Are you going on Disney cruise? Chances are if you are reading this the answer is yes! Congratulations on your magical sea vacation. If this is your first cruise or your 10th cruise, there’s always more to learn about what to bring and what to leave behind. In this post I’ll go over what I will be packing on my 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise onboard the Disney Fantasy. For this cruise the itinerary is Eastern Caribbean in spring, late April into Early May. When packing for your cruise it’s really important to consider the weather at the destination you’re going. In late April early May the average temperatures are going to be in the mid 70°s to low 80°s Fahrenheit during the day and bit cooler during the evenings. This is also the dry season for the Caribbean which means it will be sunny with the most stable weather and low likelihood of rain. This is a great time to visit the Caribbean. With the weather in mind, I like to pack comfortable pieces that can be mixed and matched, so I have outfit options.
Now, I must admit, I am a chronic over packer, I’m what I would call a “what if?” packer. I will go through every scenario in my head and pack things that I MIGHT need. I think there is good smarting packing and then packing like I sometimes tend to do which can lead to just too much stuff. Lately on our trips, my husband and I have been practicing better packing and have pared down what we bring. I do however also believe in the “it’s better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and need it” train of thought when it comes to certain items, for example packable rain gear.
To get started lets first talk about what you’ll be packing your items into. Luggage is a very important part of traveling and can greatly impact your vacation. What each person likes and prefers varies for example hard sided vs. soft sided luggage. Those are personal preferences that I won’t tell you one way or another. I will say it’s important to have quality luggage. You don’t want zippers busting open or wheels falling off. For this trip my husband and I are using our large size bags. His is a soft sided Samsonite and mine is a soft sided London Fog. I will say the Samsonite is the best quality luggage we have had. My London Fog is newer and has held up well, but I think the Samsonite is the better quality. These bags have 4 wheels, and I don’t think I could go back to 2-wheel bags. Being able to push your bag in the upright position is just so convenient.
The cruise line will send you luggage tags for your luggage and these are important but it’s also important to have your own luggage tags as well. I made these for my family, we each have our own color and I put our names on them, there is an inside window to put your information. Make sure to have your cell phone and email address on there as well as your address, this way there are multiple ways to get into contact with you if someone has your luggage. I also like to add unique looking identifying items to my luggage because well, lots of luggage can look the same, this way it’s easier to quickly identify your luggage.
Now what you put into the bags is what’s really important. I like to use these hanging packing shelves and packing cubes. These are great space savers in the stateroom and can really save you time once you’re onboard and in your stateroom. I got these off of Amazon and there are loads to choose from. Just search for hanging packing shelves or hanging packing cubes and these will pop up.
Here is a photo showing how they can collapse down and since the straps are adjustable, they have almost like a compression quality to them which is great for saving space in your suitcase. The lower compartment zippers shut and is good for storing swimsuits, underwear or even shoes.
Since space is limited on cruise ships, I think it’s really important to take time on the first day once you have your stateroom and luggage to unpack. Living out of suitcases in such a small space will get annoying and probably make your stateroom attendants job more difficult. Disney is great at providing loads of storage for all your things. So as not fun as it sounds to take the time to unpack and get organized it will make the rest of your trip so much easier.
Once we have taken everything out of our bags we will put extra items like extra hangers, extra life vests and things like that in our bags and then stow them under the bed for the remainder of the cruise. Doing this helps give us even more space in the wardrobes.
A travel tip I see a lot of people recommend is to bring over-the-door hanger organizers. Disney does not allow over-the-door hangers as they damage the door jams. I found this hanging organizer that hangs in the wardrobe, and it spins. This thing is great for putting shoes, clothes, hats, quick grab items like sunscreen, sunglasses, extra chargers whatever loose items you have that just need to be stowed away but have easy access too. The X compartments hold loads of things, especially shoes!
The other side of the hanger has elastic net pockets. Perfect for your water bottles, sunscreen, hats and beach cover ups. The other two sides have elastic straps that can hold purses, extra bags, umbrellas or even larger shoes like men’s flip flops. I found this particular organizer at Walmart a few years ago.
Here is the organizer all packed up. I kept the vinyl zippered case it came in to store and travel with. This keeps it clean and protected in your luggage and compact for storage. I just put the vinyl case in my suitcase under the bed when I’m using it on the cruise, then at the end of our cruise when we are packing up, I just empty it out and it goes right back into the case.
