The Caribbean cruise packing list looks simple until you're standing in Cozumel at noon without sunscreen or a waterproof bag. Here are the 12 things most first-timers wish they'd brought.
Packing for a Caribbean cruise is deceptively simple-looking and frequently done wrong. It’s not the same as packing for a beach vacation, because you’re also going to fancy dinners, shore excursions, days at sea, and possibly a night out. All from the same suitcase, for seven days, in tropical heat. And because the ship has shops that will charge you $18 for a bottle of sunscreen, packing right the first time genuinely saves you money.
Here’s what most people forget, and why each one matters.
The ship will give you a small glass of water at dinner and charge $3–5 for anything else non-alcoholic during the day. The buffet has free water dispensers and lemonade available all day. Bring a decent insulated bottle (something like a Hydro Flask 32oz or a Stanley), fill it from the buffet every morning, and carry it to the pool deck or ashore. In Caribbean heat, you need more water than you think, and this saves you real money over seven days.
On snorkelling excursions, beach days, or any trip on a water taxi, your phone and documents are at risk. A decent dry bag (10L works for most shore trips) is around $15 on Amazon and essentially mandatory. I use the MARCHWAY floating dry bag, which also doubles as a flotation device if you drop it overboard. Get one. You will use it at every water port.
Two reasons to bring your own. First, Mexico (Cozumel) and many other Caribbean ports now require reef-safe sunscreen at all national park or reef areas; the kind with oxybenzone and octinoxate is banned. Second, sunscreen on the ship costs $18 for a small bottle. Bring two full bottles of Blue Lizard or Raw Elements Reef Safe SPF 50 from home, apply before you go ashore, and reapply obsessively. Caribbean sun at 10am feels nothing like Florida sun; it is significantly stronger than you expect, especially on the water.
Something you can carry on shore that fits your water bottle, sunscreen, phone, a light layer, and some snacks. A light packable daypack (the Osprey Ultralight Stuff Pack is excellent and folds to nothing) is ideal. Your ship-issued tote bag technically works but has no structure and gets sweaty fast. Bring something with a zipper so your belongings are secure in port.
At most Caribbean ports, US dollars are widely accepted, especially in the Bahamas and Mexico. But small bills matter. Taxi drivers rarely make change. Beach vendors often can’t. Tour guides and porters expect tips in cash. Bring at least $100 in $1s, $5s, and $10s; more if you’re snorkelling or doing activities. Don’t rely on ATMs in port; they charge high fees and sometimes run out on busy ship days.
Even people who’ve never been motion sick before can find open-ocean crossings uncomfortable. The Caribbean is generally calm, but weather varies. Bring both options: Dramamine (non-drowsy formula) for daytime, and Bonine for overnight if needed. Many experienced cruisers also swear by Scopolamine patches (prescription), which you place behind your ear the night before and they last 72 hours. Ask your doctor before you leave. The ship’s medical bay will sell you medication but at significant markup.
Cruise ship staterooms typically have two outlets, often in inconvenient locations. A basic power strip with USB ports lets you charge your phone, camera, Kindle, and your partner’s phone simultaneously. The catch: surge-protecting power strips are banned by cruise lines because they can cause fire risk. Bring a simple one without surge protection; these are allowed. The Belkin 3-outlet power strip with USB is what I travel with.
Every cruise ship dining room and theater is aggressively air-conditioned. You’ll spend shore excursions sweating in 90-degree heat and then sit shivering through a Broadway show in the ship’s theater at 68 degrees. A light cotton cardigan or pashmina takes up almost no space and is the difference between a comfortable evening and a miserable one. This applies whether you’re in a formal dining room or the casual buffet.
This sounds ridiculous until you’ve lived in a cruise ship stateroom. Interior cabins are small. Counter space in the bathroom is almost nonexistent. An over-the-door organizer that hooks over the bathroom door suddenly gives you 20 pockets for sunscreen, medications, chargers, sunglasses, and all the small items that otherwise pile up on the desk and fall behind things. Get a clear one (you can find them for $12–15 on Amazon) and your cabin will feel twice as organized from day one.
Most snorkelling excursions rent equipment on-site. The rental masks are often used by hundreds of people and the fit is never quite right. Bringing your own full-face snorkel mask or a good traditional mask and snorkel (the Cressi Tao set is excellent and affordable) means you actually enjoy the reef instead of fighting with equipment. They pack flat in a mesh bag. If your ship’s checked baggage policy allows sporting equipment, bring your fins too; it makes a real difference on longer swims.
Most Caribbean cruises have at least one formal or “smart casual” night in the main dining room. This isn’t as strict as it used to be, but showing up in board shorts to a sit-down dinner still feels uncomfortable for you and everyone around you. Men: pack one button-down shirt and trousers at minimum, shoes that aren’t sandals. Women: a sundress that works for dinner covers most situations. If you don’t want to participate in formal nights, the buffet is always available with no dress code; if you’re doing the main dining room, dress appropriately.
When your phone dies at 4pm in Nassau because you used it as your camera all day, and your ship leaves at 5:30pm, and you don’t know your cabin number or which pier your ship is docked at: that becomes a problem. Write down your ship name, cabin number, port day schedule, and emergency contact number for the cruise line on a piece of paper and keep it in your bag or wallet. It’s old-school but it’s saved cruisers from missing their ship more times than you’d believe.
A few things cruise packing lists always include that you can skip:
Towels. The ship provides them, including pool towels you can take ashore.
Hair dryer. Almost every cabin has one built in, even budget lines.
Toiletries beyond a week’s supply. The ship shop has everything at high markup, but if you forget something basic you can get it. Don’t overpack this category.
A full medicine cabinet. Bring what you need for the trip plus your prescription medications. The ship has a medical center that can fill basic needs (at a price).
Formal shoes for every outfit. One pair of comfortable walking shoes, one pair of sandals you can dress up, and one pair of flip flops for the pool covers basically every situation on a 7-night Caribbean cruise.
Here’s how checked bag logistics work on cruise ships: you drop your bags with a porter at the pier, and they appear outside your stateroom door 3–5 hours later. This means you’ll spend the first afternoon of your cruise without your main luggage. Pack your carry-on (which you keep with you through check-in) with your swimsuit, a change of clothes, any medications, phone chargers, and anything you need for the first few hours on board. Don’t pack sunscreen in your carry-on; they’ll confiscate large bottles at security just like at an airport.
One well-packed carry-on and one checked bag is the sweet spot for a 7-night Caribbean cruise. Any more and you’re spending time you could spend at the pool deck managing luggage.
Pack light, pack smart, and bring the dry bag. You’ll thank yourself at every port.
