Setting sail on a Disney Cruise will take you to the ends of the earth and back again, all while making endless memories with your travel buddies.
The Disney cruise line is known for effortless fun, highly-rated safety, and convenience for you and your family while on the high seas.
To ensure a comfortable and well-prepared trip, make sure you don’t forget anything on this list of my Disney Cruise must-haves!
Especially if you’re traveling with children, packing cubes are an absolute must. With all the extra gear children require, you’ll want to be sure you don’t overpack when it comes to clothing and the basics. Packing cubes will help your family stay organized and will keep your luggage to just the essentials for a hassle-free trip.
A filtered water bottle is great to bring when traveling because you never know how safe the water is to drink when visiting other countries. While the water on a Disney Cruise is normally fine to drink, it never hurts to have an extra filter to eliminate any potential viruses and bacteria. When it comes time to visit new places on land, you'll definitely want to drink filtered water as the standard of water quality might be different than what you're used to. If you need an even higher quality option, we use this Grayl.
Especially when the ship docks at its port destinations, a neck wallet will be completely essential. Keep your phone, passport, wallet, and more safely tucked away in this organized and discreet pouch beneath your clothes. This will help you to avoid pickpocketing and petty theft during your trip, particularly in the more touristy destinations cruises are known for stopping in.
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You’ll be hopping between many ports and don’t want to risk your private data on public networks. A VPN is great any time you’re connecting to Wi-Fi in a public place, such as in airports, cafes, or on cruise ships. Make sure your sensitive information, things like credit card numbers and passwords, are protected from potential hackers by connecting to a VPN like NordVPN.
While you’re out and about either on the ship or on land, the last thing you’ll want to do is stop and wait while you charge up your phone or camera. Bring along a convenient lipstick-sized portable charger in your beach bag, purse, or pocket to ensure you have an external power source on the go.
Don’t embark on your cruise without solid travel insurance. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you and your family are covered should anything go wrong during your trip. Faye Travel Insurance is always our preferred choice, as they make it easy to customize the best plan to suit our needs.
A cooling towel will help you stay cool when spending the day in the sun on the cruise ship or when exploring the port cities. They are super portable and will easily fit in your backpack or purse. They become 20-30 degrees colder than the outside temperature as soon as they get wet and can help you stay cool for up to an hour. They are a great tool to have when the heat becomes just too unbearable.
The majority of your time during the cruise will likely be spent in a bathing suit and enjoying a variety of water activities. Packing a stylish swimsuit cover-up is essential, as you can throw it on over your bathing suit and walk around the ship or port destinations completely comfortably.
If you’re traveling with little girls, a princess dress is a must-pack. It’s a Disney Cruise tradition to dress up for dinner every once in a while. Your princess will love fitting in with all of the Disney characters and taking pictures with them! This one comes in all sizes and is perfect for dinner dress-up.
Disney cruise ships will use the same outlets and voltage as in North America, so if that’s where you’re traveling from, you should not need a universal power adapter while on the ship. However, depending on your port destinations, if you plan to plug anything in while on shore, you may need a special adapter for that country. This universal travel adapter has you covered in nearly every country in the world.
A good piece of luggage is important when you’re going on a cruise. It’ll keep your stuff organized, safe and contained day in and day out on your journey. This suitcase is perfect to stow away on the ship and is roomy enough to fit the variety of outfits you’ll want on board.
Secure your luggage since it will be out of your sight when you check it at the airport, hand it over to the cruise staff for room delivery, and often it’s left in a big warehouse at the end of the cruise to retrieve in a sea of similar-looking bags. These locks give us peace of mind that no one will rummage through our things when we can’t attend to them.
Sandy beaches? Yes. Bringing the sand home with you? No! These shoe bags allow you to shake out the mess before packing up, and keep your shoes in a separate place from your clean clothes. It keeps your suitcase so much fresher and minimizes the sand, water, and cruise ship grime from getting dragged into your bags.
Disney Cruises usually visit tropical destinations and tropical destinations tend to have afternoon rain showers. A travel umbrella will help keep you dry if you happen to get caught in the rain when exploring on land. I really recommend this umbrella because of how well made it is. It's not flimsy like most travel umbrellas and it fits in my day bag perfectly.
In the unfortunate event that someone in your party is prone to motion sickness, having a seasickness remedy is invaluable. Although they sell medicine on board, it’s better to stick on one of these natural motion sickness patches ahead of time. These ones have great reviews and are not too expensive.
Most cruise cabin walls and ceilings are metal, which makes magnetic hooks one of our favorite cruise hacks. Storage space is limited on board, so we love using these to create a little extra organization. Hang swimsuits to dry, keep hats and lanyards off the floor, or even use them to display your daily navigator schedule or excursion tickets where you’ll see them. They’re small, lightweight, and surprisingly handy for keeping your cabin tidy and clutter-free.
