We cruised in the Caribbean and really weren’t sure what we would need to pack, this is the complete list of what we wish we’d known before our first Caribbean cruise.
In this list we cover:
- First time cruise mistakes
- How to avoid overpacking
- Forgetting important items
- Cruise-specific items most people don’t think about
We’ve cruised the Caribbean with both MSC and Virgin Voyages and learned exactly what we used, what we didn’t and what we wish we’d packed.
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Table of Contents
Quick Caribbean Cruise Packing Checklist
We are going to break this checklist up into categories to make it easier to find what you need to pack:
- Documents
- Clothing
- Shoes
- Toiletries
- Electronics
- Cruise Essentials
- Excursion Gear
- Gluten Free Extras
Important Documents For A Caribbean Cruise
Documents are really important for a Caribbean cruise but can easily be forgotten, these are the essentials that you need to pack:
Passport: the ultimate travel essential. It’s best to keep it on you as some ports will require identification when leaving and reboarding the ship.
Cruise Documents: Having a printout of your booking will really make the check in process easy if the app is not working.
Travel Insurance: Have your travel insurance printed out so if you are in an emergency you can show it if required.
Credit Card: We always take a couple of credit cards with us, often banks will freeze your card when overseas or particular cards aren’t accepted everywhere. Having a couple of different bank or card options is always good as a backup.
Boarding Pass: Printing out your boarding pass or having it on your phone is a must.
Emergency Contacts: Have your emergency contacts clearly printed and easy to find within your luggage.
What Clothes To Pack For A Caribbean Cruise
This is actually a lot easier than it seems, the Caribbean is a warm region so you will mostly need clothing that is breathable and summery. How much you take of each will depend on the length of your cruise.
Daytime Clothing
You need light, breathable fabrics here, the days can get quite warm, especially if you are walking the towns or on the beaches.
- Shorts
- T-shirts
- Tank tops
- Dresses
Evening Clothing
In general cruises are more casual than we expected, while some dress up for dinner most people were in:
- Smart casual dinner outfits
- Resort wear
Formal Night Outfits
There are some formal or theme nights on board every cruise ship, not everyone dresses up for them but many do especially on the MSC theme nights. With Virgin Voyages it is just the Scarlet Night that every person on the ship will follow. You don’t have to be super formal, just make sure to pack something red, even if you aren’t intending to join in on the party.
Swimwear
I would bring a minimum of 2–3 swimsuits, this is so one can dry while you wear the other. Most of the ports will include beaches you want to visit and there are the pools on the ship too so you will be in swimwear most of the time.
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Best Shoes For A Caribbean Cruise
There are 4 main types of shoes you will want to take on a cruise, this is exactly what I would pack if I had the space.
Walking Shoes: a must! You will be exploring towns, cities or just walking long distances to beaches. You may also be on an excursion that requires walking. You want some comfort.
Sandals: A casual pair of sandals to wear to beach bars or shopping in town if you aren’t heavily exploring. You will also wear these around the ship.
Water Shoes: There are two types of water shoes to me, the serious water shoes you swim in or just a pair of thongs (flip flops). We always wear Archies thongs when at the beach or pool areas. Some prefer the real water shoes as they don’t like the feeling of sand or rocks when they swim at beaches, this really is your preference.
Dress Shoes: One pair that matches all your formal or theme night outfits should be enough here, just something a little nicer that you can wear in the evenings.
Toiletries To Bring On A Cruise
Toiletries are often an area where people overpack. Your cabin will have body wash and shampoo, these are the essentials that you will absolutely need and you can add from there if you want:
- Sunscreen
- Aloe vera in case you get burnt
- Skincare, this travel set is perfect!
- Motion sickness remedies if you are prone to seasickness
- Insect repellent if you are exploring on excursions
- Prescription medication and basic medication
- A wrinkle release spray
- A Tide pen, super handy to remove stains on the go
Cruise Cabin Essentials Most People Forget
These are the cruise cabin essentials that people either forget or don’t think about. We saw so many lists full of things that you really don’t need unless you were on a really long cruise and you wanted to make your cabin feel like home. This is exactly what you need for a cruise up to 14 days.
- Reusable Water Bottle – you will want to take water with you on port stops.
- Magnetic Hooks – we bought these and they were useful to hang hats, towels etc, all the walls are metal so they work anywhere.
- Packing Cubes – a must for all travel, we just grabbed them out and put them in the drawers.
- Portable Charger – useful to have for port days and also while hanging out on board.
- Lanyard – this is a maybe, we didn’t need one for Virgin Voyages as they had the wristband instead of a card. On MSC they had a card but we just put it in our pocket or wallet. It is handy if you don’t want to carry it.
- Laundry Bag – we always carry a wash bag when we travel and just throw everything in it that will need a wash at home, so it stays separate from clean clothes.
- Ziplock Bags or a reusable container – useful especially if you are gluten free and need to keep gf food for later.
- a tote bag to carry beach towels, water and sunscreen with you while at port.
- Power adapter plugs
What To Pack For Caribbean Cruise Excursions
Beach Days – some thongs or water shoes, a hat, dry bag so your tech stays dry and sand free, a swimsuit dry bag, a swimsuit coverup, a tote bag for towels etc, sunglasses and sunscreen are essential.
Snorkelling – I would definitely take a rash vest so you don’t get burnt while snorkelling and water shoes incase the ground is rocky. I also like to have a snorkel mask strap cover so my hair doesn’t knot around the strap. A waterproof camera or waterproof phone case and a dry bag is great too.
City Walking Tours – comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen.
Boat Excursions – a dry bag to put everything in is essential, water shoes, sun cover up, sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
Rainy Days – having a rain jacket or poncho to throw on in case it rains is really handy. Something lightweight and small that isn’t inconvenient is perfect.