So far, we have talked about what to pack things into but now we can get into some of the more unique items we bring that just make sense for us. Everyone travels and vacations differently but with each item I will tell you why I bring it and how it makes the cruise so much more enjoyable.
I love these suction cup hooks. I always bring a few to set up in the bathroom. I usually will put some in the shower so I can hang up wet swimsuits, I will also put some on the wall near the sink to hang my hair towel. You can also use these on the verandah door if you have a stateroom with a verandah to hang suites and things to dry. People also bring magnetic hooks because they can stick to the walls of the stateroom since they are metal.
As mentioned above, I bring a couple of hair towels. I have long hair and I’m just not able to get dry unless it’s up off of my body and these hair turban towels are perfect, they have an elastic to tuck the end into to secure it and it’s much lighter than an entire towel wrapped up onto your head. You can find hair towels like these on Amazon, Walmart, Target, Marshalls and TJMaxx. You just got to find ones you like.
This is a collapsable hamper. You can place this in a corner of the stateroom or stow it in the closet. Wherever you put it, it is so nice to have a place to just chuck your dirty clothes you don’t intend to wear again.
Here is the hamper collapsed down. It’s not terribly large and when it’s flat it will fit into the bottom of even a medium sized suitcase. You could bring a hamper type bag, but I like these free-standing ones as it’s easier to just toss clothes into and not have to deal with opening a bag and shoving it somewhere. I believe I bought this at Walmart, but you could find these on Amazon, Walmart or at Target.
These are battery operated motion sensor lights. Staterooms are very dark at night so navigating even a small space is difficult in the darkness. I place these in the toilet room, shower room and in our main seating area. You can have them just be on or have them on a motion setting. What’s also nice about these is the light is not as intense as turning on the whole bathroom light flooding the room with light in the middle of the night and also blinding yourself from going to very dark to suddenly very bright. You can find these on Amazon.
This may seem very bougie, but this is a rechargeable mini humidifier. Cruise ships have great climate control, but all that AC can really dry you out. Having this little thing next to the bed is great. It adds just a little bit of moisture to the air, so you don’t wake up with a super dry mouth or skin. The little tank is great and lasts all night! Just turn it on as you’re getting ready for bed. There are loads of mini humidifiers out there, I got this one off of Amazon.
Air fresheners, specifically these ones for small spaces. Staterooms are close quarters not just with the people you’re sharing the room with but also your neighbors are just a wall away, and it’s entirely possible that you could be sharing a wall with a toilet depending on the cruise ship configuration. I like to bring one for the toilet room and one light scented on for the main stateroom. These really help eliminate any musty smell that can develop in such humid and warm areas and also just help cover up any “personal” smells that may arise. Not pictured but another thing to help eliminate those “bathroom” smells is PooPouri. I always suggest spraying it AFTER you’ve finished because then you don’t have to remember to spray it before you go, so if you’re in a hurry, it’s already taken care of.
Disney does not allow extension cords on board as it’s a fire hazard and kills the electrical system. In the last year or so they have really cracked down on what’s allowed and what is not. This is a retractable USB multi plug. We have several of these things and I love them. You can bring the USB wall adapter plug or use the ones in the stateroom. This one has 2 lightning chargers, a USB-C plug and a mini-USB plug. These are so useful because I can charge my kindle, iPhone and mini humidifier all the same time and I’m not taking up loads of outlets! These pack great because they are retractable and shorten up for easy tangle free carrying. I got these on Amazon.
Sometimes you just need a fan. Like the mini humidifier this may seem really bougie to some, but I tend to get hot, especially once I’m out of the shower. It’s nice to have a little fan for those warmer Caribbean nights or when I’m doing my makeup and just need the air flowing. Some people really like to sleep with a fan on, just make sure it’s not blowing your humidifier mist away from you! I got this small bladeless fan off Amazon; it has a USB-C plug, has 3 different fan speeds, and it lights up, with different colors! You can choose to have the light on or off so this could be a good night light if you need it. This may be a little bit bulky but it’s so nice to have if you’re a fan of fans (see what I did there?).
