A January Caribbean cruise is the easiest trip in this series to pack light for. It's warm and the clothes are thin. The flight to your departure port is what limits your luggage, not the ship.
We plan this to the 40 × 30 × 20 cm box. If you're flying Frontier or Allegiant to Florida, your free personal item is 18 × 14 × 8 in, a little larger.
The weather in Caribbean cruise in January
Miami International Airport
Nassau (Lynden Pindling Intl)
San Juan (Luis Muñoz Marín)
Shoulder months for comparison
| Station | December | January | February |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami International Airport | 25.6 °C / 17.9 °C78 °F / 64 °F · 62 mm | 24.6 °C / 16.1 °C76 °F / 61 °F · 47 mm | 25.7 °C / 17.3 °C78 °F / 63 °F · 54 mm |
| Nassau (Lynden Pindling Intl) | 26.8 °C / 19.6 °C80 °F / 67 °F · 43 mm | 26.1 °C / 18.2 °C79 °F / 65 °F · 45 mm | 26.6 °C / 18.5 °C80 °F / 65 °F · 48 mm |
| San Juan (Luis Muñoz Marín) | 29.0 °C / 22.9 °C84 °F / 73 °F · 123 mm | 28.5 °C / 22.2 °C83 °F / 72 °F · 103 mm | 28.8 °C / 22.1 °C84 °F / 72 °F · 66 mm |
Source: WMO 1991–2020 climate normals, published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI accession 0253808). Stations: Miami International Airport (WMO 72202); Nassau (Lynden Pindling Intl) (WMO 78073); San Juan (Luis Muñoz Marín) (WMO 78526). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Sunrise, sunset and daylight are calculated for the 15th of the month in 2026 (local time). °F and inches are converted from the metric figures. “n/a” means the station doesn’t report sunshine in this dataset.
- Warm, not scorching. Miami's January averages a mid-20s high and a cooler night. Nassau is a little warmer, and San Juan is the warmest, with highs in the high 20s.
- Mostly dry in Miami and Nassau. San Juan sees more short showers (about 13 days with at least 1 mm).
- Around 11 hours of daylight. Evenings at sea can feel breezy, so pack one light layer.
This week in Miami, Nassau & San Juan
The outfit plan in this guide is built from 30-year averages for January. This panel is the real forecast for the next 7 days, turned into packing tips for a cabin bag.
Miami
The live forecast needs JavaScript. Everything else in this guide works without it, and the climate-based plan above covers any January trip.
Nassau
The live forecast needs JavaScript. Everything else in this guide works without it, and the climate-based plan above covers any January trip.
San Juan
The live forecast needs JavaScript. Everything else in this guide works without it, and the climate-based plan above covers any January trip.
Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), adapted into packing tips.
What locals actually wear
Everything below is a summary of, or a quote from, the linked source. We don’t make up “local” style tips.
- Royal Caribbean says onboard dress is casual most of the time, with one 'Dress Your Best' night on 5-night cruises and two on cruises of 6 to 10 nights.Source [1]: Royal Caribbean (official FAQ)
- On those nights, Royal Caribbean describes formal wear as suits, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or gowns.Source [1]: Royal Caribbean (official FAQ)
- Royal Caribbean also notes that camouflage clothing is illegal in Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago, so leave it at home.Source [1]: Royal Caribbean (official FAQ)
- No tank tops at dinner in the main dining room. Pack something with sleeves for the evening.Source [1]: Royal Caribbean (official FAQ)
- Other lines set their own rules. P&O Cruises, for example, publishes its own dress-code guide and lists the dress code for each dining venue on each ship's Dining page. Check your line before you pack.Source [2]: P&O Cruises (official)
3 outfit formulas
Port day
- Swimsuit under a loose cotton shirt or cover-up
- Linen-feel shorts or a skirt
- Sandals or slides
- Sunglasses and hat
Tip: The shirt works as a cover-up, a sun layer and an evening top.
Casual evening on board
- Slip dress or wide-leg trousers with a silk-feel top (sleeves for the dining room)
- Flat sandals
- Light wrap for the air-con
Tip: A wrap fixes both overly cold dining rooms and breezy decks.
'Dress Your Best' night
- Satin midi slip dress
- Statement earrings
- Flat metallic sandals or one pair of heels
- Cashmere or silk-blend wrap
Tip: A single satin slip dress rolls up small and covers the dressiest night.
Swatches are a colour guide for each formula, not product photos.
Day to night in Caribbean cruise
Same capsule, evening version: keep the base, swap one or two pieces. Every swap below stays cabin-bag friendly. How day-to-night swaps work →
01Deck day → ‘Dress Your Best’ night
- Base (stays the same)
- Satin midi slip dress
- Cashmere or silk-blend wrap
- ☀ Day add-ons
- Swimsuit under a loose cotton shirt
- Sandals or slides
- Sunglasses and hat
- ☾ Evening swaps
- Slip dress worn on its own
- Dressier flat metallic sandals
- Statement earrings and a small clutch
Pieces added to your bag: 2, statement earrings and a small clutch.
02Port day → casual evening on board
- Base (stays the same)
- Wide-leg trousers or linen skirt
- Light wrap for the air-con
- ☀ Day add-ons
- Tee or tank
- Sandals
- Hat and sunglasses
- ☾ Evening swaps
- Silk-feel top with sleeves instead of the tank
- Dressier flat sandals
- Statement earrings
Pieces added to your bag: 0, nothing extra (the earrings are already packed for formal night).
