What To Pack for a British Isles Cruise

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A few days ago I returned from a 14 day British Isles cruise on the Norwegian Pearl. I fretted for months about what to pack for a British Isles cruise because you have so many variables to think about. I wish I had a cruise packing list specifically for the British Isles! The weather can change from cold and rainy to hot and humid daily. With the itinerary so spread out you may hike, city tour and just kick back in pubs-all within a few days. I thought I would do the round up of what worked and what didn’t to help any of you out there considering a similar cruise.

Scroll to the bottom to print my British Isles Cruise Packing List!

Our British Isles Cruise Itinerary:

• 3 stops in the Norwegian Fjords (Flam, Geiranger, Haugesund)
• Edinburgh
• Scottish Highlands (Inverness)
• Dublin
• Belfast
• Paris (Le Havre)
• London
• Brugge
• Amsterdam

We sailed mid June. 75% of the time it was cold and rainy. The 25% like London and Paris and Brugge were hot and humid. We only saw the sun one day on the ship. The ship had freestyle casual dining and no formal nights. There were only 3 at sea days. I used the thermal spa every day of the trip so the two suits were absolutely necessary for drying. We hiked in 4 of the spots. I had a bag of laundry sent out on day 7 to be done by the ship.

A picture of what to pack for a British Isles cruise is below. If I were to do it again I would not bring the shorts, white jeans, flowered blouse or one of the black v neck t’s. You can’t tell in the pic but the first black t-shirt has a criss cross cut out so it was redundant to have both.

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Links and summary of everything on the cruise packing list:

1. Documents & Money

• Passport (valid 6 months after the trip)
• Printed cruise tickets / e-tickets
• Travel insurance confirmation
• Printed luggage tags (in waterproof holders)
• Credit/debit cards with no foreign transaction fees (+ notify your bank)
• Cash in GBP & EUR for taxis & tips
• Driver’s license / government photo ID
• Passport copies (digital + give one to family)
• Printed boarding passes & flight info
• Hotel & transfer confirmations

2. Embarkation-Day Carry-On

• Passport & wallet – carry them safely in this neck wallet
• Medications (in hand luggage, not checked) – my favorite pill cases and for OTC meds try this one
• Phone & camera + chargers
• Cruise documents & photo ID
• Car & house keys
• A change of clothes
• Sunglasses
• Refillable water bottle – filter in it for other countries
• Valuables (laptop, tablet, jewelry)
• Lanyard for your keycard
• Luggage tags in plastic holders

3. Tops & Layers

• 7 T-shirts / tops (mix casual + dinner) — I’d skip the flowered blouse and one of the black v-neck t’s next time. You can’t tell in photos, but the first black tee already had a criss-cross cutout, so the second one was redundant.
• 3 sweaters, jumpers or hoodies — the black/white one was a sweater, and I was very glad to have it.
• 2–3 long-sleeve shirts for layering — the white/black was a cotton long sleeve, perfect for layering.
• 1–2 cardigans / pullovers — the Scott E Vest Lucille black cardigan did double duty as a bathing suit cover-up and anywhere else I needed one. I always fly with it.
• Lightweight fleece or pullover
• A few smart blouses / shirts for evening
• Gym / workout top (for classes onboard) — the Eddie Bauer Infinity hiking shirt was easy to sink-wash and hang dry for hiking days.

4. Bottoms

• 3 pairs trousers / jeans — I’d skip the white jeans next time.
• 1–2 water-resistant hiking / touring pants — the Athleta Headlands Highland Pant. Water resistant, so it pulled double duty as both hiking pants and touring pants on rainy days. I wore these the most out of everything I brought.
• Leggings for travel days & lounging — both pairs of Lululemon On the Fly black pants (one 7/8, one crop) earned their spot. Good to have a clean pair to mix up — crops for London and Paris, the 7/8 for long travel days plus dinners on the ship. Those are no longer sold, but these pants are a great alternative.
• Comfortable joggers / casual pants
• Smart trousers / skirt for dinner

5. Underwear & Sleep

• 7+ sets of underwear – try these ones for men for easy sink washing and this brand for women
• 7+ pairs of socks (incl. warm ones)
• 2 bathing suits (spa, thermal suite, pool) — I used the thermal spa every day of the trip, so two suits were absolutely necessary for drying.
• Swim cover-up
• Leggings for lounging — perfect for lounging around on the ship, and they could have been worn with anything I brought.
• Pajamas / nightwear
• Robe (if your cabin doesn’t supply one)

6. Outerwear & Warmth

• 1 warm coat — wear it on embarkation day. Mine was a packable waterproof puffer — comfy, with a great little pouch.
• Waterproof packable rain jacket
• Hat, gloves & scarf (outside peak summer)
• Pashmina / shawl for cool evenings
• Thermal base layers (cooler months)

7. Evening & Formal

Our sailing had freestyle casual dining and no formal nights, so this section barely got touched — worth checking your own cruise line’s dress code before packing for it.

