What To Pack For A Caribbean Cruise – Printable Packing List For Cruise

As far as luxury vacations go, things don’t get much better than a Caribbean cruise. A Caribbean cruise is a great way to kick back and relax while also trying new things and seeing new places.

What To Pack For A Caribbean Cruise - Printable Packing List For Cruise

However, as luxurious and exciting as a Caribbean cruise can be, getting ready to board the ship isn’t easy. When it comes to packing, there’s a huge range of different things you have to remember. This includes important essentials, outfits, swimming costumes, and so much more (for more cruise outfits, read here).

Knowing what to take can make the packing process surprisingly overwhelming. Therefore, it’s a good idea to know what you need to take with you in advance. 

In this article, you’ll find a detailed guide telling you what you need to pack and why. In the end, we’ve even left you with a printable packing checklist to make your life easier. If you need help packing for a Caribbean cruise, keep reading!

What Do You Need To Take On A Caribbean Cruise?

One of the main reasons people find it hard to pack for a cruise is because there’s so much conflicting information. Some people will tell you to pack light for a cruise while others will tell you to pack as much as you can. 

This can cause confusion and leave you wondering what you do and don’t need. In our opinion, successfully packing for a cruise doesn’t come down to how much or how little you pack. 

Instead, it simply comes down to making sure you have everything you need. If you pack everything you need, you can’t go wrong. It’s also a good idea to remember that picking up any extras while onboard isn’t easy.

Therefore, although you don’t want to overpack, it is important to be prepared. Simple things like toiletries, medication, and accessories are easily forgotten. 

In this article, we’ll cover:

  • The clothes you need to pack.
  • Essential items you don’t want to forget.
  • Packing tips
  • Convenient items.

What Should You Wear On A Caribbean Cruise?

It doesn’t matter how long your Caribbean cruise is, what you need doesn’t change. All that will change is how much you need to take with you. For example, you’ll need to take more clothes for a 10-day cruise than for a 7-day cruise. 

We’ll show you what you need to take clothes-wise for a 7-day cruise. If you’re jumping on a 7-day Caribbean cruise, you’ll need a variety of different outfits for different days.

You’ll need outfits for sea days, evening wear, and outfits for the days you’ll spend in port. You should always check the cruise line’s dress code first but more often than not, a 7-day cruise will include at least 2 formal evenings. These are the nights you have to dress your best.

If the cruise is less than 7 days, just 1 formal evening might be included. Cruises that last 10 days or longer might have 3 or 4.

What Should You Wear On Formal Evenings?

When packing your clothes, formal evenings are arguably the most important thing you have to think about. That’s because it is usually the only time on a Caribbean cruise that you have to stick to a dress code.

The rest of the time you can wear what you like so you don’t need to worry too much. However, formal evenings are about dressing your best, so you’ll want to make the right outfit choices.

We’ve outlined what most people wear for cruise ship formal nights below!

Women

Most women pack one to two dressy outfits for formal evenings. Dressy pants and a blouse are also popular. Another popular option is a cocktail dress, while some women choose to wear a long formal dress instead.

Men

Most men get suited and booted for formal nights on a cruise ship. Therefore, you might want to pack 1 suit, 2 ties, and 1 to 2 collared shirts. Some men also opt for a dark jacket or sport coat.

Clothes Women Should Pack For A Caribbean Cruise

Now you know more about what clothes to pack for formal evenings, let’s look at the other clothes you need to pack. Aside from formal evenings, choosing the clothes you want to wear during a Caribbean cruise isn’t that difficult. 

Usually, you can simply pack the clothes and outfits you like to wear best. However, the sheer volume of clothes you need to pack can make it easier to forget something. To ensure that doesn’t happen, we’ve listed the clothes you should pack below!

Our first list looks at what women should pack for a Caribbean cruise.

  • Bathing suits – 2 to 3
  • Coverups – 2
  • Socks – 4 
  • Tank tops or t-shirts – 7 to 8
  • Sundresses – 2 to 3
  • Fancy dresses or cocktail dresses – 2
  • Blouses or light tops for the evening – 2 to 3 
  • Jeans or Capri pants for the evening – 2
  • Gym wear, including gym sneakers
  • Sleepwear
  • Socks & undergarments 
  • Walking shoes
  • Dressy shoes
  • Sandals or flip flops
  • Casual evening shoes
  • Casual daytime shoes
  • Sunhat
  • Jewelry
  • Pashmina or shawl
  • Evening bag

Clothes Men Should Pack For A Caribbean Cruise

Now we’ll take a look at what men should pack for a Caribbean cruise (for more cruise wear for men, read here). Most things are quite similar but as you can imagine there are some differences. 

