Ten Most Essential Items to Pack for Cruising the Caribbean with Kids

There are so many items that could be on this list starting with proper identification but I think that’s a given. So this list really is what we’ve come to truly rely on when we travel and these are in no particular order of importance.

1. Baby Powder

We know there has been a lot of talk about baby powder recently in the headlines. My stepmother years ago taught us this ‘hack’ if you will and it truly has been amazing. I am not a beach person per se. I much prefer a pool so when the kids were little and as they still are little I can’t stand all the sand that is leftover when we come from the beach. How it works is when you leave a beach and are getting your shoes back on you can simply just use a little baby powder to get the sand off. It literally falls right off. We don’t leave home without it.

2. Sunscreen

This is a must because our family is fair skinned. We want to make sure to be protected. We love using Walmart’s brand which has also been top rated consistently in Consumer Reports. We like the small travel size as well that comes with a caribeaner that we put onto our travel bag automatically so we are never left without.

3. Towel Clips

Ok, I have to admit I’ve already lost a few but did just get a replacement set for my birthday! We love these because it can be quite windy on deck and the last thing you want is for your towel to blow away. The other reason is that everyone on the ship has the same towel and this allows us to know exactly where we set up camp for the day.

4. Extra Bag  (photo of carnival bag)

When we were on a Carnival ship years ago they had a sale in the gift shop one day (they really always have sales) and offered tote bags. This one fully collapsed to lay flat and yet when opened it is like an oversized duffle bag. We bring this with us as it fits in the outside compartment of our suitcase and then use it to store all of our laundry. If you are flying, obviously, be careful with the baggage rules for your airline. Even when we aren’t flying we bring it in case we’ve purchased extra souvenirs. Typically we fly Southwest so each of us can have a carry on and a checked bag and we don’t seem to run into issues.

5. Sticker Puzzles

These have been a life saver for us at meal time and when there have been long waits. I can’t even remember where I found the first ones I got and thankfully Amazon carries them. These have kept my kids busy for quite some time and as they get older they have more intricate ones as well.

6. Personal Water Bottle

We make sure to bring our own water bottle onboard. That way we can fill it when we want and we usually bring one for the girls as well. You can’t fill it all at once you need to get a glass full at a time, however, if you bring it with you to the dining rooms usually the waitstaff will fill them for you.

7. My Own Wine

Yep, you read that right! I bring my own wine onboard. Most cruise lines allow adult guests (21 and over) to bring one one bottle of wine per/person per/cabin so for Dan and I we can bring on 2 bottles. We always buy the screw top to avoid any corkage fees and we ask our room steward to leave us a bucket of ice that we can chill it on if we need and we usually bring the water glasses from the dining room back to use in the room. We will fill a glass and take it to dinner with us. We have brought some wine with us as well to the dining room and expected to pay the corkage fee however, they never charged us! But you can be charged so be careful on that. We aren’t big drinkers so this helps save us on some costs during the trip.

8. Waterproof Case for Phone

No matter what, you are going to be taking your phone with you when you go on excursions and most of you will have your phone with you onboard. Why risk it being dropped in the pool or water when you are out and about? These two cases are very good and some suggestions.

9. Good quality crossbody or lightweight small backpack

We had the best backpack ever until it broke leaving our stateroom to go on an excursion and we were devastated. It was a gift to us for our baby shower. It’s the Baby Sherpa as it’s called and it was perfect in every way for when the kids were little and then even as they were growing and we didn’t need the diapers and wipes and all that stuff. It has a cooling pocket and water bottle holder and different compartments. We loved that bag. Lately, I’ve been taking a crossbody bag with me that has multiple compartments as well and it’s just a good thing to have something you can keep close to you when you are off the ship.

10. Small binoculars

This is a more recent go-to for us. The smaller size ones that kids can wear around their neck. We are big fans of looking for flying fish and we always find them and it’s been more fun to see them up closer! It’s also just neat for the kids and is another way of keeping them entertained at times like showtimes, docking in ports and playing iSpy games!