Packing and Preparing for the Cruise

Packing Guidelines:

1.  Pack light!!!  Pretend you are carrying-on to an airplane.  One suitcase, and one other bag. Ladies, pack your purse in your suitcase to save space!  I usually pack a nice purse and a casual, cross body purse.  There's not a lot of room to store suit cases, so a small spinner should be big enough for each person. One person needs to carry a backpack as a second bag.  They are great to carry into ports and to pack extra souvenirs in for the trip home.

2. A good rule of thumb is to pack one casual outfit per cruise day, and at a few dressier outfits for dinner.  If you chose to purchase excursions ahead of time, read through the description carefully and see if it requires any special clothes items (shirt/pants to get dirty, swimwear, etc.).

Here is a sample packing list for a 4-5 day cruise:

Clothing:

• 5 t-shirts/casual shirts
• 2 pairs of shorts
• 1 pair of jeans
• 2 dressier outfits for pictures/dinner (mix and match as much as possible)
• 5 sets of underwear/socks (3 bras for the ladies)
• 1 light jacket
• sleepwear (shirt, pajama pants)
• 1 pair tennis shoes, 1 pair dressy shoes, 1 pair flip flops
• swim suit & cover up

For other items, here's what I recommend:

• Phone, charger, and earphones (for music, audio books, etc.)
• Reading/leisure materials (I've taken my word puzzles, novels, cross stitch, etc.) for sea days when you just want to relax.  Have something just in case.
• Toiletry items (pack small, travel size ones of each of your toiletry items)
• Extra reusable shopping bag (not the thin plastic kind) for wet/sandy beach items.  Also good for a surplus of souvenirs.

Do I have to have a passport?

• As of right now, the US Department of Customs and Border Protection, a passport is recommended but not required for cruises. For more info, go here:  https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/documents-needed-to-take-a-cruise
• I recommend having a passport. If, and it's a big IF, you get stranded in a foreign country, it will be extremely difficult, time consuming, and costly to get back to the U.S. without a passport.

Flying to the Cruise Port?

1. Book your flight for the day before the cruise departs.  It costs more money, but it will provide you will a lot of peace of mind when it comes to getting there on time.
2. Stay at a hotel within a few miles of the port.  Ask the hotel if they offer a free shuttle to the port.  If not, a taxi should not cost that much.

Driving to the Cruise Port?

   

1. If you have someone who lives close by the port, ask if there's a way for them to drive you there and keep your car at their house.  This will save you some $$$.
2. If that's not an option, prepare to spend at least $10 for parking at the port. Even though there are usually locals trying to rent parking spaces for lower rates, cruise lines guarantee their parking in locked, guarded lots and their lots are usually a lot closer to the pier.  This will save you time and energy on the return, so you don't have to walk/taxi very far to your vehicle. You will be very tired, so plan ahead for getting back to your vehicle.