What NOT To Pack On A Cruise
I have seen so many lists that say you need excessive amounts of things on a cruise, they really aren’t necessary though.
- Irons/steamers – a wrinkle release spray will do the job. You can also borrow an iron or steamer from the ship just ask a steward.
- Candles – this seems like a hazard! I would bring an air freshener you can just sit on the bench or a cupboard if you want one.
- Large Speakers – you will spend less time in your cabin than you think, if you want to bring a speaker it should be compact.
- Drones – you can not fly a drone on a cruise ship, it is better not to bring one.
- Too Many Formal Clothes – cruises are a lot less formal than you think, smart casual is the usual attire and a couple of formal outfits if you want to dress up. You don’t need one for everyday.
Gluten Free Cruise Packing List
Depending on what cruise line you are on you might want to come prepared for the gluten free options to be a little underwhelming. I would bring a small selection of these to get you out of trouble or even to have as a snack while out exploring ports that may not cater for gluten free.
Emergency Snacks and back up food such as gluten free protein/muesli bars, crackers, chips or lollies/chocolate. These are all great to take with you while at port days exploring or when the gluten free options on the cruise ships aren’t that great.
Medication – I usually travel with Gastro Stop, Panadol and Gaviscon for any issues that might arise.
Translation Cards – I have these on my phone or printed out for each port if it is not an English speaking country. These make experiencing the food so much easier.
If you eat gluten free, these guides will help you choose the right cruise line:
What To Pack In Your Carry-On For A Caribbean Cruise
Sometimes when you board you will not be able to access your room for a few hours. Make sure to keep these items in your carry on so you can have access to them while you wait.
- Passport
- Boarding documents
- Medication
- Swimsuit
- Change of clothes
- Phone charger
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
Our Actual Caribbean Cruise Packing List
This is exactly what we packed to go on our cruises in the Caribbean, the longest was 7 days and the shorter was 3 days.
Kelly’s Packing List
- Tops including t-shirts, tank tops, shirts. (this page has a lot of great cruise wear ideas!)
- Bottoms including a mix of shorts, skirts and long linen pants.
- Dresses
- Swimsuits
- Swimsuit coverup
- Pairof sneakers
- Sandals
- Watershoes/thongs
- Underwear sets
- sports bra
- socks
- pyjamas
Mike’s Packing List
- tops including t-shirts, tank tops, shirts.
- bottoms including a mix of shorts and long linen pants.
- board shorts
- pair of sneakers
- watershoes/thongs
- underwear
- socks
- sleep shorts
What We Used Every Day
We used our waterproof phone cases, swimsuit dry bag (so you can change out of swim suit while at port and not get your bag wet), dry bags, sunscreen, sunglasses and hats everyday. These were always with us.
👉 Shop our Caribbean Cruise packing guide on Amazon here!
What We Never Used
I brought a night light as I heard that the cabins were really dark and it was better than leaving the bathroom light on. Honestly we never used this, it was a waste of space.
What I Wish I’d Packed For My Caribbean Cruise
Things we could have done with more of:
- Extra sunscreen
- An extra swimsuit
- Extra cash in USD for ports
Free Caribbean Cruise Packing Checklist
FAQ – Caribbean Cruise Packing List
What should I pack for a 7-day Caribbean cruise?
Follow our cruise packing list for everything you need for a 7-day cruise, it is a lot less than you expect!
How many outfits do I need on a cruise?
You don’t need as many outfits as you think you do! I would pack a fresh top for each day and re-wear bottoms. An outfit for at least 2 nights and then reuse/mix and match it for the other nights.
Do I need a power adapter on a cruise?
There will be USB plugs in your cabin and an American power plug. If you are from another country you would need power adapters for this.
Can I bring snacks on a cruise?
You can but usually you don’t need to unless you have an allergy.
What shoes should I pack for a Caribbean cruise?
A combination of water shoes, comfortable walking shoes, a sandal and a slightly dressier pair for dinner.
Do Caribbean cruises have formal nights?
There are usually theme nights on Caribbean cruises like white night, tropical, retro etc and sometimes there is at least one ‘formal’ night.
Can I bring bottled water on a cruise?
You can bring bottled water on most cruise lines however we just brought a reusable bottle and drank the provided filtered water and it was fine for us.
Should I pack a beach towel?
You don’t need a beach towel as they are provided by the cruise ship. Just make sure that you bring it back with you when leaving the ship as it will be charged to your room if you lose it.
Do I need cash in Caribbean ports?
You can usually use cards in Caribbean ports but having some cash in USD is always useful.
What should I not pack on a cruise?
I saw so many blogs and videos telling people to bring things like big speakers, irons, lots of formalwear and so many gadgets. They are all so unnecessary! A cruise should be simple and easy, bringing too much will just complicate it.
Final Thoughts
Packing for your cruise can be so much easier than you think, the most important thing is to always pack lighter than you think, bring a good sunscreen, focus on what you will need for excursions and don’t forget your documents! Everything else can be bought while at port or probably wasn’t that important anyway!
Plan your trip:
→ MSC Bahamas Review
→ Antigua Cruise Port Guide
→ Barbados Cruise Port Guide
→ Martinique Cruise Port Guide
→ St Maarten Cruise Port Guide
→ MSC Gluten Free Review
→ Virgin Voyages Caribbean Review
→ Virgin Voyages Gluten Free Review
→ Nassau Cruise Port Guide
→ Ocean Cay Cruise Port Guide
Want to see it all in action? Watch our full Caribbean series on YouTube (subscribe to our channel to stay up to date with our travel guides) and follow along on Instagram @passport_nomads and @kelly___buckley for real-time travel tips, guides, and behind-the-scenes moments.
We hope this guide helped you plan an unforgettable trip.
