What are the must pack items?

[Micheleyd]

Hello all, what are the must pack items for our family of 4? 2 kids ages 9&11. This will be our first cruise as a family. 
I feel a bit lost on how to pack light but keep our stuff organized in those tiny rooms. We are staying in a balcony room. 
thanks! 

[Ja-sun]

What I did was watch you tube videos for ideas. There are plenty to choose from. 

[Matt]

Pack some package snacks, like goldfish, for the kids to munch on in the cabin. 

Tablets so they have something to do in the room.

[Pattycruise]

Multi USB charger port-depending on the ship it might not have USB outlet....you'll need it to charge your phones
Portable battery bank/cord-for when you want to lay in bed and charge your phone, not all cabins have outlets near the bed
Pool float-I have a favorite for home-I bring it to the beach at CoCoCay (I don't care for the floating mats they rent), I also bring it to any other beach I go to. I inflate/deflate at the beach
If no drink packages-carry on with 2 bottles of wine and 12 bottles of water-allowed per stateroom-save some money and you can use the bag for souvenirs or your last nights clothes when packing to disembark!
Small travel games-did this with my 9 year old niece-we played yahtzee, boggle, uno at the table while we waited on dinner service......on this particular cruise we were on it took 2 hours for service.  We played until appetizers arrived
You can pack clothes/outfits into ziploc bags.....leave half in the luggage in the closet (or if it fits, under the bed) and then swap out dirty for the clean zip loc clothes
Sunblock 
Sea Sick Pills just in case
Other medicines you think you won't need, but just might!  
If your kids are the type to misplace towels (which will cost you $25 per towel if its  not turned in) then some thin pool towels (thin to dry quicker)
A bag that serves as your beach bag and can also hold your souvenirs for when your trip is over

 

[Pattycruise]

13 minutes ago, Matt said:

Pack some package snacks, like goldfish, for the kids to munch on in the cabin. 

Tablets so they have something to do in the room.

100% agree.  While there is plenty of food on the ship there is really nothing "chip like".  I would throw the snacks I packed into beach bags for excursions too.  I had to hide half the snacks before one of my 3 kids plowed through them!

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

First and foremost I would suggest purchasing a few packs of packing cubes.  Not only do they make your luggage look organized but you can keep your items in the cubes during your cruise…just place them in the drawers or closet shelves.  I use the larger ones for my “need to hang up” clothing and since they will be empty, I begin to reload them with the “dirty or already wore enough” clothes.  Makes packing at the end of the cruise a breeze as well.  You can purchase these on Amazon.  I like the Veken 6pack of cubes.

https://www.amazon.com/Veken-Packing-Luggage-Organizers-Laundry/dp/B07P4MS29B/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2RDS8MENN7R0Z&keywords=packing+cubes+veken&qid=1649862156&sprefix=packing+cubes+veken%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNEpUNzJGRlRLNDdRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjU1NDk2NU5BTkdMVldIWlBOJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4MjE0MzYyT0pOT1RKNUhFUjc4JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Must have items:  Sunscreen…and lip protection!  Clips for the towels on the pool or beach chairs.  Another very inexpensive purchase from Amazon!
 

[MTNeedsAVacay]

Magnetic hooks! Lots of metal wall space in the cabin, so these hooks are lifesavers for keeping everyone organized and even for hanging wet bathing suits. Link below for ones we've bought before, but there are tons of options on Amazon

https://smile.amazon.com/Magnetic-Ｍaximum-Neodymium-Corrosion-Protection/dp/B0787Q54M1/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AZ044N7BHDVL&keywords=magnet+hooks+for+cruise+cabin&qid=1649861645&sprefix=magnet+hooks%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-3

[Cruiser79]

Lots of sunscreen! Our family of five blew through two full bottles of spray on sunscreen and when my husband lost our only bottle of lotion it cost 22 dollars on board to get more! And yes, snacks for the room!

[JohnK6404]

Just a few articles and videos from Matt and this forum to get you started...

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/10/14/the-best-packing-cruise-list

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/11/04/what-not-bring-royal-caribbean-cruise

 

 

 

[ellcee]

second both the packing cubes and hooks. Also came in handy for other trips I've gone on.

[YOLO]

third on cubes and magnetic hooks...    ...and don't forget your fun door magnets!

[CruisingNewb]

What's the destination?  That is a big factor in answering the question. Also, what is the length of the cruise?

Most of everything already stated in the above replies are excellent ideas.  Here is my list, which may repeat some ideas from above:

1. Medicine. Don't over do it though.  You can always buy stuff on board or in ports.

2. Sunblock.

3. Travel games.  We take travel card games.  

4. Magnetic hooks.

5. Over-the-door shoe organizer.

6. Ziploc bags.  We use these to store cookies or other snacks that we bring back to the room.  Also handy for wet clothes if not immediately returning to the room.  

7. Travel sized stain remover.

8. Some sort of bathroom deodorizer.  Four people sharing one bathroom can get gross.

9. Cruise approved power block.

10. A packable duffel bag.  You can use this for going to the pool.  We tend to somehow bring home more items than taking on board.  The packable duffel bag allows us to bring home souvenirs and such.

