In April 2022, I packed my favorite backpack and carry-on luggage and took them from my home in New York City to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for my first cruise. The seven-night voyage aboard Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas took me to Honduras, Mexico, and the cruise line's private island in the Bahamas.
I come from a long line of overpackers, but I've learned the hard way what can happen to checked luggage if your flight is delayed before a cruise. If your luggage doesn't make it to the ship before embarkation, odds are you won't see it again until the cruise is over. As someone who once spent a week in bright orange Birkenstocks on a Mediterranean cruise, I would know.