What Toiletries to Pack for a Cruise – The Ultimate Guide

What Toiletries to Pack for a Cruise

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Planning a cruise and wondering what toiletries to pack? Making sure you’re both organized and have everything you need can be a challenge. While packing toiletries for a cruise may seem like a small detail, it’s one of the most important cruise packing lists you’ll need.

In this post, you’ll find a complete cruise toiletries packing list, which includes hygiene products, make up and hair products, basic first aid items and more. You’ll also find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about bringing toiletries on a cruise ship, as well as useful packing tips.

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What to Pack in Your Toiletry Bag for a Cruise

What to Pack Toiletries for a Cruise

Cruise Toiletries Packing Checklist

Here’s a complete cruise toiletries packing list. Please adjust items and quantities to your needs and preferences.

Personal Hygiene Items

These personal hygiene items are essentials on your cruise toiletries packing list. To keep organized, you can pack your items in a hanging toiletry bag or packing cube.

  • Toothbrushes
  • Toothpaste
  • Mouthwash
  • Dental floss
  • Deodorant
  • Shaving cream
  • Razors
  • Hair removal cream
  • Contact lens case and solution
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Poupourri (bathroom spray)

Remember to pack a good hanging toiletry bag to save space in your cabin, and have everything you need in one place.

 

Recommended: Hanging toiletry bag (over 1300 4.5* ratings on Amazon)

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Regular price: $27 Now just $17!

Makeup and Skincare

Adjust this list of beauty essentials to your own preferences and needs. You may find that you wear less make up than usual during the day, but still wear some make up in the evening. Remember to pack moisturizer, as the sun and ocean air can be drying.

  • Make up
  • Make up remover
  • Facial cleanser
  • Moisturizer (day and night)
  • Eye Cream
  • Perfume or body spray
  • Sunblock
  • Lip protection
  • Nail polish
  • Nail polish remover

Suggested: Travel Size Beauty Essentials to Pack for Your Cruise

toiletries cruise packing list
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Health and Medication

One of the most important things to remember when packing for your cruise, is your medication and other first aid type items.

Suggested:

How to Prevent Seasickness on a Cruise Effectively

31 Most Important Cruise First Aid Kit Essentials

toiletry bag - toiletry items to pack for a cruise
Packing cubes are so practical both on a cruise and for for pre and post cruise hotel stays

Hair Products

You’ll find some basic toiletries provided in your stateroom bathroom. However, unless you’re cruising in a suite, toiletries will be limited and the brands may be “meh”. If you like a particular brand, consider bringing your own shampoo and conditioner.

  • Shampoo and conditioner (if you bring your own)
  • Leave in conditioner
  • Dry shampoo
  • Anti-frizz hair serum
  • Hair gels and mousse
  • Hair spray
  • Hair brush or comb
  • Hair elastics & scrunchies
  • Hair clips
  • Hair products (gels, hairspray)
  • Hair accessories (elastics & hair clips)

Suggested: 25 Practical and Unique Gifts for Women Who love to Travel

Travel Toiletry set

Recommended: Travel toiletry set – with all the basics (see Amazon reviews & value pricing)

Hair Tools

You might be wondering if you should bring your own hair dryer on a cruise. While you’ll have one in your cruise state room, it will be similar in quality to a hotel blow dryer.

If this works for you, you’ll be fine. However, if you need one that’s more powerful, you’ll want to bring your own. You can also bring along a curling iron or hair straightener, or even (my new favorite), the Revlon One Step Hair Dryer Volumizer. It really lives up to the hype and you can even leave the travel hairdryer at home.

Suggested: 15 Amazing Beauty Essentials to Pack for a Cruise

cruise toiletries packing list
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Toiletries – Personal Care Items

Remember to pack some of the personal care items you may need on your cruise vacation.

Suggested: 21 Best Cruise Luggage and Packing Accessories

Men’s Travel Toiletry Set

If you prefer a set of travel sized toiletry items to bring on your cruise, this men’s kit is TSA compliant and a very good value.

 

Laundry Items

If you’re going on a longer cruise, or simply need a few items washed during your vacation, having a few laundry essentials is really helpful.

Recommended: 12 Genius Cruise Ship Bathroom Hacks and Organization Tips

DIY Cruise Laundry Kit (travel size)

Bring along travel size laundry detergent packets, that you can to hand wash items in your cruise stateroom bathroom sink, or in a washing machine if your cruise ship has a self serve laundry room.

To keep cruise outfits fresh and wrinkle free, these 2 items are lifesavers – wrinkle release spray and a stain remover stick. Don’t forget to pack a mesh laundry bag for any dirty clothes.

Cruise Toiletries - Tide to Go and Downy Wrinkle Release
Two simple and inexpensive must-haves for your cruise!

How to Pack Toiletry Items for a Cruise

Having the right luggage and packing accessories for a cruise will make all the difference. Make sure to bring along a hanging toiletry bag, a make up bag, an over the door organizer (if you have kids especially), and consider packing cubes for extra organization.

For couples, depending on how much toiletries each of you have, you may want to bring a HIS and HERS bag.

