About 30 million Americans are expected to go on a cruise in 2019. Are you going to be one of them?

If so, you should create a cruise checklist for yourself before you set sail and figure out everything that you’ll need to bring along with you on your cruise. The last thing you want to do is forget something important at home and have it ruin your cruise.

Let’s take a look at everything that you should have in your bag prior to climbing on board a cruise ship.

Bathing Suits

From the second you set foot on a cruise ship, you’re going to feel all your troubles and worries melt away. You’re going to spend most of the time parked by the pool de-stressing and enjoying some much-needed “me” time.

This means you’re going to need at least one bathing suit, if not more. You might actually want to think about bringing several suits along to give yourself options over the course of your cruise.

Bring a cover-up for your bathing suit, too, and some other casual clothes for lounging. This will help you relax the entire time.

Formal Attire

You’re probably going to be wearing a bathing suit for most of your cruise. But there are going to be one or two nights where everyone on your cruise gets dressed up for a fancy night out.

Don’t be the only person wearing jeans and a T-shirt that night! Instead, throw either a suit or a dress onto your cruise checklist so that you can look your best.

Sweatshirt

If you’re taking a cruise to somewhere warm, you might not think that you need to bring a sweatshirt along. What in the world are you going to do with a sweatshirt when it’s 90 or even 100 degrees outside?

But remember: You’re going to be out on the open water for the majority of your cruise. And when the sun goes down at night, it’s going to be a lot chillier than you may have anticipated.

You can always leave your sweatshirt in your cabin if you’re comfortable outside. But you don’t want to have to spend money on a sweatshirt on your cruise simply because you didn’t bother to bring one along on your trip.

Several Pairs of Shoes

When you’re walking around on your cruise ship, you can get away with doing it in a basic pair of flip-flops.

But if you go on any excursions during one of your cruise ship’s stops, you might have to wear sneakers. You will also need a pair of dress shoes to go along with the formal attire we mentioned earlier.

All of this means that you’re going to need three pairs of shoes at minimum. And you may want to bring along one or two more pairs to give yourself options for when you go out to eat on your cruise.

Backpack

You don’t want to spend your entire cruise running back and forth to your cabin to fetch things that you need. Once you leave your cabin in the morning, you shouldn’t have to go back again until later in the day.

To prevent yourself from having to take frequent trips to your cabin, bring a backpack on your cruise and fill it with everything you’ll need each morning. From towels to extra clothes, you can pack whatever you want and carry things around easily.

Sunscreen

Do you want to spend the second half of your cruise recovering from a bad sunburn that you got on one of your first few days on the boat? Of course not!

With that in mind, you should throw a bottle of sunscreen into your bookbag each morning and apply it early and often. You should be especially mindful of doing this if your plan is to soak up as many rays as you can by the pool.

Toiletries

If you happen to forget, say, a toothbrush or deodorant at home, it’s not a huge deal. You can pick up most of the basic toiletries on your cruise ship.

But why spend money that you don’t have to when you can plan to bring all your toiletries from home along with you? Make sure you pack things like:

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Body soap
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Deodorant
• Body lotion
• Face wash
• Razors and shaving cream

The bathrooms in most cabins on cruise ships aren’t huge. So try to find a toiletries bag that you can take in and out of the bathroom with you to avoid cluttering it up.

Motion Sickness Medicine

Studies have shown that about 30% of people are susceptible to getting motion sickness. Many of these people feel nauseous when they spend a lot of time on a cruise ship.

If you suspect that you might experience motion sickness on your cruise ship, keep motion sickness medicine in your toiletries bag. You can use it as needed to stop motion sickness from taking a toll on your trip.

First-Aid Kit

If you get hurt while you’re on a cruise ship, you can usually get medical attention right away. Cruise ships have areas set up for those who are injured or ill.

But you should also pack your own first-aid kit to treat any injuries that you can take care of on your own. You’ll sleep better at night knowing you have things like band-aids and gauze in your bag.

That being said, you shouldn’t try to take care of your own injuries with a first-aid kit if they’re especially bad. You should visit the first-aid facility on your cruise ship to get the proper care.

You should also click here if you’re ever injured on a cruise ship. A cruise line could be held accountable for your injury in some cases.

Start Checking These Things Off Your Cruise Checklist

Packing for a cruise can be pretty stressful. But fortunately, that stress won’t stick around for very long.

Once you work your way through your cruise checklist and board your cruise ship, you’ll be stress-free. You’ll be able to kick back and enjoy yourself for the duration of your cruise.

Keep browsing our blog to find more useful cruise tips and tricks.