My family and I just got back from a 5-night cruise vacation to the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. This was the second cruise that we have done as a family of 4. Cruising with kids is a little different than without, but we all had a great time. Today I want to share all my Bahamas cruise vacation outfits with you.
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Why we love cruise vacations
Before the kids came along, Kevin and I loved going on cruise vacations. We love the atmosphere of a cruise ship. They have great service, delicious food, new places to see each day and there is always a fun activity to do. It’s truly a unique vacation experience. We knew that once we had kids, we wanted to take them as well and hopefully they would grow to love cruising as much as we did.
Last year was our first cruise as a family of 4. We went on a 4 night Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Sunrise. Not only was it our first cruise with the kids, but it was the first big vacation that we had been on solo, without the help of our extended family. That cruise definitely had some challenges, but we decided to give the cruise vacation another go. Luckily, things went a lot smoother the second time around.
This year we were on the Carnival Freedom, which had a similar layout to the Sunrise. Our ship had so many fun activities for the whole family. The kid’s favorite spot on board was the WaterWorks water park. It had 2 water slides and a smaller splash pad area for the little kids. In the evening the kids spent time at Camp Ocean, the ship’s kids area. They had fun planned activities that kept the kids so busy. They met other kids on board and it was also nice for Kevin and I to get a couple of hours to ourselves. We caught some shows and spent time in the casino.
What I packed for our cruise
It’s always hard for me to pack light for any vacation, especially a cruise. However, I always manage to fit everything into my carry-on size Travelpro suitcase. The cabin sizes on a cruise ship aren’t very big, so I try not to bring more than a carry-on suitcase. To help me stay organized, I love my space-saving packing cubes. Not only do they help me categorize my clothes, they also help save me space in my suitcase.
Here is a quick highlight of some of the important things I packed from my cruise vacation.
- Rompers and dresses– I love packing easy-to-wear rompers and dresses. I packed some dressier pieces for dinner time and more casual pieces for the afternoons.
- Athletic dress/skort– If I wasn’t at the pool during the day, I was in my athletic dress or skort.
- Comfortable shoes– There is a lot of walking on the ship. I packed very comfortable flat sandals and my most comfortable pair of heels. You can see all the shoes I brought HERE!
- Colorful jewelry– I love to accessorize with bright jewelry, especially my bracelets and earrings. My favorite color to wear is always turquoise. It’s a great way to complete your look and make your outfit feel a little more fun. Plus jewelry is so easy to pack!
- Extra bathing suits– Don’t be afraid to pack too many bathing suits for a Bahamas cruise. I spent most of my afternoons at the pool or the beach, so I wore a lot of bathing suits. I don’t like to put on a wet bathing suit and it can be hard to dry your bathing suits. That’s why it’s nice to have lots to choose from.
- Cute bathing suit coverups– Like I said, you spend most of your days in a bathing suit, so you need to pack some cute cover-ups. I shared some of my favorites in this post HERE!
- Packable beach bag– I packed a beach bag in my suitcase. It’s nice if you have a bag that you can just fold up easily into your suitcase, which makes one less bag to travel with.
- Crossbody purse– You don’t need to bring that many items with you on the cruise ship, but I liked having something to put my room key into, my phone, and anything else I needed for the kids. I used my straw purse that I have had for years that is very similar to this purse HERE!
- Sunhat– A sunhat is a must for me! I brought my favorite Amazon straw hat!
- Extra sunglasses– I can’t go a day in the sun without sunglasses so I wanted to make sure that I brought a backup pair incase mine got lost.
- Phone protector case– It’s nice to have something to protect your phone, especially at the beach. I bought this one HERE last year!
- Magnetic clips– The cabin rooms usually have magnetic walls, so magnetic clips are great to throw in your suitcase. I used them to hang the kid’s bathing suits.
- Water bottles– It’s important to stay hydrated, so don’t forget a water bottle. You can fill up at any time in the cafeteria.
- Sunscreen– I stocked up on a ton of sunscreen when we got to Florida. I never like to pack sunscreen in my suitcases, so I always wait until we are close to port to buy it. You don’t want to run out on board either, because the prices are high in the gift shops on the cruise ship.
Bahamas Cruise Vacation Outfits I Wore
Day 1: Port Canaveral, FL
The first day we set sail out of Port Canaveral, Florida. During the day we explored the ship. I wore a comfortable pair of shorts that I bought last year at LOFT (similar pair HERE) with a tank top. After I got washed up and ready for dinner I changed into a comfortable lightweight romper from Cupshe. Both these outfits were repeats for me from last year’s trip, so I figured I had to wear them again since I didn’t get a chance to share the looks in a post last year.
