My family used to cruise a lot when I was younger, but I haven’t been on one since I was 16. I am so excited that Kendall and I decided to go all out for our first anniversary in April and take a long weekend cruise to the Bahamas with Royal Caribbean. Since we’re celebrating a pretty cool milestone, we upgraded to a balcony room, the all-inclusive beverage package, and we’re each picking an excursion for the two different islands we’re hitting.
I haven’t done cruising as an adult and I’m in major planning mode to make sure that we bring everything we need to make our weekend perfect. I’m sure different aspects of cruising have also changed in 14 years, so I’ve been doing my research about what to pack that maybe we wouldn’t have thought of. I’ll do a second post on what I’m going to pack outfit-wise… this one is just for the essentials or bits and pieces that will make our trip go smoothly.
I’m not sure if this is every cruise, but on Royal Caribbean, cruisers receive a SeaPass. Since Royal Caribbean ships are cashless, your SeaPass card is how you make purchases, gain access to designated areas of the ship and identify yourself to Royal Caribbean easily. Once onboard your ship, you can use the SeaPass card to do things like
- Get into your stateroom
- Make onboard purchases
- Check-in when returning back to the ship in ports
- Accessing your onboard photos
Your SeaPass card is something to bring with you anywhere you go onboard or onshore. Since you really just need this one thing, you might want to consider getting a lanyard… and it doesn’t have to be ugly. I honestly don’t think I’ll be bringing my cell with me, but if you’re set on having your phone, you might want to consider doing a cell phone cross-body instead.
I vaguely remember this from when I was younger, but when you arrive at the port, you drop your luggage and it is delivered to your stateroom. You have a luggage tag that is either taped or stapled to your bag. It rungs the risk of being ripped off or lost, so you might want to consider a Cruise Luggage Tag Holder to keep it safe instead.
Rumors about as to what islands you do and do not need a passport for entry. Be safe, and bring one! Sometimes a birth certificate will suffice, but would you really want to have to carry that around with you?
Cameras, smartphones and tablets aren’t much fun when their juice is gone. Make sure you bring device chargers and a portable charger that lets you charge on the go. I’ve even seen suggestions of bring a power strip for your room. (edit: one of my sorority sisters let me know that power strips weren’t allowed on her ship the last time she cruised! Check your line’s policies!) I’m super excited to bring our GoPro on excursions! Along with capturing the moments, Royal Caribbean suggests bringing binoculars to catch views from your stateroom.
Sunscreen is a given, but since both Kendall and I are fair, I know we can’t forget the aloe either for the inevitable burns.
I didn’t realize or remember this but apparently irons are strictly forbidden in staterooms- if you bring your own it will be confiscated. Pack a wrinkle release spray instead, especially since you’ll have a formal dinner or two on the ship!
I am obsessed with staying hydrated and usually I’m carrying a tumbler of water or iced tea with me. For shore excursions, I’m definitely going to make sure we have a water bottle with us. We decided to do the unlimited drink upgrade, but I’m honestly not sure if that include bottled water. This will also make it easier to bring filtered water with us from the cruise to our shore excursions.
Even though we’re getting a bigger room, staterooms are never huge. One way to save space is by using a hanging toiletry bag. Fill it up with travel sizes of the products you use at home- I love the fact that these travel bottles come with labels!
It’s super windy on cruises, so if you plan on spending time sunning on the deck, you’ll probably want to bring a set or two of Boca Clips to attach your towels to the lounges.
This may not be a cute thing to put in my nice little collage- but every single cruise packing list I found said to bring gallon plastic bags. Since we’re only going to be gone for a long weekend, there’s a change our bathing suits won’t dry and it’ll be so much nicer to pack them where they can’t get everything else wet!
Have you ever been on a cruise? What are your packing tips?
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