Buying sunscreen instead of packing?

Help! I'm trying to not take checked luggage, the only thing I can't pack enough of in the carry on is sunscreen.

How crazy expensive or easy to find is it on the ship or islands? We're on Royal Caribbean Jewel of the seas and going to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas for our first stop.

I'm trying to weigh paying $50US for checked luggage or just paying a bit more for it on the ship if I can find it

Thanks!

Even if you have to pay $15 for sunscreen, that's still cheaper than checked luggage. You will have no trouble finding sun screen in St. Thomas. there is a Publix off the beaten path if you don't want to pay tourist prices. You may also be able to stop on the way from the AP to your hotel or the port. Can you at least pack a small sample / travel size (under 3 oz) to get you through the 1st day in a pinch? It will be most expensive but available on the ship.

I can't imagine any cruise ship not having sunscreen for sale. It will be more than you pay for it at home and you likely won't have the large selection as at home, but you will be able to get it.

You can probably find it at the airport when you land ..same inflated prices but you do need it

Help! I'm trying to not take checked luggage, the only thing I can't pack enough of in the carry on is sunscreen.

 

How crazy expensive or easy to find is it on the ship or islands? We're on Royal Caribbean Jewel of the seas and going to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas for our first stop.

 

I'm trying to weigh paying $50US for checked luggage or just paying a bit more for it on the ship if I can find it

 

Thanks!

We always buy our Toiletries just before we board the ship. You can find it in all the stores on the islands and on the ship itself.

Don't know if they still carry it, but RC ships used to sell my very favorite line of sunscreen products: Australian Gold. In fact, we discovered it on a cruise where we made it to the ship (weather delays), but our luggage did not! :eek:

If you happen to dock at Havensight in St. Thomas, there's a fairly decent drugstore in that shopping complex.

👍 thanks!

You will have no problem finding sunscreen in any number of stores in St. Thomas. All the souvenir, t-shirt stores sell various brands of lotion, pharmacies, WalMart fairly near Havensight, any number of stores right in Havensight........

Here's where getting into your embarkation city a day ahead of your cruise would be beneficial. You can go shopping for whatever you don't want to schlep on the plane. Take along a canvas bag (or buy on at the store) to hold and carry the purchased items onto the ship the next day.

This way, you won't have to worry about buying something in the ship's store (at an overly marked off price) when the store is open, you won't have to worry if for some reason your first port is missed, and you'll have it for any sunbathing on board.

As a rule of thumb, I never count on anything being available for purchase on the ship. I assume they will not have what I might want and I plan ahead to try and thing of everything. :) If I find something I can use, I am pleasantly surprised. Various ships have different inventory and some offer very few over the counter meds or beauty/skin care items.

enjoy the cruise and happy sailing.

There is also a K-Mart an easy walk from Havensight. Its just up the hill. When the ship is the 1st in and pulls straight in I can see K-Mart from the upper decks!

You could pour a little bit into an airplane sized container to tide you over until you get to your first port.

As a rule of thumb, I never count on anything being available for purchase on the ship. I assume they will not have what I might want and I plan ahead to try and thing of everything. :) If I find something I can use, I am pleasantly surprised. Various ships have different inventory and some offer very few over the counter meds or beauty/skin care items.

SevenSeas -- Excellent advice! We always try to pack everything we need (even flying cross-country). But, two days into our recent Holiday Cruise, my DH announced that he couldn't find his fingernail clippers. No problem, I thought -- just go down to the shops onboard. Sadly, they don't stock nail clippers -- neither did the shops in our first ports! :eek: Finally found some in a beauty supply store in St. John, Antigua. But, you are absolutely right -- if you know you're going to need it -- you'd better pack it! :cool:

We usually don't do carry-on (we get free luggage with the carrier we use most), but if we do, we just buy some in our embarkation port the morning before we leave, for instance in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Usually there is a CVS or Walgreens or similar within walking distance.

We always fly in the night before a cruise, so we have time to find anything we need/ want the next morning.

If you are flying in the day of, you could ask a cab to stop at a store, though I suppose that would mean a higher fare.

Last choice for me would be buying on board as it is so expensive, but that's better than getting sunburned! A 3 oz. bottle each should cover the first day or so if you want to wait for a port. Crew members can often tell you where they go to buy stuff like that in a given port.

We always get the items we need for the Cruise either prior to the cruise or off ship at the port.