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Carnival Cruise Packing Checklist
What to pack for a Carnival sailing, from dinner outfits to water shoes.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
Tick the circles, tap any line to change it, drag the dots to reorder.
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Dinner is where the dress code bites. Lunch is come-as-you-are, but dinner is dressier. Carnival says you can dress up on formal night if you enjoy glitz, and one blogger would call that cocktail attire. Gym shorts, swimwear, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men and baseball hats stay out of the dining room, that blogger says. Pack non-slip water shoes for pool decks. One blogger packed 6 swimsuits and wore 5, yet still wanted 2-3 more in-between outfits. This list assumes a Carnival sailing in warm weather and leaves out destination-specific gear. Size it to your trip length, ports and shore excursions.
Why these items are on the list
- Passport or proof of citizenship. Passport, enhanced driver's license or government birth certificate. Photograph them in case of loss.
- Cruise documents and flight tickets. Paper or digital airline tickets too, if you are flying to the departure port.
- Vaccination certificate, if required. Only if your sailing requires one.
- Insurance card and medical history. Add copies of prescriptions and a list of all medications you take.
- Carry-on backpack, per Carnival. Luggage can take a few hours to reach your stateroom. Carnival's examples to pack: phone, wallet, swimsuit, sunglasses.
- Swimsuits and cover-ups. One blogger wore 5 of 6 packed. You can wash one in the sink and use the drying rack.
- Water shoes or non-slip sandals. Closed-toed with anti-slip soles for wet pool decks and rocky reefs.
- Sunscreen, SPF 30 or more (Carnival). Carnival's first-timers guide says most snorkeling tours now allow only eco-friendly sunscreen, so pack that kind.
- Brimmed hat and UV sunglasses. Guards against UVA and UVB rays on deck and ashore.
- Dinner outfits, blogger's eight-night example. Blogger's 8-night cruise had dinner outfits for every night, including two for formal night.
- Dinner shoes, blogger says 1-3 if flying. A blogger suggests narrowing to 1-3 pairs when flying, to save space.
- In-between outfits, 2-3 per blogger. J's Everyday Fashion suggests 2-3 for brunch or around the ship. The blogger under-packed them.
- Travel-day outfits per J's Everyday Fashion. One to board, one to go home. The blogger forgot the ride-home outfit.
- Light jacket or wrap. It can get chilly at sea after dark, especially on deck.
- Non-surge power strip. Carnival suggests one to ensure enough stateroom outlets. Look for a few regular outlets and USB ports.
- Resealable plastic bags. Keep phone and wallet dry on shore excursions. Later they hold wet swimsuits.
- First-aid kit, per Carnival. Pain relievers, cough drops, allergy medicine, bandages, antacids, wipes, hand gel, seasickness remedies like pills, wristbands, patches or ginger chews.
- Empty water bottle. Fill it with ice water on board. Take it ashore or to the gym.
- Granola bars or snacks. Portable snacks on board are mostly apples and bananas, the blogger says.
- Small umbrella or light raincoat. For rain: the first-timers guide suggests a small umbrella or a light raincoat.
- Hanging toiletry bag. Hang it from a towel bar to keep the bathroom tidy. An over-door shoe organizer helps too.
Tick items off on your phone as the suitcase fills, and keep the list open at the port while you sort the carry-on. Anyone packing with you can work from the same list.
When to use it
Use it when you book, and again the night before you pack the carry-on.