Five Essentials You Need on ANY Cruise

Updated: July 2024

The necessities you need for your cruise holiday can often depend on the cruise ship you’ve chosen, the itinerary and the destinations you’ll visit. With so many varied options it can feel daunting to know where to begin when it comes to packing, so we’ve put together the top five cruise essentials for any cruise holiday!

Your passport, visa and other essential documents

The biggest priority for any type of holiday are your travel documents, including your passport, tickets and your visa. To avoid the panic of forgetting your passport at home, or packing it into your suitcase without realising, your travel documentation should be kept in a travel wallet or folder in your hand luggage for easy access. It's also important to make sure you also research ahead of travelling to see if the destinations you're visiting require a visa.

Suitable clothing

Whether you’re looking to truly unwind and relax in comfort or feel like getting dolled up to enjoy luxury entertainment, there’s a cruise line out there that caters to you! Check out our blog post on what to wear. Some cruise lines (such as Cunard) will not allow shorts and sandals in certain venues, while others (such as Norwegian Cruise Line) adopt a more chilled out set of rules.

Remember your glad rags!

Almost all cruise lines will host a formal night at least once on your cruise. Don’t forget to pack your suit or cocktail dress so you can join in on the Captain’s Cocktail party, or dine in the finest speciality restaurants.

Don't worry about bringing cash onboard!

Whilst it's always good to bring some physical cash with you for spending money, it's important to know that most cruise lines only accept credit and debit cards onboard. This will be registered to your account and anything on board, whether that be a speciality meal, drinks or games in the casino will be charged to it.

Any essential medication

Perhaps an obvious point, but one of the most vital! Bringing the necessary medication you require onboard is imperative to keeping you safe and healthy. We recommend packing more than you need in case of unforeseen delays stopping you from getting back home on time. Further to this, it’s also a good idea to keep separate containers of medication in your hand luggage and in your suitcase. Should there be any issues in retrieving your suitcase you’ll have enough to keep you going.

The correct travel adaptors

Some cruise lines will have plug sockets that aren’t UK-friendly. To avoid running out of juice throughout the holiday pack an adaptor or two, one to keep in your cabin and another to throw in your bag. Alternatively, for a shorter cruise, bring a power bank with multiple charges.

With these hints and tips in mind, you’ve covered the bases for your upcoming cruise holiday! There are a few other key items to remember to pack depending on where you’re going:

• Sun cream
• Swimwear
• Suitable walking shoes
• A waterproof jacket
• Binoculars

All these items would be on your list no matter what type of holiday you’re going on- on a cruise, you just happen to be crossing more destinations off your bucket list than ever before! For more advice on what to pack for places like the Mediterranean or others such as the Fjords, see our dedicated destination pages.