Packing for a Caribbean Cruise
Did you just book a cruise and realized that you don’t have a clue what to pack besides a bathing suit?
You’re not alone. I have been on numerous cruises and every time I scramble to figure out what I actually need. The weather will be warm but sometimes frisky rain can roll in or chilly evenings can sneak up on you. Like any vacation you will need a variety of options to ensure you have every avenue covered. The worst thing that can happen is you forget your bathing suit.
Here is my list of things I found helpful for my Caribbean cruise in December.
Check out the Blog —> HERE
Let us start with packing the BASICS
Every vacation has basics, so a cruise would be no different. The most worn item is, you guessed it… A bathing suit! I ordered my bathing suits from POPVIL. I ordered many suits from various websites and found that Popvil had the best quality swimsuit for a reasonable price. I found that I only wore 4 or 5 suits out of the seven days.
I only packed two pairs of shorts because I knew I would be wearing a bathing suit cover-up most of my time on the cruise. All cover-ups were bought from Shein (our beloved cheap and primarily reliable website). I bought cover-ups that would pass as a second outfit for port days and things that didn’t all look the same, so I could mix things up.
Black Fringe Cover-up - Tassel boho Cover-up - Sheer cover-up pants
More everyday items to pack:
I packed 2 pairs of shorts; a jean pair and a comfortable linen pair. Along with packing shorts, I packed three plain tank tops that could be switched out with any bottoms.
I packed 3 sets of JPS. I chose items that I could wear to breakfast so I didn't have to change and so I saved room in my suitcase. I would add one pair of lounge pants for those chilly mornings.
Bring the obvious: underwear and a bra (yes, you might actually wear them other than your bathing suit. Socks are also a good thing to pack; only a few are great unless you are working out.
Which leads me to workout gear. If you like to work out, why would you stop just because you are on a cruise?? The gym overlooks the water on most ships and can be spacious. When do you get the chance to look at the ocean while running?! So bring anything you would workout in. I brought one outfit and wore my sneakers on the ship just in case I did go workout; I didn't.
Another odd thing to pack but is a must is a lightweight sweater or zip-up. Like I said before, it can get pretty chilly on the ship, and sometimes it is just a comfy thing to wear in your cabin and on your balcony.
Lightweight, long sleeve shirt if you get burned. I had to buy one in Mexico to cover up from the sun on our excursion.
Evening Dinner Wear
We do not have any pictures of us in our evening dinner wear, funny enough.
Packing dresses to wear to dinner is a complex task. Luckily we had everything pressed as soon as we got into our room. You place all items in a bag, and your stateroom attendant will take them and bring the items back when they are complete. We tried many ways to get them unwrinkled, including Wrinkle Release Spray (which didn’t work that great).
I packed two dresses I could wear to formal night dinner. A short black dress with long sleeves and a green print dress satin and long, both bought from Amazon. Formal night and Dress Your Best night was much more relaxed than they once were. With the styles changing, so has formal night. Many seemed to be more casual than dressed to the nines.
Along with packing for two formal nights, I did pack a few sundresses for the rest of the nights at dinner. The easiest thing to wear to dinner is a sundress. It is one outfit to choose, comfortable, and the best thing about it is that you can eat as much as you want with a flowy sundress.
If you are going to pack dresses, do not forget your shapewear… believe me, you will want it on day four when you feel like you ate your way through the whole ship. This will also include a strapless bra for those fancy dresses.
Themed Nights
On every cruise I have been on, there has been a theme for one or two nights. Most times they will have a White Party where you wear all white. On this particular cruise, we had Caribbean night as our themed night. We both have Caribbean shirts, so we were prepared and ready to finally wear those bad boys.
Accessories
The hardest thing to figure out what to pack is always shoes because they take up a good amount of space. However, I have learned from past mistakes not to overpack shoes because, in reality, I only wear the minimum.
1 Black and 1 Brown sandals by Steve Madden: these sandals are amazing and can be dressed up or down.
Black and Tan dress heels: again, something basic so they match different dresses.
Sneakers to work out in, be comfortable in, or just walk around the ship or ports.
Water shoes: A shoe that can get wet and dry quickly. We used ours for ATV riding and Snorkeling.
ONE purse… seriously, you only need one. Pick one purse for dinner that matches everything. And any jewelry you may wear.
More Accessories
Makeup and makeup remover
A hat: Your choice, I opted for a baseball hat and wore it most days.
A hair towel: If you use one at home bring it with you!
Sunglasses: Its a cruise so this is common sense
Bags: I packed a bag for the beach that was water-resistant that carried a lot but not too much that it wasn't heavy. Stephen packed a backpack. I also added one plastic grocery bag just in case you need to put muddy or wet items in. Lastly, a bag for dirty clothes to put in your closet (I use a Marshall's bag since they can be used for many things).
Watertight bag for cell phones: The ones we bought DID NOT work and killed Stephen's iPhone so find ones that are 5 stars.
Random Helpful Items
Towel clips for your pool chairs: It can get windy on deck and your towel WILL blow away/off.
Magnets: Your room walls are metal so magnet clips and hooks are great options for adding space to hang items.
Small first aid kit with bandaids, ibuprofen, benadryl, dramamine, and whatever you may want
Sunscreen and Aloe: Buy these before leaving as they will be very expensive on the ship or at ports.
Water bottle to refill
A good book
Chargers for all things
Pen, highlighter, scissors, safety pins, zip lock bags in different sizes.
Lint roller and Downey Release Spray (not that it worked well).
Bathroom smell stuff
Things you CANNOT forget
Passport
Vaccine Card with plastic protector
Negative Covid test (if needed)
Masks (if needed)
Cruise Documents and Luggage tags
This list is based on a female.
Pack everything you may think you need, and then remove almost half of it. You will be spending your time in a swimsuit and bathing suit cover up and a dress for dinner.
HAVE FUN on your adventure :)