If We Took a Caribbean Cruise Today, We’d Do These 17 Things Differently
Celebration Key PortBahamas CountryDisney Cruise Line Cruise LineRoyal Caribbean Cruise LineVirgin Voyages Cruise LineHolland America Group Cruise CompanyCocoCay PortOcean Cay Port
Here are the 17 Caribbean cruise tips we use on every sailing, from picking the ship and cabin to drink packages, excursions, and what we’d skip next time. 💲Save BIG with MEI-Travel cruise deals: https://bookmeicruise.com/?apid=escy 🌎Save Up to 40% On Shore Excursions: https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/?id=1603014 UP NEXT - 15 Things We Stopped Doing on Cruises: https://youtu.be/GtkBjn5GvJA Subscribe to the Eat Sleep Cruise YouTube Channel if you love to travel and cruise the world! https://www.youtube.com/@Eatsleepcruise1 17 Caribbean cruise tips we use on every sailing, from picking the ship and cabin to drink packages, excursions, and what we’d skip next time. 🌴 Planning a Caribbean cruise? After sailing the Caribbean again and again, we’ve changed a lot about how we book, pack, and spend our time onboard. Some of these cruise tips save money, some help you choose a better cruise, and a few are mistakes we still see cruisers make. 🚢 Choosing the Right Caribbean Cruise In the Caribbean, we usually pick the ship before the itinerary. Many islands offer similar beaches and snorkeling, but you’ll spend much of your vacation onboard, so the ship matters. We also explain why the cheapest Caribbean cruise isn’t always the best value once you add gratuities, drinks, WiFi, and excursions, and why an inside or guarantee cabin can make more sense than a balcony. 📅 When to Cruise the Caribbean January and September tend to have lower fares, December through February usually brings the best weather, and skipping school breaks means smaller crowds. We also share why hurricane season (June through November) wouldn’t stop us from booking, and when it’s not the right choice. ⚓ Ports, Private Islands, and Booking Two cruises can visit the same island and give you completely different days, so we look at port times and whether the ship docks or tenders. Private islands like Perfect Day at CocoCay, Celebration Key, and Ocean Cay can change which itinerary we choose. We also explain why we book most cruises through a travel advisor. 🧳 Packing and Embarkation Day You’ll want more than swimsuits and flip-flops. We cover what to pack for dinners and excursions, why a light layer matters even when it’s 85 degrees outside, what goes in our carry-on on embarkation day, and why we always fly in a day early. 🍹 Drink Packages, Excursions, and Reservations Before buying a cruise drink package, we do the math against the port days on the itinerary. We compare cruise line excursions, independent tours, and exploring on our own, and we reserve popular experiences like Stingray City and catamaran sails before they sell out. 🏝️ Getting More Out of Your Cruise We front-load the onboard activities we care about most, make at least one port day something other than a beach day, and sometimes stay on the ship while everyone else goes ashore. These Caribbean cruise tips work for Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, Virgin Voyages, and Disney Cruise Line, whether you’re booking a Western, Eastern, or Southern Caribbean cruise or a short Bahamas getaway. 0:00 Caribbean Cruise Tips: Pick the Ship First 1:22 Cheap Cruise Deals and Choosing a Cabin 3:10 Best Time to Cruise the Caribbean and Hurricane Season 5:12 Port Times, Tender Ports, and Private Islands 7:11 Booking a Cruise With a Travel Advisor 8:02 What to Pack for a Caribbean Cruise 9:21 Cruise Drink Packages and Shore Excursions 11:28 Pre-Cruise Reservations and Flying In Early 12:43 Onboard Tips and Port Day Strategy #CaribbeanCruise #CruiseTips #CaribbeanCruiseTips #CruiseHacks #CruiseLife #FirstTimeCruiser #CruiseVacation #EatSleepCruise ---TRENDING VIDEOS FROM EAT SLEEP CRUISE------ 6 Cruise Lines EVERYONE is Switching to in 2026: https://youtu.be/M-4eM2avmPU 40 Cruise Hacks We Swear by After 100 Cruises: https://youtu.be/ivvzrns5QOI 5 Cruise Lines Everyone Is Switching To in 2025: Best Cruises for Couples: https://youtu.be/fenNj5GmLdM Join us on Social Media as we “Sea the World, One Port at a Time.” Instagram: https://instagram.com/EatSleepCruise Facebook: https://facebook.com/EatSleepCruise Twitter: https://twitter.com/EatSleepCruise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatsleepcruise Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/EatSleepCruise 📌 ABOUT EAT SLEEP CRUISE We're Don and Heidi from Eat Sleep Cruise. After more than 100 cruises across dozens of cruise lines, we share honest cruise ship reviews, cruise tips, and planning advice to help you book the right cruise. 📢 DISCLOSURE This video is not sponsored, and all opinions are our own. Some links in this description are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Eat Sleep Cruise!