Catherine - Savvy Family TravelThere’s an art to packing for a Disney Cruise. It’s not just about clothes, shoes, medicine, and toiletries. You be glad you packed a bit of extra magic!
Scroll to the bottom of this post to download our DISNEY CRUISE PACKING PDF.
Packing for a Disney Cruise
Keepsakes and Gifts
Fish Extender Bag
Whether you join in on a Fish Extender gift exchange or are just hoping for some pixie dust surprises, hanging a bag outside your door is always a great idea. The bag is called a Fish Extender because it is hung from the fish outside the stateroom door.
Fish Extender Gift Exchanges are organized by the Facebook Group created for your specific sailing. Make sure to join that group (or groups) as early as possible. Fish Extender sign ups end about 30 days before the cruise.
Our Fish Extender Bag is shown on the left. I used a paint pen and created stencils with vinyl on my Cricut to add our names and the Disney Cruise logo.
Fish Extender Exchange Gifts
When you signup for fish extender groups, people typically share their favorite Disney characters allowing you to choose how much you want to personalize their gifts.
Many of the Fish Extender gifts we received were more generic, but very much themed around the cruise. For example, sand toys for Castaway Cay, chocolate coins for Pirate night, Emergen-Sea Laundry Kit (Tide to go, pods, wrinkle release spray), etc.
Fish Extender gifts typically have a value slightly higher than what is sprinkled around as Pixie Dust. Some easy fish extender gifts you can find on Amazon are: scrunchies, Disney card games, wristlets, or sequin mouse ears.
Pixie Dust
Pixie Dusting is tons of fun with or without kids! You may want to consider a little gift tag if you hope someone reciprocates the love. I created printable tags here.
The joy on my kids faces when they found surprises in their pockets at our door were truly magical moments.
Here are some items you can buy in bulk on Amazon that are super fun and affordable:
You could also create mini gift baggies with some Disney stickers and candy.
Autograph Supplies
We packed an autograph book to collect character signatures.
We also ended up getting a frame’s matte paper and a sharpie as a Fish Extender gift. The characters were happy to sign both for us. (Or at least I think they were, it’s hard to tell with their fixed smiles.)
Be sure you have a pen or sharpie that stays with your autograph item!
Disney Pins
If you want to partake in pin trading, be sure to pack a few Disney pins. Throughout your cruise look for doors with Pin Trading stations setup.
Pins are also a fun way to decorate your key card lanyard.
Thank You Cards
We wanted to write personalized thank you cards to our stateroom host, head server, and assistant server so we packed a few Mickey Thank You cards for our kids to draw pictures alongside our notes of gratitude.
Stateroom Essentials
Magnetic Door Decorations
You’ll be amazed by the creativity your fellow cruisers put into their door’s hallway appeal. Decorating your door is also ultra helpful in finding your stateroom in a long hall.
You can also have a personalized magnet created that can be used on your door and becomes a keepsake forever.
A fan favorite is a magnet that wraps around your stateroom number like our Olaf one below. Here’s a fun Mickey one.
As a DIY alternative, you can print, laminate, and add magnets to your own designs.
Magnetic Hooks
Strong hold magnetic hooks are ultra handy on cruises. Many of your walls in your stateroom will be magnetic, so these hooks are handy as a drop zone for your lanyard or lightweight apparel.
You can also take your door decor to the next level using magnetic hooks to hang nets, lights, or treat baskets outside your door.
Keep in mind adhesives are not allowed for door decor.
Hanging Closet Organizer
Hanging an over the door organizer on a door is not allowed on Disney Cruises.
As a work around, we brought zip ties to hang ours in our closet.
A shoe organizer is our favorite way to pack our kids’ outfits when traveling.
Laundry Supplies
Disney ships have multiple Launderettes onboard for your use. On our latest cruise, the wash and dry cycles were priced at $3 each. You’ll pay with your KTTW card and the Navigator app alerts you when your load is finished.
Hamper
To help keep our stateroom better organized, we pack this ultra collapsible pop-up hamper.
Detergent
Detergent on board is only $1. But we always travel with 2-3 pods anyway. This may be especially important if anyone in your party has skin or scent sensitivities.
