Caribbean cruise packing list: sun, salt, and reef rules

The phrase reef-safe has no legal definition, which is why it appears on bottles that contain the exact chemicals the rules were written about. What does have definition is the chemical list. NOAA's National Ocean Service publishes the filters it identifies as harmful to aquatic life including corals, and the names on it are worth photographing before you shop: oxybenzone, benzophenone-1, benzophenone-8, OD-PABA, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, 3-benzylidene camphor, nano-titanium dioxide, nano-zinc oxide, octinoxate and octocrylene. NOAA describes what these do to coral in flat language, saying they accumulate in tissues and can induce bleaching, damage DNA, deform young, and even kill. Now the jurisdictions, because this is where most packing advice invents things. Bonaire is the clearest case in the Caribbean: its island council voted unanimously in May 2018 to prohibit sunscreen products containing oxybenzone or octinoxate, with the prohibition taking effect on 1 January 2021, and it is enforced in the context of the Bonaire National Marine Park. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the operative instruction you will actually encounter comes from the National Park Service, whose Virgin Islands National Park safety page tells visitors to always use reef-safe sunscreens, which it defines as free of oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene. That is three chemicals rather than two, and octocrylene is the one that catches people out because it turns up in products whose front label says reef-friendly. Mexico's Caribbean coast handles it differently again: rather than a territory-wide ban, individual parks manage it themselves, and Cozumel National Park is among the sites reported to hand arriving visitors sachets of a biodegradable alternative. The practical rule that covers all of this without needing to memorise anything: buy one mineral sunscreen whose active ingredients panel lists only zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which is exactly what the Park Service recommends, and pack that. It is compliant everywhere we could find a rule, and you never have to read a bottle at a beach entrance again.

• Reef-safe is a marketing phrase, not a standard. Read the active ingredients panel.
• NOAA names oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene among filters harmful to corals.
• Bonaire prohibits oxybenzone and octinoxate products, effective 1 January 2021.
• The Park Service tells Virgin Islands National Park visitors to use sunscreen free of oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene.
• Cozumel National Park is among the Mexican parks reported to supply biodegradable sunscreen sachets on arrival.
• One mineral sunscreen with only zinc oxide or titanium dioxide solves it everywhere.

The chemical list and the description of effects on coral are quoted from NOAA's National Ocean Service page on sunscreen and coral reefs. The three-chemical definition of reef-safe is quoted from the National Park Service's Virgin Islands National Park safety page. Bonaire's council vote and effective date are from InfoBonaire and a trade report tracking sunscreen restrictions, which is also where the Mexican park sachets are described. All read on the dates in the sources below. We did not find the text of any territorial statute on an official government page this session, so treat the park guidance as the instruction you will meet in practice.

Sunscreen is the part of sun protection that fails most reliably, because it depends on you applying enough of it, evenly, and then doing it again after you swim. Both the agencies that publish on this recommend you stop relying on it alone. NOAA's advice is to consider sunscreen without chemicals that can harm marine life, to seek shade between 10am and 2pm, and to use ultraviolet protection factor sunwear. The Park Service's version is to stay in the shade or wear a hat, sunglasses and light clothing, to use sunscreens with only titanium dioxide or zinc oxide on exposed skin, and it specifically names a UV blocking shirt, the rashguard, as a way to cover up. Its own timing advice narrows the worst window further, to between noon and 2pm. Take that seriously on a cruise, because a Caribbean port day is structured almost perfectly to maximise your exposure. You go ashore mid-morning, you are outdoors through the middle of the day, and the ship's all-aboard drags you back in the late afternoon. There is no siesta built into the schedule the way there would be on a land holiday. A long-sleeved rash guard is the single highest-leverage item on this list. It covers your shoulders, upper arms and back, which are the areas that burn on a snorkel trip because they are the parts facing the sky while you are face-down in the water, and it does not wash off after twenty minutes. It also removes a large fraction of the sunscreen you would otherwise be putting into the water, which is the point of the reef rules in the first place. Add a wide brim rather than a baseball cap, since ears and the back of the neck are where the burns land, and sunglasses, which the Park Service lists alongside the hat. Royal Caribbean's own warm-weather guidance points at the same idea from the wardrobe side, telling guests on Caribbean and Mexico itineraries to bring a hat, and suggesting lighter colors such as bright whites and pastels because they reflect sunlight and absorb less heat than darker fabrics. That last point is worth more than it sounds when you are walking a port town at one in the afternoon.

• NOAA: seek shade between 10am and 2pm and use UPF sunwear.
• The Park Service names a UV blocking shirt, a hat, sunglasses and light clothing.
• A long-sleeved rash guard protects the shoulders and back that burn while snorkeling.
• Wide brim beats baseball cap, because ears and neck are where burns land.
• Royal Caribbean suggests bright whites and pastels, which absorb less heat than dark fabrics.
• Cruise port days put you outdoors through the exact hours both agencies tell you to avoid.

