A cruise can be a great option for a family vacation. Cruise ships are packed with tons of fun for everyone in the family, with kids clubs, water parks, arcades and rides for the kiddos, and fine dining, the spa, bars and more for the adults.
However, there’s one thing that can make your family vacay go sideways, and quickly — realizing you didn’t pack the right stuff. Sure, you packed all the diapers, prescription medications and the toddler’s favorite stuffie. But there’s so much more you’ll need.
Now you’re at sea and it’s not like there’s a 24-hour grocery store to head to. Here are the items you need to pack for your family cruise (that you might forget otherwise).
In This Article:
Baby Gear for Getting Around
If you’re traveling with a child that still needs to be carried either all of the time or some of the time, you’ll want to bring a few key items. Namely, your stroller, a car seat and/or a booster seat.
While you may think you don’t need a stroller because you’ll just be on the ship for most of the time or the entire time, take a moment to realize just how big cruise ships are.
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is the length of three football fields, and yes, you’ll be walking a lot, as you go from dining room to pool to stateroom, etc. You want the stroller.
If you bring a stroller, don’t bring the biggest, bulkiest stroller known to man. Opt for a smaller, lightweight version that can be easily maneuvered around the ship, among crowds. Note that you have to store the stroller in your stateroom when not in use (some choose to store their strollers in their showers, to save floor space).
Likewise, a car seat and/or booster seat can be handy in cruise ship restaurants. While a large number of restaurants on-land offer booster seats to guests, that’s not always the case on every cruise ship.
Cruise Cabin Bathroom
You probably know to pack plenty of toiletries for your trip, but go a little step further and pack extra toiletries for your trip. From kids’ toothpaste to tear-free shampoo, if you lose or damage a toiletry, you want to have an extra on hand.
This is because, while most cruise ships do have a shop that sells basic toiletry items, they (1) may not have exactly what your very picky child wants and (2) they’re going to charge you an outrageous price for it, because they know you have no other option.
First Aid Gear
You might not normally travel with a first aid kit in hand, but this is another smart thing to pack when you’re on a cruise with the family. Again, you can find some basic first aid items on the ship, but getting them can be a hassle or expensive. Having your own stash of Band-Aids, disinfectant ointment and similar can save you a headache or two.
Among your first aid gear, be sure to pack some kid-friendly motion sickness products. While you may know that you personally don’t get motion sick, if your child has never cruised before, you want to be prepared.
No one will enjoy a family vacation that’s highlighted by one member being constantly sick (especially if that family member isn’t old enough to understand where they should or shouldn’t vomit).
Tote Bags and Other Carriers
Items to Pack for a Family Cruise (Photo Credit: SIN1980)
Don’t just throw everything you think you’ll need in your suitcase and not worry about how you’ll actually move your items around, once you’re on the ship.
A tote bag or two can come in extremely handy as you move about the ship. Headed to the pool? Take a tote filled with sunblock, drinks, toys and anything else you might need.
A larger bag with a zipper or other closure, such as a basic backpack, can also be handy for going into port, when you need to carry more, but you want to keep your items secure as you explore.
A cooler can also come in handy, to cart cold bottles of water and soda to the pool or even to the beach while you’re in port. However, be sure to check the cruise line’s regulations regarding bringing a cooler onboard, before you pack. Some, like Carnival Cruise Line, have size limitations for coolers (12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches), while others don’t allow coolers at all.
Another carrying item that you might not think to bring but that will come in super-handy? Plastic, zip-top baggies. Bottle of shampoo started leaking in your suitcase? Throw it in a baggy. Need a quick ice pack? Put some ice in a baggy. Worried about your phone getting wet at the pool? Put it in a baggy. (Or upgrade from a zip-top baggy to a wet bag.)
A Cruise-Friendly Power Strip
If you’re traveling with older kids that have their own devices, and you’re all staying in the same stateroom — especially on an older ship — you’re going to notice something pretty quickly. There just aren’t enough outlets in the cabin to charge all of your devices.
For this reason, many cruising families or groups pack a power strip. Do note, though, that cruise lines have specific rules for power strips.
For example, Carnival Cruise Line allows you to bring a power strip without surge protection (though the cruise line does retain the right to confiscate your power strip if it’s deemed a potential fire hazard).
In contrast, Royal Caribbean does not allow you to bring a power strip with typical AC outlets, but you can bring a power strip that’s designed for plugging in USBs specifically.
Along these lines, consider bringing portable chargers as well. They can come in handy whether you’re out and about on the cruise ship, exploring, or doing so in port, or if the family has already claimed all the other outlets in the cabin, and you’re desperate for some juice.
Organizers
If you’ve ever traveled in an interior stateroom, you know how cramped they can be when you pack in more than two people, and you know how they can sometimes come with limited storage space. Even larger staterooms can feel cramped if you have the whole family sleeping in one.
As such, consider bringing along a few organizing tools to help you keep your stateroom a little tidier and organized, and a little less like a hurricane just moved through.
You can use over-the-door organizers to keep small items off the floor or off the limited counter space, but still within easy reach.
