What to Know About Cruise Ship Towels

If you’re planning a Caribbean cruise soon, you’re probably preparing your packing list and starting to assemble your items. Naturally, you grab your plushest beach towels, thinking you’ll need them for your beach day adventures. Stop right there! Here are three crucial things you need to know about towels when cruising.

1. You Don’t Need to Bring Them

Believe it or not, you can leave the beach towels at home. Why, you ask? Because cruise lines have got you covered—quite literally. During my first sailing, I made the rookie mistake of lugging four oversized towels aboard, which took up half a full-size suitcase, only to discover that the cruise line provided them for guests.

Whether you’re lounging poolside or hitting the sandy shores during port days, complimentary towels are available. You simply check them out as needed and return them after use, getting fresh, clean towels whenever you want.

Although cruise lines provide towels, some cruisers still prefer to bring their own. Why? Cruise ship towels are big and bulky, making transporting them to beaches on port days cumbersome and unwieldy. Those cruisers often like to pack and bring their own compact, highly absorbant towels, like microfiber ones. I despise microfiber, as the material gives me the “ick,” so I prefer a more compact option that is not microfiber, like these transportable Turkish towels.

Just remember, they’re not souvenirs; you’ll need to return them before disembarking, which brings us to my next point.

2. Return the or Face the Charge

Ah, the dreaded towel charge – a cautionary tale for all cruisers. Most of the cruise lines (except Princess, which operates on an honor system) are quite diligent about keeping track of their cruise ship towel inventory, and failure to return them can result in an unwelcome surprise on your stateroom bill, which is generally around $25. If you like the cruise line’s towels, they’re also available for purchase (nice, new, fresh, and unused ones) for this same price: around $25.

As noted above, because of the concern of being charged, coupled with the fact that cruise line towels are usually the bigger, bulkier types, some cruisers choose to forgo the convenience of cruise-provided towels and bring their own, often opting for a thin microfiber option or a similar towel type that is less bulky and easier to transport.

3. Cruise Ship Towels Logistics Vary

Now, let’s talk logistics. Where exactly can you snag these cruise ship towels? To track towel usage, the cruise lines that monitor towel usage will generally scan your ship card to check out and scan it again when you turn the towels in after use. Where you retrieve your beach towels may vary depending on cruise lines- some leave them in your stateroom, and others have onboard checkout stations like on the Lido deck.

Personally, I appreciate Royal Caribbean‘s approach, where towels are readily available for guests as they disembark for excursions. There is no need to clutter your suitcase or fret about returning them onboard – just grab one as you head out for your day of exploration. It’s the little details like these that improve the cruising experience.

In conclusion, remember these three bits of advice regarding towels and cruising: leave yours at home (unless you hate the bulk), return them promptly, and familiarize yourself with your cruise line’s towel policies and check-out locations.

Should I Pack Towels When Taking a Cruise?