After multiple Caribbean and Mediterranean cruises, here's what actually earns its space in your bag — and what the cruise packing lists on Pinterest get completely wrong.
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Every cruise packing list on the internet tells you to bring a power strip, a highlighter for the daily newsletter, and a formal outfit for the captain's dinner. Some of that is right. Most of it is outdated advice recycled from 2015 that doesn't reflect how modern cruising actually works.
This list is built from real cruises — Caribbean ports, Mediterranean stops, and the kind of itineraries where you're off the ship every day and need to move fast. We've made the mistakes so you don't have to.
The 23 Things You Actually Need
1. Magnetic hooks (6-pack, ~$12 on Amazon). This is the single best cruise purchase you can make. Cruise ship cabin walls are metal. Magnetic hooks let you hang bags, lanyards, wet swimsuits, and jackets without damaging anything or using the limited hook space the cabin provides. Buy them before you go — the ship's store doesn't sell them.
2. A 20-liter daypack. Not a rolling suitcase, not a beach bag — a proper daypack with a hip belt or at least padded straps. You need something you can carry through a market, onto a tender boat, and into a restaurant without checking it. Twenty liters is the right size: big enough for sunscreen, a water bottle, a light layer, and your camera, small enough to fit under a restaurant table.
3. Reef-safe sunscreen (bring from home). Reef-safe sunscreen is required or strongly encouraged at most Caribbean and Hawaiian ports now. The ship's store charges $28–$35 for a bottle that costs $9–$12 at Target or Walmart. Buy it before you board. Bring more than you think you need.
4. A portable charger (10,000 mAh minimum). Your phone will be your map, camera, translation tool, and boarding pass on port days. Don't rely on finding an outlet at a café in Cozumel or a restaurant in Santorini. A 10,000 mAh battery bank will charge your phone twice and costs about $25–$35.
5. A waterproof phone case or dry bag. For beach days, snorkeling, and tender boats. The $8 waterproof pouch from Amazon works fine. The $200 waterproof case is overkill unless you're an underwater photographer.
6. A light cardigan or layer for the ship. Cruise ships are aggressively air-conditioned. The dining rooms, theaters, and casinos are cold. Bring something you can throw on over a sundress or shorts without looking out of place at dinner.
7. Compression packing cubes. These changed how we pack. You can fit significantly more into a suitcase when everything is compressed and organized by category. We use one cube for tops, one for bottoms, one for underwear and socks. Everything is findable in 10 seconds.
8. A small first aid kit. Seasickness medication (Dramamine or Bonine — take it the night before, not when you're already sick), blister bandages (you'll walk more than you expect in port), and ibuprofen. The ship's medical center charges $150+ for a consultation.
9. Ziploc bags in multiple sizes. For wet swimsuits, sandy shoes, snacks from the buffet, and anything you want to keep dry on a beach day. Bring 10–15. You'll use all of them.
10. A travel umbrella. Mediterranean cruises in particular can have afternoon thunderstorms. A compact umbrella takes up almost no space and saves you from being soaked in Dubrovnik.
11. Formal-optional outfit (one, not three). Most major cruise lines have moved away from mandatory formal nights. Check your specific line's dress code before you pack. On most ships, "smart casual" — a collared shirt and slacks for men, a sundress or blouse for women — is acceptable everywhere. One dressier option is enough.
12. A reusable water bottle. The ship has free water everywhere. Bring a bottle, fill it up, and stop buying $4 bottles of water in port.
13. Snorkeling gear (mask and fins). If snorkeling is on your itinerary, bring your own. Ship rentals are expensive ($20–$40 per day) and the quality is inconsistent. A decent mask and fins cost $30–$50 and will last for years.
14. Cash in small bills. For tipping in port, buying from street vendors, and any market or food stall that doesn't take cards. Bring $100–$150 in $1s, $5s, and $10s per person for a week-long cruise.
15–23: A power adapter for European ports, a travel-size laundry detergent for handwashing, a small flashlight for cave excursions and late-night tender returns, a lightweight rain jacket, a hat with a brim, comfortable walking shoes that look decent at dinner, a copy of your passport stored separately from the original, travel insurance documentation, and a written list of your ship's emergency number and your cabin number (your phone dies at the worst moments).
The 8 Things You Don't Need
A power strip. Most modern cruise ships have multiple outlets and USB ports in the cabin. If yours doesn't, a small travel adapter with two outlets is enough. Full power strips are prohibited on many lines due to fire risk.
A highlighter for the daily newsletter. The app has replaced the paper newsletter on every major cruise line. Download the line's app before you board.
Three formal outfits. One is enough. Two if you're on a 14-night cruise with multiple formal nights.
A shoe organizer for the back of the door. The magnetic hooks work better and take up less space in your luggage.
A full-size hair dryer. Every cabin has one. It's not great, but it works.
Expensive jewelry. Leave it at home. Port cities have pickpockets, tender boats have spray, and the ship's safe is small.
Multiple guidebooks. Download the relevant sections to your phone before you board. Paper guidebooks are heavy and you'll only use 20% of each one.
A travel pillow for the ship. The ship's pillows are fine. Save the travel pillow for the flight.
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Chris & Lori are the husband-and-wife team behind Bites & Borders — a travel and food blog built from real trips, real meals, and real opinions. Based in Virginia, they've explored the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and beyond.
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