What I Actually Pack for a Cruise With a Kid

I am not going to tell you how many pairs of underwear to pack for a cruise. You can handle that. What I will tell you about are the random things that have earned permanent space in our cruise luggage—the stuff that makes a tiny cruise cabin work better, keeps a kid entertained, makes pool days easier, or solves a problem you don’t realize you’re going to have until you’re already somewhere in the middle of the ocean.

Some of these are obvious. Some are weirdly specific. And at least one is something I haven’t actually brought yet but will absolutely be testing on our next cruise. Also, in case anyone is wondering, we are a Royal Caribbean family all the way. Maybe that deserves its own article eventually. But for now, here’s what actually makes my cruise packing list.

First: Contain the Cabin Chaos

Cruise cabins are small. Cruise cabins with two adults and a kid somehow become smaller every time someone changes clothes. I’m not going to pretend any of this turns our cabin into some beautifully organized Pinterest-worthy space. Our cabin is still chaos. These just help contain it.

Magnetic Hooks — We Will Not Cruise Without Them

Cruise cabin walls are magnetic, and once you realize that, those walls become free storage. We use magnetic hooks for hats, sunglasses with the little neck thingy, bathing suits, lanyards if we’re using them, and whatever else needs somewhere to go. Do they make our cabin perfectly organized? Absolutely not.

But at least all of that stuff isn’t taking up the already limited counter space or getting tossed wherever someone can find a spot. And the hooks have another job that has absolutely nothing to do with storage. Keep reading, because they’re also a huge part of the cruise cabin sleep setup we won’t travel without.

See the magnetic hooks we use →

The Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer That Holds…Everything

Same idea, different surface. We bring an over-the-door shoe organizer and put basically anything and everything in it. Socks. Sunscreen. Toys. After-sun care. Random kid stuff. And even… Shoes. Novel concept, I know. It gives all the little stuff somewhere to live instead of slowly taking over every counter in the cabin.

The Boring Thing That’s Actually a Game Changer

The collapsible laundry basket actually came into our travel routine after we started traveling with a clothing-changing toddler. He needed somewhere other than the floor to throw his dirty clothes. And honestly, once we started using one, I don’t know why we weren’t doing it before. Dirty clothes go straight into it instead of slowly taking over the cabin, and everybody knows exactly where they go.

Then when it’s time to pack, I can basically put the whole thing into one side of a suitcase—or dedicate one suitcase to dirty clothes and keep everything clean somewhere else. No sorting through piles trying to determine whether something is clean or somebody wore it to dinner three nights ago. It collapses down when we’re not using it, takes up very little space on the way there, and gives all those dirty clothes one designated home once we arrive. Again, we’re not eliminating the chaos here. We’re containing it.

See a collapsible laundry basket similar to ours →

The Cruise Cabin Sleep Setup We Won’t Travel Without

Remember when I said those magnetic hooks do more than hold hats? Here’s where they really earn their spot in the suitcase.

Blackout Curtain + Magnetic Hooks

At night, we use the magnetic hooks on the ceiling with a blackout curtain to create a darker little sleep space for our son. We have done this on every cruise, and we will not cruise without this setup. He gets the darkness he needs while my husband and I can still move around the cabin, use our phones or computers, and generally exist without every little bit of light distracting him.

When you’re all sharing one room, being able to create even a little separation at bedtime makes a huge difference for us.

Apparently We’re a Sound-Machine Family Now

The sound machine started as a little-one thing. He uses one every night at home, so when we travel, it comes with us. We travel with one so consistently that we actually bought a separate sound machine just for trips that’s similar to the one he uses at home. My husband also travels a ton for work and has a tiny battery-operated sound machine that we’ve used on trips too.

For shorter trips when we’re flying and trying to stick to carry-ons, we bring the little one because it takes up almost no space. For cruises and longer trips, we bring the bigger travel sound machine. And somewhere along the way, my husband and I got so used to hearing our son’s sound machine that we now use one in our own bedroom at home.

