There's nothing to buy inside the terminal. The closest pharmacy is CVS on 10th Avenue (800 10th Ave, 5 min walk). For groceries or snacks, Whole Foods Daily Shop (301 W 50th St) is a 10-minute walk. Get everything you need before you arrive.
Manhattan Cruise Terminal · What to Pack
What to Pack for Manhattan Cruise Terminal
The complete cruise packing checklist. Every essential item with explanations — so you don't forget anything for your cruise from Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
Provenance: 24 packing items · researched from public reviews and official sources
Packing for a cruise from Manhattan Cruise Terminal
Cruise terminals are not shops. Whatever you forget has to be bought before you reach the curb, so pack the checklist below and use these Manhattan Cruise Terminal notes to plan the last stop on the way in.
Same options as Pier 88 — CVS at 800 10th Ave for pharmacy needs, Whole Foods Daily Shop at 301 W 50th St for food. Nothing available inside the terminal, so stock up beforehand.
Red Hook has a real high street on Van Brunt Street a short walk from the pier, with a full supermarket open from 7 am. Our Brooklyn guide covers it; there is nothing useful this Manhattan page can add from across the harbour.
Forgot something? Stops near Manhattan Cruise Terminal
CVS Pharmacy — 10th Avenue — Pharmacy, Dramamine, sunscreen, phone chargers, and last-minute toiletries
800 10th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Whole Foods Daily Shop — Hell's Kitchen — Compact grocery with prepared foods, coffee, snacks, and travel essentials
301 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019
Duane Reade — 9th Avenue — Walgreens-owned pharmacy with snacks, meds, and travel essentials
721 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019
USPS — Midtown West — Post office for dropping mail or shipping items home before you sail
421 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001
The complete cruise packing checklist
Packing for a specific itinerary or wondering what each cruise line actually lets you bring aboard? Read the full cruise packing guide, or jump to the Alaska and Caribbean lists.
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Carry-On Day Bag
Pack these in a bag you keep with you at boarding — your checked luggage won't arrive until 3-4pm
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Swimsuit and flip-flops — Head straight to the pool after boarding
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Phone charger and portable battery — You'll drain your battery exploring and taking photos on Day 1Amazon
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Medications — Both prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Don't risk them being in delayed luggage.
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Passport, or birth certificate plus physical photo ID on a U.S. round trip — A photo ID alone, REAL ID included, is not accepted. Neither is a phone or digital license. Keep these in your carry-on
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Letter from any parent who is not sailing — Royal Caribbean requires a notarized one for a child sailing without a guardian. Bring papers that link different surnames
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Sealed snacks and an empty refillable bottle — Kids get hungry in the boarding line. Carnival and Royal Caribbean allow factory-sealed snacks. Carnival and Norwegian refuse bottled water, and Margaritaville at Sea refuses all outside food and drink
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Change of clothes for each kid — Pool splashes, spilled drinks, cruise ship excitement — be ready
Cruise Essentials
Things that make the whole trip better
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Magnetic hooks (for cabin walls) — Cabin walls are metal — these give you hanging space for hats, lanyards, wet swimsuitsAmazon
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USB multi-port charger (no power strip) — Cabins have 1-2 outlets. Royal Caribbean bans power strips and Celebrity bans extension cords; Carnival allows strips without surge protection — a USB-only charger is safe on every line
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Insulated tumbler — Fill it at the buffet drink station — stays cold by the pool all afternoonAmazon
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Lanyard for cruise card — Your cruise card is your room key, ID, and payment method — keep it around your neckAmazon
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Over-the-door pocket organizer — With three or more in one cabin there is no counter space — the pockets hold toiletries, chargers and sunscreen on the back of the bathroom door
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Pop-up laundry hamper — Folds flat in the suitcase and keeps a week of kids' dirty clothes separate from the clean ones in a cabin with nowhere else to put them
Easy to Forget
The things people buy overpriced at the port gift shop
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Wrinkle release spray — Irons aren't allowed on cruise ships — this saves your formal night outfitAmazon
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Highlighter or pen — For marking up the daily activity schedule — old school but effective
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Small over-the-counter medicine kit — Pain reliever, antacid, anti-diarrheal, cold and allergy tablets, bandages. The onboard shop stocks little of this and the medical center charges for a visit — the pharmacy at home is where it costs a few dollars
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Small battery clock — Many cabins no longer have a bedside clock, and an interior cabin at 3am is too dark to find a phone
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Small whiteboard for cabin door — Leave messages for teens: 'We're at the pool deck' — most cabins don't have cell serviceAmazon
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Children's medicines (their usual brand and flavor) — Ships rarely sell children's formulas at all, and a feverish kid at midnight is not the moment to discover that
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We sail from Manhattan Cruise Terminal. You can watch our ship leave on live cameras at the port.
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