10 Disney Cruise Essentials to Pack for your Cruise

10 Disney Cruise Essentials to Pack for your Cruise

A Disney Cruise Vacation can be tough to plan. There are so many things to remember, from cruise documents to booking your excursions and choosing the right check-in time. Between packing for your cruise, especially if you’re packing for multiple people, and making sure you know how to get to the port, who has time to buy all of those last-minute things? Well never fear, because we are here to help you get it all on Amazon Prime! Consider this your list of all the things to buy before your Disney Cruise Vacation.

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Disney Cruise Packing Lists

So much of your Disney Cruise Packing is dependent on where you’re sailing. As such, we have loads of Disney Cruise packing lists to help you on your way, no matter where you’re going. 

What to buy before a Disney Cruise Vacation

If you’ve never cruised before, it can all seem a little overwhelming. But with a little bit of planning, your cruise can be a breeze. Here are some of the things we’ve found to be very helpful to have onboard in the past.  This is not your all-encompassing type of packing list. Instead, it’s a list of things you should buy before your Disney Cruise, that you likely wouldn’t just have on hand normally and may not think to bring. 

Cruise Card Holder and Lanyard

Your Key to the World card will be the key to well, everything. So a lanyard is pretty essential, especially if you’re a first-time cruiser. Silver Castaway Cay members will receive a lanyard at check-in, but we prefer these ones because the complimentary ones are pretty cheap and tear easily. 

Some people prefer to carry a small bag or fanny pack during their cruise to hold their key to the world card but keep in mind this card is what you need for even the smallest of purchases like coffee from Cove Cafe and to get into your room, so if you don’t feel like carrying a bag around on the ship, a lanyard will be your best friend. 

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Sea-Bands for your Disney Cruise 

Whether or not you are someone who is prone to motion sickness, being prepared for seasickness is crucial. We’ve been on several cruises at this point, in different bodies of water, at different times of the year and we have never had the same experience twice. 

We like Sea-Bands because they are affordable, take little to no room in your bag, and don’t have the side effects of something like Dramamine. You can also try motion sickness patches if that’s more your thing. Of course, if you prefer Dramamine or something similar for motion sickness, you can get that on Amazon too. 

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Packing Cubes

Staterooms onboard the Disney Cruise Line ships are great, but they can be a little cramped, especially if you’re traveling with a full party. To help keep things organized, we always recommend packing cubes. These ones come in a variety of sizes and will help save space while keeping your stateroom organized.

Emergen-C Vitamin C Powder

Disney Cruise Line prides itself on a clean track record for onboard illness. They hand out sanitizing wipes every time you enter a dining room and you will see cast members constantly cleaning. That being said, don’t underestimate other passengers onboard. You are still in a shared living space with strangers for the duration of your voyage and can easily pick up any germs they may have decided to bring on board. 

In general, we don’t travel anywhere without giving our immune systems a boost with Emergen-c prior to, during, and for a couple of days after our trip. We aren’t doctors and this is definitely not medical advice, but we are pretty sure Emergen-c has some sort of magical powers and hasn’t let us down yet. 

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Cell Phone Portable Charger Battery Pack

As much as we love a Disney Cruise Vacation for relaxing, unwinding, and unplugging if you plan to take pictures or videos with your phone, a portable charger is going to be a must. This is especially true if you’re trying to access the ship’s onboard WiFi, which can drain your battery life FAST. Add in the fact that your DCL Navigator app will be your best friend during your cruise, and the fact that you’ll likely communicate with your family or friends this way, and well, I think it’s safe to say you need to keep your phone charged during your cruise.

Aside from your stateroom, there aren’t many places on board to plug in. Having a portable cell phone charger can be a huge lifesaver and we highly recommend grabbing one of these from Amazon

Sunscreen

Ok, so we know this is kind of a no-brainer. But is it really? As much we like to take for granted that everyone knows you should have sunscreen on your cruise, every cruise we always see lots of passengers buying sunscreen on board, and guess what? It is expensive. And if you’re on a cruise, whether it’s to the Caribbean or Alaska, you’ll likely be on the upper decks during some of your cruises and you’ll want to make sure you have sunscreen

A Day Bag

Every day you’ll leave your room and head out onto the decks, or into the lounges. As such, it’s important to have a small bag that you can tote about with your things. while you most likely won’t need cash, because no one accepts it on a Disney Cruise, you may need other things like wipes, lotion, lip balm, your camera, a water bottle, etc. As such, be sure to have a day bag. 

Cruise Shoes

Whether you’re heading to the pool or trivia, or the bar, you’ll want to be in comfortable shoes. Since it’s not Disney World and you won’t be walking 15 miles a day, these shoes just need to be comfy. Flip flops are great, when weather permits, Birkenstocks, furry sandals, whatever you love works best. 

Formal Wear

Believe it or not, Disney Cruises have an array of formal, semi-formal, and dress up nights that may be part of your cruise depneidng on the length. Be sure to check which may apply to you and pack accordingly. From simply sundresses, to full blown ball gowns, we’ve seen it all on the special evenings when people dress for dinner. 

Disney Cruise Essentials

We tried to keep this list small and manageable and we hope it helps you when trying to figure out what you need to buy before your next Disney Cruise Line vacation. Happy Sailing!

Co-Founder and Director at Polka Dot Pixie Co LLC | Website | + posts

Melanie Renee is a photographer, writer, designer and mom. Visiting Disney destinations since 2010, she is also an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. When she's not creating her next coffee recipe, or designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's seeking beautiful sunsets and planning her next trip .


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