Disney Cruise Packing List | What to Pack to Sail Away

Your tickets are purchased, your itinerary is planned and it’s time to start packing for your Disney cruise vacation. What do you need to pack for your cruise though? Not to worry. We’ve got you covered with a list of everything you need to include in your suitcases.

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On the first day of your cruise after you embark, your stateroom like likely not be ready yet so it is recommended that you pack a weekender bag or small rolling suitcase that is easy to keep with you to hold all of your essentials and important things you will not want to lose track of during embarkation day.

We love bringing these travel essentials along on our cruise vacations!

Your cruise carry-on bag should have any prescription medications, over the counter medications, travel documents, personal essentials, and items like a bathing suit that you may want to use before you have access to your stateroom and luggage.

It likely will be a few hours before you are able to use your keycard to get into your stateroom after you are on the ship and sometimes luggage can be delayed arriving all the way into the first evening on the ship . So make sure you have all of your first day essentials in an easy to access bag that you keep with you!

Download our free Disney Cruise Packing List printable to mark off everything you’ve packed!

If this is your first time sailing with Disney, you’ll want to make sure to bring lanyards to carry your stateroom keycards. You may also purchase one onboard in the gift shop.

Guests that have sailed with Disney Cruise Line before and are members of the Castaway Club will typically receive complimentary lanyards in their stateroom.

Also, if you prefer to not carry around a keycards, Disney Cruise Line has recently introduced the DisneyBand+ option for select sailings to open your door and charge to your stateroom. This waterproof wristband acts like your stateroom keycard and can be used on the ship instead of the card. 

Documents

Don’t forget to pack the important documents that you need for each member of your family.

These include birth certificates, passports, and driver’s licenses. Disney Cruise Line advises only carrying your driver’s license with you on port days and to keep your passport and other documents on the ship.

If your cruise is taking you to Castaway Cay, this is Disney’s private island and exclusive to Disney Cruise ship guests so this is the easiest port destination to disembark and get back on the ship since all guests should be from your cruise. Make sure you have your Key to the World card and ID before you disembark and you’re good to go!

Portable Charger or Battery Bank

You will be using your cell phone a lot to keep in touch with your group, find activities, and of course, take photos and videos. All of these activities can drain your phone’s charge quicker than you think. You will especially want to carry an external charger or battery bank with you on your port days. 

In addition, to a portable battery bank, you may want a multi-device charger to use in your room to charge your devices overnight. I prefer the flip out travel charger that I can easily lay all of my Mag-Charge items like my Apple AirPods, Apple Watch and Apple iPhone on to charge. Your cabin will have a limited amount of outlets available for chargers.  

Magnetic Hooks

Take advantage of the space that you have by using magnetic hooks that you can hang on your cabin’s walls and doors. Inside your Disney Cruise stateroom the doors to the bathroom are magnetic, as well as the stateroom door.

You can hang bathing suits, light jackets, towels, bags, and your keycard lanyards from these magnetic hooks to keep your room looking tidy. We especially like taking advantage of these magnetic hooks in the bathroom area with mesh toiletry bags for each person our party. 

A Backpack

You are going to want to have a nice backpack or crossbody bag with you for excursions and also for your embarkation and debarkation day. This way you can keep your electronics, charger, necessary medication, identification, swimsuits, and sunscreen all in one place.

Your luggage might not make it to your cabin until later in the afternoon and you can also use this bag as your cruise carry on if your essentials will fit, so this way you still have your necessary items with you. 

Door Decorations

One of the highlights of taking a Disney cruise is decorating your cabin door. This is a fun activity for the family and it makes it a little easier to find your cabin as you learn your way around the ship.

You can make or buy magnets and other items to decorate your cabin door. Young kids enjoy this aspect of decorating your door and it also makes it easy to spot in the hallway! 

Refillable Water Bottle or Coffee Mug

Sodas, water, and coffee are all available onboard for free. However, you might want to enjoy coffee, soda, or water in your cabin.

Bringing a refillable water bottle, and coffee mug for each member of the family gives you a way to carry a drink with you back to your room. 

Comfortable Casual Clothes

Shorts, jeans, t-shirts, and a light jacket or sweatshirt are what you need to pack for your trip. If you plan to participate in formal night or on going to one of the adult’s adult-only restaurants on board you may want to pack a dress for ladies, and a nice pair of slacks and a shirt for men.

