Packing for a Cruise – 7 days in a Carry-On Bag
This is how we pack for a cruise!
A week’s worth of clothing for two teenage boys
Each person packs…
- 1 casual outfit per day = shirt & shorts (mostly t-shirts or tanks but a couple of nicer shirts for the casual dinners)
- 1 full dress outfit (we usually only attend one formal night, but you can wear this outfit twice, you will only wear it for a few hours) OR if you feel you need two, pack two lightweight dresses for the girls and one dress outfit with two different ties for the guys.
- 1 pair of sneakers/walking shoes (wear these on your feet on embarkation day), 1 pair of flip-flops or sandals, 1 pair of dress shoes and possibly 1 pair of water shoes (some excursions require them)
- 1 pair of PJs
- 1-2 swimsuits
- Underwear & socks (enough for however many days you will be on the cruise)
Packing Cubes
Let’s talk a minute about packing cubes… I have never used them before but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so I bought one set to try out. I packed one suitcase (my suitcase) in the packing cubes and used the rolling method for all of the others. Let me back up one second to say that I used the rolling method WITH the packing cubes in my suitcase.
I really liked them! I was able to organize all of my tops and dress and sweater in the large cube, my bottoms in the medium cube and swimwear in the small cube. The set I bought also came with three pouches. The largest pouch was the perfect size for underwear and I used the two smaller ones for jewelry, etc.
Can I live without them… yes. But it was really nice to have the bag even one step more organized which is great for my over-organized personality!
My first time using packing cubes
Rolling Method
The rolling method is one thing I truly believe in! Rolling the clothes very tightly saves a LOT of room and therefore you can fit more clothes in a smaller suitcase. Also, rolling makes fewer wrinkles in nothing than folding.
Fold the shirt or pants in half and then roll from top to bottom. Trust me, it really works!
Toiletries
Some items are provided for you like shampoo and body wash, but for the most part, you will need to bring what you need. Here are a few suggestions:
- toothbrush & toothpaste, floss, mouthwash
- hairbrush
- curling iron or flat iron – hair dryer is provided but some prefer to bring their own
- hair gel or hair spray
- shampoo and conditioner
- deodorant
- perfume, jewelry, etc.
- make-up
I found a great toiletries organizational bag with lots of pouches of all sizes. I was able to put the toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss on one zipper pouch, the deodorants in the other zipper pouch and the main area in the middle held the large items like shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash and my hairbrush.
Proper Paperwork
- Boarding pass (printed during online check-in)
- Proper identification
- Passport or birth certificate
- State issued driver’s license
And the extras
- Power strip for additional plugs (no surge protector) – there is only ONE plug in the room (well sometimes two but not many)!
- Decorate your door – it makes your room easier to locate
- Backpack or beach bag
- SUNSCREEN and bring LOTS of it! Also, aloe gel in case of a sunburn – the Caribbean sun is intense!
- HAT! See above about the sun 🙂
- Sunglasses (and maybe a backup pair)
- Bug repellent for in port
- Disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer – 4,000+ people = lots of germs
- Highlighter to mark the activities on board that you don’t want to miss
- Post-it notes or small dry erase board for messages
- Ziploc bags to put your cell phone/camera in while in port and to pack wet things in for the drive home
- Binoculars for looking off of the ship
- Small first aid kit (with band-aids)
- Over-the-counter medications and also any prescriptions you need
- Seasickness medicine (just in case) – Sea Bands, Dramamine or ginger work well
- Pop-up clothes hamper or laundry bag for dirty clothes
- In case of wanting to do laundry: detergent pods, dryer sheets & quarters for machines
- Tide pen or Shout wipes for spills on clothing
- Downy Wrinkle Releaser is great instead of ironing
- Lightweight sweater or jacket – it can get chilly on deck at night
- Clothespins are great for hanging wet swimsuits to dry on the line in the bathroom.
- Towel clips for beach towels – it can get very windy on deck
- Large cup with a lid for water and/or coffee, the cups are very small on the ship
- Portable radio to listen to the local music while in port
- Magnet hooks – cabin walls are metal so extra hooks for storage are great
- Over the door shoe hanger is great for the bathroom if you have lots of toiletries
- Lanyard for your sail & sign card
- Extra memory cards and batteries for your camera/video camera
- Carnival allows one bottle of wine (750ml) per adult and soda (12 pack) per person in carry-on luggage (NOTE: we use bungee cords to strap the 12 pack of soda to the top of our luggage)
Want more details on these extras? Here is the full post.
PS – Don’t forget your wine needs to be in your carry-on, not your checked bag!!!!
Want a printable packing list? Click here for Packing List
If you want all 101 Cruise Tips, click here:
Want to see these tips live: Here is the video:
Want more cruising posts? Here is our full list.
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Thanks,
Alisa
EECC Travels
24 Responses
I’ve been watching your channel; I’m going on the Breeze in October and your tour came up when I searched Youtube. Just wanted to say you do a super good job, and your vlogs are totally addictive. You’re very thorough and fun to watch, too! 🙂 – Cat from NL
Hey Cat! I am so glad you found our channel! We had a wonderful time on the Breeze, you will too. It’s great that our videos are helping you get excited 😀
Great tips! I love being able to travel with just a carry-on bag, not having to worry about leaving things all over the place.
