TLDR: Your Pre-Cruise Checklist

Here’s everything you need to handle before you sail, based on what seasoned cruisers mention most often in forums and social posts:

Documents

• Passport with at least six months validity
• Boarding passes, travel insurance info and eDocs on your phone

Luggage and tags

• Download and print cruise luggage tags
• Inexpensive luggage tag holders (like these on Amazon)
• Carry-on with essentials for the first afternoon

First aid and meds

• Prescription medications in original containers
• Compact first aid kit (like these on Amazon)

Hydration gear

• Reusable insulated water bottle with a handle
• Plan to fill via clean glasses at the buffet

Pre-booked extras

• Drinks & Wi-Fi package purchased at pre-cruise rates
• Shore excursions reserved, especially the must-do ones

Your first cruise feels a little like the first day at a new school. You’re excited, slightly overwhelmed, and quietly worried you’re going to be the person at the port who forgot something obvious. This guide walks you through the unglamorous but essential bits: documents, luggage tags, first aid, water bottles, and pre-booking all those extras that cost more once you’re on board. 

Travel Documents: The Stuff You Cannot Wing

Before you think about outfits, sort your paperwork. No documents, no cruise. It’s that simple.

Passport, ID, and cruise confirmation

Most cruise lines require a passport valid for at least six months beyond your sailing date for international itineraries.  If your cruise is closed-loop from a U.S. port, you may be allowed to use a government-issued photo ID plus an original birth certificate, but a passport is still far easier if anything goes sideways.

Download your cruise boarding documents and e-tickets to your phone. Some lines call these “eDocs.” They usually include your boarding pass, luggage tags, and any transfers you purchased. Most cruisers keep a digital copy on their phone and a backup PDF in their email, just in case.

Keep critical items in your carry-on

Cruisers in community threads repeat one thing over and over: keep essential documents, medication, and valuables with you. Your checked suitcase might show up at your cabin at 5 p.m., or, in very rare cases, not at all on day one. 

Here’s what should stay in your embarkation day bag:

• Passport or required ID
• Boarding passes on your phone or as a backup printout
• Travel insurance details
• Any visas or vaccination records, if required
• Prescription medications
• A swimsuit and light change of clothes

Think of this bag as your “I can still have a good first day if my suitcase is late” kit.

Luggage Tags and What Actually Happens to Your Bags

This is the part no one explains clearly until you’re standing at the curb, un-tagged suitcase in hand.

How cruise bag tags work

Most cruise lines provide electronic luggage tags through their app or website 30–45 days before sailing. You download the PDF and print the tags with your name, ship, sail date, and stateroom number. 

Get inexpensive luggage tag holders

Many experienced cruisers swear by clear plastic luggage tag holders instead of tape and staples. Different cruise lines use different tag sizes. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity use narrower tags, while Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Norwegian, and MSC use wider ones. Most holders on Amazon specify which lines they fit, so check before you order. Are holders required? No. Are they handy and less likely to tear off? Definitely.

What to do with your bags at the port

Here’s the usual flow at a big cruise port:

1. Follow signs for “Baggage Drop-Off.”
2. Porters check that your bags have cruise tags
3. You tip your porter, then head to security and the check-in area

Your larger suitcases go into a behind-the-scenes screening area and then get loaded onto the ship. Bags show up in the hallway outside your stateroom a few hours later. On many sailings, luggage arrives between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., so plan to be separated from those bags for a while.

Pack a Small First Aid and Med Kit (So You Don’t Pay Ship Prices)

This is the category that seasoned cruisers get surprisingly passionate about. Cruise ship medical centers and onboard shops are very convenient and also very expensive. Many cruisers say they now pack a basic first aid kit after paying premium prices for painkillers or seasickness meds on board.

What to include in a compact cruise first aid kit

You don’t need a full pharmacy. Focus on small quantities of the most commonly used items that are harder or pricier to replace at sea.

Useful basics many cruisers pack:

• Pain relief: ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or your usual pain reliever
• Tummy meds: antacids, Imodium, and something for constipation
• Motion sickness: Dramamine, Bonine, or prescription patches like scopolamine
• Allergy help: antihistamines such as Benadryl or your regular allergy pill
• Bandages and blister care: assorted band-aids plus blister bandages or moleskin
• Topicals: antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone cream, and aloe or after-sun gel
• Cold and flu: a small pack of daytime and nighttime cold tablets, throat lozenges

Compact travel first aid kits – like this one – are available on Amazon for $20–30. 

Reusable Water Bottles: Underrated Cruise Superpower

Hydration is not glamorous, but neither is a headache halfway through your first sea day.  Many experienced cruisers prefer an insulated bottle with a handle or strap, and refill them at buffet drink stations. 

Book Drinks, Wi-Fi, and Shore Excursions Before You Board

This is the money section. Most cruise lines adjust prices dynamically, and “onboard price” is often higher than what you see in the app or website before sailing.

Drinks packages

Many cruise lines push drink packages hard once you’re on the ship. Prices vary by line and region, but pre-cruise discounts of 10–30% compared with onboard rates are common on mainstream lines when booked in advance or during promotions.

If your line has an app or cruise planner, check it regularly in the months before sailing. Packages may go on sale, and you can usually cancel and rebook if a better promotion appears before boarding.

Shore excursion

Booking excursions in advance gives you two advantages:

• You lock in popular tours that routinely sell out, like limited-capacity experiences or small-group adventures.
• You avoid walking up to the shore excursion desk on day one and paying last-minute prices.

Many cruisers also like to mix ship-sponsored tours with independent operators, found through sites like Viator.

Wi-Fi and internet packages

If you plan to work, scroll, or upload a lot of photos, Wi-Fi is the upgrade most people end up buying. On many lines, Wi-Fi packages are cheaper in the cruise planner than onboard.

Looking for your next great adventure? Bjarni & Drake Voyages can help with that, we’d love to connect.

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