The Best Designer Sunglasses for Your Next Cruise

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Cruises are proving especially popular this year. More travelers looking for relaxing and all-inclusive vacations are booking suites in 2024, a 70% increase compared to 2019. If you’re one of them, your preparations probably include picking a cruise line, determining the kind of room you want, and looking at any additional services you’re willing to pay for. You’re likely also thinking about cruise attire. 

Our post  notes you’ll need certain pieces to suit various activities, with many ships carrying dress codes for you to follow. Key essentials include swimwear, casual shirts, shorts, and sundresses, and more formal button-down tops and slacks. Meanwhile, sunglasses top the list of vital accessories. Aside from elevating any outfit, this eyewear is crucial for protecting you from UV overexposure that can cause cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. 

Want to use sunnies to look classy on your next cruise? Go beyond your usual pair and get yours from designer brands for added elegance and charm. Here are the best ones you can try.

Dolce and Gabbana DG6189U

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If you want fine craftsmanship, look no further than Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses. As exemplified by its recent campaigns with high-profile individuals like Miley Cyrus and Matthew Noszka, this luxury Italian fashion house is renowned for creating exceptionally refined, durable, and versatile eyewear that can make anyone look more elegant. That’s primarily thanks to its penchant for using quality materials and maintaining superior attention to detail. All these things shine through in the DG6189U. Its classic, round lenses, tasteful tortoiseshell frames, and delicate gold detailing on the temples can add sophistication to formal cruise attire. Since it’s made of robust materials like polycarbonate, it’ll also withstand all the activities you try on board. 

Ray-Ban Reverse

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Ray-Ban is your go-to if you want practical, timeless, yet innovative designer specs. You can’t expect anything less from the brand that pioneered the iconic Aviators Tom Cruise wore in Top Gun! Ray-Ban sunglasses always bring new twists to the world of eyewear. Its Reverse collection in particular hits a whopping three birds with one stone, boasting lenses that curve inward and are made of 67% bio-based carbon content while providing 100% UV protection. With the range including classic Ray-Ban designs like the Aviator, Wayfarer, Caravan, and Boyfriend, you can make a subtle yet unique fashion statement that draws compliments whether you’re lounging by the pool or exploring ports of call—because they look good with everything. 

Burberry BE 4284 379287

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Opting for designer sunglasses during your cruise means more opportunities to sport eccentric styles you rarely find in everyday eyewear. So if you want something brighter, bolder, and more suited for tropical getaways, Burberry’s got your back. Though the brand is best known for its iconic Burberry check pattern, it’s also famous for creating bold, luxurious sunglasses with quirky designs you’ll find nowhere else. All you need to do is look at its BE 4284 379287 model. Its large, square frames boast vibrant swirls of color that pop and sizzle, perfect if you want to stand out in a crowd of cruise-goers. Get them in the striped check/gray colorway for the best effect! 

Bvlgari BV8241KB 

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Bvlgari sunglasses uniquely combine historical inspirations with modern aesthetics, resulting in a fashionable contemporary edge. Their designs are so luxurious that they’ll carry over that sumptuous vibe to the rest of your cruise outfits—even if you’re just wearing casual clothes. That’s especially true of the BV8241KB, which delivers stylish gradient lenses and thin wire-rimmed frames that gently lift into a subtle cat-eye shape. The best part? You can add polarized coatings to the lenses! You’ll find this feature especially useful while you’re on the water: the American Academy of Ophthalmology explains these use vertical filters to block out horizontal sunlight that bounces off the sea into your eyes, which can mar your cruise experience by causing eye strain and even temporary vision loss.