What should you pack for a cruise?
Short answer: 24 items, from binoculars for scenic cruising through to ziplock bags for wet shoes or items. The complete Cruise Holiday checklist is written out below — and the exact same 24 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Cruise Holiday checklist — all 24 items
- Binoculars for scenic cruising
- Cash in small denominations for tips and ports
- Comfortable walking shoes for shore excursions
- Cover-up for walking through the ship
- Cruise documents / boarding pass
- Door magnet or whiteboard for cabin messages
- Earplugs (thin cabin walls, engine noise)
- Formal outfit for dinner nights
- Highlighter for marking the daily programme
- Lanyard for your cruise card (keeps hands free)
- Medication in carry-on, not checked luggage
- Motion sickness tablets
- Passport
- Phone charger wall plug
- Photocopy of passport, stored separately
- Portable fan (some cabins run warm)
- Power strip / power board (cabins often have few outlets)
- Reusable water bottle
- Small day bag for excursions
- Spare glasses or contacts
- Sunblock
- Two swimsuits (one is always wet)
- Waterproof phone pouch for pool deck and excursions
- Ziplock bags for wet shoes or items
A cruise ship is the one holiday where you genuinely cannot pop to the shops — the shop is a gift store selling sunhats at marina prices, and the next chance is a port two days away. Seasickness tablets, the formal-night outfit, power adapters for the cabin: on board, you have what you brought.
This list packs for ship life specifically: documents and cruise-line paperwork, outfits from pool deck to formal dinner, motion-sickness remedies, cabin comforts like a power strip for the outlet-starved cabin and a door magnet for messages, and the shore-excursion day bag. Tick it off as the suitcase fills and sail with everything covered.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "seasickness tablets" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should you pack for a cruise?
You need 24 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from binoculars for scenic cruising through to ziplock bags for wet shoes or items — and the same 24 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=cruise%20holiday opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Cruise Holiday list (24 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.