What to pack for a 7-day Caribbean cruise in winter

For a 7-day Caribbean cruise in winter, from Miami, expect highs around 25 °C (76 °F) and lows around 16 °C (61 °F). Pack light clothes and two swimsuits, a sweater for windy decks and cold dining rooms, one outfit for formal night, sandals and water shoes, and a carry-on with documents, medication, and a swimsuit for the first afternoon.

The story

It’s January, and you fly into Miami the day before the ship sails. A delayed flight can’t make you miss the ship that way. In the morning you take a taxi to the port, and at the terminal a porter takes your suitcases, already wearing the luggage tags you printed at home. You won’t see them again until the evening, in the corridor outside your cabin.

So everything for the first day is in your carry-on: passports, the cruise documents, your medication, sunscreen, the chargers, and a swimsuit. At the security check, the X-ray stops the bag of the man in front of you. He packed a travel iron and a power strip, and both stay with security. Your one bottle of wine goes through: each adult may bring one sealed bottle on the first day. By one o’clock you’re having lunch on the pool deck, and by three you’re in the pool in the swimsuit you carried on.

The first evening at sea, the wind on the top deck is stronger than you expected, and the air-conditioned dining room is cool after a day in the sun. The sweater you packed for the plane comes back out. That night the ship starts to roll a little, and you’re glad to have the tablets your pharmacist suggested, taken before dinner.

The second night is formal night. Some guests wear suits and long dresses, and many wear a jacket or a simple dark dress. You have one dressy outfit and one pair of shoes that go with it, and that’s enough: the other evenings are smart casual.

Then three port days in a row. In Cozumel, you snorkel off a rocky beach in water shoes. In Grand Cayman, a small boat takes you from the ship to the shore. In Jamaica, a taxi driver wants cash, and you pay him with the small US dollar bills you brought. On every ship you buy everything on board with a cruise card, linked to your credit card, and every time you go ashore you show the card and a photo ID at the gangway. A last sea day, and on the final night your suitcases go out in the corridor before bed. Tomorrow’s clothes, the documents, and the medication stay in the cabin with you.

A Caribbean cruise in winter is warm by day and cooler at night, on deck and indoors. Pack light clothes, two swimsuits, a sweater, one formal outfit, shoes for the water, and a carry-on that can stand in for your suitcase on the first day.

What to pack for a 7-day Caribbean cruise

A week at sea fits in one suitcase and a carry-on. Pack the carry-on as if your suitcase were coming the next day.

The carry-on, for embarkation day

Passports or the documents your cruise line asks for, the boarding documents, and the luggage tags already on the suitcases: you show them before you’re on board.
Your medication, in its original packaging, for the whole trip and a few days more: the ship’s medical center is not a pharmacy.
A swimsuit, sunscreen, and sunglasses: the pools open the first afternoon, hours before the suitcases arrive.
Chargers and a power bank.
One sealed bottle of wine, if you want it: most lines allow one per adult on the first day, in the carry-on (see Good to know).

Clothes

Light tops, shorts, and dresses for the day, about one per day: it’s summer weather on the ports and the pool deck.
Two swimsuits: one dries while you wear the other.
A cover-up or a shirt to put on over a swimsuit: many dining rooms and indoor areas ask for one.
A sweater or light jacket: the decks are windy at night and the air conditioning is cold.
Smart casual clothes for most evenings: pants or a skirt, and a shirt with a collar or a simple dress.
One formal outfit for formal night: a dark suit or a jacket, or a cocktail dress.
Pajamas, underwear, and socks for seven nights.

Shoes

Sandals or flip-flops for the pool deck.
Comfortable shoes for the shore days and the long corridors.
Water shoes for rocky beaches and snorkeling.
One pair of dressy shoes that go with the formal outfit.

Shore days

A small backpack or beach bag that closes: water, sunscreen, a towel if your tour doesn’t include one.
A hat and sunglasses: the sun is strong in the ports, even in January.
Snorkel mask, if you have one that fits.
A waterproof phone pouch, for boats and beaches.
Small US dollar bills, for taxis and tips ashore.

Health

Something for seasickness: ask your pharmacist or doctor which tablets or patches suit you, and take them before the sea gets rough.
Insect repellent, after-sun lotion, and a small first-aid kit with bandages and painkillers.
Hand sanitizer: ships ask guests to wash or sanitize their hands often.