So… I guess he won that one. On cruises, the sound machine works especially well with our blackout-curtain setup. He gets his dark little sleep space and the familiar sound he’s used to at home while we’re still able to function on the other side of the curtain.

See a full-size travel sound machine similar to ours →

The exact full-size travel sound machine we own is no longer sold, so this is a similar one—not the same model.

See the small battery-operated sound machine →

This is the small battery-operated sound machine my husband uses for work travel and that we use for shorter trips.

Keeping Him Entertained Without Packing the Playroom

Travel Magna-Tiles + Magnetic Walls = Genius

Remember how I said the cruise cabin walls are magnetic? That also makes them a giant play surface. The smaller travel Magna-Tiles are perfect for this. He can build with them right on the cabin wall while we’re getting dressed, getting everything together to leave the room, or winding down at the end of the day.

It’s just an easy little thing that keeps him entertained without us having to bring a giant pile of toys into an already tiny cabin.

See the travel Magna-Tiles →

Yes, the Toniebox Comes Too

If you’ve read basically anything else I’ve written about traveling with our son, this probably isn’t surprising. The Toniebox comes. It gives him something familiar to listen to while we’re getting ready or winding down at night, and it’s one of those things that has continued to earn space in our luggage trip after trip.

I’ve already talked plenty about my love for the Toniebox elsewhere, so I won’t make you sit through another love letter here. Just know: yes, it cruises too. And if the Toniebox is coming, so is its backpack. We’ve had the Toniebox backpack for years, and it’s one of those things that just makes traveling with it easier. The Toniebox and Tonies have their own place, and our son can carry it himself. At this point, the two pretty much travel as a set for us.

See the Toniebox → See the Toniebox backpack →

The Tiny Ducks That Turn Into a Whole-Cruise Activity

Pack the Baby Ducks

Hiding rubber ducks around the ship is a whole cruising thing. People hide them throughout the ship, and if you find one, you can keep it or rehide it for someone else to find. We like putting our own spin on it and bringing what we call the baby ducks—tiny little plastic ducks that are easy to pack and fun to hide throughout the cruise.

One trip, my husband mixed things up and found miniature lizards and ladybugs to hide too, because apparently we needed to expand beyond the duck population. Some people really get into it and make little tags for their ducks telling whoever finds them where the duck came from. We haven’t gone that far yet, but it’s a cute idea.

We’ve found ducks on both Royal Caribbean and Carnival, although it definitely felt like we saw more of them on Royal Caribbean. And because the baby ducks we use are REALLY small, we’re careful about where we hide ours. We put them up higher where really little kids aren’t likely to grab them. They’re tiny, and I don’t want one ending up in a toddler’s mouth.

It’s such a simple thing, but it gives our son something to look for while we’re walking around the ship AND something to do when he has ducks to hide.

See the baby ducks we bring →

Pool Days, Sun and the Bogg Bag Lesson

Why I Downsized My Bogg Bag

I’ve taken my large Bogg Bag on cruises before, and yes, it fits basically everything. That’s also kind of the problem. It’s bulky, cumbersome, and after carrying it from the terminal, through the ship and around while waiting for our room to be ready, my shoulder was not impressed. Before our last cruise, I made a last-minute splurge and bought the medium one instead.

Game changer. For the pool, I really don’t need that much stuff. Towels are already there. I need my Kindle, sunscreen, water bottle, maybe my belt bag, and I’m good. The medium bag gave me enough room for what I actually needed without feeling like I was hauling half our cabin around the ship. And my shoulder wasn’t killing me by the time we finally got to our room. Totally worth it.

See the medium Bogg Bag →

The Cruise Where My Birks Betrayed Me

I love my Birks. Like, I own three pairs. One of my favorite styles is the Madrid EVA Buckle, and on the cruise before our last one, I brought my regular pair. Then I wore them around water. Turns out, water + dyed shoes + bare feet was not the combination I thought it was going to be.