Toiletry Organizer
I never knew how much I needed one of these hanging toiletry bags until I was gifted one for Christmas. It’s especially helpful for cabin restrooms with such limited counter space.
There’s plenty of space for medications, cosmetics, and toiletries. When I use travel size items it packs all the toiletries and medications we need for our family of four.
Food and Drink
Refillable Water Bottles
Soft drinks, iced tea, water, and coffee is included in your cruise fare. There are soda stations on the deck and in the Cabanas buffet restaurant.
To save yourself some trips back to the drink station and keep your beverage extra cold, we recommend bringing a large refillable water bottle. Our family loves Owala bottles.
Packaged Snacks
In case Goldfish or Go Go Squeeze pouches are a staple in your household, it may be worth picking some up to have in your stateroom for downtime or to carry ashore.
Homemade snacks or opened bags/boxes cannot be brought onboard but any non-perishable snack that is still factory sealed is allowed to be carried on.
Carrying on your own snacks for special dietary requirements may be a good idea. That said, Disney Cruise Line is generally reviewed positively for their ability to cater toward allergies and dietary requirements. Just ask a cast member for options.
Wine or Beer
Wondering what to pack for a Disney Cruise to save money?
If you are planning to drink alcohol on board, you can save a ton a money by taking advantage of their generous carry on allowance.
Each guest 21+ years is allowed to bring 2 bottles of wine or six 12oz. bottles of beer on board at embarkation AND at each port.
Clothing and Accessories
Disney Apparel and Accessories
I’ll be honest, I went on my first Disney Cruise without any kind of mouse ears and I knew I needed to get some for my next one. They’re playful and fun!
Unless you want a special souvenir one, we recommend buying one in advance. The merchandise shops onboard retail ears at $35!
They’re $7 or so at Wal-Mart or this two pack on Amazon works out to about $4 each.
My kids LOVED anytime I sported Disney attire throughout the cruise. It’s worth being a bit “extra” and leaning into all the fandom!
Disney requests that adults limit their costume attire to themed nights onboard (i.e. Pirate Night, Star Wars Day at Sea, Marvel Day at Sea, or Halloween). This surprised me at first, but I suppose they don’t want guests (especially children) confused about who is staff (actual characters) vs. cruiser.
Themed Outfits for Special Events
Pirate Night and Frozen Night
Check your sailing’s themed nights and pack accordingly! If you’re unsure, ask in the Facebook Group for your specific sail dates.
Pirate Night is offered on every sailing as far as we’ve seen. Dress up as a swashbuckling pirate for Pirate Night festivities. Some people go full out with Halloween Costumes. For me, I packed a simple striped shirt to pair with black pants because I was short on suitcase space.
My friends gave our boys adorable personalized Mickey pirate tees for the occasion.
The Disney Magic still hands out bandanas for Pirate night, but other ships have discontinued this.
These inflatable swords my sons received were a really fun pixie dust idea!
Princess and Character Costumes
Pack your little princes and princesses all the dresses and super hero costumes you want! Or, consider splurging on a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Insider tip: You can stop by the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique without an appointment for free hair glitter.
Day Bag
Pack a backpack or beach bag to take ashore on port days or simply to take up to the pool deck with you.
General Clothing
Layering for Alaskan Cruises
It’s always cooler out on the water than on land. Bring layers!
A Light Jacket in Warm Weather Regions
Even if you’re spending your entire itinerary in the tropics, you’ll be glad to have a light jacket. Sometimes the air conditioning onboard can be intense or you might be glad you have a windbreaker on the quiet deck late at night.
Rain Jacket or Poncho
Consider making your light jacket a rain jacket or just toss a disposable poncho in your suitcase, just in case.
Workout Clothes
I’m the last one you’ll find at the gym on vacation, but I did really enjoy doing the 5k on Castaway Cay as a family. Bring comfortable running attire and shoes.
Formal or Semi-Formal Attire
Formal nights are optional. Many opt for casual attire on Disney – more so than I’ve seen on other cruise lines.
This was as fancy as we got.
Swimwear and Beachwear
Multiple Swimsuits
Bring at least two swimsuits as one never seems to fully dry by the next day. For the Caribbean, consider rash guards that cover kids’ shoulders. The sun is intense!
