What to Pack for a Carnival Cruise (Packing List) - Cruise Packing Tips (2024)

If you’re heading off on a Carnival Cruise what to pack might be one of the main things on your mind pre-cruise. To help, we’ve put together a complete guide on what to pack for a Carnival Cruise. If you’ve never cruised with Carnival before then our Carnival Cruise packing list will help you get packed and prepared for your upcoming cruise.

We’ve included some tips on what to wear on a Carnival Cruise for every occasion on board and other cruise essentials to add to your Carnival packing list to make your journey smooth and enjoyable.

Use our Carnival Cruise checklist printable to organize your packing before your trip and make sure you have everything you need.

What to Wear on a Carnival Cruise

You’ll find that on Carnival Cruise what to wear is a bit more casual and fun than on other cruise lines. When you’re on Carnival what to pack for day and evening doesn’t need to be super fancy unless you want to get dressed up. There are a few Carnival Cruise dress code rules such as no shorts, flip-flops, cut-off/ripped jeans, caps or sleeveless shirts for menfor the main dining room and no bathing suits or bare feet in the buffet.

Ideas for Carnival Cruise outfits:

• Cruise casual day – Around the ship, you can wear bathings suits + coverups, shorts & tees, sundresses, basically any comfortable casual clothes.
• Cruise casual evening – On non-formal nights in the main dining area you can wear sundresses, jeans & a nice tunic or vest top for women or short-sleeved shirt for men, or chinos and a polo shirt.You might want to plan on having one all white outfit as there’s often a white party one night.
• Cruise elegant –If you’re wondering what to wear on formal night on Carnival Cruise you should picture yourself going out for a nice dinner at the minimum. You can wear anything from a nice sundress, up to a a full evening dress, but a co*cktail dress is ideal. For men, chinos and a button down shirt at a minimum, up to a full tuxedo, but a sport coat and tie are ideal.

What to Pack for a Carnival Cruise

This list of what to bring on a Carnival Cruise will cover your for a 7 day cruise. If you’re on a slightly longer or shorter cruise, you can adjust the number of tops, dresses and underwear up or down to suit.

Clothing for Women

• T-shirts x 2
• Short sleeved shirts / vest tops x 4 or 5 – Can be casual by day or dressed up for non-formal night
• Cotton / chiffon tunic
• White jeans
• Jeans (ideal for travel days)
• Linen / palazzo pants
• Sundresses x 3
• Maxi Dress
• Jumpsuit / romper
• Formal night dresses x 1 or 2 – You can just dress up your sundress/maxi dress/jumpsuit with jewelry and nicer shoes if dressing up doesn’t suit your taste
• Shorts / Capri pants x 2
• Cardigan
• Shawl
• Kimono top– Useful as a bathing suit cover up or over a vest or jumpsuit for dinner
• Workout gear x 2 – For working out on board or for active excursions
• Bathing suits x 2 or 3
• Cover ups x 2 or 3
• UV swim vest – Useful for sailing or beach excursions
• Sunglasses x 2 – One cheap pair for beach days or in the pool is useful
• Sunhat
• Baseball cap
• Flip flops
• Aqua shoes – If planning on an excursion that requires them
• Sneakers
• Nice sandals – For day or evening
• Heels or wedges – To go with your evening wear choices both formal and non-formal
• Statement jewelry
• Underwear x 10
• Bras x 3-4
• Socks
• Sleepwear x 2

Clothing for Men

• T-shirts x 3 or 4
• Short sleeved shirts x 3 or 4
• Polo shirts x 3 or 4
• Chinos
• Jeans
• Shorts x 2
• Workout gear x 2 – For working out on board or for active excursions
• Formal night suit or sport coat –You can just smarten up your chinos with a button down shirt and tie if dressing up doesn’t suit your taste
• Tie
• Belt
• Light sweater
• Swim shorts x 2 or 3
• UV swim vest
• Sunglasses x 2 – A cheap pair for beach days or in the pool is useful
• Sunhat
• Baseball cap
• Flip flops
• Aqua shoes – If planning on an excursion that requires them
• Sneakers
• Leather loafer or boat shoe
• Dress shoes
• Underwear x 10
• Socks
• Sleepwear x 2

Travel Documents

These should all be packed in your carry on bag for embarkation day. There is a safe in your stateroom for valuables.See this post for more details on what to pack in your carry on bag for embarkation.

