Packing List: The Items You’re Not Thinking About
Packing List:
The Items You’re Not Thinking About
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You’ve packed the important things like clothes, electronic chargers, medications, and a whole lot of excitement. But what are those things that expert Disney Cruise Line vacationers know better than to board a Disney ship without?
Sound Machine
While the rocking motion of the ship is enough to put plenty of cruisers to sleep, some cruisers enjoy listening to certain noises when drifting away. We would recommend bringing a sound machine that plays white noise just loud enough for everyone in your cabin to enjoy. Member recommended sound machines include this LectroFan model or this one from Yogasleep.
Fan
If you or your significant other sleeps hot, you might want to consider bringing a small fan to keep you cooler as you sleep. While you can control the temperature in the stateroom, we know from experience that the thermostat is something everyone can have varying preferences on. Our members have loved this SmartDevil fan and rave about the Treva 5 inch fan.
Bungee Cords
On the last night of the cruise when all your bags are packed and the closets are empty, the hangers in the closets tend to get a bit noisy with the rocking of the ship. Bungee cords help secure them so you can sleep peacefully your last night onboard. They can also be helpful in securing some bigger items to your luggage and keeping doors propped open. The variety in this package from Cartman Bungee has a ton of variety that allows you to bring what you need and leave the rest at home for future use.
Reusable Straws
We all can agree that giving back to Mother Earth is a wonderful thing…but sometimes those paper straws can deteriorate before you’re done with your drink. We would recommend bringing your own reusable straws onboard like this set that comes with a travel case. If you’re like us and enjoy frozen drinks like milkshakes, smoothies, and the Bon Voyage (our favorite adult drink!), you might want to opt for a thicker straw like these ones from Vinaco.
Tervis Cups
Speaking of drinks, we love having our own cups onboard. While you’re welcome to get a new cup every time, having a dedicated cup for everyone in the family keeps us hydrated, cool (or warm), and never worried about not having a beverage nearby. Tervis has a partnership with Disney, so everyone in the family can pick their own cup for your Disney Cruise Line vacation. Too many cute options to choose!
Ginger Candy/Gum
There are so many amazing things to eat and drink onboard a Disney Cruise, but sometimes things don’t agree with our stomachs. To be prepared we would recommend either packing some TUMS, these Ginger People Candies, kid-friendly chewable Ginger tablets, or Tummypops.
Packing Cubes
Whether you’re packing for just you or for the whole family, packing can be stressful! But packing cubes can help you stay organized. Not only can you give each member of the family their own cubes to fill to keep everyone organized, but it makes unpacking seamless easily fitting in drawers and closets. Our members love this set that looks like Minnie Mouse, this set with cubes and bags of various sizes, and this one where everybody can pick their favorite color.
2 Gallon Ziploc Bags
Random? We thought so too when the DCL Community first recommended it, but now we don’t travel without them. It’s inevitable that the kids’ swimsuits will be wet on the last night before packing. Maybe you order room service, but overestimate the number of cookies you can eat before bed. These bags are versatile, take up little to no space, and solve for tons of unexpected problems while onboard.
Clothespins
Hanging wet clothes and bathing suits up is way easier with sturdy clothespins like these colorful ones or, depending on how much you have to hang, these reliable ones might be a better option. The stateroom bathrooms do come with a clothesline over the shower, so just grab your clothespins, get to drying, and your items should be ready to use again real soon.
Mesh Bathroom Organizer
While the staterooms onboard the Disney Cruise Line ships are larger than industry standard, it’s still tight space to squeeze the whole family and all their stuff. To keep everyone organized in the bathroom, we recommend bringing this organizer with various sized pockets for all your bathroom needs or this long one to keep things compact. You can’t tape, drill, or hang anything on the walls, so we would recommend grabbing these magnetic hooks to hang your organizers.
Air Freshener
Speaking of the staterooms being a tight space, we would recommend bringing an air freshener so that unpleasant smells that might arise from outdoors (or from our family members) don’t make you want to escape. This Air Wick freshener keeps things fresh and tropical smelling with hints of pineapple while Febreze is always a tried and true option (family packs are great for multiple staterooms).
Towel Clips
We love sitting on deck, enjoying the sun, the sights, and the Disney magic, but don’t enjoy the wind blowing our towels away. We always bring towel clips with us up on deck. Not only do they keep your towels pins down, but they’re a great way to remember where you’re sitting if you go to grab food or jump in the pool. We love these colorful ones so everybody can pick a color and members love these cute, playfully designed clips to match the cruise theme.
Laundry Supplies
Part of the fun of vacation is not having chores to do, but the dread of returning to chores once back on land might be enough to have you do a load or two of laundry while onboard. We recommend bringing dryer sheets and laundry pods (which you can keep in a Ziploc bag) to make doing laundry quick, easy, and take up minimal room in your suitcase.
Night Lights and Alternatives
Although Disney cabins do have built in night lights, they are quite dim especially for getting around some cabins at night. We recommend either getting a night light like this one or opting for a night light alternative. Our members love putting these in the bathrooms and on counter and desk tops for subtle, but not overwhelming light at night.
Hand Pump Soap
Disney provides bars of soap in the stateroom bathrooms to wash your hands. Some cruisers prefer to use a pump dispenser to get their soap instead, so we would recommend using something like this set if you like foam soap or this pack if you prefer liquid soap.
Cleaning Solution
On the topic of cleaning, you might want to bring some type of cleaning solution or disinfecting wipes. While the Disney ships are kept immaculately clean, you might find they’re good to use on planes, excursions, or on deck with messy kids (or adults) who spill things on themselves. These would be great to keep in a backpack or fanny pack before heading off the ship.
Rubber Ducks
And not Donald or Daisy! Years ago, a trend started where cruisers across cruise lines would buy or make ducks like these and hide them around the ship for others to find. Some have notes, some have instructions, some people keep them, some people re-hide them. Disney Cruise Line has plenty of activities to keep you busy, but this is certainly an extra piece of fun to keep your eyes peeled for onboard. For more information on the phenomenon, you can read this article. We think these ducks are certainly ready for pirate night!
Binoculars
If you enjoy sight-seeing, we would definitely recommend bringing a pair of binoculars onboard. This will allow you to take in all the sights while sitting on deck eating breakfast before a day of exploration, soak up the finer details on excursions, and even look out for Neverland from the comfort of your verandah at night. These compact binoculars are great for adults and kids and this pair is even waterproof.
Snorkel Gear and Goggles
While you can absolutely rent snorkel gear on the islands and buy goggles onboard, some members enjoy bringing their own equipment for the beaches and pools. Snorkel gear like this would carry easily for excursions while this set would be great to throw in a bag on the way to Castaway Cay (great snorkeling there!). If you’re more of the pool type of family, we would recommend grabbing these so that everybody in the family can have their own color and case.
If this article made you add some things to your packing list, we might recommend cross-checking your list with ours just to make sure there’s nothing you’re leaving behind. Looking for even more tips or have questions on what to bring onboard your Disney Cruise Line vacation? Join our Community to get intel from members just like you.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by packing, planning, and preparing, we would definitely recommend connecting with one of our Recommended Travel Agents who can help take the stress out of planning and put the magic back in. Happy Packing!