Deborah, http://www.12by12travel.com
This is great I’m going on a cruise in October and really want to just use a carry on. These tips will be really helpful for that. Although my trip In October will be about 16 days… any tips for packing light for something like that lol? 😅
1)Laundry….find a way to either get a bag from room steward (on most longer cruises, they offer a bag for you to fill for a flat fee and your room steward takes care of it. Usually in 1 or 2 days n you should tip$them for that). 2)Or wash out items yourself. Bring a small plastic bottle of liquid Tide or your fav detergent. But also put it in a zip lock bag for travel bec air pressure can cause it to leak, as w most of your liquid toiletries, if flying to cruise.
3)Underware n tanktops are easy to hand wash but allow a couple days to dry if cotton. Most showers on cruise w have a pull cord for hanging up wet swimsuits n hand washables. But bring some closepins. (as our hosts mentioned)
4)I usually wear the same outfit home as I wore traveling to port; hang it up in closet for last day, it’s your backup, especially if coming from a different climate. 5)Also, on a longer trip I wear a top I’ve worn on board or touring etc for PJ’s.
6)*I bring old clothes for about 30-50% my items depending on my itinerary… wear them a couple times n discard(if you wear a sweater, sweatshirt or jacket over it no one ever w see a stain or if its getting natty or worn). Then you have room for purchases you made 😉 I travel overseas a lot and this really works whether your in cooler or warm climates. Try it.
7) I like using packing cubes to keep oganized. Great idea, some of mine are compression types.
8) I take a cotton blend extra lg scarf that works as a shawl and a wool blend one that is a way to dress up but does not take up room, both gd for air conditioning or on deck in wind or evenings. 9)Lastly, when traveling especially a long distance for cruising what you pack in your carry on is really important; but I also put a large gal size ziplock w an extra chg of clothes. Bec your bag may not get to your cabin until much later after the ship sails, if you have already been in clothes 12 hrs you will want to chg.
10) Plus along that same idea, I pack another chg of clothing: top, slacks, underware, sox, etc and my spouce or traveling compainion does same we exchg those items and that goes in their suitcase and theirs in mine…just in case one of our bags gets lost and does not make your cruise or tour… and wear your walking shoes …if you can not bring your suitcase on the plane.(most overseas airline size requirements for carryon luggage is smaller than US carriers) It’s tough to get your bag delivered bec your off on a ship. That is another good reason to arrive 1 or 2 days earlier and have cruise port info on your luggage tag so it can be delivered to you in time. That happened on an escorted tour we were on once. I had at least those clothes in my husband’s bag, and a little extra in my small carryon hand baggage but had to buy items, like a skirt and a couple tops, and do laundry as we traveled for 10 days.
Bon Voyage!
Traveling With Aunt Susie
Susie, thank you so much for adding your insight and tips!!! I picked up a few new tips here too.
The last time I went on a cruise I packed two suitcases! We are going on one in a few months and I will definitely be following your packing advice!
Great tips. The last cruise I went on we had 2 bags each (it was an Alaskan Cruise) and it was too much. I’ll definitely apply some of these tips next time.
I’ve been on about 15 cruises and this seems pretty darn accurate! I’ve been debating buying some packing cubes for my upcoming trip to Europe, where I’ll be living out of my bag for 15 days and moving around 5 countries. I think I’ll give them a try.
Wow, I can’t believe you got all of that in a carry-on. We really enjoy dressing up and getting our pictures taken while cruising. I can see all of us having one carry-on each and then 1 extra bag just for dinner/formal wear. Seriously impressed with your packing skills!
I have a stupid question…What is the size of your carry on luggage?
This is a great list! Also, so glad to see you recommending packing cubes, I live by those!! I’ll certainly leverage your list for my next beach or cruise trip.
This is a great list! Also, so glad to see you recommending packing cubes, I live by those!! I’ll certainly leverage your list for my next beach or cruise trip.
I’m going on a cruise in August and I definitely can use your tips for packing. I hope tha this time I’ll be more organized and go with only one suitcase.
Where did you get the multi pocket organizational pouch that you have posted above?
It came from wish.com. I absolutely love it!!
This was a very detailed list. I found the “extras” list extremely helpful. I’ve never been on a cruise but we’re planning one for next year. I’ll have to bookmark this post for future references.
Going on my first cruise in 4 days. Your videos have helped so much. One question I have is should I use only carry on bags?
Hi my name is Alanna cameron and copy were friends with my brother Jordan on carnival breeze. Found you guys on YouTube and told my brother and he miss hanging out. It was a lot of fun eating ice cream.
We are cruising soon and I love that organizer bag with all your toiletries in it. Where did you find that? And I now swear by packing cubes. I’m a believer since I can pack more than I thought! 🙂 Thanks for your post. It helped tremendously!
Love watching your videos and tips. I have a question about what size suitcase do you take? I have a 26 and not sure i can get evrything in it for my 7 day cruise and a day in Tampa. Also how many bags can you carry on, gonna check larger one. Thanks
Where did you get that carry on organizer with all the pockets! There is only a picture – no link!
PS – Don’t forget your wine needs to be in your carry-on, not your checked bag!!!!
If you put wine in your carry on will TSA confiscate it at the airport?
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