03Beach → beach bar
- Base (stays the same)
- Linen-feel shorts or skirt
- ☀ Day add-ons
- Swimsuit and cover-up
- Slides
- ☾ Evening swaps
- A tank tucked in with a belt
- Dressier flat sandals
Pieces added to your bag: 1, a belt.
Preview note: placeholder links to each shop’s normal pages, with no affiliate tracking yet.
The free-baggage packing list
Your bag: 40 × 30 × 20 cm
Planned for 7 nights, using a soft backpack of about 20–24 litres made to the 40 × 30 × 20 cm size. The rule that makes it work: wear your bulkiest items on the plane. The dotted outline is easyJet’s bigger free bag.
Wear on the plane worn
In the bag 12 items
- Camouflage prints (illegal in several Caribbean nations)
- Full formalwear unless your line requires it
- More than one pair of heels
Liquids: going vs coming home
UK airports vary. Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast International, Belfast City, Bournemouth, Southend allow containers up to 2 litres; most others, including Manchester, Stansted and Luton, are still 100 ml.
- 100 mlMiami (MIA), in a 1 L clear bag
- 100 mlSan Juan (SJU), in a 1 L clear bag
- 100 mlNassau Lynden Pindling (NAS), in a 1 L clear bagto re-check
Pack your liquids to 100 ml for the whole trip.
Check your room first
Read the hotel, Airbnb or hostel listing, or message the host, and ask whether they provide:
- Iron or steamer
- Hairdryer
- Toiletries: shampoo, shower gel (conditioner often isn’t supplied)
- Towels, plus beach or pool towels
- Washing machine or laundry service
- Plug adapters or USB sockets
- Kettle, tea and coffee
- Slippers and a robe
- A safe
- Beach gear: umbrella, loungers
Hostels often don’t provide towels or padlocks.
Every item they provide is one you don’t carry.
No-iron packing
Pick fabrics that don’t crease. Woven cotton and linen crease; knits, merino, jersey and most polyester blends barely do.
- Hang creased clothes in the bathroom while you shower.
- Pack a small crease-release spray under 100 ml (it counts as a liquid).
- Roll clothes, and keep crease-prone pieces in a packing cube on top, not in a vacuum bag.
- Check whether your hotel or Airbnb has an iron.
On a cruise? Check your cruise line’s prohibited items list before packing a steamer or iron; many ships offer a pressing service or self-service launderettes instead. Crease-release spray and hanging clothes in the shower are the no-risk options.
Wedding, or a bigger baggage allowance? A travel steamer can make sense, as long as your ship or venue allows it. Travel steamers on Amazon UK ↗
Buy it there?
Adding a checked bag typically costs around £60–80 return on a budget airline. So if your bag is full, buying bulky or liquid items when you arrive is often cheaper.
Think sun cream, full-size shampoo, insect repellent, a beach towel or flip-flops.
Buy before you board in this destination: Shops on cruise ships and in resort areas tend to be pricey, so stock up at a supermarket or pharmacy in your departure city if you need to.
Cruise drinks
Most lines allow a bottle or two of wine or Prosecco at embarkation, but not spirits or beer, and drinks packages aren’t always worth it.
Tick items off as you pack (your ticks aren’t saved). Liquids rules depend on your departure airport and change from time to time. Check your airport’s current security rules before you decant your toiletries (see liquids rules by airport).
Flying there on Ryanair, easyJet or Wizz?
- Flying Frontier or Allegiant to your departure port? Their free personal item is 18 × 14 × 8 in (Allegiant gives it as 20 × 35 × 45 cm), measured with handles and wheels. This list fits.
- From the UK or Europe on Ryanair, Wizz Air or easyJet to a European departure port? It fits the 40 × 30 × 20 cm box too.
- Long-haul fares vary, so check your airline's allowance. If you travel this light, you skip the baggage carousel.
Duty-free bag: Ryanair: extra bag allowed · easyJet: extra bag allowed · Wizz Air: extra bag allowed. It still has to fit under the seat or in a locker, and gate staff decide. Duty free and your free baggage →
Sizes come from each airline’s official page (see our free baggage reference for links). Rules change, so check your booking before you fly.
Baggage picks
The ticks compare each bag’s stated outer dimensions with each airline’s free-bag size. A struck-through name means the bag is too big for that airline. Soft bags squash a little; hard cases don’t. We haven’t tested these bags ourselves yet.
Want to fit more in? Compression cubes and packing cubes that store more in a free bag →
Pieces that fit the formulas
- QuinceOrganic cotton poplin long-sleeve shirt
- QuinceSilk tank
- QuinceWashable stretch silk dolman-sleeve blouse
- ASOS · searchSatin slip dresses (ASOS search)
- ASOS · searchSwimsuits (ASOS search)
- SHEIN · searchBeach cover-ups (SHEIN search)
- QuinceCashmere wrap
- QuinceSantorini polarised acetate sunglasses
- Amazon · searchMineral sunscreen (Amazon UK search)
- Amazon · search100 ml travel bottles (Amazon UK search)
Preview note: these are placeholder links to each brand’s normal product or search page. They carry no affiliate tracking yet, and we don’t show prices because they change.
Sources
- What is the onboard dress code?, Royal Caribbean (official FAQ)
- What to wear on a P&O Cruises holiday, P&O Cruises (official)
Airline free-bag sizes: see the free baggage reference. Climate: WMO 1991–2020 normals (NOAA NCEI). Live forecast: weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), adapted into packing tips. Photos: Unsplash, credited on each image and on the photo credits page. Last checked October 2026.