Dress code in the main dining rooms is comfortable and casual, so you are able to wear your regular cruise clothing to all meals in your dining rotation. 

You will also want to pack a couple of swimsuits and a cover-up for walking around the ship.  Swimsuits don’t always dry super-quickly and putting a cold, wet swimsuit back on is no fun so having some extras is a good idea, plus they don’t take up much room in your suitcase, so we always like to bring at least two to three swimsuits for a cruise. 

Pirate or Frozen Attire for Theme Night

Disney Cruises have a theme night for guests one evening of the trip. If you are going to Alaska the theme is a Frozen Deck Party, and if you are going somewhere more tropical the theme is Pirate Night.

You are welcome to bring your own pirate or Frozen attire to wear and you’ll see many guests in full pirate costumes to take part in Pirate Night. Depending on your cruise itinerary, these themed nights can be a fun way for the whole family to have a chance to dress up! 

Formal Clothing

Clothing attire on Disney cruises is typically fairly casual, however there are a few instances where you may need more formal clothes to attend special dinners at restaurants like Palo or Remy, or if you’re on a longer cruise that has an optional formal night.

Dress code for Palo steakhouse and Remy are upscale restaurant attire, and men will need a collared shirt, while ladies will need business casual clothing like a sundress with sandals or blouse and pants.

Polo shirts may be acceptable for some meal times at Palo, however Remy has a more stringent dress code and it is recommended that men be wearing a dress collared shirt and women attend in upscale dining attire. 

Disney Costumes

If your kids like to dress up they are more than welcome to bring along their favorite Disney costumes to wear on the ship. You can also book an appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on the ship for the full princess or prince treatment for your child. 

Laundry Detergent & Dryer Sheets

All of the Disney Cruise Line ships have laundry facilities that you can use, which means you can go home with a suitcase full of clean laundry. Make sure that you pack some detergent pods and some dryer sheets in your suitcase if you want to take care of this task before heading home. 

Snacks & Alcohol 

If your family prefers a particular type of snacks or chips, or you have a child who is a picky eater you are welcome to bring food with you on the ship. It does need to be sealed and in its original packaging. 

All cruise guests 21 and older are permitted to bring two bottles of wine or champagne on board, corked of course, and a six-pack of beer per port of call. They do need to be carried on and not packed inside of your luggage. If you want to enjoy the wine in your room, don’t forget to pack a corkscrew. If you want to have them at dinner there will be a corkage fee. 

Avoid Sea Sickness

We like having a number of items on hand to avoid sea sickness and our family always has Bonine on hand to take preventatively on cruises. We take it preventatively each day and night of the cruise and it has worked well for us during our sailings.

There are many items you can use to avoid motion sickness like Sea-Bands which use pressure points to alleviate motion sickness and also you can get a prescription patch from your doctor before sailing. If this is your first cruise, we would recommend having a few different options on hand to find out what works best for you. 

What is a Fish Extender?

If this is your first Disney cruise then you may be wondering what a fish extender is! Named for the fish nameplates on the traditional Disney Cruise Line ships, these gift exchanges started in the early days of Disney cruises and have become a tradition among some cruisers.

Participating is not a requirement and this is an informal (not sanctioned through Disney) activity. You will want to join the cruise group on Facebook for your specific cruise, and the gift exchanges are often coordinated through the individual cruise group. 

Gifts are often items to commemorate the specific cruise that you’re on and you can even tailor items to the specific cabin guests if you’d like as well. Participants in fish extender gift exchanges typically have a small pocket bag that hangs from the hook near the room number plate. 

What If You Forget Something on a Disney Cruise?

And if you’ve forgotten an essential item, you can always check the onboard shops to see if it is something that can be purchased after you’ve set sail. Shops are open when the ships are out to sea and not at port. 

Also, before you set sail make sure you’ve downloaded the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app, which will become your itinerary reference and allows you to chat onboard after you’ve set sail. This is a handy way to keep in touch with other members of your party and also be aware of any changes in the schedule. 

Take a look at what the Oceaneer Club has to offer for kids ages 3-12 and check out some of the family activities available on Disney Cruise Line sailings.

Learn more about cruising with tweens and teens in our guide to cruising with older children and check out our individual Disney Cruise Line ship guides below for more great information before you set sail!

• Disney Wish Cruise Review
• Disney Treasure New Ship Reveal