Documents, money and tech

Passports, or the documents that the closed-loop rules allow (see Good to know), and a copy of each, kept apart.
A credit card to link to the cruise card: everything on board is charged to it.
Travel insurance that covers you at sea and in the ports, and the policy number.
A charger with several USB ports: cabins have few outlets, and many lines ban power strips.
A lanyard or card holder for the cruise card, which opens your cabin and pays for everything.

Leave at home

Clothing irons and steamers: banned by the big lines, and taken at security.
Power strips and extension cords: banned on some lines, allowed on others (see Good to know).
Candles and anything with an open flame, and appliances like coffee makers and hot plates.

Good to know

Weather: in January, Miami’s highs are around 25 °C (76 °F) and lows around 16 °C (61 °F), by NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Miami International Airport. January brings about 46 mm (1.8 in) of rain, with about four days above 2.5 mm (0.1 in). The ports further south have their own normals; check the forecast for each one before the trip.

Month	High	Low	Rain
December	26 °C (78 °F)	18 °C (64 °F)	62 mm (2.4 in)
January	25 °C (76 °F)	16 °C (61 °F)	46 mm (1.8 in)
February	26 °C (78 °F)	17 °C (63 °F)	55 mm (2.2 in)

Banned on board: each line has its own list, and security can take what’s on it at the terminal. Royal Caribbean bans clothing irons and garment steamers, and extension cords, power strips, and multi-plug outlets; curling and flat irons for hair are allowed. Carnival also bans clothing irons and steamers, but generally allows power strips and extension cords without surge protection. Check your line’s list before you pack (checked October 19, 2026).
Wine: Royal Caribbean and Carnival each let a guest of drinking age bring one sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne on embarkation day, in the carry-on; beer and spirits are not allowed (checked October 19, 2026).
Formal night: most 7-night cruises have one or two, and each line sets its own dress code. Check yours a few weeks before you sail.
Money: the ship works without cash: a cruise card, linked to your credit card, pays for drinks, tours, and shops, and many lines add a daily service charge per guest unless you prepay it. Bring small US dollar bills for taxis and tips ashore, and check what each port uses.
Plugs in Miami: types A and B, 120 V.
Documents, for US citizens: on a closed-loop cruise (one that begins and ends at the same US port), US citizens can re-enter the United States with a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID; children under 16 need only proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. The ports may still ask for a passport, and you’ll need one to fly home if you ever have to leave the ship abroad. Check CBP’s rules and your cruise line’s own (checked October 19, 2026).
Documents, for everyone else: you’ll need your passport, and to fly into Miami, an approved ESTA if your country is in the Visa Waiver Program, or a US visa. Ask your cruise line which visas the ports need for your nationality (checked October 19, 2026).
Before the ship sails: many guests fly in the day before and spend a night in a hotel in Miami, so a late flight can’t make them miss it. Going on to the parks? See what to pack for Orlando in December. First time abroad? See what to pack for your first international trip.

Questions

Do you need a passport for a Caribbean cruise from Miami?

Not always, if you’re a US citizen: on a cruise that begins and ends at the same US port, a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID let you back into the United States. A passport is still the safer choice, since the ports may ask for one and you’d need it to fly home from abroad. Everyone else needs a passport.

What can’t you bring on a cruise?

Clothing irons and steamers are banned on the big lines, and so are open flames like candles. Power strips depend on the line: Royal Caribbean bans them, and Carnival allows those without surge protection. Check your line’s list.

Is it cold on a Caribbean cruise in winter?

No, but the evenings are cooler: Miami’s January highs are around 25 °C (76 °F) and lows around 16 °C (61 °F). The decks are windy at night and the dining rooms are air-conditioned, so pack a sweater.

How many outfits do you need for a 7-day cruise?

About one light outfit for each day, smart casual clothes for most evenings, and one formal outfit for formal night. Add two swimsuits and a sweater.

Can you bring wine on a cruise?

Yes, usually one bottle: Royal Caribbean and Carnival let each guest of drinking age bring one sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne on embarkation day, in the carry-on. Beer and spirits are not allowed.