7 day cruise packing list

What should I wear on a Cruise? This is the phrase that I found myself frantically googling when I found out that I would be taking a 7-day European cruise with Princess Cruises. You see, I never thought that I would be taking a cruise. Years of backpacking mean that Im used to packing light and I usually dont have to think about what I take with me; a few t-shirts, a couple of pairs of shorts, and enough underwear to last me until I find a laundrette and Ill be fine. However, Im not one to stick to my own personal comfort zone and jumped at the chance to spend a week in luxury aboard a cruise ship. The only problem was, What should I pack?

Here was my issue; When packing for a cruise, youre essentially packing for 3 very different trips. Firstly, theres your onboard attire, next you have to think about what you need for your shore excursions and days in port, and lastly, you need formal wear for evenings on the ship. Thats right, cruises can get fairly fancy and you occasionally need to dress to impress, which and anyone that knows me can attest to this is something that I very rarely do.

Theres nothing worse than arriving on a trip and realising that youve forgotten a certain item of clothing or a travel essential, but luckily Im here to help. Below, Ive put together my ultimate cruise packing list, but first, there are a few questions you need to ask:

There is a dress code onboard Princess Cruises ships, but luckily it isnt too stuffy or constraining. During the day, I found that you can wear whatever you would normally wear for hanging out in a standard resort hotel and that is fine. Im talking flip-flops, shorts [or swim shorts] and a t-shirt are all okay for wandering around on the deck or the ship.

According to Princess Cruises website, they say that Casual sportswear, including shorts, lightweight pants and jogging suits, is the order of the day both at sea and ashore in hotter climates. Which fits well with my habit of dressing as casual as I can get away with in most situations.

However, Princess Cruises do have formal nights on their ships. Its a fun chance to dress to the nines, enjoy a fancy meal and an evenings entertainment, all while feeling a little glam. Princess recommends that you wear evening gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies and tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits for men. While I saw a lot of men in full tuxedos complete with a bow-tie, I opted for a navy suit and smart shoes which were absolutely fine. Others wore just a smart shirt with dark trousers and they didnt seem out of place either.

Its also worth noting that you are required to wear smart casual attire in the ships restaurants. This means no shorts, ripped jeans, sportswear, baseball caps, or swimwear. Anything that I would normally wear to eat out seemed absolutely fine and I did see a number of people eating at the restaurants in shorts and t-shirts without any issues.

Luckily, Princess has no limits on the number of bags that you can bring with you, they only ask that no single piece of luggage weighs more than 22kg. As someone that is used to the restrictive policies of budget airlines, this was a revelation. The fact that we were sailing from Southampton meant that I could back whatever I wanted without having to worry about trying to fit everything into a carry-on bag for a flight to a departure destination.

Obviously, the duration of your cruise is going to affect how much luggage you take. For a 7-day cruise, I was able to get away with taking just a cabin-size case and packing enough so that I had a t-shirt for each day, a few pairs of shorts and jeans, shirts for the evenings and a suit for the formal nights. If youre the kind of person that likes to make multiple outfit changes in a day, obviously you will have to pack a little less light than I did.

However, its worth noting that if you are cruising for longer than I did and still dont want to take too much luggage on board, Princess Cruises do offer wash and press services on board all ships [same-day service is available for a surcharge] as well as providing self-serve laundry options.

Its always recommended that you check the weather of the destinations that youll be heading to before you decide what to pack for your cruise. Will one of the stops be much hotter or colder than your port of departure? For my cruise, we stopped in A Coruña, Bilbao, Bordeaux, and Guernsey so the weather wasnt too different to what I would experience at home in the UK and I was able to get away with packing what I would normally wear. However, If youre cruise is stopping off somewhere a little chillier say, Scandinavia or Russia during the winter months you will have to consider what cold-weather gear you will need to pack.

It is also worth considering what shore excursions you will be doing as they may require specific clothing. If youre doing something a little adventurous, you dont want to be caught short without things like hiking boots or sportswear.

Now that youve asked the important questions, lets get down to the nitty-gritty and see whats on my ultimate cruise packing list.

Passport
This may seem like an obvious one, but imagine the panic of arriving at the port and realising that youve forgotten the most important item. Its more than likely that you will be visiting multiple countries on your cruise so a passport is essential. You will need it to check in at your port of departure but thankfully, at every destination, Princess sorts out all of the admin so after the first day, you can keep it somewhere safe in your stateroom.

Cruise Tickets and Visas
Ensure that you print out your tickets before arriving at the port, as you wont be able to check in without them. Also, if youre travelling from outside of Europe, you may need a Visa for the countries that you are visiting. Make sure that you obtain them before travelling.

Luggage Tags
You will need to print out your personalised luggage tags before departure from Princess online portal and attach them to each piece of checked luggage.

Credit or Debit Card
Although all transactions that you make on board are done through Princess key card system [your room key is used for purchasing additional food, drink or activities onboard and charged to your credit or debit card], you will need to have money to spend at each port you visit. I use myWeSwap for travel. In essence, WeSwap works like any other prepaid currency card. Using the app, you load your card with cash via bank transfer or debit card payment and then go out and spend anywhere that accepts Mastercard. What sets WeSwap apart though, is its peer to peer exchange feature, which swaps your currency directly with other travellers. This way you can avoid paying commission, as well as spend in local currency when abroad, meaning you wont get charged the usual 2 3% transaction fees that most banks apply when you use your usual debit card for a coffee or meal.

Travel Insurance
You will not be able to travel on a cruise without valid travel insurance. World Nomads offer travel insurance, you can clickhereto get a quote.

