Shopping for a traveler that loves cruising? Here are 30 awesome cruise gift ideas. You'll find everything from travel packing list essentials to gifts for the traveling fashionista, tech junkie, and even a handful of under-$25 cruise gift ideas!
Whether you’re gifting to a first-time cruiser or an experienced cruise traveler, there are so many thoughtful items that make great gifts. For example, there are plenty of cruise packing items that also make thoughtful gifts. And of course, there are so many great tech gadgets to consider if your cruise lover is a bit of a thrill-seeker.
No matter whether you're shopping during the holiday season, for a birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, or just because, these 30 travel gift ideas are sure to delight your favorite traveler.
30 of the Best Travel Gifts for Cruise Lovers
Whether you're gifting big with a cruise vacation or just looking for some simple stocking stuffers, here are the best travel gifts for the cruise lovers in your life!
Gift A Cruise Vacation
Gifting a cruise vacation is certainly a grand gesture, but there's no better way to surprise your favorite cruise lover either. Whether you set sail to Europe or plan the ultimate Caribbean cruise, a cruise vacation is definitely the ultimate gift idea!
1. Western Caribbean Cruises
Western Caribbean cruises usually travel to destinations like Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Cozumel, and Costa Maya, Mexico. Sometimes these cruises will also visit Belize and Roatan. Practically all of the big-ship cruise lines cover this area. This is also your best bet for short 3 to 5-day cruises.
2. Eastern Caribbean Cruises
Eastern Caribbean cruises stop in at destinations like San Juan, St. Thomas, Turks and Caicos, Tortola, and St. Maarten. Many of the big-name companies, like Carnival cruise line, travel this area. While most itineraries fall in the range of 5 to 7 nights, but there are (of course) others that run longer.
3. Southern Caribbean Cruises
Southern Caribbean cruises typically have ports of call in Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Aruba, and Curacao. Both large and small cruise lines travel this area of the Caribbean, but you’ll usually only see 10+ night itineraries setting sail from the US mainland ports.
To search for the best cruises to the Caribbean, click here.
Cruise Packing Hacks That Make Awesome Gifts
Everything from packing cubes to the often-forget packing essentials, this is where the best cruise tips, tricks, and hacks meet awesome gift ideas for cruise lovers.
4. Packing Cubes
No matter whether you're traveling in a carry-on or full-sized suitcase, these handy packing cubes make traveling so much easier. They essentially act like small drawers that keep all of your belongings together and organized. And they're especially great if you're staying in a smaller room.
5. Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag
This hanging travel toiletry bag is such a space saver for smaller areas like your cruise cabin. It packs up into a compact little bag for travel, but has plenty of pockets for keeping makeup and toiletries organized. Hang it on the back of the door or from the towel rack for more counter space!
6. Slim Travel Mug
This slim travel mug will carry you from your morning coffee to poolside drinks and beyond. The narrow design makes it perfect for slipping into the side of a beach bag and from time-to-time I'll even throw it in my purse. I never worry about spilling – this travel mug lid locks!
7. Cruise Power Strip (With USB Outlets!)
A cruise power strip is a must-have for any cruise lover. It's the perfect solution to the too-common problem of limited cabin outlets. With three 3-prong outlets and two USB ports, this cruise ship compliant power strip allows plenty of devices to be plugged in or charging at any time.
8. Collapsible Water Bottle
This collapsible water bottle is perfect for throwing in your backpack before you head out for an onshore adventure. It's BPA and PVC free, and lighter than most hard-sided water bottles of the same size. When it's empty, it can be collapsed down to a quarter of its original size!
9. Magnetic Hooks
These magnetic hooks are a little travel packing hack that's seriously handy for cruise lovers and travel junkies. Each of these heavy duty hooks can hold up to 25 lbs of weight. And they won't scratch or damage any surface. All you need is a magnetic area to hang them from – try your cabin ceilings and walls!
10. Towel Clips
It can get breezy up on the pool deck! These towel clips are a colorful way to help keep your cruise lover's favorite beach towel from flying away. And these jumbo plastic clips are equally handy for hanging clothes if they happen to do any hand washing while they're away.
11. After-Sun Gel
Water and sun can dry out your skin, even if you don't see any visible sun damage. An after-sun cooling gel is a great hydrating treat to pamper your skin with at the end of a day in the sun.
Cruise Clothing & Accessories Gift Ideas for the Fashionista
From the best flip flops to cruise wear, here are some top picks for cruise clothing and accessories that are perfect for gift giving!
12. Versatile Flip Flops
These flip flops are way better than your run-of-the-mill rubber flip flops. What's great about elevated flip flops is that they are actually dressy enough to make it past the pool or beach! These flat sandals are particularly popular with minimalist travelers.
13. Classic One-Piece Swimsuit
This one-piece bathing suit is my absolute go-to whenever I'm packing for either a cruise or beach vacation. Its simple, sophisticated cut and style make it a timeless piece and the macrame back adds a little bit of extra interest. And there are plenty of colors to choose from!
14. Embroidered Maxi Sundress
I love a maxi dress for beach or poolside lounging. The trick is to make sure it's not too long – your fashionista won't want it dragging in the sand! Luckily, this beautiful long sundress hits just above the ankle. Easy to dress up or down, this piece will take her from the pool to a casual dinner!