Shade timing and the UPF sunwear recommendation are quoted from NOAA's National Ocean Service; the hat, sunglasses, light clothing, rashguard and mineral-only advice from the National Park Service's ocean sunscreen page. The hat and light-color guidance is from Royal Caribbean's Caribbean packing guide. All read on the dates in the sources below.

The Caribbean is humid, and humidity is what actually decides your fabric choices, not heat. Anything that gets wet in a humid climate stays wet, and a cruise cabin is a small space with limited airflow and no tumble dryer. Cotton is the trap. It is comfortable dry and miserable damp, it holds sweat, and a cotton t-shirt worn ashore in the afternoon will still be damp when you want it the next morning. Royal Caribbean's Caribbean wardrobe guidance points at lightweight, breathable fabrics and names linen and cotton, and linen is the half of that pairing that behaves in humidity, because it dries fast and moves air. For anything active, synthetic quick-dry beats both. The same guide makes a point about swimwear that is easy to skim past and genuinely useful: pack a few swimsuits, so that you always have a dry one, and note that they are quick to dry and work as a base layer under other clothes. That is the actual mechanic of a Caribbean port day, where you may be swimming, then walking a town, then back on the ship. Two or three suits in rotation means you are never pulling on a wet one. On footwear the same guide suggests planning three pairs: what you board in, plus two others, with water-resistant shoes and flip-flops for beach days and something comfortable for dinner and dancing. Then there is the evening, which is the part of a hot-climate cruise that people underpack. The ship does not relax its dress code because the destination is warm. Royal Caribbean publishes three tiers: casual, covering jeans, shorts, tees, tank tops, polos, sundresses and blouses, with the instruction to keep swimwear to the pool deck; smart casual, a step up, covering jackets, sports coats, blazers, collared shirts, dresses, skirts and blouses, or pantsuits; and formal, which it describes as your best black-tie look, meaning suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns. Its Caribbean-specific guide softens the middle of that with warm-weather options such as a long-sleeved button-down and chino trousers, a breezy dress with sandals, or a silk blouse with trousers. Choose the lightest versions of those you own, and remember one logistical fact that ruins otherwise good planning: most ships do not offer or allow clothing irons, so bring wrinkle-removing spray.

• Humidity, not heat, is why cotton fails. Linen and synthetics dry, cotton does not.
• Pack a few swimsuits so you always have a dry one; they double as a quick-dry base layer.
• Plan roughly three pairs of shoes: boarding, water-resistant beach shoes and flip-flops, and something for dinner.
• Royal Caribbean's tiers: casual, smart casual, and formal meaning black tie.
• Swimwear stays on the pool deck, not in the dining room.
• Irons are generally not allowed on board, so pack wrinkle-removing spray.

Fabric, swimsuit, footwear, color and wrinkle-spray guidance is quoted from Royal Caribbean's Caribbean cruise packing guide; the three dress-code tiers and their contents from Royal Caribbean's own packing and clothing FAQ. Both read on the date in the sources below.

The mental image of a Caribbean beach is white sand shelving gently into calm water. Plenty of them are exactly that. But a cruise itinerary is a sequence of snorkel stops, rocky coves, ironshore ledges and boat entries chosen for what is under the water rather than what is at the edge of it, and barefoot is often the wrong answer. The specific hazard the National Park Service warns about at Virgin Islands National Park is sea urchins, and it does not soften the description: their long, brittle spines will puncture skin and break off in the body, causing painful injuries. The same page gives the technique that avoids the problem entirely, which is that if you need to rest while snorkeling you should stand only on sandy surfaces, and its general instruction for reef life is to look but not touch. Water shoes solve most of this. A closed-toe pair with a grippy sole handles rock entries, coral rubble, hot sand and the slick step off a tender or a catamaran, and unlike flip-flops they stay on when a wave takes you sideways. They also dry fast, which matters for the reasons in the previous section. If you are only ever going to lie on a resort beach, flip-flops and the water-resistant shoes Royal Caribbean recommends will do. If your excursion list contains the words snorkel, reef, cave, waterfall or catamaran, pack the water shoes. Two smaller things go in the same bag. Bring plenty of water if you are walking or hiking ashore, which is the first piece of advice on that Park Service safety page and is easy to forget when the ship has free drinks and the trail does not. And treat the reef itself as fragile: standing on coral to rest damages it and cuts you, which is why the sandy-surfaces instruction exists in the first place.

• Sea urchin spines puncture skin and break off, according to the Park Service's own safety guidance.
• Rest only on sandy surfaces while snorkeling, never on coral.
• Closed-toe water shoes handle rock entries, coral rubble and tender steps; flip-flops do not.
• Water shoes dry fast, which matters more in humidity than you expect.
• Bring plenty of water for anything ashore that involves walking or hiking.
• Look but do not touch is a rule about both the reef's safety and yours.