Outfit 1 Details || Outfit 2 Details
Day 2: Nassau, The Bahamas
On the second day of the cruise, we stopped in Nassau. Kevin and I have been to Nassau several times and we also went last year with the kids. Our favorite spot to visit is Paradise Island. They have beautiful beaches and it’s a fun place to explore. Because we had the kids with us and it’s not easy to get them over to Paradise Island, we decided to stay on the ship all day and take advantage of the activities on board.
We spent most of the day at the water park. The water slides weren’t as crowded, so we all had fun going down them. We also spent time in the arcade and the kids were big fans of the all-you-can-eat ice cream machines.
During the day I wore my pink one-piece bathing suit from Amazon and my black romper. Which I didn’t get a picture of. For the evening, I changed into my new red shorts from Target and a black tank top, which Jack told me I looked like Mickey Mouse. I thought that was a cute observation so I had to get a who wore it better picture. Hahaha.
Day 3: Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas
On the 3rd day, we stopped at Half Moon Cay. This was our second time on this island and it is one of my favorite stops. Carnival owns the Island, so when you get off the ship you still have all the cruise ship’s amenities. Food is included, beach chairs and you can use your sail and sign card to buy anything extra you need.
My favorite part of this island is the beach. The sand is so soft. It feels like cornstarch or flour. The water is also crystal clear. It looks like a swimming pool. Jack loved swimming around looking for fish. The only negative part of this island is that you must take a tender boat out from the ship to the island. It makes the deboarding process a little longer. I recommend getting up early and getting your boarding passes for the tender boats as soon as you can to get an early time.
For my outfits, I wore my favorite bathing suit from maurices with my black Cupshe coverup over it to the island. I love the bathing suit, especially when with my kids because Anna likes me to hold her a lot and this suit stays in place well. No need to worry about anything popping out.
On day 3, the dress code for dinner was elegant attire. This is my favorite night on the cruise because I love dressing up. My new one-shoulder maxi dress from Amazon was perfect for this night. It was comfortable and the floral print gave it a tropical feel.
Outfit 1 Details || Outfit 2 Details || Outfit 3 Details
Day 4: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
On day 4 we docked at Grand Turk. This was my first time on this Island. I was blown away by the color of the water. It was gorgeous! The ship docked right at the port, so getting off the ship was pretty easy. They have a whole tourist district where there are restaurants, bars, shops, a pool, and chairs along the beach. It was pretty amazing to see these giant cruise ships right next to this beautiful beach.
After the beach, we got back on the ship for our daily afternoon ice cream, grabbed some lunch, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the waterpark.
On this day, I wore my leopard bathing suit that I got a few summers ago at Walmart (similar HERE). Over it, I had my lace Cupshe coverup. I love this cover-up. It’s perfect to wear to the island. For dinner, I kept it casual with a pair of black shorts and a halter tank top that I have had for years. This outfit was also a repeat from last year’s cruise. I loved it, so I figured why not do a repeat.
Outfit 1 Details || Outfit 2 Details || Outfit 3 Details
Day 5: Fun Day at Sea
Our last day was spent on bord the ship all day as we headed back to Port Canaveral. The weather wasn’t that great, so we didn’t have as much pool time that day. Plus, the water park was very busy with everyone on the ship. Instead, the kids spent some extra time at Camp Ocean in the morning, while Kevin and I rested and got packed up for the the next day. We also did an arts and crafts activity with the kids after breakfast.
During the day I wore my athletic skort from maurices and top from Old Navy. For our last dinner, I wore my red, white, and blue midi dress from maurices. I didn’t realize when I packed this dress that it would go perfectly with the all-American freedom theme that they had on board our ship.
Day 6: Travel Day
On the last day of the trip, we got off the ship in the morning after breakfast. We had a late flight out of Sarasota, so we had a lot of time to kill. We made a quick stop at the beach in Sarasota, then went and hung out at a local library while the kids played. This is something that we do before an evening flight because a library is a perfect place to relax before we take on the airport.
I wore my green jumpsuit from StitchFix. This jumpsuit is perfect because it transitioned so well from the beach to the airplane. I just traded in my sandals for some sneakers and added my denim jacket for the airplane ride home.
Want to see more vacation outfits? You can check out last year’s What I Wore on my Family Vacation in Northern Michigan or What I Wore: Family Beach Vacation to Lake Michigan.
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