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We just returned home from our first “family of 4” cruise and I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself with how we packed. We each had our own personal item (purse, camera bag, backpacks for the kids), had one rolling carry on, one garment bag (around 32 lbs), and one checked bag (around 40 lbs). For reference, this trip included 2 adults, a 4 year old girl, and 7 year old boy. It was a 6 night Caribbean cruise, flying down the day before.
If you are ready to start packing, feel free to use this link to download and print your cruise-ready packing list. If you’d like a few more insights to what we took, keep reading below.
On the packing list, you’ll find multiple items listed under things like “tops”, “bottoms”, and “shoes”. This is not to imply that you need each of those items, but to get you thinking about what you might want to take.
Clothes – We try to plan for one outfit per day, knowing that a good portion of the time will be spent in swimwear, so you may not even need that many. Plan clothes that can mix and match (ex. 1 bottom that can work with 2 – 3 tops), layers that work with multiple outfits (like a jean jacket or cardigan), and don’t overpack.
Evening Wear – Fun rule on cruising : You don’t have to dress up the first night out for dinner. Plan on wearing whatever you wore all day. That means 1 outfit for each night that you have left, and even then, you can mix and match, or rewear some of your favorites (you’ll only wear them for a few hours). Be sure to pack a scarf, cardigan, or jacket that can be worn with multiple outfits to keep you comfortable on chilly nights.
Once you have your outfits picked out, make sure you have the right undergarments to go with each one. Shoes come next. We travel in one pair, dress up with one pair, and throw in a pair of flip flops. Depending on excursions we have planned, we may add sandals or flats or water shoes. Then grab jewelry and accessories based on the outfits that you’ve chosen. The easiest way to not overpack? Lay it all out, make sure you can mix & match, add outfit specific undergarments, shoes, and jewelry that can be worn multiple times (the shoes and jewelry that is).
We usually take 2 swimsuits per family member. Not always needed, but things tend to take a little longer to dry when they are hanging inside a cruise cabin and no one wants to wear a wet swimsuit.
You will find shampoo, conditioner, soap, towels, and a hair dryer all onboard. No need to pack those unless you love your own.
No irons are allowed (other than a curling iron or straightener), so a wrinkle releaser is a good idea to have. I will also tell you my wrinkle free packing secrets in an upcoming post.
There are lots of little things that we have learned over 15 years of cruising. Things like magnetic hooks, our snooz, a power strip, and a luggage scale are all things we have picked up along the way. Be sure to check out 8 Essentials for your Next Cruise and our extended camera packing list (we took everything but the SLR kit on this one) for more details on what makes planning and capturing our trips complete.
This is a tried and true packing list for our family. It may not be an exhaustive list for yours. Be sure to add / revise as needed and let us know if there are any major items that we are missing out on.