The sea urchin description, the instruction to stand only on sandy surfaces, the look-but-do-not-touch rule and the advice to carry water when hiking are quoted from the National Park Service's Virgin Islands National Park safety page. The water-resistant shoes and flip-flops recommendation is from Royal Caribbean's Caribbean packing guide. Both read on the date in the sources below.

Mosquitoes are a shore-excursion problem rather than a ship problem, and they concentrate exactly where the good excursions are: rainforest walks, waterfalls, ruins, botanical gardens, and anywhere with standing water at dusk. The National Park Service tells visitors to Virgin Islands National Park to use bug spray alongside reef-safe sunscreen, in the same breath, which tells you how routine the need is. The CDC's traveler guidance is the place to get the specifics, because repellent labels are written to be confusing and the useful information is the active ingredient. It names the Environmental Protection Agency-registered actives worth looking for: DEET, picaridin, which is known as KBR 3023 and as icaridin outside the United States, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol and 2-undecanone. Any of those on the panel means you have bought a repellent that works rather than a scented lotion. For anyone doing serious time in vegetation, the CDC also recommends treating clothing and gear with 0.5 percent permethrin, or buying items pre-treated, which covers boots, trousers and socks without going on your skin at all. Long sleeves and long trousers are its simplest recommendation, and they double as sun protection. Then there is the detail that almost everyone gets backwards, and which the CDC states plainly: if you are also using sunscreen, apply the insect repellent after the sunscreen. Sunscreen goes on first, absorbs, and then repellent goes over the top. Doing it the other way round dilutes the repellent and can reduce how well the sunscreen works. On a Caribbean port day you will be using both on the same skin, so it is worth fixing the habit before you travel rather than working it out on a dock.

• CDC-named repellent actives: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, 2-undecanone.
• Picaridin is sold as KBR 3023 or icaridin outside the United States.
• Treat clothing and gear with 0.5 percent permethrin, or buy it pre-treated.
• Long sleeves and long trousers work for insects and sun at the same time.
• Sunscreen first, then repellent over the top. Not the reverse.
• The Park Service pairs bug spray with reef-safe sunscreen as standard advice for visitors.

Repellent active ingredients, the permethrin concentration, the clothing advice and the sunscreen-then-repellent order are quoted from the CDC's traveler guidance on avoiding bug bites. The pairing of bug spray with reef-safe sunscreen is from the National Park Service's Virgin Islands National Park safety page. Both read on the date in the sources below.

Most Caribbean cruises sail inside hurricane season, and knowing its actual shape is more useful than avoiding the subject. The National Hurricane Center puts the Atlantic season at 1 June to 30 November, with the peak of activity around 10 September and most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October. Over the 1991 to 2020 climate period an average Atlantic season produced fourteen named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Its typical timeline is also worth knowing: the first named storm in mid to late June, the first hurricane in early to mid August, and the first major hurricane in late August or early September. What this means for packing is modest but real. Ships route around storms rather than into them, so the realistic outcome of an active weather pattern is not danger, it is change: an itinerary reshuffled, a sea day substituted for a port, and swell on the days the ship is repositioning. Pack for that rather than against it. A light rain jacket or packable shell earns its space between August and October, because tropical downpours are heavy, brief and completely normal, and a poncho bought at a port stall is worse and costs more. Something to do on an unexpected sea day is not a joke item. And motion sickness deserves planning if you are sailing in the back half of the season. The CDC names diphenhydramine, dimenhydrinate and scopolamine among the medicines commonly used for it, and notes that many of them cause drowsiness, which is the trade-off people discover on the first sea day rather than in advance. Its non-drug advice is the part worth rehearsing: shut your eyes, sleep, or look at the horizon, stay hydrated, and eat small frequent meals. It also notes that children between two and twelve get motion sickness more often than adults, which is a reason to have a plan rather than a remedy bought at the ship's shop at a markup. Whatever you choose, pack it in your day bag rather than in checked luggage, because your suitcase may not reach the cabin until late afternoon and the ship starts moving before then.

• Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November, peaking around 10 September.
• Most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October.
• An average season, 1991 to 2020, brought fourteen named storms and seven hurricanes.
• The realistic effect on a cruise is a changed itinerary and more swell, not danger.
• Pack a packable rain shell for August through October downpours.
• CDC names diphenhydramine, dimenhydrinate and scopolamine, and warns many cause drowsiness.
• Non-drug tactics: horizon, closed eyes or sleep, hydration, small frequent meals.
• Keep the remedy in your day bag, not in checked luggage.

Season dates, the peak date, the mid-August to mid-October activity window and the 1991 to 2020 averages are quoted from the National Hurricane Center's tropical cyclone climatology page. The named medicines, the drowsiness warning, the non-drug advice and the note about children aged two to twelve are from the CDC's traveler page on motion sickness. Both read on the date in the sources below.