  • Shorts – 3 to 4 pairs
  • T-shirts – 7
  • Bathing suits – 2 to 3 
  • Jeans – 1 to 2 
  • Khakis – 1 to 2 
  • Polos – 3 to 4 
  • Buttoned shirts – 1 to 2 
  • Suit – 1 
  • Dress shirts – 2
  • Sleepwear
  • Socks and undergarments
  • Gym wear, including gym sneakers
  • Sweatshirt or sweater – 1
  • Sandals or flip flops
  • Dress shoes – 1 
  • Casual shoes – 1 to 2 
  • Hat or baseball cap 
  • Belt
  • Sunglasses

What Toiletries Should You Pack For A Caribbean Cruise?

One thing a lot of people tend to overlook or forget is their essential toiletries. While most people remember to pack a toothbrush and toothpaste, it can be super easy to forget something you need every day.

While it might not seem important at the time, you might find it hard to pick it up onboard the ship or in port. If you can go 7 days without it that’s fine. If not though, make sure you don’t forget it.

Below, we’ve listed the most important toiletries you should pack for a Caribbean cruise. You might not need all of these things but you’ll definitely need most of them. In fact, it’s worth packing most of the toiletries on our list just in case. 

  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Floss
  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Hair gel or spray
  • Body soap or body wash
  • Body lotion
  • Deodorant
  • Sunscreen
  • Nail clippers and emery board
  • Mouthwash (travel size)
  • Contact lenses
  • Contact lens solution
  • Makeup remover (eye and face)
  • Lip balm
  • Aloe after-sun lotion
  • Insect repellent
  • Curling iron
  • Comb and brush
  • Hair dryer

Skincare And Makeup Essentials You Should Pack

You’ll also want to pack your skincare and makeup essentials for your Caribbean cruise. If you tend to use a wide range of makeup and skin care products, we recommend trying to cut down on how many things you need to take with you.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with taking all your makeup essentials but they will take up a lot of space that you can use for other essentials. If you can limit your makeup and skincare products to the bare necessities, you’ll save a lot more space.

Some of the makeup and skincare essentials you might want to pack include:

  • Liner
  • Mascara
  • Foundation
  • Eye shadow
  • Blusher
  • Concealer
  • Makeup brushes
  • Eyebrow pencil
  • Day and night treatment products
  • Hand and body lotion

What Medication Should You Pack For A Caribbean Cruise

What To Pack For A Caribbean Cruise - Printable Packing List For Cruise

When it comes to packing any medication you take, we recommend keeping it in its original bottle with the original label.

Those of you that keep your pills in a daily pill holder likely won’t face any problems but it’s always a good idea to keep your prescription from a doctor clear. 

Packing your medication might not seem like a big deal but it’s something you do have to think about. That’s because you need to keep it on you at all times. Packing your medication in a suitcase isn’t a good idea because you might not have access to it all the time.

Therefore, we recommend packing any medication you take in your carry-on bag. Aside from  making it much easier for you to grab your medication in an emergency, this is something some cruise lines require.

It’s also worth considering taking a small first aid kit with you. You don’t need much but having some alcohol wipes, aspirin, bandaids, or sea-sickness tablets is a good idea.

Convenient Items You Might Want To Take On A Caribbean Cruise

There’s also a variety of different items you don’t necessarily need to take with you on a Caribbean cruise but things you might want to take.

Convenient items like a travel alarm clock aren’t essential to your Caribbean cruise experience but they can make things a little easier.

While you don’t have to worry about packing the convenient items from the list below, you might want to take 1 or 2 of them if you have some extra room in your suitcase.

  • Night light
  • Flashlight (travel size)
  • Ear plugs
  • Clothespins to hang wet clothes
  • Magnet hooks to hang up clothes
  • Laundry bag
  • Highlighter pens for your cruise planner
  • Small beach bag
  • Freezer bags to store hair products
  • Some sheets of bubble wrap for any souvenirs.

As we mentioned above, these items aren’t essential but they can come in handy. Having said that, these are the things we’d pack last after all our essentials.

Electronics You Might Want To Pack For A Caribbean Cruise

The electronics someone will choose to take on a Caribbean cruise will very much depend on their own preferences.

While some people are happy with their phones, camera, and chargers, others prefer to take more electronics with them on vacation. 

Therefore, the list of potential electronics you might want to take with you on a Caribbean cruise can be quite long. At the very least, we’d recommend packing a camera, your smartphone, and the necessary chargers.

After that, it’s very much up to you what you take. You’ll find a list of the potential electronics you could take on a cruise below!

