Trips & packing
What to pack for a week-long cruise
Get ready for a week at sea with documents, a boarding bag and clothes for shore days. Plan for boarding and the final morning.
The checklist
- Sunscreen
- Blister plasters
- Personal toiletries
+ 41 more explained items
Packing for a cruise starts with the journey to the terminal and ends after you leave the ship. Think through those stages before filling a suitcase: boarding, the first afternoon, days at sea, trips ashore and the last morning. Each stage needs a different small set of things within reach. A well-organised day bag can do more for your holiday than a suitcase full of cabin accessories.
This is a practical starting list for an ordinary ocean cruise, rather than an expedition or a specialist sports holiday. Begin with items you already own, remove activities you will skip, and add warmer layers or excursion equipment for your actual route. Include any hotel nights and flights around the sailing when you count clothing and personal supplies.
The checklist follows buy, take and do. Buy only missing essentials; pack belongings by use; complete the preparation in date order. Print it or recreate your chosen items in Cartdock and share the work with your travelling companion. Before the final check, read the instructions for your exact booking: examples from other cruise lines help identify questions, but your operator and itinerary decide the requirements.
Who this list is for
Adults taking their first ocean cruise for about a week, with a mixture of sea days and port visits. Adapt this starting list to your own ship, climate, activities and travel arrangements. Families can add age-specific supplies after checking the operator’s rules.
Tips
Keep the first afternoon in your own bag
Carnival tells guests to hand-carry documents, valuables and medication rather than leave them in delivered luggage. Use that principle to organise a boarding bag that stays with you. Add your charger, toiletries and a change of clothes in an accessible pocket. If you hope to swim after boarding, put swimwear there too. Try carrying the filled bag at home: you should be able to manage it while also presenting documents.
Check documents against the whole itinerary
Royal Caribbean’s document hub separates requirements by departure port and citizenship. Check your own operator’s guidance alongside the government requirements for every country on the route and any flight connections. Compare names on bookings and original documents before departure. Keep copies separately as a backup, without treating them as substitutes. When travelling with children, resolve any consent or guardianship paperwork early, rather than discovering it at check-in.
Choose clothes by activity and restaurant
NCL currently requires shirts and footwear in dining settings and keeps swimwear for the pool. Use your ship’s own dress guidance when choosing an evening outfit. Lay clothes out as combinations, so a shirt or dress can work on several occasions. Comfortable walking shoes deserve space before optional party costumes. Match the bag to the activities you actually booked, including any specified footwear, instead of planning for every possible onboard event.
Plan for the coolest part of the route
Look up each port and the sailing dates before choosing layers. A trip described by a sunny destination can still include a windy deck, a rainy excursion or a cool transfer home. Put a light insulating layer and a rain layer where you can reach them. Build a port-day kit around the planned walking and time outdoors. Remove bulky duplicates once you can explain when you will use each garment.
Read the electrical policy before buying accessories
Royal Caribbean prohibits extension cords, power strips and multi-plug outlets; it lists an exception for appropriately certified device and USB chargers. Check the policy of your own operator before purchasing anything marketed as a cruise essential. Photograph a charger’s label if you need to ask about it. Match its voltage specification and plug to the confirmed cabin supply. A simple charging plan for your existing devices usually needs less luggage than a collection of unverified adapters.
Separate ordinary comfort from special arrangements
NCL’s prohibited list includes travel heating appliances, drones and walkie-talkies. Review the complete list rather than assuming a familiar household item can come aboard. Keep personal supplies compact and labelled. For essential equipment, storage needs or accessibility arrangements, contact the cruise line before packing and retain its response. Review your insurance wording and assistance contact details. Ask a qualified professional about medication or motion-sickness concerns; this packing list does not choose a treatment.
Pack the final morning before handing luggage over
NCL advises an overnight bag because suitcases are collected before returning to the home port. Follow the departure instructions actually given on your ship, including any self-carry option. Set aside clothes, shoes, toiletries, documents and chargers before closing the suitcase. Think beyond breakfast to the transfer and flight home. Keep a small space for anything you still use overnight, and make a final check of drawers, sockets and the safe before leaving.
The checklist
44 items, grouped like in the Cartdock app.
Print this page to tick items off on paper: the printout keeps only the checklist, with a box before every item.