11. Eyeglass repair kit.  Even if you don't wear glasses, if you wear sunglasses, this may come in handy and is miniscule in size so no excuse for not packing.

12. Paper back ups for all travel documents.  Do not rely on your phone, screenshots, etc...

13. Cash. In small denominations, one credit card, and one government ID (unless otherwise needed). Carry only the bare minimum amount of credit cards.  No need to travel with 5 credit cards, 4 forms of ID, etc.  Eliminate the headaches in case of theft.

14. Lanyard seapass holders.

15. A good book.  

16. Binoculars. This is specific to Alaska of anywhere else with lots of scenery. 

17. Packable rain jackets or umbrellas.  Again, specific to Alaska.

If you look at these items, you will notice that even in the aggregate, they will not take up much space.  

[LCinPDX]

55 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

First and foremost I would suggest purchasing a few packs of packing cubes.  Not only do they make your luggage look organized but you can keep your items in the cubes during your cruise…just place them in the drawers or closet shelves.  I use the larger ones for my “need to hang up” clothing and since they will be empty, I begin to reload them with the “dirty or already wore enough” clothes.  Makes packing at the end of the cruise a breeze as well.  You can purchase these on Amazon.  I like the Veken 6pack of cubes.

https://www.amazon.com/Veken-Packing-Luggage-Organizers-Laundry/dp/B07P4MS29B/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2RDS8MENN7R0Z&keywords=packing+cubes+veken&qid=1649862156&sprefix=packing+cubes+veken%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNEpUNzJGRlRLNDdRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjU1NDk2NU5BTkdMVldIWlBOJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4MjE0MzYyT0pOT1RKNUhFUjc4JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Must have items:  Sunscreen…and lip protection!  Clips for the towels on the pool or beach chairs.  Another very inexpensive purchase from Amazon!
 

This is exactly what I was going to post.  They are lifesavers when you have multiple people sharing a suitcase or to separate things like shoes from everything else.

[fa-li]

If you bring on wine, remember to pack a corkscrew and a bottle stopper! You can ask your cabin steward for wine glasses. 

I like to bring a battery tea light so I don’t have to turn on the bathroom light in the middle of the night  

something to not pack is very many sea day outfits. You’ll end up in suits and cover ups then go right to dinner clothes. 

[Andy & Sheryl Unwin]

47 minutes ago, fa-li said:

If you bring on wine, remember to pack a corkscrew and a bottle stopper! You can ask your cabin steward for wine glasses. 

Another option here is to take only screw top bottles. Shock, horror, the purists will be irked. However, it does mean you dont need a corkscrew and that you can re-seal the bottle without an issue.

A fun thing about discovering wine with screw top bottles, is doing the research to find which you prefer to take with you.

[KristiZ]

2 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

"chip like"

This is very true, although we got single packs of Lays potato chips from room service two weeks ago on Enchanment. Hadn't seen that before.

[Moby Dick]

Yes to any/all items mention/linked to/copied and pasted.

However, I take my drone, that's a must have for me.  

I sure hope my drone picks up GPS in Alaska.  

[CruisingNewb]

2 hours ago, fa-li said:

If you bring on wine, remember to pack a corkscrew and a bottle stopper! You can ask your cabin steward for wine glasses. 

I like to bring a battery tea light so I don’t have to turn on the bathroom light in the middle of the night  

something to not pack is very many sea day outfits. You’ll end up in suits and cover ups then go right to dinner clothes. 

I keep reading that corkscrews re unnecessary because your steward can bring you one.

As to the tea lights, YES! Great idea!

[Moby Dick]

2 hours ago, CruisingNewb said:

I keep reading that corkscrews re unnecessary because your steward can bring you one.

As to the tea lights, YES! Great idea!

I've heard that some do but not all.  The good ones, if they don't have one, will go and get one for ya, most do.  That's how they earn a great tip.  

[Pooch]

We found our cabin has storage EVERYWHERE!!  We could not believe how many drawers and cabinets we found.  Look behind every mirror cuz there’s shelves there.  I could have stored a small third world country in our cabin

 I always take cheap pop up hampers for the dirty laundry and tall kitchen type garbage bags.  When the hamper gets full, clothes go in the trash bag and into a suitcase.  End of the cruise, I only have what we didn’t use left to pack.  That goes into a separate suitcase along with the souvenirs.  I also take a carry on size duffle bag in every suitcase.  Takes up minimal space & can be used as our carry ons for the flight home.

[MichelleB]

I second the hamper or laundry bag to contain dirty clothes. You may also want a white noise machine/app as it can be a challenge for 4 people to sleep in a tiny room. 

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

11 hours ago, YOLO said:

third on cubes and magnetic hooks...    ...and don't forget your fun door magnets!

Absolutely yes vote for the door magnets.  For my recent cruise I went to Michael’s and bought several foam sheets and a roll of magnetic tape.  I gave them to my granddaughters along with markers and scissors and asked them to create decorations for the doors.  They had a blast and we loved their creativity!  We had 5 rooms in a row…here are 2 of the decorations!