Hanging toiletry bag

This hanging toiletry bag comes in 3 colors and has clear pouches that actually come off – they are attached with velcro. We found this especially useful as we could could remove certain pouches (like the one with toothbrushes and toothpaste) to keep in our carry on bag for the first day of the cruise.

It was also so helpful to bring our overnight bag, as well as in our embarkation day carry-on bag.

Recommended: Space-saving hanging toiletry bag (available in pink, black and grey on Amazon)

Hanging Toiletry Make up Bag

If you bring make up and face creams on your cruise holiday, having a folding, hanging make up bag is so useful. I have this one, and love the clear pouches and separate sections that help me to keep organized.

*Note, I have the medium size bag and love it. It fits make up, creams, deodorant, medication and all travel size items. The large size can fit regular size toiletry items. I have the jewelry bag organizer (same brand) and love it too.

 

Recommended: Hanging Make up Toiletry Bag (see price & reviews here)

Toiletry Bags for a Cruise His and Hers
Consider bringing a “His” and “Hers” toiletry bag for personal items. This pale pink bag is the one featured above (hanging toiletry).

Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are a cruise traveler’s dream! They really allow you to keep all you clothing and essentials well organized for your cruise.

 

Recommended: Packing cubes (see options of sizes & sets on Amazon)

Hanging “over the door” organizer

Cruisers swear by the hanging organizer for toiletries and other essentials on a cruise. This can be a great way to keep your cruise cabin organized.

 

Recommended: Hanging cabin organizer (see Amazon link for price & details)

Magnet Cabin Hooks

Since the walls in your state room are metal, these magnet hooks are the best hack to keep organized and add extra storage space to your cruise cabin. Just remember that they must be heavy duty, otherwise they won’t hold up.

 

 

Recommended: 6 pack Magnetic Hooks  (these are heavy duty)

packing cruise toiletries
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Frequently Asked Questions

What toiletries can I take on a cruise?

Cruise lines don’t have restrictions on toiletries that you can take on your cruise. There are some items that are prohibited on a cruise, such as candles, irons and steamers, but toiletries are fine.

You can even bring full size toiletries if you like. However, keep in mind that if you fly to your cruise, you do need to follow the rules on packing liquids. Plus, cabins are small, so try to avoid over-packing as much as possible.

Do I need to take toiletries on a Cruise?

Most cruise lines will provide you with a basic shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and shower gel or bar soap. You’ll need to bring along all other toiletries and hygiene products.

Depending on your preference, you may want to pack your favorite shampoo and conditioner from home.

What Toiletries to Pack for a Cruise Guide
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Can I take full size toiletries on a cruise?

While airlines have restrictions on what size of toiletries you can bring on a flight, at least in your carry on or personal bag, cruise lines do not. If you’re not concerned about packing space, you can bring full size toiletry items including shampoo and conditioner bottles, shaving cream and other hygiene products. 

Cruise Packing Must-have

Cruise cabins don’t have many electric plugs and most don’t have USB plugs, so you’ll want to bring a non-surge protected power bar.

Very important – Cruise lines won’t allow you to bring a regular surge-protected power bar from home (they will confiscate). It’s very important to have a non-surge protected one that is “cruise approved”.

Recommended: Cruise Power Strip with USB Outlets – Non Surge Protection & Ship Approved (verify price here)

Get The Ultimate Cruise Planner

Regular price: $27 Now just $17!

Planning a Cruise? Here are some of our most popular and helpful posts to read next:

Recap: What Toiletries to Pack for a Cruise Vacation

In this post we went over the essential toiletries to pack for your cruise vacation. From basic hygiene items to make up, hair care and medication, this list of toiletries should help you to be prepared for anything on your cruise.

Is there anything else that you’d add to this packing list of toiletries? Please let me know if the comments below.

Happy cruising!

Ilana

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6 Comments

  1. Veronika
    March 31, 2021 / 7:49 am

    Hey Ilana!

    Thank you for sharing all these tips with me! If the current situation gets better, I am waiting to go somewhere as well.

    I will need to use some of your tricks and tips!

    Have a great day!
    V.

    • April 5, 2021 / 2:35 am

      Hi Veronika,

      Glad the tips and tricks could be helpful for your next cruise or trip. Enjoy!

      Ilana

  2. Shawn
    March 13, 2022 / 8:52 pm

    Hi Ilana,
    Thanks for your article. My wife and I watch and read your content often. Quick question: we have sea sickness products for our upcoming back-to-back cruise, but I don’t usually get sea sick – instead I have a hard time AFTER a cruise trying to sleep because it feels like I’m still onboard a cruise ship. Do you have any suggestions of what to take to help with that? Thanks, Shawn

    • May 16, 2022 / 11:43 pm

      Hi Shawn,

      Many people say they experience this, mal de debarquement. I don’t have a specific solution, but I have heard of some people using bonine or other motion sickness meds after the cruise for a few day.

      Perhaps a doctor may know more. Good luck,

      Ilana

  3. Marian
    June 2, 2023 / 8:37 pm

    Bonine works great and is non drowsy

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