• 2–3 formal / dressy outfits
• 1 cocktail dress or formal wear
• Smart shirt(s) + tie
• Neutral cardigan
• Evening bag or dressy phone case wallet
• Modest jewelry (nothing too valuable) – you might even want to consider wearing fake wedding ring and leaving the real ones home

8. Footwear

• Comfortable walking shoes / trainers — Allbirds white tree runners, heavily sprayed with stain resister. Comfy for lower-walking days and tours, but I would never wear these in a big city. They’d be ruined.
• Waterproof shoes or boots — the ECCO Women’s Omni-Vent GORE-TEX waterproof sneaker. Perfect for city walking. Held up great. The new version is on pre-order but these are top rated for waterproof and super cute
• Trail shoes with grip (Giant’s Causeway!) — Salomon Speedcross 5 trail runners worked great for our hikes, and I even wore them to Giant’s Causeway for better footing. It’s slippery on those rocks. You don’t need trail shoes there, but since I had them with me, it was perfect.
• Dressy flats / heels (neutral tones) — Allbirds ballet flats worked perfectly on the ship for dinners. I went back and forth between these and my poppy Tieks before leaving, and these won on comfort. Super light, basically nothing to pack.
• Flip-flops / sandals (spa & cabin) — see the thermal spa comment above. Plus it’s just nice to give your feet a break. Mine are Crocs I picked up in Hawaii years ago, and so comfy.

9. Accessories & Extras

• Small fold-up umbrella — heads up, umbrellas are useless in Amsterdam wind.
• Day backpack / anti-theft crossbody — Rebecca Minkoff Julian Nylon. Really loved this — fit a ton, comfy to carry. It rained a lot though, and I wished I’d sprung for the leather model. The nylon doesn’t have a zipper on the back, just a reach-in pouch, so I kept money and my passport inside with all the clips locked together. I didn’t use this in Paris or London since it isn’t slash-proof. For those cities, I switched to the Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Messenger Bag (Truffle) — the two water bottle holders fit a bottle on one side and a tiny umbrella on the other.
• Reusable tote (shops charge for bags) — an absolute essential, kept in a tiny pouch in my purse. Most merchants either didn’t have bags or charged for them. I used this most days.
• Reusable water bottle
• Polarized sunglasses
• Sunhat / baseball cap
• Sunscreen & lip balm
• Travel wash (for sink laundry)
• Stain stick & wrinkle-release spray
• Jacket clips for your bags — used these on both bags. Worked great. A lifesaver.

Luggage

My son and I both carried on, plus brought one almost-empty checked bag on the way there. We came home with all of that and more.

• European Carry On Luggage 22x14x9 Airline Approved
• Gonex Rolling Duffle Bag with Wheels (checked bag) — holds a ton, but easy to go overweight in.
• Foldable duffel bag — I threw one inside the checked bag on the way there. Came home with it completely full.
• Travel Vacuum bags– compression cubes are a thing of the past. These are way better!

10. Tech & Electronics

Nothing from the 2019 post landed here.

• Phone + charger
• UK and US/EU plug adapters
• Power bank / portable charger
• Camera + charger / spare battery
• Headphones
• E-reader / books
• Spare charging cables

11. Toiletries & Health

Nothing from the 2019 post landed here.

• Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
• Shampoo, conditioner, body wash – bar form will save room in your liquids bag and these work great
• Deodorant
• Skincare & makeup + remover
• Hairbrush, ties, styling tools
• Razor & shaving cream
• Prescription meds (+ copy of scripts)
• Seasickness remedies / Sea-Bands
• Basic first-aid & OTC meds
• Hand sanitizer & wipes
• Contacts + solution / glasses
• These are two great hanging models for toiletry bags to save space in those small cabin bathrooms – Mens Sea to Summit or Womens Bagsmart

12. Cabin Comforts

Nothing from the 2019 post landed here.

• Over-the-door hanging organizer
• Magnetic hooks (cabin walls are steel) – we have these in various strengths and sizes and use them for hats, lanyards, purses, backpacks, laundry bags – just about everything you can think of.
• Cruise-approved power adapter – cruise lines are getting very strict with these. Its best to take a 3 in 1 like this or a multi-cord.
• Mesh laundry bag
• Lanyards
• Travel mug & highlighter for daily planner
• Towel clips – not only are these good for the pool but they do triple duty securing things to dry on your balcony which you are not supposed to do 😉 and to keep the black out curtains fully closed.

13. Cruising with Kids

Nothing from the 2019 post landed here.

• Layered clothes + extra changes
• Waterproof jacket & warm layers
• Comfortable & waterproof shoes
• Swimwear & cover-up
• Kids’ toiletries & sunscreen
• Children’s medications & first-aid
• Diapers, wipes, swim diapers (babies)
• Snacks, quiet toys & coloring
• Favorite stuffy / blanket
• Umbrella stroller / baby carrier