Four Useful Things to Pack For Your Cruise

Wondering what to pack for your cruise? If you’re old enough to go on the trip, then we’ll assume you know to bring your swimsuit, socks, and underwear for your next cruise.

We won’t rehash that you should pack obvious items like t-shirts and shorts for a trip to the Caribbean.

But what else should you bring? There are a lot of things that most people wouldn’t think to pack that can be extremely useful on your cruise.

That’s because cruising is a little different from any other vacation. In most other places you aren’t on a moving vessel for a week at a time — miles away from the nearest store.

Cruising requires you to plan ahead and bring everything you might need. While we typically tell people to pack light, there’s no shame in being prepared for anything on your trip.

To help you out, we’ve rounded up a list of the top useful items that answer what you need to take on your cruise. For many of these things, you’d never think about packing.

  1. Small, Portable Cabin Fan

Many people bring along a fan for the cabin. Not only does it help to have some air circulating in the room (there are no ceiling fans in a cruise cabin), but it is also nice to have white noise to drown out any sounds while you sleep. One important tip — no matter which sort of fan you bring, you want something compact. Remember that you’re going to have to lug it to the ship and back home.

  1. Outlet Adapter

Have an iPhone? What about a tablet or a laptop? A small fan? A nightlight, curling iron, or straightener? You can see that outlet space can be at a premium in a small cruise cabin. That’s why we recommend packing an adapter or two that will expand the number of plugs. Just be sure it doesn’t have a surge protector, which isn’t allowed on the ship.

  1. 4-Wheel Spinner Suitcase

You likely already have a suitcase or a duffel bag to pack your clothes in, but it’s a good idea to switch over to a 4-wheel spinner suitcase if you don’t have one. The walkway from the cruise terminal to your cabin can be pretty long. There are often stairs, inclined walkways, and thresholds to pass.

Having a traditional rolling bag gets caught up in your feet and takes up a lot of space when dragging it behind you. A 4-wheeled suitcase like this one can be right at your side and is also much easier to navigate down narrow cruise ship hallways.

  1. Hand Sanitizer

There’s no glossing over the recent health issues that have hit the world and the cruise industry. While cruise lines go to major lengths to keep people healthy on their trip, it’s a good idea to take matters into your own hands.

There are hand sanitizer dispensers all over ships, but it’s smart to bring your own so that you don’t have to hunt. Use it regularly throughout the cruise. The good news is that it’s not expensive. Just be sure to get smaller containers that can fit easily in a pocket or a purse.