This brief article will provide you with a list of necessary things that you should not forget to put in your suitcase when packing it for your cruise trip.

Electronic Devices

What cruise trip can be completed without electronic devices today? You can take a laptop and a tablet to pass the time when at sea watching, for instance, your favorite series. Cabins of most cruise ships are equipped with modern flat-screen TVs which can be connected through the HDMI cable to. However, the number of sockets in cabins is limited by one or two, so we recommend that you should take a triple adaptor to charge your gadgets. On most cruise ships the sockets of both the American type (110-volt) and European type (220-volt) can be found. And yet, connectors of the European sockets can be thin, therefore it is worth taking a connector adaptor for charging a laptop or video camera. You always have an opportunity to use the Internet through the cruise ship's Wi-Fi if you are not afraid of the tariffs. This pleasure doesn’t come cheap. Don’t forget to take your camera as well!

Electric sockets in the cabins on the Costa and MSC cruise ships

Entertainment on Board

Perhaps, you will decide to rest from the higher technologies having taken a book, magazines, or crossword puzzles with you on a cruise. And yet, you should not put much hope on the cruise ship library in this regard. By the way, you can leave your book onboard as it might be useful for other passengers. For those who are going on a cruise having Alaska and the Antarctic in their itineraries or other places of habitation of the wild animals taking binoculars is a must. If you are traveling with children you should take toys for playing on the beach. It is essential that they have to be easily deflated and packed.

Medicine

Be sure to take the first-aid kit with you. Medical services are extra paid onboard and they are not that cheap (for instance, the cost of an aspirin pill is 3 USD, whereas a doctor’s appointment even concerning a trifling matter will cost you from 50 USD. We recommend that you take a pack of antiseptic band-aids and manicure scissors as well (the large scissors can be withdrawn). 

Toiletries

You have to be provided with soap and shampoo onboard as well as body lotion, hair conditioner, and shower gel very often, but if you are too meticulous in such matters you can take your own personal hygiene products. It concerns a hair dryer as well: if you can not put up with the low power of a hair dryer provided onboard then you should take your personal device with you. For more information, you can consult the article about cruise ships' cabin equipment. You can take a sunscreen lotion as well when going on a cruise with hot countries in its itinerary.

Dispensers containing hypoallergenic shampoo and shower gel on MSC Splendida. 

Storage of Things on Board

Some travelers take additional hangers, but as a rule, they are enough in the cruise ships’ cabins. If you are planning to buy a lot you should take a folding bag that will be in your luggage at the beginning, being gradually filled with souvenirs (and dirty clothes). For sightseeing tours in the ports of call, taking a small rucksack where you can put your camera, a bottle of water, and other things that could be necessary ashore will be a good idea. 

Beverages on Board

Most cruise lines allow you to bring drinking water or carbonated drinks on board enabling you to reduce your expenses on soft drinks. But you should be careful concerning alcohol. The thing is that cruise lines fight against this practice as they prefer that you should buy alcoholic drinks in the bars and restaurants of cruise ships, so consider yourself warned. Your bottles can be withdrawn when boarding. For more information on how to bring your alcohol on board read this article. 

Clothing and Footwear

Almost all the cruise ships are equipped with swimming pools so you should take swimsuits and swimmers on a cruise. Even if it is cold outside most swimming pools have retractable roofs thereby allowing you to swim in wintertime. However, it is not worth taking expensive swimsuits as the water in the cruise ship's pools is chlorinated and they can start to look dated very fast. You can visit a gym wearing sneakers only, as they won’t let you in without them, besides they will come in handy for active shore excursions. In the case of cold weather take outdoor clothes as a cruise ship sails at a speed of 40 km/h and there can be cool enough on the open decks. A raincoat or an umbrella will not be out of place, however, umbrellas can be usually found in the cabins of premium-class cruise lines. For the formal evenings after 18.00, the dress code is introduced on the cruise ships which implies suits for men and elegant gowns for women. 

Swimming pool with the retracting roof on Coral Princess