How to Pack for a Cruise: a Checklist

Packing for a cruise may seem like an easy task in theory, but the reality presents more challenges than you might expect. Here is how to make it smooth sailing.

Spending weeks onboard a cruise ship presents more packing challenges than you might expect. For one, there is the lack of storage on a cruise ship, so how much is too much to pack? And will you have access to an iron or should the linen shirts stay at home? Here are 20 stress-saving tips on how to pack for a cruise like pro. Don’t set sail without them.

1. Travel organisers: the cruise essential item

A travel organiser is a necessity. Not just for a cruise holiday but for all holidays. You’ll need to treat your cruise holiday the same as an overseas holiday and pack a variety of important travel documents to take onboard with you, including a passport, visa, cruise booking and more. A travel organiser is the best way to store all those important documents safely in one place.

2. Don’t fold your clothes, roll them

As a guide, use organising queen Marie Kondo’s KonMari folding method to save space in your suitcase and reduce.

The Marie Kondo method of suitcase packing

3. Wrinkle-release spray is a cruise lifesaver

Fire safety is paramount on cruises, so you won’t find an iron in your cabin. You can pay the cruise staff to iron your clothes for you, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Wrinkle-release spray is reasonably inexpensive and will easily remove those stubborn wrinkles from your clothes.

4. Make laundry effortless with a universal sink plug

This tip is more relevant for those travelling on long-haul cruises when your clothes will need to be reused for weeks at a time. You won’t necessarily have access to a laundry on board and while you’re still able to pay staff to wash your clothes for you there is another solution: buy a universal sink plug and do your own laundry in your cabin’s bathroom sink or bath (just check your cabin has one).

5. Wrap up your shoes… in a shower cap

Wrapping up your shoes in a disposable shower cap keeps dirty shoes from spoiling your clothes. If you don’t have access to disposable shower caps, plastic bags work just as well.

6. Organise your tech with a tech organiser

Travellers usually pack at least three different types of chargers with them when they travel: one for the phone, one for the camera, one for the smart watch etc. Keep chargers and cables separate from the rest of the items in your carry-on with a tech organiser. This way, they won’t get tangled up like Christmas tree lights kept in storage. We like this one from STM goods!

7. Invest in a power bank

Trust me, a portable battery pack to charge your smartphone on the go will save your life on shore excursions or when you’re lazing by the pool.

8. Invest in a smartphone waterproof pouch

If you are cruising to a tropical destination a smartphone waterproof pouch will definitely come in handy. It’ll protect your phone against water and dirt, while the attached lanyard will keep your hands free.

9. Pack a lanyard

Your cruise card is like your credit card, room key and ID all in one (easily forgettable) card. You really don’t want to lose such an important card, especially when out in port, so keep it safe with a lanyard.

10. Maximise space with storage

Cruise cabins are small (to say the least), making it necessary to maximise space as much as you can. Extra clothes hangers, over-the-door shoe organisers and toiletry bags with a hook for hanging will help you create space. Are you sharing a room? A selection of coloured packing cubes are useful for distinguishing your clothes from your cabin mate’s, while compartmentalising your apparel and saving space.

11. VI Poo necessary for those tiny cabin rooms

This may be a bit TMI, but VI Poo is necessary for masking any undesirable smells. Let’s not forget that cruise cabins are petite and unventilated – even balcony rooms can feel stuffy. VI Poo will keep your room smelling fresh and your cabin partner happy! You can be assured that avid cruisers are all card-carrying VI Poo users.

12. Pack sticky notes or a whiteboard for communication purposes

If you are travelling with family or friends in separate rooms, a whiteboard or sticky note placed on the cabin door is excellent for communicating your whereabouts. Communication through a mobile may not always be possible and is usually costly to access wi-fi onboard.

13. Relieve motion sickness with sea bands

My grandma swears by these to alleviate seasickness. Trust me, that says a lot considering she cruises biennially.

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14. Buy ‘towel clips’

Thick ‘towel clips’, or Boca Clips, are great for fastening your towel on to a beach chair as you lay by the pool. They’re also inexpensive – I got mine from Kmart Australia for $2.

15. Make use of zip-lock bags

Zip-lock bags are incredibly useful for storing toiletries and accessories. I usually place my liquid toiletries in zip-lock bags, as they always seem to leak in transit. Smaller zip-lock bags are great substitute containers for easily losable items like bobby pins and hair ties – and easier to transport.

16. Pack thicker layers (just in case)

Don’t be fooled by the tropical destinations –typically warm climates can also have temperatures drop quite low at night. It is definitely a good idea to pack a jacket keep you warm on those cooler nights. I’m a fan of what I like to call a ‘cozy cardi’ – a thick, woolly cardigan that you can dress up for a night out and can keep you warm at night in place of a dressing gown.

17. USB port wall chargers and power cubes to swiftly charge your tech

Cruise cabins have very few power point outlets, meaning that most of the tech you’ve packed (into that lovely tech organiser mentioned in tip six) will remain flat. A power cube is an extension containing multiple power outlets that will allow you to charge several gadgets at once. If you charge mostly through detachable USB cables, you can purchase a USB port wall charger that can charge up to 10 devices at once.

18. Always pack sunscreen!

No one wants to look like a red tomato in their holiday snaps. It may sound obvious, but always pack sunscreen. You’ll find the cost of buying sunscreen on a cruise can be wildly inflated. If you still manage to forget to pack your own, buy it onshore during a port day.

19. Magnets can provide great storage solutions.

Fun fact: cruise ships are made of metal, which also means they’re magnetic. You’ve now just been clued into another handy storage solution. Magnets are a great idea for holding up any papers you may receive onboard (especially all those cruise programs you’ll be handed) and want to refer to often. This means you won’t lose them under piles of clothes and towels. You can even purchase heavy-duty magnetic hooks, which are perfect for hanging up clothes and bathers.

20. Bring a reusable water bottle

Bottled water can come with a hefty price tag onboard and you may have to pay gratuities on top. Bring your own water bottle and reuse it as much as possible – it is especially handy to bring on shore excursions to keep you hydrated.

Are you looking for the perfect cruising holiday? Visit our ultimate travel guide to cruising to read more great tips.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.