• Cruise documents
• Travel documents
• Passport
• Drivers License
• Cash
• Travel wallet / organiser

Electronics

• Phone
• Camera
• GoPro
• Selfie stick
• iPad
• Kindle
• Headphones
• Powerbank
• All chargers
• Powerstrip without surge protector

Cruise Essentials

• Waterproof phone case
• Lanyard
• Seabands
• Dramamine
• Ginger candy
• Poopouri
• Downy Wrinkle Release (travel size)
• Magnetic hooks
• Bungee cord– For holding open your balcony door
• Overdoor shoe organizer
• Highlighter
• Post It notes
• Travel coffee cup or soda cup
• Refillable water bottle
• Earplugs or portable sound machine – If you’re a light sleeper or in case of noisy neighbors
• Travel alarm clock
• Towel clipsw
• Wine bottle – One 750 ml bottle per adult
• Wine bottle protector
• Soda – 12 cans per person
• Tide to Go – Stain remover pen for emergencies
• Tide pods – Carnival has laundry rooms on board if you need them so pop a few pods in a Ziploc bag in case you need them
• Travel laundry sheets – For handwashing in your room if necessary
• Lysol disinfecting wipes or spray – For sanitizing your cabin on arrival
• Hand sanitzer– Travel size

For more ideas on cruise essentials check out this post.

Toiletries

• Shampoo (available on the ship but not high quality)
• Conditioner
• Body wash(available on the ship but not high quality)
• Sunscreen – Spray sunscreen and face sunscreen
• Aftersun gel
• Bug spray
• Antacid tablets
• Deodorant
• Facial moisturiser
• Body lotion
• Razor
• Shaving cream
• Make up
• Make up remover (wipes or micellar water)
• Hairbrush
• Comb
• Hair ties & bobby pins
• Hair products
• Antichafe balm – Prevents “chub rub”
• Small first aid kit
• Medications
• Contact lens & solution

Useful Packing Items

• Packing cubes
• Cruise luggage tags – Get the right kind for your cruise line, there are two different sizes
• Hanging toiletry bag
• Garment bag
• Laundry bag or pop up hamper
• Prescription medication organizer
• Folding backpack
• Tote bag
• Beach bag
• Cooler (12″ x 12″ x 12″)
• Travel toiletry bottles
• Wet-dry bag – For traveling home with wet swimsuits

Carnival Cruise Packing List PDF Printable

We recommend using our Carnival Cruise packing checklist to help organize your cruise packing. Print out the Carnival checklist and mark it off as you gather items. We recommend starting the cruise packing process at least a month out from your cruise to allow you enough time to plan your outfits and order any of the recommendedthings to bring on a Carnival Cruise.If you have a spare bedroom or space in your house, lay everything out, add to it as you go and then pack it up a few nights before your trip to avoid wrinkling your clothes.

***You can download our Carnival Cruise packing list pdf here.***

Carnival Cruise Luggage Tips

Here are a few tips on the luggage you can bring on your Carnival Cruise:

• On your Carnival Cruise luggage should be limited to one suitcase per person for 3-5 day cruises and two suitcases per person for 6+ day cruises. However, tt is recommended that you only bring one suitcase per person.
• Each suitcase needs to be under 50 lbs.
• Luggage should be 16″ deep by 24″ wide at a maximum but length is not restricted.
• Checked luggage needs to be unlocked so store all valuables in your carry on.
• Order some Carnival Cruise luggage tags. It’s more secure than just stapling them on so less chance your bag will go missing.
• Make sure your suitcase is well labelled and distinctive from other cruisers. A good way to do this is with ribbons or straps. Don’t forget to add your name, address and phone number to your luggage.

Suggested suitcases for Carnival Cruises:

Got a question on what to pack for your Carnival Cruise? You can comment below on this post or pop over to our cruise packing group on Facebook to ask for advice!