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Pack a plain power strip for a Carnival cruise and it’s on the allowed list. Pack the same strip for Royal Caribbean and it’s banned, and security can take it at the terminal.
That’s the trouble with a one-size packing list. There isn’t one size. So we read eight cruise lines’ own pages and built a checklist from them. It’s free, it’s two pages, and there’s no email box in the way.
What to Pack for a Cruise: Your Free Checklist PDF
Pack in three groups: a carry-on with your documents, medication and first-day clothes; a suitcase with swimwear, daytime clothes, smart-casual evening outfits and good walking shoes; and a short list of things to leave at home, led by the clothes iron. Page 1 of the PDF ticks through what to bring. Page 2 covers what to leave behind and how each line’s rules differ.
The rest of this page explains the items that can cost you money, or your place on the ship.
What Has to Go in Your Carry-On?
Anything you can’t sail or get through the evening without, because your suitcase won’t be waiting in the cabin. MSC expects delivery “from late afternoon through early evening.” Celebrity says “within a few hours of setting sail.” Both tell you to keep documents and medication with you.
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- Documents. A passport is the safe choice. U.S. citizens on a cruise that starts and ends at the same U.S. port can re-enter with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID, though CBP warns the countries you visit may still want a passport. Royal Caribbean wants passports valid six months past the end of the cruise, except on sailings to and from Asia. Our documents guide covers name changes and kids.
- Medication. Royal Caribbean suggests original labeled containers and at least three extra days’ supply. Holland America adds a written list of names and doses, and warns that medication “may not be available on board or in some ports.”
- Over-the-counter basics. The CDC says shipboard prices for these tend to be higher, and suggests considering COVID and flu test kits too. Seasick? Here’s what works.
- First-night clothes and a swimsuit. Celebrity suggests a swimsuit and a change of clothes, and MSC says clothes for the evening, so a late bag doesn’t cost you the pool or dinner.
- Cards and some cash. Here’s how much cash you’ll actually use.
Flying to the port adds airline rules. TSA limits carry-on liquids to 3.4 ounces each in a quart-size bag, so full-size sunscreen goes in the checked bag. Spare lithium batteries and power banks do the opposite: TSA and the FAA both say carry-on only.
How Many Outfits Do You Really Need?
Fewer than you think, and fewer fancy ones. By day, Princess describes shorts, T-shirts, sundresses and swimwear with cover-ups, plus a sweatshirt or windbreaker and a rain jacket or compact umbrella. Royal Caribbean adds “a few swimsuits (so you will always have a dry one),” low-heeled deck shoes and comfortable walking shoes for shore.
Evenings are mostly smart casual: long pants and a collared shirt, or a dress or a polished top. Celebrity is blunt that “shorts and flip flops are not considered Smart Casual.” Formal night is optional. Princess says shorter cruises typically have one and longer ones two or more, with casual venues open every evening. Celebrity runs one or two per itinerary and accepts smart casual instead. Our guides to what to wear and formal night go deeper.
Cold-weather sailings swap the sundress for layers. Royal Caribbean suggests a jacket and several sweaters for Alaska, Canada and Northern Europe. We’ve done the numbers for Alaska in August and September.
What Will Security Take Away, and Do the Lines Agree?
On one thing, yes: all eight lists ban clothes irons. Beyond that, they split. This is what each line’s page said on October 31, 2026. “Not named” means the list doesn’t mention it, which isn’t the same as permission.
| Line | Plain power strip | Hair dryer / curling iron | If it’s taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival | Allowed without surge protection; may be removed if unsafe | Both allowed | “Removed and disposed without compensation” |
| Royal Caribbean | Banned; USB-only charger blocks with a safety mark are fine | Curling iron fine; a dryer depends on its specs | May be confiscated at the terminal or onboard |
| Norwegian | Not named | Both allowed | Confiscated; risky grooming devices returned on the last day |
| Princess | Allowed after inspection by the ship’s electrical department | Not named | Risky strips returned on the last day |
| Holland America | Not named; surge-protected ones are banned | Not named | Ship’s security officer decides |
| Celebrity | Not named; extension cords are banned | Both allowed | Confiscated |
| Disney | Banned, with multi-plugs and surge protectors | Curling iron fine; dryer limit 110V/1500W or 220V/2000W | Confiscated, and your luggage is delayed until late evening |
| MSC | Not named in the March 2026 copy we read | Both allowed | “Confiscated and not returned” |
The power strip split goes back to 2024. Cruise Hive reported Royal Caribbean’s ban that September, along with Carnival brand ambassador John Heald’s reply: “we have no plans to do the same.” Plenty of advice hasn’t caught up. Cruzely’s free checklist, a good list otherwise, suggests an outlet adapter and warns only that “those with surge protectors aren’t allowed.” That works on Carnival. On Royal Caribbean or Disney, the plain one is banned too.
