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Unlike other big cruise brands such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises, Carnival doesn't spread its vessels around the world to draw a fly-in crowd. Aimed squarely at Americans, its trips are all about cruising close to home at a reasonable price. My Carnival packing list will show you exactly what to take on a Carnival Cruise. From clothes to footwear to electronics and all those other useful little things, once you’ve read through this list you’ll know what to bring on a Carnival Cruise.
Does Carnival Cruise Check Your Bags? (Don’t Lock it)
This ensures a smoother boarding process and shows courtesy to the staff. All luggage undergoes a security screening process, much like at an airport. This ensures the safety of every passenger and crew member by checking for any prohibited items. There are no restrictions on the amount of liquids that can be brought on a cruise ship.
Cruise Cabin Door Decorations
Most Carnival cruise cabins won’t have many electric outlets or USB’s. If this is your first cruise, make sure to be prepared for motion sickness just in case. These are some of the best things to bring on your cruise to prevent and deal with seasickness.
Carnival Luggage Tag Holders
You'll want to pack items specific to the activities you aim to do in port. Leave room on your cruise packing list for items that will change based on your destination and planned tours. You'll want to pack your tablet, portable video game system and e-reader for both your pre-cruise travel and the sailing itself. Or, skip the tech and bring a few books, as many cruise ships no longer offer onboard libraries.
With that in mind, we've put together a basic (but comprehensive) cruise packing list, including the clothes you'll need as well as the odds and ends you'll want with you as well. On the first day of your cruise, it may take a few hours for your luggage to be delivered to your stateroom, but you don’t have to wait to have fun. Stuff a carry-on backpack with essentials like your cell phone, wallet, bathing suit and sunglasses, and start swimming, sunning or exploring your ship immediately. When it’s time for shore excursions, pack this handy tote with everything you’ll need for the day and save space for a few souvenirs you’ll pick up along the way. Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse, notably, has its very own in-house brewery you can see behind glass walls — something still relatively rare on cruise ships.

It's not uncommon to find Carnival voyages to the Caribbean, Bahamas or Mexico starting well under $100 per person, per night including all taxes and fees — at least in the offseason. As is typical with cruise line loyalty programs, lower tiers don't bring all that much in terms of truly valuable benefits. During the evenings, there is an official dress code, but it's pretty laid-back. Most nights are designated "cruise casual," which means just that — khakis or jeans, polo shirts, sundresses, etc.
Designed to be quick and digestible, they typically last around 30 minutes and have relatively small casts (just eight on some ships). For the most part, Carnival ships don't have quite as many features on board as Royal Caribbean or Norwegian vessels, in part because they're not as big. They're still packed with a variety of attractions, including multiple entertainment venues, casinos, spas and lots of deck-top fun zones such as water parks and ropes courses.
Cruise packing list: The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
For hot weather cruises, packing 2-3 bathing suits for a 7 day cruise is ideal. Cell phones are not a necessity, but these days all cruise lines use an app onboard as well as pre-cruise. It’s handy to have a smart phone, even if you don’t buy a cruise ship internet package.
When it comes to raucous, though, nothing on Carnival ships quite compares to the frequent karaoke nights on board. Sometimes held in a secondary lounge or a shipboard pub, karaoke on Carnival draws a big crowd. Passengers come prepared with rehearsed songs and sometimes even their own guitars.
On nearly every mainstream cruise line, you can forgo a suit or tuxedo. If you'd like to spiff things up, consider a sport coat, but it's generally not required. From breakfast through the afternoon, you don't need to stress about your outfits. If you're cruising in tropical regions, pack one pair of shorts for every two days of your cruise (in cold regions, switch shorts for pants or jeans). If you like to vary your look, pack different color shorts or breezy skirts.
MSC Cruises makes bold moves to take on Carnival, Royal Caribbean - TheStreet
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However, the line's next-biggest vessel, the 4,090-passenger Carnival Venezia, measures just 135,225 tons. That's about 40% smaller than the biggest ships operated by Royal Caribbean. However, with two exceptions, they're not giants by today's standards. Carnival ships are all about fun in a very laid-back, unpretentious, nothing-too-fancy sort of way. Indeed, if you're going on a Carnival cruise, the odds are you're driving to the ship, not flying, and you're probably not paying much more than you would for a trip to a local beach town.
While Carnival Cruise Line generally doesn’t weigh luggage during boarding, it’s recommended to adhere to the 50-pound limit out of consideration for the porters handling the bags. Departure As your cruise concludes, you have the convenience of placing your luggage outside your stateroom the evening before disembarkation. Carnival will then collect it, and you can retrieve it from the terminal the following morning.
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. 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. This foldable mesh laundry hamper was one of my most useful items for organizing inside and our balcony cruise cabin. Carnival allows you to bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person on embarkation day in your carry on bag.