What to Pack for a Cruise That You Might Not Think Of

CruisesP&O Cruises

23 Sept

standing on Ariva's promenade deck — *Enjoying our cruise on P&O’s Arvia in the Caribbean*

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Think of this as the extras section of your cruise packing list: the things that aren't essential, but make life onboard much easier.

After spending years saying “we’re not cruise people”, we got rather spectacularly proved wrong.

Our first cruise came about because we decided it would be a lovely way to see the Norwegian fjords. One cruise later, apparently we were cruise people after all.

Since then, we've cruised to Spain and Portugal, around the Caribbean and, most recently, to Iceland - and we already have another two cruises booked. So I think it's probably time to admit: we love cruise holidays.

You can read about all of our cruises here >

But what about packing?

Obviously, what you need will depend enormously on where you're going. Packing for the Caribbean is rather different from packing for Iceland! So this isn't another enormous cruise packing checklist containing everything from underwear to sun cream.

Instead, these are the slightly less obvious things we've discovered are really useful to have with us - and that now come on pretty much every cruise.

A collapsible laundry basket

This is such a simple thing, but genuinely one of my favourite cruise packing discoveries.

Cruise cabins are generally roomy enough, but there's not really anywhere to throw your dirty clothes when you wander back into your cabin after a busy day exploring - perhaps slightly tired and possibly a little tipsy.

A collapsible laundry basket weighs almost nothing, folds completely flat in your suitcase and gives you somewhere to chuck everything until it's time to pack again.

Much better than creating The Pile of Worn Clothes for two weeks. I got these ones from Amazon > (ad)

Binoculars

I wouldn't cruise without binoculars.

There's so much to see from a ship: islands, skerries and distant coastlines; dolphins and whales if you're lucky; seabirds, jellyfish and other ships. They're particularly brilliant on scenic cruises like Norway and Iceland, where half the fun is simply standing on your balcony and watching the landscape go past.

Ours live somewhere easily accessible in the cabin so we can grab them whenever someone inevitably shouts, “DOLPHIN!”

My first pair were cheap and not great, but I really love my new Nikon ones - see on Amazon (ad) >

Strong magnetic hooks

Did you know that cruise cabin walls are generally metal? Neither did we before we started cruising.

A pack of strong magnetic hooks is incredibly handy for making use of that otherwise wasted wall space. We use them for sun hats, jackets, bags and other bits and pieces that would otherwise clutter up the cabin.

You can also use magnets to stick excursion information, the daily programme or anything else you want to keep handy to the wall.

And naturally, you can hang the binoculars somewhere near the balcony door ready for emergency dolphin spotting.

We purchased these from Amazon (ad) >

A useful little medicine kit

This comes on every holiday with us, not just cruises.

I keep a small supply of things such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines, diarrhoea medication, antiseptic cream and cystitis relief sachets, etc.

Hopefully you'll need absolutely none of it. But when you're in the middle of the ocean at 10pm and suddenly do need something, you'll be very glad you packed it.

Obviously, bring any prescription medication you need too, and check the rules for taking medicines into the countries you're visiting.

Zip-lock bags

Another tiny thing that takes up virtually no luggage space and regularly proves useful.

They're handy for keeping snacks together, protecting things from leaks and generally containing all those miscellaneous little items you somehow accumulate on holiday.

They can also be useful if you're taking snacks or lunch from the ship with you when going ashore - just check the rules at each destination before taking food ashore, as some countries have strict restrictions.

Refillable water bottles

We take two water bottles each.

P&O ships - and I’m sure many others - have water refill stations, so we'll fill our bottles before heading out for the day rather than continually buying bottled water.

You may also be able to fill them from the tap in your cabin, depending on your ship, check what your cruise line advises.

It's cheaper, produces less plastic waste and means there's always water within reach.

A rucksack and a tote bag

A small rucksack is invaluable for port days.

Ours carries water, snacks, sun cream, waterproofs - depending on which part of the world we're in - plus all the random little trinkets I inevitably decide I need to buy.

I also pack a lightweight tote bag. It takes up virtually no space and comes in handy constantly: taking bottles to the water station, carrying my Kindle and other bits around the ship, popping to the shops in port or transporting miscellaneous holiday clutter from A to B.

Antibacterial wipes and hand gel

Cruise ships contain thousands of people living, eating and socialising together, so germs can spread quickly.

We always travel with antibacterial wipes and hand gel and use both regularly.

But an important note about norovirus: alcohol hand sanitiser isn't a substitute for proper handwashing when it comes to norovirus. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, particularly before eating and after using the bathroom.

Many cruise ships have handwashing stations outside their buffet restaurants: my advice - use them!

Cruise luggage-tag holders

With P&O Cruises, you're given luggage labels to print at home, fold and attach to your cases.

Technically, you can just secure them with tape or staples.

This made me nervous.

Instead, we bought reusable cruise luggage-tag holders. You simply slide the printed label inside, attach the holder to your case and it's protected from rain, enthusiastic baggage handling and my irrational conviction that a paper luggage label is going to disappear somewhere between Southampton and our cabin. We use these ones > (ad)

Books, cards and games

I love sea days.

Give me nowhere to be, a view of the ocean, a drink and a book and I'm perfectly content.

But particularly on longer cruises, it's nice to have a few different things to do. We usually take a deck of cards and a couple of small games - Bananagrams is particularly good for travelling because it's tiny and you don't need a board. Find on Amazon > (ad)

And, obviously, books. I store several on my beloved Kindle (ad) because apparently taking six physical books on holiday is considered an inefficient use of luggage allowance, but a necessity for me, naturally.

VIPoo

Yes. We're going there.

Cruise cabins aren't enormous. Cruise cabin bathrooms are even less enormous.

VIPoo is a tiny bottle of spray that you use in the toilet to deal with, let’s say, Code Brown situations. It lives permanently in my toiletry bag.

You'll thank me. More importantly, so will the person you're sharing your cabin with. You can buy on Amazon (ad).

A long charging cable or USB charger

Depending on the age and layout of your ship, plug sockets may not necessarily be exactly where you'd like them.

A longer charging cable makes life much easier, particularly if you want your phone beside the bed overnight.

A USB charger with multiple ports is also handy when you've somehow acquired a phone, Kindle, watch, headphones and approximately 47 other things that all need charging at once.

Just check your cruise line's rules before packing extension leads or multi-socket adapters, as some types aren't permitted onboard.

GHD Duet Style wet-to-dry styler

Okay, this one is slightly more niche. But I LOVE mine for travelling.

Even when my hair was at its longest, I could go from wet hair to dry and straight hair in around 20 minutes.

On holiday, I really don't want to spend an hour blow-drying and styling my hair when I could be sitting on the balcony with a drink, wandering around somewhere beautiful or heading off for dinner.

So anything that drastically reduces grooming time gets a place in my suitcase. Find on Amazon (ad) >

Collapsible storage baskets

These are really handy for random stuff - we use these in both the main cabin and the bathroom, I usually take 4 (two each) and you can just throw stuff in there without it getting lost. I like to keep things organised and tidy, even on holiday - and these work really well.

These are the ones I purchased (ad) >

And finally...

Those are the slightly less obvious things that have earned a permanent place on our cruise packing list after four cruises.

You obviously don't need all of them. But things like magnetic hooks, a collapsible laundry basket and proper luggage-tag holders cost very little, take up barely any suitcase space and make cabin life surprisingly easier.

And binoculars?

Take the binoculars.

Because the one time you leave them at home will inevitably be the cruise where a pod of dolphins appears outside your balcony.