Snorkel Mask
This full face snorkel mask made it easy to prepare my kindergartener for his first snorkeling experience. It gives kids the ability to breathe through their mouth and nose which drastically reduces the learning curve to snorkeling.
But here’s what really amazed me, the snorkel has an anti leak system that prevents any water from entering into the mask via the breathing tube! This mask (in a size small) fit my son, myself, and my husband!
Bringing your own mask will save you money on rentals (and is more sanitary too). Plus, you’ll have the mask to use at all ports of call and before/after the cruise!
Snorkel, Mask and Flippers at Castaway Key are $38 per set!
Brimmed Hat
My kids burn super easily plus the sun can be blinding while they’re trying to play. I keep obnoxiously large brimmed hats on them and was glad to have them for beach days on our cruise as well. These help a ton with those pesky undereye sunburns, not to mention ear and neck sunburn.
For myself, I packed a baseball hat for sightseeing and a wide brim straw hat for beach days.
Swim Cover Up
Something easy to toss over your suit to walk to Cabanas for lunch from the pool deck.
At the bottom of this post you’ll find a free printable Disney Cruise Packing List PDF!
Footwear
Water Shoes
Depending on what excursions you’re doing, you may want to consider water shoes. We were glad we had them for Puerto Rico as there were some rocky beaches as well as broken glass.
Comfortable Walking Shoes
You’ll be surprised how many steps you take just moving around the ship!
Dress Shoes
Again, its up to you weather you partake in Formal night.
Flip-Flops and Sandals
Specifically, pack sandals you don’t mind getting wet when you leave them by a beach chair on the pool deck.
Tennis Shoes
As I mentioned above, even if you aren’t planning to hit the gym, you may want comfortable walking/running shoes to do the Castaway Cay 5k. Here are all our tips for running the 5k.
Toiletries and Personal Care Items
In addition to your basic daily-use toiletries…
Medications and First Aid
We have a guide that covers our top precautionary medicine bag essentials for kids.
Sun Protection and After-Sun Care
You don’t want to be stuck buying sunscreen from the gift shops at Castaway Cay. Bring plenty onboard with you and some Aloe Vera just in case.
Hair Care and Styling Tools
Hairdryers must be 230V and 450 watts or less. There are hair dryers in each room though.
Insider tip: The old school, wall hairdryer in cabins on the Disney Magic is more powerful than the one inside your vanity drawer!
Electronics
Here’s some basics: Bring your phone, camera, e-reader, chargers, and power bank. Now for some Disney/Cruise specific must haves:
Magic Band+
The Magic Band+ that is used at Disney theme parks will work on Disney Cruise Ships! It can open your cabin door and kids can use it to check into the kids club.
There are some fun interactive features too.
If you don’t have a Magic Band Plus, don’t sweat it. We didn’t splurge on them and didn’t feel like we missed out. Our kids were loaned small bands that worked for the kids club check in (that’s what he’s wearing in the picture below). We could have kept those for $13, but they weren’t anything special.
Magic Band “Lock”
My kids were constantly playing with the band; snapping and unsnapping it. We were sure it was going to get lost. Then our friends gave us this simple, effective solution, these band “locks.”
Note: If you have kids ages 5+, the kids club puts a zip-tie like lock on the wristband. For some reason they aren’t allowed to do so for kids 4 and under.
Travel Adapters and Converters
USB Power Hub
We were pleased to find three outlets in our stateroom. However, if you have a lot of devices to keep charged (Magic Band, Apple Watch, iPad, phones, power bricks, etc.) you may want to pack a cruise ship approved USB power hub with several ports.
Cruise Lines do NOT allow plugs with surge protection and Disney prohibits anything with a cord.
Power Converters
Disney has USA style outlets onboard. If you’re from another country, be sure you have an international power adapter.
Packing for Babies and Toddlers
The Basics
Of course, you know you’ll need diapers, wipes, bottles, food, and formula.
A few extra recommendations, if I may, are to pack rash cream even if rashes aren’t common at home and consider bringing a gallon or two of bottled water if using formula. (I saw parents checking in with huge crates of water!)
Be sure to have a well stocked kids’ medicine bag as well in case of injury or illness on your vacation.