Suncream
Another obvious one, but if youre cruising in Europe during the summer, youll want to take suncream for those times youre lounging by the pool on deck, cocktail in hand or wandering around one of the city destinations. No one likes to look sunburned in their holiday snaps, right? Make sure to pack your sunglasses too.

Toiletries
Youll need to back all of your usual daily toiletries; deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, aftershave and any medication that you will take [including seasickness tablets if you need them, although they are available onboard]. I found that shower gel and shampoo [not that I need it] is provided in your stateroom, along with a little pamper kit in case you want to spend an evening in your room relaxing and partaking in a little self-care.

Re-usable Water Bottle
Although drinks in the ships buffet and in the restaurants are served in glasses, I recommend taking a reusable bottle [this Water-to-gobottle is fantastic, butmetal onesare a great alternative to plastic] so that you dont have to purchase plastic bottles of water or use plastic cups at the poolside. All the water onboard is potable, so you can fill it up wherever you please. It may be worth packing a re-usable straw too, likethis metal oneorthese bamboo onesso that you dont have to use the plastic ones used in the ships bars.

Like I said before, departing from Southampton means that you dont have to limit your luggage to whatever restrictions airlines impose on you. I tried to pack at least one daytime outfit for each day of the cruise as well as an additional outfit for an evening. The best thing is that once you are on the ship, you can unpack [into the walk-in wardrobe area of your stateroom no less] and not worry about packing everything again until the end of your cruise. A bit of a luxury for someone like me that is so used to backpacking from city to city without ever really unpacking.

Underwear
Well, this goes without saying, doesnt it?

T-Shirts
Although there is a dress code in some of the onboard restaurants, t-shirts are essential attire for relaxing on the ship during sea days, hanging out by the pool, eating in the buffet or on shore excursions.

Shorts
Like with T-shirts, shorts are perfect for a day on board the ship or wandering around a new city, especially if you get a bright and sunny day. I packed two pairs for my week-long trip.

Jeans
No matter where you are travelling or what time of year it is, nights at sea can get a little chilly, especially if youre planning on hanging out in the open air on an evening watching a show or movie under the stars [Princess have outdoor film screenings each evening]. I packed to pairs; a regular blue pair of jeans and a black pair that I could get away with wearing in the ships restaurants on an evening.

Shirts
Although t-shirts are fine for during the day and shore excursions, it may be worth taking a few smarter shirts for an evening, especially if you are planning on eating at any of the ships specialist restaurants where they have a smart casual dress code.

Jumper or Hoody
Nights at sea can get a little chilly, and although the inside areas of the ship are temperature controlled, youll need a jumper of hoody if you venture out on the deck.

Jacket or Raincoat
Even if youre exploring the Mediterranian in the middle of summer, you cant always guarantee favourable weather, so a lightweight jacket is recommended just in case you get caught in a sudden downpour.

Swimwear
Swimwear is essential when going on a cruise. Our ship, the Sapphire Princess had 4 swimming pools as well as a spa and jacuzzis, so make sure that you pack your swimsuit so that you can take full advantage of the aquatic amenities.

Sportswear
I know, youre probably going on a cruise so that you can relax, but there are plenty of facilities on board for those looking to get their daily fix of cardio. Sapphire Princess has a sports court as well as a fitness centre.

Flip flops
Youre on a boat so of course, you need your flippy-floppies for when you want to spend some time around the pool.

Trainers or Comfortable Shoes
Although a comfortable pair of shoes arent essential for on the ship, at each port of call, youll likely spend a lot of time walking, especially if youve booked a shore excursion that involves a walking tour. You will usually have a full day to explore each destination, so a pair of comfy shoes is definitely recommended.

A Small Bag or Backpack
as well as allowing you to carry your gear from your room to the lido deck, youll probably want to pack a spare a tote bag or backpack so that you can take the essentials [suncream, wallet, camera etc] on sure when you go exploring.

If youre heading out on a 7-day cruise, its likely that you will have 1 or 2 formal nights on board the ship. Princess Cruises usually have these on sea days. Remember that theres a dress code; for men, this is a tuxedo or dark suit with smart shoes, although a smart shirt and dark trousers will be fine, especially if paired with a tie. For women, this means cocktail dresses or ball gowns, although Im sure that any mid-length dress will fit the bill.

On my trip, we had two formal nights so I packed just the one suit and tie, but two shirts to wear.

Camera
My Camera is one item that I will never leave the house without. Even if I were to forget all of my other luggage, I will always make sure to take my camera on trip with me so that I don;t miss out on capturing all those amazing travel moments.

Check outthis postto see what camera gear I travel with.

Travel Adapters and charging cables
Although there are plenty of charge points in each stateroom, on the Sapphire Princess, all the outlets are US style sockets. I would recommend taking anadapterandpower stripto ensure that you can charge all of your devices and batteries at once.

Power Bank
Even with the best intentions and aiming to head out with a fully charged phone each morning, we all still have those occasions when we run out of battery. I always travel with apower bankto ensure that Im not wandering around a new city without google maps on hand to guide me. It also means that you can hang out on deck without having to head back to your room to find a charger.

There you have it my ultimate cruise packing list! If theres anything Ive missed, or if you have any questions about packing for a cruise, let me know in the comments below.

I was on board Sapphire Princess as part of a 7-day Princess Cruises Cruise to Spain, France and Guernsey.Staterooms start at £649.99. For more cruise dealsclick here.

This post has been created as part of a sponsored collaboration with Princess Cruises, however, all views expressed are my own.