  • Smartphone
  • Smartphone charger
  • Camera
  • Camera charger
  • Camera lenses
  • Laptop
  • iPad
  • Kindle
  • GoPro
  • Underwater camera
  • Bluetooth speaker
  • Memory cards
  • External hard drive

If you’re going to pack a tablet so you can watch your favorite shows, remember to download everything you want to watch in advance. You don’t want to waste your expensive onboard internet minutes downloading your favorite shows.

Can You Pack Alcohol For A Caribbean Cruise?

If you want to pack alcohol to take onboard your Caribbean cruise, you have to make sure you follow the cruise line’s policy. Every cruise line has its own policies related to taking alcohol onboard. 

Some cruise lines allow passengers to take some alcohol onboard while others don’t allow it at all. Generally speaking, you might be able to hand-carry 1 or 2 bottles of wine in a shop with you.

There’s a very good chance that you won’t be able to fill your bag with alcohol. To make sure you don’t break any rules, we recommend checking the cruise line’s alcohol policy first. 

Essentials You Don’t Want To Forget

Aside from your clothes, toiletries, makeup, skincare products, medication, and electronics, there is also a long list of other essential items and belongings you don’t want to forget when packing for a Caribbean cruise.

To make sure you don’t forget the most important things, we’ve listed them all below. We’ve also explained why each one is important.

Not all of the items on this list are crucial but they are guaranteed to make your cruising experience more enjoyable and hassle-free.

What To Pack For A Caribbean Cruise - Printable Packing List For Cruise

1. Passport

Your passport or government-issued ID is arguably the most important thing you have to pack for a Caribbean cruise.

Without it, you won’t be able to board the ship. We recommend keeping your passport on you when boarding the ship or in a carry-on bag. This will make it much easier for you to get on and off the ship.

2. Vaccination Proof

Some cruise lines will require you to show proof of vaccination. If you can’t do so, you may be asked to leave the ship. You may even be prevented from boarding. With this in mind, we recommend getting a printed-out copy of all the vaccinations you’ve had.

3. Cruise Line Documents

No matter where you go on vacation, you should always print off copies of your travel documents. This can include hotel reservations, flights, transfers, and any extras you’ve paid for.

When it comes to cruising, you’ll want to print all the details related to your booking. This could include tickets, cabin details, your food and drinks plan, and any extra services you’ve paid for.

4. Prescription

This isn’t as crucial as the other essentials we’ve looked at so far but it can make your life easier in certain situations. Most of the time, you won’t have any issues boarding the ship with your medication.

However, in some instances, you might be asked to explain why you’re carrying specific types of medication. Having a prescription on hand is an easy way to show that the pills you’re carrying are prescribed by a doctor.

5. Plug Extension

It isn’t uncommon for a Caribbean cruise ship cabin to only have two plugs. This might not be a problem for everyone, but anyone traveling with multiple electronic devices might struggle.

Therefore, it might be a good idea to pack a plug extension. A simple USB plug extension that allows you to plug in multiple devices is probably all you’ll need.

6. Seasickness Tablets

With a bit of luck you’ll never have to use them, but keeping some seasickness tablets in your travel bag is a good idea. If you’ve never been on a cruise before, this is an even better idea.

Carrying seasickness tablets gives you peace of mind that you have something that will make you feel better if you start feeling sick. 

7. Cruise Luggage Tags

The last thing you want after packing all your cruise essentials is for your bag to go missing. While this is fairly uncommon, you can reduce the risk of this happening by simply packing some cruise luggage tags.

Labeling your bags and suitcases with your name, cabin number, and address is an easy way to ensure your bags always end up back with you.

8. Binoculars

Binoculars aren’t critical to your cruise experience but they definitely make things more enjoyable. A pair of binoculars gives you the opportunity to look out for the wildlife that surrounds the Caribbean islands.

Some of the wildlife you have a chance of spotting includes flying fish, dolphins, and whales. 

Packing Tips For A Caribbean Cruise

Now you know what you need to pack for a Caribbean cruise, we want to share with you some of our best packing tips. 

What To Pack For A Caribbean Cruise - Printable Packing List For Cruise

1. Keep Similar Items Together

Keeping similar items together makes it much easier to unpack and access specific items when you need to. For example, keeping your underwear and socks together makes it much easier for you to unpack them all at once and count how many you have.

This can also make life much easier when it comes to picking out your outfit. You can keep your formal outfit together so you know exactly what to wear. Of course, this also keeps things nice and organized.

2. Pack Essential Documents In A Carry-On Bag

We can’t stress enough how important it is to keep all your essential travel documents in one place, in a carry-on bag. You never know when you might be asked for your travel documents so keeping them close by is the best way to avoid any issues.

The last thing you want to do is to empty your suitcase looking for your documents.