Strollers and Carriers
There’s plenty of space to move around with a stroller on board, the downside is being forced to wait for an elevator to move between floors.
A wearable baby carrier might give you a bit more efficiency moving around the ship.
On Castaway Cay, there are free jogging strollers available on a first come first serve basis. We saw at least 12. (At 3 different locations with 4 strollers each) We used one of the jogging strollers to push our three-year-old when he got tired doing the 5k. Yes, he still got a medal.
Toys and Comfort Items
Beach Toys
You won’t need much for toys while in the stateroom, there’s SO much to do onboard. But a few small trucks or a collapsible sand bucket will provide hours of fun at the beach.
Bedtime Items
Pack anything you need to keep a familiar bedtime routine in your cruise cabin. When our kids were younger this meant a sound machine. For some of our friends it means a lovey or a specific bath time soap scent. Now, we bring a small library of bedtime stories – mostly Disney, of course.
Travel Documentation
The least exciting, but most necessary items to remember when packing for a Disney Cruise:
Passports, Visas, and Birth Certificates
You will not be allowed onboard without a Passport if your cruise stops at any international ports (even if you don’t plan to get off the ship in that port.)
Copies of Important Documents
It’s a good idea to have copies (scans) of your important documents in a Google Drive folder in case you need to access them while traveling.
Disney Cruise Line App
The Disney Cruise Navigator App will be crucial for the entirety of your cruise. Download it before you embark.
Disney doesn’t distribute printed daily programs, so you’ll need the app throughout the day.
Bag Tags and Port Arrival Form
You’ll receive your Baggage Tags by snail mail in advance of your sailing. This makes luggage drop off a breeze!
Make sure you have all medications, spare clothes, swimwear, and anything else you may need before your baggage arrives at your cabin (typically by 6-7pm).
The Port Arrival Form (which you print out after completing online check-in) is the first thing the staff will ask for when you start the embarkation process.
Money Matters
Cash, Credit Cards, Disney Gift Cards
We like to give our servers and stateroom hosts cash tips so we carry a decent amount of cash with us when we cruise.
Be sure to pack a credit card with no foreign transaction fees.
If you have Disney Gift Cards you can use them on board too!
Miscellaneous Items
Lanyards and Key Card Holders
I find that many of my warm weather outfits lack pockets. It was handy to have my KTTW (Key To The World) card on a lanyard as an alternative. Be sure to get one with a pocket unless you’re packing something to punch a hole in your card.
By the way, if you want to learn more Disney Cruise Jargon, check out this post.
Towel Clips
If it’s windy on deck, its helpful to have towel clips like these to secure your towel to your beach chair. It’s also a good way to save your spot. Just don’t hog it all day!
What Not to Pack
Prohibited Items
I’ve included some common mistakes when packing for a Disney Cruise. For a full, up-to-date list of prohibited items, visit the Disney Cruise Line website.
Over the (Door) Organizer
As I mentioned above, you cannot hang anything over the doors in your stateroom as it can damage the door frame and trim.
Power Strip/Extension Cords
Any power adapter with a cord or with surge protection is prohibited.
Travel Irons/Steamers
You won’t even find an iron in your stateroom, but all Launderettes are equipped with an Ironing station. Just don’t try to go right before dinnertime or you might find a long line.
Items Better Left at Home
Life Jackets
Save yourself the suitcase space! Plenty of lifejackets, in many sizes, are available on the pool deck of the ship and all over Castaway Cay.
Final Thoughts on Packing for a Disney Cruise
With these items packed and ready to go, you’ll be well-prepared for a magical adventure onboard a Disney cruise.
Just remember to leave plenty of room for souvenirs, pixie dust, and fish extender gifts.
Click Here for our free, printable Disney Cruise Packing List PDF
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Catherine – Savvy Family Travel
My favorite pastime is finding fun, interesting experiences to share with family and friends.
I’m a mom of two energetic and curious boys who have endless patience with my tendency to over plan activities on our family vacations. My tireless husband, Troy, provides comic relief, is our favorite photographer, and expert navigator.
I’m a firm believer that travel with kids doesn’t have to be intimidating or expensive. It can be affordable, epic, and, dare I say, even relaxing!
Are you a travel loving parent too? I’d love to meet you, please reach out via Messenger and say “hi!”