Need more sockets? Royal Caribbean’s list explicitly allows USB chargers with a recognized U.S. or European conformity mark, and Cruise Radio quoted the line in 2024 on multi-port blocks whose outputs are all USB. No other list we read names them, and Disney bans “multi-plugs,” so ask Disney first.
Need to de-wrinkle? Roll your clothes. Princess and Disney both say irons are available in their self-service laundries, and Celebrity offers paid pressing.
A few entries you might not guess: Carnival lists Bluetooth speakers and routers, Norwegian lists drones and paper door decorations, and Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean all bar marijuana even with medical approval. Our packing don’ts has more, and drinks and food have their own rules: see water and snacks.
What Can You Skip Because the Ship Has It?
Hair dryers are in the cabin on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and MSC. Princess and Celebrity supply basic shower toiletries, and MSC and Celebrity supply towels for the pool. That’s real suitcase space saved.
Sunscreen is where advice splits. MSC says you can leave it at home because the shops sell it. The CDC’s checklist says pack it, and Carnival points to SPF 30 or higher. We’d pack it. Same for the small stuff: when John Heald asked Carnival cruisers what they forget, Cruise Fever’s rundown put toothbrushes, deodorant and chargers on top, and one commenter reported paying $15 for deodorant on board. More in our forgotten items guide.
What Can Get You in Trouble Ashore?
Ship rules stop at the gangway, and local law takes over. Carnival warns it’s illegal for anyone, children included, to wear army-style camouflage in some ports, including The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica and St. Lucia. Cruise Hive reported the same warning in May 2026, and Royal Caribbean’s list names Barbados. That list also says vapes may not be taken ashore in Mexico, with more ports covered here.
What Should You Hold Back for the Last Night?
Boarding day gets all the attention, but leaving day needs packing too. If you hand your suitcase over, it goes the night before: Holland America says to put it outside your stateroom before you retire, and Royal Caribbean says to bring an overnight bag for nightclothes and toiletries. Holland America’s keep-with-you list adds ID, airline tickets, customs forms, medications, cards, electronics and “the clothes and shoes you intend to wear on the last day.” Forget that last one and you’ll leave the ship in your pajamas.
Before You Zip the Bag
- Print the PDF and cross off whatever doesn’t fit your trip.
- Open your line’s own list using the links in the table. Lists change, and security’s decision at the terminal is the one that counts.
- Unsure about an item? Ask the line before you sail or leave it behind. On Disney, one confiscated item can delay your luggage until late evening.
- Pack your carry-on last, and check your documents again as you do it. Most of the rest can be bought on board. Your passport can’t.
Cruise Chaos earns nothing from cruise lines, travel agents, luggage brands or booking links. Every rule here links to where we read it, and we read those pages on October 31, 2026. The PDF is ours and free to print and share. If a rule has changed, tell us and we’ll correct it.
Coming up on Cruise Chaos: why cruise ships have to stop in Canada.
Keep Reading
- 5 Most Forgotten Cruise Items
- What Documents Do I Need for a Cruise? Birth Certificates, IDs and Kids
- What to Wear on a Cruise: Day, Dinner and Formal Night Dress Codes
Sources
- Carnival: Prohibited Items, Exemptions and FAQs
- Carnival: Best Sunscreen Types for a Cruise
- Royal Caribbean: Prohibited Items
- Royal Caribbean: What Should I Pack?
- Royal Caribbean: Travel Documents
- Norwegian: What Can’t I Bring Onboard?
- Princess: Pre-Cruise FAQs
- Princess: What to Pack for a Princess Cruise
- Holland America: Prohibited Items
- Holland America: Medications and Prescriptions
- Holland America: Disembarkation Procedures
- Celebrity Cruises: Prepare FAQs
- Disney Cruise Line: Prohibited and Restricted Items
- MSC Cruises: Luggage (archived March 21, 2026)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (modified June 17, 2026)
- CDC Yellow Book: Cruise Ship Travel
- TSA: Liquids, Aerosols and Gels Rule
- TSA: Lithium Batteries
- FAA PackSafe: Lithium Batteries
- Cruise Hive: Carnival Won’t Join In on Controversial Royal Caribbean Ban (September 24, 2024)
- Cruise Hive: The One Type of Clothing Carnival Says You Shouldn’t Wear Ashore (May 19, 2026)
- Cruise Radio: Royal Caribbean Clarifies Which Travel Adapters Are Allowed (September 30, 2024)
- Cruise Fever: Carnival Cruisers Reveal the Top 10 Things They Forget to Pack (April 17, 2025)
- Cruzely: The Cruise Packing Checklist (March 2, 2026)