[Moby Dick]

This may have already been recommended in here but here goes:

Magnetic hooks.  The cabin walls are metal and magnetic hooks, like the ones linked to below, come in very handy.  I always take a dozen.  On my last cruise, we were in the Family 4 bedroom villa, one week before Christmas, and my son-in-law brought Christmas decorations, including lights, I had no idea he was going to do that.  My hooks came in very handy as he strung the light all around the cabin and it looked great.  The atmosphere was Christmasie (if there is such a word) throughout the cruise with my whole family of 13 in the cabin.  Grandkids loved it.  

But, you'd be surprised how handy the hooks come in handy for a myriad of other things.

These are the ones I get:

https://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Refrigerator-Magnetic-Neodymium-Upgraded/dp/B07QSJ6Q72/ref=sxin_16?asc_contentid=amzn1.osa.8a6bcc78-bff3-4ac5-b5f7-a3480929cfcb.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&asc_contenttype=article&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.8a6bcc78-bff3-4ac5-b5f7-a3480929cfcb.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&creativeASIN=B07QSJ6Q72&crid=1D1YZFCZGV6OJ&cv_ct_cx=magnetic+hooks&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.8a6bcc78-bff3-4ac5-b5f7-a3480929cfcb.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source-earns-comm&keywords=magnetic+hooks&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B07QSJ6Q72&pd_rd_r=c4e8338d-7da5-4c0c-845d-bea3a94e40d0&pd_rd_w=5w6ID&pd_rd_wg=DGJdr&pf_rd_p=164f02eb-e971-490d-8f4e-fba29be780ad&pf_rd_r=9ZK1CT1Q0JA40ZCFTH7M&qid=1650038886&sprefix=magnetic+hooks%2Caps%2C90&sr=1-2-a3cc9a7a-2f07-46dc-8259-ac02200376a0&tag=momtastic-tca-20

[Moby Dick]

On 4/13/2022 at 9:50 AM, MTNeedsAVacay said:

Magnetic hooks! Lots of metal wall space in the cabin, so these hooks are lifesavers for keeping everyone organized and even for hanging wet bathing suits. Link below for ones we've bought before, but there are tons of options on Amazon

https://smile.amazon.com/Magnetic-Ｍaximum-Neodymium-Corrosion-Protection/dp/B0787Q54M1/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AZ044N7BHDVL&keywords=magnet+hooks+for+cruise+cabin&qid=1649861645&sprefix=magnet+hooks%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-3

Opps, I took some of  your thunder, above.  Didn't see your post.  My bad!

[YOLO]

@1st Mate  Also, besides reading more carefully, next time you could reduce your very long link to just the Amazon reference number like this: www.amazon.com/Powerful-Refrigerator-Magnetic-Neodymium-Upgraded/dp/B07QSJ6Q72 

[Moby Dick]

14 minutes ago, YOLO said:

@1st Mate  Also, besides reading more carefully, next time you could reduce your very long link to just the Amazon reference number like this: www.amazon.com/Powerful-Refrigerator-Magnetic-Neodymium-Upgraded/dp/B07QSJ6Q72 

Well, to be honest, I don't read every post in every thread.  Especially when there are several pages to it.  This thread isn't even one page, yet.  But, I don't have a lot of time this morning to read even every post in in this thread.  Thread that gets my attention, that are interesting to me, I usually read the first few posts and the last few posts.  I caught this one because I was scrolling up slowly to the notification bell.  The word magnetic caught my eye.  

I don't know what or where to find an "Amazon reference number".  But, you can bet, I'll be looking for it.

Thanks for the suggestion:  BTW, I know that I can get a little long winded at time.  But, that's me.  

 

[Fredsbabe]

Water bottles with filters...Brita, for example. Load them with ice and as much water as you can, and they filter as you drink. No need to carry on bottles or to buy canned water on the ship.

[YOLO]

@Fredsbabe  Welcome to the Royal Caribbean Blog Forum!

Good idea, but for me I am OK with the desalinated water on the ship and would rather save the packing space.  Since I always get the soda package, I always have an insulated cup (for cold only) waiting for me on embarkation day.

[Ampurp85]

I do packing cubes, first aid/medicines, a small fan, and throw away slides.

I will purposely buy some flip flops or slides from Target or Old Navy that are just for the ship and vacation. I wear them out and toss. 

I always bring books or my Kindle because I love reading on my balcony or on certain decks.

I have gotten better at packing so I keep a consistent color scheme so I can mix and match and bring less. 

I know cruise ships have tons of food but I always bring some sort of gummi candy or twizzlers.

[smokeybandit]

11 hours ago, Fredsbabe said:

Water bottles with filters...Brita, for example. Load them with ice and as much water as you can, and they filter as you drink. No need to carry on bottles or to buy canned water on the ship.

Ship water is by nature pre-filtered.

[jack168]

Don't forget the highlighter so you can highlight activities on the paper cruise compass.