15. Lightweight Beach Tote Bag
This versatile beach tote and mat kit is the perfect choice for a beach day onshore excursion or an afternoon at the cruise ship pool. The mesh keeps the bag light and the mat folds up into a very compact little package. Even better – the bottom of this beach bag is a built-in cooler!
16. Packable Sun Hat
Packing your favorite sun hat can be a real challenge if it's not designed for travel – often coming out of your suitcase deformed! There's no worry of that though with this UPF 50+ packable sun hat. The classic wide-brimmed fedora style makes it the perfect choice for excursions and poolside lounging.
17. Reusable Shopping Tote
This reusable shopping bag is the perfect little tote to keep stashed away in a bigger beach bag or backpack. It might fold up into a tiny square of fabric, but this bag is strong. This large tote is great to have on hand if your fashionista needs a little extra room for the goodies she picked up onshore!
18. Expandable Carry-On Suitcase
This titanium expandable carry-on is for the minimalist fashionista that likes to travel light. With plenty of integrated storage pockets and sleeves, this lightweight expandable suitcase is perfect for maximizing packing space. It's sized to fit most international and domestic airline overhead bins too!
Cruise Gift Ideas for the Tech Lover
While many of us use our cruise as an opportunity to relax, unwind, and unplug, there are some travelers that love their tech and gadgets no matter what. These are the gifts for them!
19. Portable Charger
This portable charger is so practical for long onshore excursion days. This is the perfect little charger to pack up in a day trip bag. Your traveling tech friend will never worry about their batteries running low!
20. DSLR Camera
This Nikon D3400 with Zoom Lens is a great starter DSLR and captures beautiful pictures. Yes, smartphones are extremely convenient for snapping photos while on the go, but having a DSLR on hand allows your techie a better chance at catching low light and fast action shots.
21. Waterproof GoPro Camera
This GoPro waterproof camera will travel where your DSLR and smartphone simply can't. This is a must-have for adventure onshore excursions like diving, snorkeling, and even ziplining. Of course, having the right mounts will make all the difference here – don’t forget the floaty for the water action shots!
22. Kindle Paperwhite
Which would you prefer: lugging around 12 paperback books or holding an entire digital library in the palm of your hand? If you're anything like me, you'll prefer the latter. I never leave home without my Kindle Paperwhite for this very reason. It's incredibly convenient and really lightens the weight in my beach bag!
23. Waterproof Kindle Case
Kindle Paperwhites are pretty well-made, but I always feel a little better with my waterproof kindle paperwhite case when I'm near the water. This one is completely waterproof and can be fully submerged up to 2 meters. Perfect for keeping my Paperwhite safe while I'm relaxing by the pool!
24. Tech Lover's Travel Backpack
This tech lover's travel list isn't complete without a good backpack to carry all their tech gear. This GoPro Backpack is a great tech bag with plenty of storage areas for multiple cameras, batteries, SD cards and more.
More Under $25 Cruise Gift Ideas
These under $25 cruise gift ideas are perfect for stocking stuffers or little thank-you gifts that pop up throughout the year. And many of these gift ideas are also great for beach lovers!
25. Reef-Safe Mineral Sunscreen
This mineral sunscreen stick is the perfect easy-to-pack sunscreen that's as safe for your skin as it is for the environment. Even better, this easy-glide sunscreen stick is awesome for travel of all kinds because it's TSA friendly and spill-proof. No goopy sunscreen spill-in-the-beach-bag mess here!
26. The Perfect Beach Towel
Is a "perfect" beach towel a big claim? Perhaps. But that's how much I love this microfiber beach and travel towel. Both large and easily packable, your cruise lover will be thankful they have this quick-drying towel for beach day onshore excursions. It will leave lots of room in their beach bag!
27. Cruise Lanyard & Key Card Holder
This cruise lanyard 2-pack is the cruise essential you don't actually know you need. Traveling with a cruise lanyard has kept my sea pass and room keys safe and secure while I'm out and about during the day. It's on my must-haves cruise packing list!
28. Selfie Stick & Phone Tripod
What type of vacation would it be without a couple of selfies snapped from a handy selfie stick? I love this particular model because it's way more than just a selfie stick. It's also a tripod with wireless remote control. Perfect for taking organized group photos!
29. RFID Blocking Passport Holder
This RFID blocking passport holder is a sleek and sophisticated option for storing your passport and other important travel documents. With plenty of pockets, slots and storage compartments, this handy travel wallet is perfect for staying organized while on the move.
30. TSA Friendly Shampoo Bars
This eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner bar sampler kit is the perfect little treat for your favorite cruise lover. It's cruelty-free and the solid format makes passing through TSA a total breeze if they need to fly to their embarkation port. This sweet gift box would make a great stocking stuffer too!
It's Time to Shop For Your Cruise Gift!
No matter whether you're looking for a handful of stocking stuffers or one big grand gesture, you now have plenty of great gift ideas for every type of cruise lover around. All that's left to do is begin shopping!
Looking for more gift ideas? Check out these gifts for people that love the beach!
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