals), sandals for the pool/beach, and a pair of sneakers in case I feel like working out since there’s a gym on board and an running track. I want to say I won’t work out on vacation but since my particular cruise has a lot of days at sea, I might catch myself itching to work out. Oh yes, and don’t forget to pack socks.
Clothes - I have OCD so I’ll lay out and try on multiple outfits and plan out what I want to wear. Disney gives you an itinerary with certain themed nights and if you look up your ship, they also have special themed restaurants. So I coordinate my outfits based on that. Most cruises also have formal nights. They are usually optional but if you love to dress up, make sure to pack something cute and fancy. My particular cruise also has an adults-only restaurant that has a strict dress code so I packed accordingly for that as well. Over the weekend, I spent some time putting together cute Disney Bound looks. I’ll also accessorize the outfits to envision what else I need to pack. Then I throw each outfit into a ziplock bag so it’s easy to reach for and put together on my trip instead of rummaging through my bag trying to remember all the parts to one outfit I had put together. I also take pics on my phone to help narrow down what makes the cut, as well as help visualize what I want to wear for each day when getting ready on the actual days on vacation. I also pack 1-2 pairs of pjs. You don’t have to be as extra as me obviously so don’t feel like you need to pack an outfit for each day. There is laundering services available on the ship if you need. I have trust issues and worry about my stuff getting lost though so I try not to use them. Oh yes, remember to pack an appropriate outfit to wear on your last day on the cruise if you’re returning back to cold weather.
Swimsuits - I packed a bunch of different one for both the beach and pool lounging. Since this is a Disney cruise, I wanted several different looks to shoot to get the most out of this vacation. I don’t know when the next time I’ll be able and willing to shell out for another Disney cruise.
Accessories - hats, jewelry, belts, sunglasses, bags and backpacks that coordinate with my outfits.
An extra tote bag - helps to bring back gifts when returning home from my trip in case there’s no room left in my luggage or the items I want to bring back are a little fragile and require more direct handling to transport back home.
MY PURSE/BACKPACK
Wallet - ID, petty cash for tipping the crew and exceptional service if you receive it, credit cards (on the cruise, you don’t ever have to carry this but you do have to have one available to put on your account for all your room charges. For those who have never cruised, cruises work on a cashless system. You are given a stateroom card which acts as your ‘credit card’ throughout the entire trip. You simply charge everything to it and you get billed at the end. Remember to go over your invoice daily as well as at the end to make sure there are no discrepancies or weird charges)
Passport or required citizenship documentation
Portable charger - remember to fully charge this before your trip!
Phone charger
Camera bag with lenses, extra batteries, charger
Glasses - I try to keep my glasses on my person in case my eyes need a break. I take my contacts out in the evening but in case I want to run upstairs to get a quick snack from the buffet bar, I can just throw my glasses on and go.
Medication -Advil is always a good idea unless you want to pay $5 highway robbery for 2 pills at 2am because no choice. Anti-nausea meds like Seabands, Dramamine, Trans-derm patches, ginger candy, etc. saif you get nauseous or seasick. And if you’re on essential maintenance prescription meds like birth control, pack these too.
Small bag of makeup essentials for touch-ups (lipstick, eyeliner, highlighter compact with mirror)
Empty blender bottle - I use this as a water bottle because it’s sturdy and leakproof. Once you’re on board, you can fill up your water bottle and always have it on you. I hate paying highway robbery for water bottles anywhere.
Snacks! - I always pack a small tote bag full of snacks because I never want to be desperate enough to pay $15 for the snacks included in your minibar. I learned the hard way on my honeymoon cruise as my hubby craved their highway robbery gummy bears they kept restocking in our minibar fridge. I usually pack a few of my favorite movie theater box size candies like Sour Patch Strawberries, gummy bears, M&Ms, a bag of chips or popcorn.
An extra outfit that doesn’t take up a lot of space and is quick to change into in case your checked luggage runs into some mishaps.
Halloween
Since my cruise also stops in Orlando for a day, as well as stopping on Halloween of all days, as well as being a Halloween themed cruise, I packed accordingly for that. I packed along a costume and bought separate tickets to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, as well as costumes to wear on the cruise. The cruise line does provide complimentary transportation to and from the parks as well as complimentary park hopper tickets for the day, but not for the party so those must be purchased separately if you want to attend the party.
Are there any essentials you guys pack that I didn’t list here? What can you not travel without? And when and where is your next adventure?!
