This is actually the part I hate the most about going on vacations. I always overpack, and I always worry that I’m forgetting something. No matter how much I plan for the trip ahead of time, the stress doesn’t go away for me. So, I put together an ultimate packing list for a Disney cruise so that I can gain some of my sanity back!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.
Essentials/Toiletries
- Medications (If you have several prescription and OTC medications you take, I recommend getting a pill organizer so you don’t have to take all of your bottles which will save room in your luggage)
- Glasses or Contacts
- Contact solution and case
- Motion sickness pills/Seaband
- Toothbrushes/Toothpaste
- Special soaps or shampoos that you use (My kids have really sensitive skin and eczema and the only soap we have found for them that works is Mustela so I always bring a bottle of that with us)
- Lotion (My family has really sensitive skin so the lotion really helps after being in the saltwater all day)
- Aloe vera (in case of sunburn, you will really be glad you have this! They sell this on the ship, but you will be paying a premium price for a small bottle!)
- Chapstick (with SPF, the sun does a number on your lips!)
- Sunscreen (We used this one by Safe Sea that protects against sea lice and it seemed to work great, but I don’t know if we came into contact with any sea lice anyways. I also like the Sun Bum line of sunscreen products.)
- Makeup (for dinners)
- Straightener/Curling iron (Blow dryer is included on the ship, but if you want to fix your hair, you’ll have to bring your own styling tools and products)
Electronics
- Cell phone (Disney cruise ships have two phones in each stateroom but their new app lets you text your whole family and friends from your own phone. You just have to share your chat ID.)
- Chargers/Hub (Wall outlets are very limited in the staterooms so if you have more than two devices that need to be charged, I recommend taking a hub like this one. Keep in mind, they don’t allow extension cords, power strips or surge protectors)
- Cameras/GoPros (I have a GoPro that I brought on our last Disney cruise and I LOVED it! They’re great because they’re waterproof and action-ready. I took video of us on the Aqua-Duck and going down the slides on Castaway Cay, not to mention the awesome underwater shots I got!)
- Extra SD cards (Nothing is worse than running out of room on your camera and not being able to capture every moment!)
- Watch (There are lots of activities happening all the time so y ou will want to watch the time so you don’t miss anything!)
Clothing
- Underwear (Can you believe I forgot to pack underwear once?! Luckily it was on a trip where we could run out and buy some!)
- Shirts (Don’t forget your matching family vacation ones!)
- Tank tops
- Light jacket or cardigan (for nights)
- Shorts
- Pants
- Dresses (Sun dresses are always comfortable and you can even wear them to dinners, where shorts aren’t allowed in the dining rooms.)
- Flip flops
- Beach shoes (There is a nice long walk to the shuttle on Castaway Cay so I would recommend bringing shoes you can walk easily in and can use on the beach too so you aren’t carrying shoes around all day)
- Closed toe shoes (for dining in the dining rooms where the dress code is dressy casual)
- Swimwear (I would definitely bring at least two, if not more. If you plan on swimming a lot on board and on the beaches, you will want extra swimsuits so you don’t have to put on cold, wet ones. Each cabin has a drying line in the bathrooms to hang your swimsuits on, but in my experience, they never get dry even after a couple of days)
- Swimsuit coverups
- Laundry detergent (In case you run out of clothes/dirty some up)
Cruise specific
- Pirate costume (Keep in mind it is going to be HOT so don’t do a lot of layers)
- Halloween costume (If you are cruising Halloween on the High Seas. Again, it will be hot so make sure your costume is light and airy.)
- Fish extender
- Fish extender gifts (Pro tip: make a list of all the gifts you got so you don’t accidentally forget one! I made a mistake one year where I left a whole sack of toys behind for the kids. Thankfully I had other things to give away too.)
- Door magnets (You will feel jealous and maybe a little bit left out if you don’t have your own magnets and are walking by all the other staterooms that are all fun and decked out!)
- Dry erase board (A lot of cabins have magnetic dry erase boards on their doors which is fun because other cruisers can put nice little comments for you on them, and you can also leave nice notes for your stateroom host/hostess!)
- Tumblers (The cups on board the ship are TINY. I mean, you may get a gulp or two out of them. So if you want to keep a drink in your cabin and not have to keep going back to the fountains, bring your own tumbler.)
- Lanyard (to keep your Key to the World card on)
- Waterproof pouch
Baby/Toddler Items
- Bottles and a bottle brush (They have milk on board)
- Dish soap (To clean bottles, but it’s also useful if you bring your own drinking cups!)
- Diapers
- Swim diapers
- Extra clothes (because we know how messy babies can be!)
- Small backpack (I like to use backpacks instead of diaper bags on trips because you can bring some of your things in it too. You can even get a diaper bag backpack like this one.)
- Wipes
- Pacifiers or teethers
- Favorite stuffed animal or blanket
Accessories
- Hairbrush
- Hair ties (It gets windy on deck!)
- Sunglasses
- Hats
- Swim goggles
- Jewelry (For dinners, but I wouldn’t recommend anything expensive, although there are safes in each state room)
Documents and Personal Items
- Passport (not necessarily needed, but always good to keep with you anytime you travel out of the US)
- Birth Certificates for the kids
- Credit Cards (It’s always wise to keep one on hand just in case anything were to happen)
- Cash (for tipping drivers, porters at the cruise terminals, and anyone else you feel deserves a tip)
Please follow and like us:
