What to Pack for Your First Cruise: The Ultimate Checklist

Packing for a Cruise Is Different When you're staying at a hotel, forgetting something is a minor inconvenience — you can pop to the nearest store. On a cruise, you're often at sea for days at a time, and what's available in the ship's gift shop is limited and expensive. Packing smart is one of the single best things you can do to set your first cruise up for success. Documents and Essentials Passport — even on Caribbean sailings that only technically require a birth certificate, a passport protects you if anything goes wrong at a port E-tickets and cruise documents — download them to your phone AND print a paper copy Travel insurance cards — keep one in your carry-on and one in your checked bag A small amount of local currency — many ports in Mexico and the Caribbean still prefer cash for market purchases Credit card with no foreign transaction fees Clothing Most cruises have at least one formal or "smart casual" night in the main dining room. Beyond that, think resort casual: shorts…