21 Useful Things to Pack For Your Caribbean Cruise

You’ve already packed your bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops for your Caribbean cruise, but what about all those small essentials that are easy to forget when putting together your packing list? There are a lot of useful things to pack that you might not think about (until you need it). I’ve compiled a helpful list so you can be fully prepared for your cruise!

Cruises offer a special kind of vacation, with the chance to travel and explore. But if you’re planning to take a Caribbean cruise, you’ll need to know the right things to pack to make sure you get the full experience.

Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned traveler, you need to make sure you have all the essentials you need to have the best trip possible.

To help you out, here is a list of 20 useful things you should pack for your Caribbean cruise. From different motion-sickness remedies to a waterproof watch, this list contains everything you need to make sure you’re prepared for your Caribbean cruise.

So grab your bag, pack up all the items on this list, and enjoy your cruise!

Essentials to Pack for Your Caribbean Cruise

Most cruises will provide some essentials, so you can skip packing them to save some space in your luggage. Things like pool and beach towels, toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, and soap), and hair dryers are provided, and you can also request a corkscrew from your cabin agent.

But other items, you’ll need to pack yourself. Here are all the essentials you won’t want to forget for your cruise:

1. Plenty of Dramamine or other sea sickness medication in case the waters get rough.

2. A sea sickness band that applies pressure on your wrist to relieve motion sickness, for those who want to go the non-drug route. There are also essential oils that can help reduce symptoms of motion sickness.

3. Pepto Bismol, TUMS, and other antacids for all the eating and drinking you’ll be doing on the boat.

4. A fashionable wide-brimmed hat to shield you from the sun.

5. Plenty of sunscreen, especially the “sport” or waterproof kind that stays on longer.

6. Some aloe vera gel in case you do get a sunburn.

7. Prescription sunglasses if you wear glasses. My sunglasses are the best investment I’ve ever made.

8. Insect repellent is always good to have. You’ll especially need it if you’re taking a more adventurous excursion into the woods for hiking, ziplining, or exploring Mayan ruins.

9. A noise machine to help you sleep, especially if you’re under the pool deck or have a balcony over a noisy and popular deck.

10. A portable battery charger so you won’t be sitting in your room waiting for your phone to charge instead of having fun on the ship.

11. A lanyard with a detachable clip so you can easily swipe and keep up with your Sea Pass card.

12. A cruise luggage tag holder for your bag. Cruises give you paper luggage tags so that they know where to deliver your bags on the ship. Using these tag holders keeps the paper tag from tearing, getting wet, or getting damaged so that you can actually get your bags to the right cabin. Of course, not all cruises have the same size tags. Use these tags for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, and use these tags for all other cruises (Carnival, Viking, Princess, Norwegian, MSC, P&O, Costa, Azamara, Holland America).

13. A pool bag or a lightweight backpack for keeping up with your belongings around the boat and on your excursions on shore.

14. A refillable water bottle to fill up on the ship and keep you hydrated.

15. A waterproof digital camera for all the snorkeling, swimming, and water park fun you’re going to be having.

16. A selfie stick for all the amazing selfies you’re going to take of yourself on your shore excursions.

17. This floating wrist strap to keep your phone or camera afloat if you drop it into the water while trying to get the perfect sunset-over-the-ocean shot.

18. A waterproof watch because you’ll need to keep up with the time so you can get back on the ship, but you don’t want your watch to drown in the pool.

19. Waterproof shoes that protect your feet and let you be ready for both land and sea.

20. Wine! Most cruises will let you bring a bottle of wine along with you. For Royal Caribbean, you can bring on one bottle of wine per person of legal drinking age.

21. Snacks. There’s plenty to eat on a cruise, but when I get snacky in the middle of the night, I don’t want to wander around the ship for a midnight snack. Most cruises will allow you to bring on a limited amount of your own snacks to keep in your cabin.

More Cruise Travel Tips

Make the most of your Caribbean cruise! Check out these popular posts with helpful cruise travel tips:

• Helpful Cruise Tips for First-Time Cruisers
• Top 10 Things to Do On-Board the Oasis of the Seas
• 57 Free Things to Do On-Board the Oasis of the Seas

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Ready for a Caribbean cruise vacation? Plan your trip with these tips.

• Find cheap Caribbean cruises: You can use Orbitz to find the best prices on Caribbean cruises.
• Prepare for your cruise: Check out my top tips for your first cruise.
• Pack for your vacation: Make sure you’ve packed everything you need by checking out my packing list resources.

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Cheers!

Paige

What things do you pack for your Caribbean cruise? Let me know in the comments below!