Before heading out, for our AMAZING cruise I searched Pinterest for packing lists on what to bring and it helped SO much. But there were things those lists didn’t have that I wish I would have brought.

After going on this cruise now I know the things I am glad we brought, what I wish we brought and what we didn’t need. For reference, we were on a 7-day Royal Carribean cruise, we went to Rotan, Honduras, Costa Maya, Mexico and Cozumel, Mexico.

What I wish I brought…

1. A jacket. It is SO windy on the boat, especially at night. I wish I brought like a sweater or a zip-up jacket.
2. On the topic of warmer clothes, I wish I brought “nicer” outfits that had sleeves. I brought rompers and dresses only thinking about the tropical weather, but I wish I had some outfits for sleeves at night.
3. We packed a lot of nice clothes and not a lot of casual clothes. We should have packed more t-shirts for cruising days.
4. MORE. ALOE. VERA. This might be a personal issue, but I got SO sunburnt on the first day. I was using aloe vera like it was going out of style and had to spend FIFTEEN dollars on aloe vera on the boat.

What I am glad we brought…

1. We brought full-sized toiletries and it is worth the space it took up. It was such a long trip it’s worth it to bring exactly what you use in the container you use it.
2. We each brought 4 swimsuits for a 7-day cruise and that was the perfect amount. We did re-wear a swimsuit the last day but honestly, it was not a big deal.
3. I brought my makeup mirror and I am SO glad I did. The little vanity areas mirror was a little too far away for makeup. Although we did end up leaving the mirror on the table in the rush of leaving I am glad I had it for the week.
4. We each brought one suitcase and then one luggage bag. We each had a suitcase for clothes and shoes, then in the luggage bag, we put all of our toiletries and some shoes as well. It was easy to carry on and off the boat and helped us not overpack.
5. Bring a highlighter and a pen to mark on the activity list. It will help you quickly see what you want to do.

What we didn’t end up using…

1. I brought my straightener and curler and did not use it once. I think part of it is because it was so windy and hot that it just wasn’t worth it. At the times I would have used them my hair was still kinda damp from a shower. We were so go go go it was hard to keep up.

Honestly, We used almost everything we brought. I couldn’t think of what else we didn’t use and when I asked Jeremy he said the same thing.

Cruising was SO much fun and we will for sure be going on another soon- I hope this list helps and if you can think of anything that would be helpful be sure to leave it in the comments!