By the time I realized what was happening, my feet now matched my beloved Birks. Not exactly the cruise souvenir I was looking for. For our last cruise, I still wanted my beloved Birks, so I went looking for another option—and found the same Madrid EVA Buckle style in the rubber version. Perfect. I didn’t have to give up the style I already loved just because we were going to be around water. They still felt cute, but I could wear them around the pool without worrying about ruining them or ending the day with dyed feet.

Same style I already loved. Much better choice for a cruise. My shoes survived. My feet remained their original color. Everybody wins.

See the rubber Madrid EVA Buckle Birks →

The After-Sun Product I’ve Used for Years

This isn’t just a cruise thing. I won’t go on a cruise—or really any sunny vacation—without my after-sun care. I’ve used this for years, and it’s the best after-sun product I’ve found for my skin. If I notice I’m looking a little pink after a day outside, I spray it on when we get back and usually reapply it later.

For me, I’ve found that most of the time the redness settles down instead of turning into the uncomfortable sunburn I was expecting. Now, this is not magic. You cannot spend four hours in UV 12 with no sunscreen, spray this on afterward and expect it to erase your life choices. Use sunscreen. But when I’ve gotten a little more sun than I intended, this is what I reach for.

See the after-sun care I use →

When Everybody Needs to Charge Something

On our last cruise, we brought something that gave us extra plugs, and it went from seeming like a nice thing to have to a necessity pretty quickly. Because once I actually started counting what we needed to charge… The Toniebox. Sound machine. Computer. Phones. Headphones. Watch. Apparently we travel with a small electronics store.

Having the extra plugs was really nice, and this is absolutely coming with us again. Just make sure you check your cruise line’s current rules before packing any charging accessory because restrictions on power strips, extension cords and similar devices can vary.

See what we brought for extra plugs →

I Am Apparently Very Committed to These Luggage Tag Holders

I love our luggage tag holders for Royal Caribbean. Print the tags, slide them in, attach them to the suitcase and you’re done. Carnival, however, had other plans. Their printed luggage “tags” did not fit ours.

Did I respond like a reasonable person and just slap some tape on the luggage tag? Of course not. I cut half the tag until I made it fit because apparently that’s how committed I am to using these luggage tag holders. It wasn’t pretty. But they fit, our luggage somehow made it to us, and that’s what matters.

See the luggage tag holders →

And Finally…The Cafeteria Tray

Trying Next Cruise

Every cruise I have this thought. Every cruise I forget. And every cruise I kick myself for forgetting it. It never fails. I’m running to grab something for everyone to snack on in the room. I want a drink. The little one wants something.

I’ve got a plate or two of snacks. And suddenly I’m out of hands, elbows and any reasonable way to push an elevator button or open a door. Then I see somebody casually walking through the ship with an actual cafeteria tray.

GENIUS.

Will I feel a little silly packing my own cafeteria tray like I’m that extra? Probably. Will I care when I’m navigating the hallways like a boss? Nope. This will be one of the first things I pack for our next cruise. Have I actually tested it yet?

Nope. So I’m not calling this one a must-have yet. I’ll report back after the next cruise.

Just Tell Me What to Pack

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If you skipped everything above, I’m only mildly offended. Because, to be honest, I’d probably do the same. So fair. Here’s the short version.

If It Solves a Problem, It Gets to Come Back

None of this is going to make our cruise cabin perfectly organized. Let’s be realistic. There will still be shoes somewhere they shouldn’t be, somebody will lose something five minutes after we leave the room, and at some point I will probably be moving a pile from one surface to another because I don’t know where else to put it.

But these are the things that make it easier. They give some of the chaos a place to go. They help our son sleep more like he does at home. They keep him entertained when we’re getting ready. And they make the things we’re already doing on a cruise a little less complicated.

And that’s really my rule for what earns space in our luggage. It needs to solve an actual problem. Not because a Pinterest graphic told me I need 37 cruise essentials. Not because everybody else packs it.

If it makes traveling with our family easier, it gets to come back. And apparently next time, so does a cafeteria tray.