Buy
Personal supplies to replace
- Sunscreen — Choose protection suitable for your planned outdoor time
- Blister plasters — Useful when a port visit involves more walking than usual
- Personal toiletries — Replace only what is missing from your existing travel kit
- Insect repellent if needed — Check whether your outdoor excursion calls for it
Missing clothing essentials
- Light rain layer — Buy only if your existing jacket will not cover the route
- Comfortable walking shoes — Allow time to wear them before the first excursion
Luggage identification
- Luggage label holders if needed — Match them to the tags issued for your booking
Take along
Documents kept with you
- Original required identification — Confirm the document and its validity for your nationality and route
- Required visas or travel authorisations — Check all ports and flight connections
- Boarding confirmation — Keep the format requested by your cruise line accessible
- Insurance and assistance details — Save the policy and contact information offline
- Transfer and onward-travel bookings — Include the journey home as well as arrival
- Required child travel paperwork if applicable — Keep confirmed consent or guardianship documents with identification
Clothes for your actual plans
- Daytime tops and bottoms — Choose combinations you can reuse
- Underwear and socks — Count travel days and any confirmed laundry plan
- Swimwear · 2 sets per person — Keep a dry option available while the other dries
- Pool footwear and cover-up — Separate pool clothing from dining clothes
- Reusable evening outfit — Select it after reading the ship’s dining guidance
- Light warm layer — Keep it reachable for wind or a cool evening
- Hat and sunglasses — Choose items you can secure during a breezy walk
- Activity-specific clothing — Add only for booked or firmly planned activities
- Sleepwear — Keep it out of luggage collected on the last night
Devices and offline information
- Phone and charging cable — Keep the cable accessible in the boarding bag
- Permitted device charger — Check certification, voltage and your operator’s current policy
- Simple plug adapter if confirmed suitable — It must meet the ship policy and the device requirements
- Downloaded bookings and port notes — Test access without a mobile-data connection
Everyday bags and essentials
- Day bag — Choose one you can carry comfortably while walking
- Medication and necessary personal equipment — Carry personally; confirm special handling with the operator
- Small bag for wet or worn clothing — Keep damp items away from documents and dry clothes
- Book or downloaded entertainment — Choose something usable when you prefer a quiet sea day
To do
Several weeks before departureResolve requirements early
- Check documents and name matches — Resolve validity, visas and child paperwork before packing
- Confirm travel insurance and assistance — Read the cover for your itinerary and planned activities
- Agree essential equipment arrangements — Retain the operator’s response about special handling or access
- Review prohibited items and beverage rules — Do this before buying cabin accessories or drinks
- Plan arrival and departure transfers — Leave a realistic margin for the terminal journey
Before leaving homeComplete the final packing check
- Complete operator check-in — Follow the deadline and boarding instructions in your booking
- Attach issued luggage tags — Keep boarding documents separately in your own bag
- Check weather and excursion requirements — Adjust layers and footwear for each booked activity
- Configure connectivity and download essentials — Check your mobile provider and ship options before choosing a plan
- Pack and test the boarding bag — Carry documents, medication and first-afternoon items yourself
OnboardDuring the cruise and before leaving
- Read the safety instructions and complete the required drill — Follow your ship’s actual process and crew directions
- Check return time before each shore visit — Save the ship’s contact details and allow a margin
- Set aside the final-morning bag — Keep clothes, shoes and essentials before surrendering luggage
- Check the cabin and onward-travel documents — Look in the safe, drawers and sockets before leaving
Questions and answers
How much luggage should I bring?
Start with what you can carry through your whole journey, then check your airline, transfer and cruise booking limits separately. Make room for essentials first. If laundry matters to your clothing plan, confirm that your ship offers the service you need before relying on it. A larger allowance is not a reason to fill another suitcase.
Do I need a formal outfit?
Read the dress guidance for your ship and the restaurants you intend to use. Choose an outfit you enjoy wearing and can combine with other pieces. If an evening has a stated theme, participation and clothing expectations should be checked in the sailing information before you buy something solely for that event.
Can I bring drinks or food onboard?
Check your operator’s current beverage and food policy for the embarkation port, container type and any special dietary need. Do that before shopping or packing a reusable container with drinks. Ask about essential dietary supplies in advance and retain the answer. Do not use another passenger’s experience as permission for your sailing.
What belongs in a shore-day bag?
Carry the identification your ship instructs you to take, the ship card, a way to pay, weather layers and the items needed for that excursion. Save the port contact and return instructions somewhere accessible without mobile data. Check the time used onboard and the announced return deadline before leaving, then plan a comfortable margin.
Make your own list in Cartdock
Save your own copy with the exact items, measures and instructions. Changes stay in your copy.
Open this guide in CartdockInstall Cartdock, then return to this page and tap Open. The store does not automatically restore this guide.
Say or type one phrase, and Rinka suggests items by section. Rinka is an AI, not a person: a language model writes the answers. Rinka needs a connection and your consent to AI processing. Without an account you get fewer questions; the number of questions depends on your plan. You can also add and edit items yourself.
Share your list with a link and tick items off together. People without the app can open the list in a browser.