Clotheslines and clothes pins can allow a space to dry wet swimsuits and other clothes, without resorting to draping them over chairs. Bungee cords can act as a clothesline in a snap, but you may find other ways to use these cords, such as securing items in your cabin.
Magnetic hooks and a collapsible laundry basket also help keep the mess down, as do hanging toiletry bags or toiletry baskets for the bathroom (many cruise ship cabins offer little in the way of vanity space). Even just some extra clothes hangers can come in handy!
Reusable Drink Bottles and Straws
Travel Water Bottle (Photo Credit: Darya Lavinskaya / Shutterstock)
Bottles of water are not free on a cruise ship, and you may find that the cups of water provided for free on your cruise aren’t exactly large or that conducive to running around the ship with kids in tow.
So, bring your own reusable water bottles and straws for the family. You can bring large bottles that will keep your drinks cold throughout your entire day at the pool, no problem.
While you’re at, consider bringing a reusable coffee thermos as well (better yet, go for a thermos that can pull doubled duty and keep your coffee hot in the morning and your ice water cold in the afternoon).
One Slightly Dressier Outfit for the Kids
Kids on a Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Tomsickova Tatyana)
Your child may prefer to live out their days in flip flops, cotton shorts and tank tops. While that’s okay if you’re exploring the top deck or hanging out by the pool, you will need to bring something slightly dressier for the kids, if you plan on dining with them at a nicer restaurant on the ship, or attending one of the main dining room’s formal nights.
Most cruise ships do host formal nights, at least once during most cruises, wherein diners are asked to dress up a bit for a more upscale dining experience.
Worth Reading: What to Wear When You Go On A Cruise
You might think your family won’t want to attend one of these, but then you get onboard, see how much fun everyone else is having, and want to join in. So, play safe rather than sorry and pack a slightly dressier outfit for the kids to wear to dinner, if they need it.
You don’t have to break out the suit and tie or anything. Just bring a pair of khakis and a button up, or a casual sundress. That will typically be enough to suffice.
A Nightlight or Flashlight
Wonder of the Seas Boardwalk Cabin (Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz)
Once you turn off all the lights in your stateroom, you may be surprised at just how dark it is. Even if you’re not in an interior stateroom, the ocean is a dark place. Depending on your individual balcony or ocean-view room, you may find the cabin still quite dark.
As such, think about bringing along a nightlight that you can plug in, maybe in the bathroom, or equipping your kiddo with a flashlight that they can use if they need to get up during the night.
If you’re traveling with a teenager, you may find that they spend the majority of the cruise not exactly glued to your side. This is okay, though — there’s plenty of safe, teen-friendly fun to be had on most cruise ships, and the major family brands like Carnival and Royal Caribbean offer teen-friendly, supervised hangout spots.
However, it may mean you need to pack a few extras for your teens. Because they won’t be sticking with you, they’ll need some of their own, personal gear. For example, they should have their own reusable water bottle, own sunscreen, own tote bag, etc.
Air Fresheners
Carnival Cruise Line Cabin (Photo Copyright: Cruise Hive)
If you’ve been on a cruise before, you know that, with cruise ship bathrooms… well, let’s just say certain smells can linger. With how small some cabins are, that smell can quickly overtake your cabin. When you’re traveling with the entire family and everyone is using the bathroom on a regular basis, that smell can multiply.
Save yourself some stink by bringing along a portable, small bottle of air freshener, specifically one designed for bathroom use.
A White Noise Machine or Small Fan
While it is possible to find quiet spots on just about every cruise ship, regardless of size, you could end up with a cabin that’s not exactly one of them.
Cabins near stairwells and elevators are particularly known to get a lot of noise — and when you’re trying to get the kids to sleep, whether at night or for a nap, that fact can be a real pain.
Pack a portable white noise machine or small fan to help drown out some of that outside, background noise. You may just find that you even sleep a little deeper, thanks to the relaxing noise!
(And if you’re thinking that you’ll just leave your balcony door open so you can catch the sounds of the waves, think again. That’s one thing you should never do, as there have been cases of other cruisers breaking into adjoining cabins via open balcony doors!)
Disinfectant Wipes or Gels
Hand Sanitizer on Carnival Cruise (Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz)
Lastly, we’ve all heard the stories of cruise ships coming back with dozens or hundreds of ill cruisers, and kids of a certain age are notorious for sticking their hands on every surface in sight…and then sticking those hands right into their mouths.
Do your best to keep your family safe from the germs that naturally collect on a ship filled with thousands upon thousands of people. Pack some portable disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizing gel, and use them.
Keep in Mind the Items You Can’t Bring
Beyond the items you should bring, though, as you pack, also keep in mind the items you cannot bring. Depending on your particular cruise line, there are some kids’ items that are a no-go, and that might be confiscated upon boarding.
Read Also: Incredible Cruise Ship Amenities You Really Need to Experience
For example, baby monitors are not allowed on some cruise lines, and inflatable kiddy pools or pool toys may be prohibited, too. Similarly to baby monitors, walkie-talkies — a favorite with large vacationing families — are also not permitted on some cruise ships.
Source: Cruisehive.com