I know no one likes to do regular chores on vacation but here me out. To help avoid over packing my husband and I bring a few laundry pods and dryer sheets with us. On longer trips, like our 7-night cruise we will do a load of laundry in the middle of the cruise to just refresh some clothes so we can wear them again. The ships do have laundry facilities for guests to use, they are not free, but we don’t mind paying a little bit to have clean clothes. It really doesn’t take up that much time, especially if you choose to do the laundry during an at sea day. The dryer sheets are great because you can use them in your laundry, and you can put them in your suitcases to help reduce that musty smell. A lot of times when we are packing to go home my husband and I will pack all the dirty clothes into one suitcase and the clean ones into another. that way when we get home things are easier to sort out. You can also purchase cruise specific laundry packs that are meant for you to clean a few items in your stateroom sink if that’s more your speed.
I also like to pack a collapsable duffle bag. Here is mine open. This one is great because it has an inside waterproof pocket, a shoe compartment and several zippered pockets for smaller items. This is great to have for those extra souvenirs that you might have run out of room for.
Here is the duffle bag all collapsed down. This will easily fit in the bottom of a suitcase and is a “squishable” item.
So far, I have shown you things I like to bring to make packing and stateroom organization easier. Now I’ll show you a few things I like to bring for Port Adventures and just being on the ship in general.
Reusable water bottles and water bottle carriers. What’s so great about Disney Cruise Line is there really isn’t any “drink packages” you need to purchase because everything is included (except alcohol). No need to purchase soda or coffee packages. I like to have a water bottle with me so I can fill it with whatever I want and it’s always there. The carrier is nice too, especially if you’re walking around the ship this can hold your key to the world card, phone and anything you need. There are loads of different kinds with all sorts of pockets and straps to fit everyone’s needs. I like these mesh ones that have a pocket and strap but also compress down to nothing, so they don’t take up any space in the luggage.
Waterproof bags. This is a smaller one that I fit my mini humidifier into to show you all. I got this little bag at Bealls, but you can find them online as well. We also have a larger waterproof bag as well. I like this smaller one that’s perfect for your phone, key to the world cards, cameras. These are really useful if you are going on any kind of water-based Port Adventure, and you want to keep your electronics and more valuable items together and dry.
I love this waterproof housing for my phone. My phone is my camera and honestly, I’m just too lazy to have different cameras for different things so I found this great waterproof housing for my phone. I have taken this underwater while snorkeling multiple times and never had it leak. I found this on Amazon and made sure it was compatible with my iPhone model.
Here is the other side of the housing. I will say you have to have your phone set up in camera mode before locking it into the housing because the screen is pretty thick and makes it difficult to use the touch screen. It also comes with a paracord wrist strap that tightens onto your wrist. But I love this because you can hold it like a traditional camera and just push a button to take the photo or start recording. This is great if you plan on doing a lot of water intensive activities.
In a similar vein as the waterproof housing for your phone, these “waterproof” phone bags are a less expensive option if you don’t plan on submerging your phone into the water. These would be appropriate for boating and even just splashing around on the beach. If you got a good one you could probably drop your phone into the water and then pick up quickly and it would probably be fine. These also come with wrist straps or lanyards, and I always recommend using wrist straps when you’re near the water or even the railing of the ships.
These are little cable combination locks. Now on Disney property like Castaway Cay or on the ships I’ve never really felt like security was an issue, however going on something like a Port Adventure where you may leave your items on a boat while you snorkel you may want to secure your valuables since you’re out in the “wild” away from the Disney bubble. Or if you are doing a beach day at a resort on one of the islands these cable locks are nice to just secure your things to your beach chair or onto the boat. I’ve never had an issue with theft while on a Disney cruise or while out on the Port Adventures, but these made great stocking stuffers for Christmas last year and can be used anywhere.
These are just packable bags. These are great for when you’re shopping in port. The purple one with pink cats is made of a thicker nylon material that is water resistant on the inside, this one is great for damp or wet items. The other 2 bags are all folded up so you can see how they won’t take up much room in a bag or purse. All of these are made of a nylon type material and are water resistant-ish. You can also use them to pack away your sandy shoes for the way home. Having an extra bag handy is always a life saver if you need it.
I hope you found my list of useful things to pack on your Disney cruise helpful. It’s important to remember that everyone vacations differently and these may or may not make sense to everyone. These are just items that I really like to have and have found to be useful to me while I cruise.
If you would like help planning your next Disney Cruise Line vacation, I would be happy to help! My services are 100% free when you book through me!