A travel towel is a must-bring on any cruise. They're better than the standard towels a cruise ship will supply because they are more compact, dry faster, and are odor-resistant. This makes them perfect to bring on any day excursions off the ship. You won't have to worry about your towel taking up so much space in your bag or taking forever to dry until the point where it smells bad.
An invaluable item to bring with you on a Disney cruise is a waterproof phone case. Between splashing around on the ship’s many pools and soaking up the sun at the beach, you’ll want to make sure your phone is protected at all times. You also won’t have to worry about your phone’s camera getting wet as you capture your favorite Disney cruise moments.
As you hit Castaway Cay or spend a day snorkeling on your excursions, use these float straps to keep your lifeline attached to you. I learned this the hard way, even a phone with a waterproof case on can sink out of reach. Save yourself $1K+ and just attach it to your essentials!
If you overeat on the ship or eat or drink something in one of your port destinations that doesn’t sit well, don’t let it ruin your vacation! Be sure to pack activated charcoal caps which will absorb and expel toxins in your digestive system, keeping you healthy and comfortable throughout your trip.
Cruise cabin bathrooms leave a lot to be desired as for as spaciousness… To be honest, you won’t have much of a countertop unless you go for a large suite, so we highly recommend these hanging bags to keep your toiletries at eye-level. It’s a game-changer for staying organized and can hang anywhere so items are easy to grab.
The elastic bands keep everything from slipping and sliding and we love the little details like easy-glide zippers and tons of compartments.
Again, your bag will end up in a sea of black suitcases at the end, likely in a warehouse to retrieve. These straps will save you oodles of time since you can spot your set from a mile away. They are brightly colored and reinforce weak zippers in case of rough mishandling. You can also tether bags together for easier maneuvering and will find random uses for these adjustable straps that fit nearly any bag.
Parents with babies know how important it is to bring a carrier! Your toddlers are bound to get tired walking around the big cruise ship and exploring the locations that you’ll be stopping at. Bring one of these ergonomic child carriers to solve any kid-fatigue issues.
Your ship is likely to make many beach stops during your cruise! Although some sand toys will be provided, it’s a good idea to bring some of your own if you want to make sure your kids have fun in the sun. Just make sure to rinse them off on the deck before bringing them back into your room! These ones come in their very own backpack.
A foldable beach bag for travel will come in clutch. We like this one because it packs away efficiently but has tons of storage space for your excursion days. Use it to tote your towels, sunscreen, snacks, water, and other essentials. It will make port days so much easier and can be used for pool days around the ship.
You’ll collect plenty of wet towels and wet swimsuits every day on your Disney Cruise. Keep them from getting smelly and dry them out faster by bringing a clothesline with you. This one is awesome because you can hang it both indoors and outdoors and attach it nearly anywhere.
Keep it casual during the day. Bring swimsuits, tank tops, shorts, coverups and sundresses. Dining attire is “ cruise casual” in all main restaurants on the ship, so bring some casual-cute clothing. People on the cruises often like to get dressed up some nights, but of course this is optional!
Guns, ammunition, any kind of knives, swords, daggers, bullwhips or any other types of weapons are definitely not allowed on the ship under any circumstances!
Disney wants you to spend your money on the cruise ship. You can bring packages snack food, but no homemade meals. You can make special requests ahead of time if you have dietary restrictions.
No coolers allowed! The only exception is for coolers that are needed to carry medications, baby food or items related to dietary constraints.
Passengers (21 years of age and older) can bring onboard two bottles of unopened wine or Champagne (smaller than 750 ml) or six beers (smaller than 12 ounces) on embarkation day and in each port of call. Any alcohol must be hand-carried in a day bag or carry-on luggage.
It depends on the cruise. Some cruises last for three days, and others up to two weeks.
Yes. There is a 24-hour, self-service laundry room with washers, dryers, detergent and ironing equipment onboard all Disney Cruise ships. Wash and press services are also available on all ships!
You cannot bring pre-cooked or perishable foods. However, sealed containers of snacks are allowed.
Yes, as long as it is carried onboard in your carry-on luggage. However, the filtered water that is provided onboard tastes fine as well. Be kind to the environment by bringing a refillable water bottle to fill up throughout your stay.
It’s up to you. Sometimes tips make sense – if you’ve received help with your luggage, for instance, or if you’re in the restaurants and receive good service. Other times it may not be as necessary. Either way, tips are appreciated!
Asher has been traveling the world since he left Australia to study in the USA in 2004. He received a Master’s in Business Administration degree in 2013. He has lived all over the globe including India, Europe, Hawaii, and mainland US. He enjoys researching the travel industry, loves being a dad, cooking & eating delicious food, photography (took many of our photos), surfing big waves on Maui, camping trips and walking barefoot on the earth.