3. Put Socks In Your Shoes

This packing tip might seem a little strange but it can actually save you a lot of space. Simply pushing a few pairs of socks to the end of each show in your suitcase can free up extra space for other essentials. 

If you roll the socks up, you’ll find that you have even more space to play with.

4. Roll Clothes Up

Another great way to save space in your suitcase is by rolling your clothes up. Rolling clothes takes up less space than folding them. As a result, you’ll have more room for other clothes and souvenirs.

5. Keep Toiletries In Freezer Bags

There’s nothing worse than finally opening your suitcase to unpack, before then realizing your toiletries have spilled in your bag. This can ruin your clothes and start your vacation off on the wrong foot. 

However, you can easily avoid this problem by keeping toiletry liquids in freezer bags. That way, even if they do spill, they won’t reach your clothes.

Printable Packing List For A Caribbean Cruise

To make your life easier, we’ve put together a comprehensive packing list that includes all the things you need to pack for a Caribbean cruise. You can print this list off and tick off each item as you pack it.

However, it’s worth noting that you don’t necessarily need everything from this packing list. We recommend packing all the clothes from the list but you can make personal choices when it comes to electronics, makeup, skincare, and convenient items.

Essential Items

  • Passport or other forms of government-issued ID
  • Travel documents
  • Luggage tags
  • Prescriptions
  • Vaccination proof
  • Seasickness tablets

Women’s Clothing

  • Bathing suits – 2 to 3
  • Coverups – 2
  • Socks – 4 
  • Tank tops or t-shirts – 7 to 8
  • Sundresses – 2 to 3
  • Fancy dresses or cocktail dresses – 2
  • Blouses or light tops for the evening – 2 to 3 
  • Jeans or Capri pants for the evening – 2
  • Gym wear, including gym sneakers
  • Sleepwear
  • Socks & undergarments 
  • Walking shoes
  • Dressy shoes
  • Sandals or flip flops
  • Casual evening shoes
  • Casual daytime shoes
  • Sunhat
  • Jewelry
  • Pashmina or shawl
  • Evening bag

Men’s Clothes

  • Shorts – 3 to 4 pairs
  • T-shirts – 7
  • Bathing suits – 2 to 3 
  • Jeans – 1 to 2 
  • Khakis – 1 to 2 
  • Polos – 3 to 4 
  • Buttoned shirts – 1 to 2 
  • Suit – 1 
  • Dress shirts – 2
  • Sleepwear
  • Socks and undergarments
  • Gym wear, including gym sneakers
  • Sweatshirt or sweater – 1
  • Sandals or flip flops
  • Dress shoes – 1 
  • Casual shoes – 1 to 2 
  • Hat or baseball cap 
  • Belt
  • Sunglasses

Toiletries

  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Floss
  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Hair gel or spray
  • Body soap or body wash
  • Body lotion
  • Deodorant
  • Sunscreen
  • Nail clippers and emery board
  • Mouthwash (travel size)
  • Contact lenses
  • Contact lens solution
  • Makeup remover (eye and face)
  • Lip balm
  • Aloe after-sun lotion
  • Insect repellent
  • Curling iron
  • Comb and brush
  • Hair dryer

Makeup And Skincare

  • Liner
  • Mascara
  • Foundation
  • Eye shadow
  • Blusher
  • Concealer
  • Makeup brushes
  • Eyebrow pencil
  • Day and night treatment products
  • Hand and body lotion

Electronics

  • Smartphone
  • Smartphone charger
  • Camera
  • Camera charger
  • Camera lenses
  • Laptop
  • iPad
  • Kindle
  • GoPro
  • Underwater camera
  • Bluetooth speaker
  • Memory cards
  • External hard drive

Convenient Items

  • Night light
  • Flashlight (travel size)
  • Ear plugs
  • Clothespins to hang wet clothes
  • Magnet hooks to hang up clothes
  • Laundry bag
  • Highlighter pens for your cruise planner
  • Small beach bag
  • Freezer bags to store hair products
  • Some sheets of bubble wrap for any souvenirs.
  • Binoculars

Final Thoughts

Now you’ve made your way through this article, you should know absolutely everything there is to know about what to pack for a Caribbean cruise. In this article, we’ve covered everything you need to know to successfully pack for a Caribbean cruise (if you’re looking to have some fun on your cruise, check out our guide to the game Cruising Ducks).

We’ve looked at what you need to wear, how many clothes you need, essential items you should pack, toiletries you need, and so much more. We’ve even provided you with a packing list that you can use to pack your bags.

All you have to do now is print off our packing list and start packing your bags ready for the trip of a lifetime!

Alex Kallen

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