When preparing to go on a river cruise, we found a lot of packing advice, but none specific to bringing kids, and none specific for the Arosa ships themselves. We didn’t want to read about general packing tips like bringing a phone charger, or how many shirts. We wanted to have a useful list that made sense for a river cruise experience, and to know what amenities the ship has without navigating the fairly horrible pre-departure app they make you download. And so here it is, the list and information we wish we had to pack for a river cruise with kids (specific to the Arosa cruise line). Check out our 10 things to know in a separate post here.
Start here: each item has a full explanation below.
- Leave the fancy clothes at home
- A good reusable water bottle for each person
- Sippy cups and other snacks for little ones
- Your own coffee mug
- A day bag you actually want to carry
- A windbreaker for the deck (heavier layer for cooler months)
- Sunscreen
- Bathing suits
- Binoculars
- A good book (or two)
- Exercise clothes and shoes
- A travel crib (confirm with the ship first)
Leave the fancy clothes at home
I cannot stress this enough. River cruises are not ocean cruises. There is no formal night, no pressure to dress up, and on most European itineraries, dinner is relaxed and casual. The only requirement we read was no shorts. Otherwise, smart casual is more than enough. We brought one slightly nicer outfit per person but normally just worn jeans and whatever we had on earlier that day. I wouldn’t waste the packing space on something you are only going to wear once. Instead go with a medium-nice outfit that you would also wear out in town or some other time during your trip.
A good reusable water bottle for each person
The cabin water situation varies by ship, and buying water in port every single day adds up fast and generates a lot of plastic waste. Arosa ships feature plenty of water refilling stations that made a water bottle make a lot of sense. Our kids used these throughout the day to stay hydrated, and we used them on shore excursions as well to avoid paying for bottled water in every port.
Sippy cups and other snacks for little ones
Bring your young kid’s sippy cup or bottle as they prefer. For us, we brought a closed milk cup for our 2-year-old because we didn’t want to deal with milk-stained clothes, and it was nice to carry milk back to our room for him to drink during snack time. There was plenty of food aboard the ship, but not always during non-meal hours, so it was nice to have crackers or a simple favorite for the kids handy when they were hungry.
Your own to-go coffee mug
Coffee and tea are available on Arosa ships at breakfast, but at other times of the day they were only available at a cost. Having your own mug meant we could fill up when the station was running and bring it back to the cabin, up to the deck, or onto a shore excursion. Yes, it would be possible to bring a ceramic cup from the breakfast area to the deck, but I would have preferred my go-to portable coffee cup. If you’re not a to-go coffee person, you can skip this one. But if you are, bring a good insulated mug and you will use it every single day.
A day bag you actually want to carry
You will walk a lot. Every port stop involves getting off the boat, often walking through a town or city for several hours, and getting back on again. A backpack or crossbody that is comfortable for a full day of cobblestone walking is a must-have. For families with toddlers, this bag is going to carry snacks, a water bottle, a change of clothes, diapers, sunscreen, and lots of brochures that your children will pick up along the way. Our kids have small backpacks too, and we usually had one of them carry a bag on shore for their own things.
A windbreaker for the deck (and a heavier layer for cooler months)
The top deck of a river cruise ship is one of the best places to be, especially when passing through river locks, vineyards, or alongside castle ruins. It is always windier than you expect it to be, even on a warm day. If you are doing an autumn or spring sailing, step this up to a proper mid-layer or fleece because it can get cold once the sun drops, and a proper coat for winter cruises. Our kids were far more tolerant of quiet scenic deck time if they weren’t shivering.
Sunscreen!
River cruise days involve a surprising amount of time outdoors, between the deck, the shore excursions, and the walking tours. Buying sunscreen in port is possible but expensive and sometimes hard to find in the right formulation for kids. Bring enough, and remember to actually apply it.
Bathing suits
That’s right, even in colder months a bathing suit might be necessary. Our ship featured a small, slightly heated pool plus a sauna on board. Remember to pack suits for both kids and grown-ups. One thing worth knowing: German sauna rules apply at the sauna itself for all but one hour each day, which meant that bathing suits weren’t actually necessary or allowed in there, if you know what I mean.
Binoculars
This is easy to overlook, but we always travel with a small pair. We did used to live in safari country, and that habit is not going anywhere. Binoculars are great on board as you are constantly looking into the distance trying to figure out what that thing is on the horizon, and they are just as useful in port when you are climbing up hills and looking out over a city. We are always sharing one pair with the kids and they love spotting the details you don’t normally see.
Here are our favorite travel binoculars.
A good book (or two)
There is downtime on a river cruise in a way there is not always on other family trips, especially during transit days, long stretches of river, and moments when your kids are in the kids club. For kids, bring books or activities that work without screens because wifi on ships is often limited, as was cell service during parts of the day. We love kids’ Kindles for our avid readers.
Exercise clothes and shoes
Most ships have a small gym, and beyond that, port stops are an excellent opportunity for an early morning run or walk through a city before the formal tour starts. Exercise clothes also double as useful casual layers on deck. My husband is training for a race and made sure to get off the ship for a run at most ports. He reports it was an excellent way to see the city and get some exercise at the same time.
A travel crib (but confirm with the ship first)
This one depends on your ship and how you have booked. Some lines provide cribs on request, others do not, and cabin configurations vary enough that it is worth confirming in advance. If you are sailing with an infant or young toddler and the ship cannot guarantee one, a compact travel crib is worth the luggage space rather than figuring it out on arrival. We brought ours because we needed it for onward travel and our toddler is used to that particular bed, but this one you need to confirm with the ship.
The basics (power adapter, packing cubes, first aid kit, motion sickness medication for kids) are covered everywhere. This list is the stuff that actually made the difference on the water. If you have done a river cruise with kids and have a surprising addition, I would love to add it to the list.
