MnMzMoMi4LiFe
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2014
Top Ten Things to Pack on a Disney Cruise
- Thread starter mjaclyn
- Start date
We bought sea safe and brought it home unused because we forgot to put it on. Doesn't work after you get stung, but never did anyway and we were there in July. There are seasons for jellyfish and I would probably bring it accordingly. We also never used a nightlight as on the Dream and Fantasy there a very dim light we kept on over the couch which was perfect for night and we had a veranda for day. Would add extra card ( empty gift card works) to leave and use for your lights so you don't need to use the KTTW card. Also just make sure you don't have an over the door organizer as they will get you fined. Not sure how some people have adjusted to this change. We have always found the bathroom shelving sufficient.
Kenny1113
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
On our last cruise we brought a pop up hamper after having read about it on the boards. I was glad we did. We also brought clothespins wich helped for drying the wet suits. I wish we had brought an airfreshener. The drain in our bathroom smelled sooooo bad.
JMCDisneyLover
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2013
someone mentioned a "dummy" card for the lights so that your KTTW card doesn't have to be used....I have an old photo pass card, would that work?
Doingitagain
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2006
I have struggled with how to handle jewelry. I found this on Amazon and it worked great on my last cruise: Umbra Little Black Dress Travel Jewelry Organizer
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A3TAD00/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The jewelry zips in, and it hangs in the closet out of the way. Or on another kind of hook or knob.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A3TAD00/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The jewelry zips in, and it hangs in the closet out of the way. Or on another kind of hook or knob.
Michellynn
Finding shopping opportunities at every destinatio
- Joined
- May 17, 2007
I travel a lot for work and do something very similar, but with a vera bradley organizer.
Robin"D"
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2010
A digital luggage scale....
We pay enough to the airlines, no need to pay them anyone....
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sto...BYYDl9VargAKD98rMjAvsxifpRekS_eLbKGgIIm_D_BwE
Works well very accurate and portable
Hope this helps
Robin & Angel "D"
We pay enough to the airlines, no need to pay them anyone....
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sto...BYYDl9VargAKD98rMjAvsxifpRekS_eLbKGgIIm_D_BwE
Works well very accurate and portable
Hope this helps
Robin & Angel "D"
JMCDisneyLover
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2013
Yep! That works! I bought a pack of magnets that stick on business cards from Michaels and stuck it on the back of an old Photopass. Worked great! You can stick it to the back of the door or something metal convenient to the light thing.
These look similar.
Perfect ! Thank you~~
TheRichFam
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2013
Love this conversation! Kudos for starting it. I agree with PPs that much of this is subjective and based on the specific context of the individual cruisers, so here's my two cents based on my family and our experience.
Background: Husband and Dad of three (almost four!) kids ages 12, 9 and 5 at time of last cruise.
I agree with pp's that jellyfish stuff is unnecessary. Even on CC, it's probably not needed and if it is, there's a medic on CC who has everything you need. Save the space and potential disaster when that stinky goop explodes in your luggage
I'd also eliminate a bunch of the other randomness. I feel like we WAY overpacked and it was super overwhelming getting it all in and out of our bags. This would be my top 10 needed and unnecessary items:
TAKE:
1. Sunscreen. A no brainer, but it's super expensive on the ship and at CC. Buy some at Costco/Sam's and just take home whatever you have left.
2. Water bottles. These are not only for water, but drinks at the soda machines. The cups up there are tiny. (Bonus points for tervis cups if anyone in the group likes coffee or hot tea)
3. Bleach wipes. Kids are sticky and gross sometimes. You'll be happy you have them. Get the ones in the small flat package that look like baby wipes in the travel section at the store. That'll save space.
4. Laundry kit: pack a small ziploc with a couple laundry toss in tabs, a stain stick and a couple dryer sheets. That way if a Micky bar ends up in a lap you can take care of it at the laundry station.
5. USB power dock. OP covered this, but with multiple tablets and phones plus a camera, this is crucial. Most staterooms are low on power plugins.
6. Nightlight. If any of your kiddos are scared of the dark, bring a nightlight. We also slept with the tv on one night with the "bridge view" channel turned on. That was pretty cool, but when the sun came out (earlier than I wanted to be awake) it got really bright in the room.
7. Lots of large ziplocs. I'm OCD and used them to keep all my kids outfits in. Every day they had a bag with a pre made outfit to choose from (DS13 made his own) but at the end of the day dirty clothes went back into the bag. This keeps dirty clothes separate from clean ones but also helps us keep up with our stuff. ("Where's the shirt that went with these shorts?") Also great for packing wet clothes for the trip home.
8. Multiple swimsuits. Yes, you need more than one per person. If your kids are like mine, they'll want to live in the pool, so reusing that suit for a week will get pretty funky if you don't have multiples.
9. Movie candy. Little random, I know, but go to Dollar Tree and grab movie candy so when you go watch a movie you don't have to pay the Micky tax for Skittles.
10. Perspective. (Tip of the cap to Anton Ego) I'm a hyper planner and tried to have every day mapped out ahead of time. I know some people here can relate But try to keep in mind that this is vacation. Take it slow. Relax. Breathe. Put the camera down. Play with your kids. Don't rush them from thing to thing to the point where you miss some truly amazing moments that happen in between. You've planned this trip for months. Don't ruin it by micromanaging the experience.
BONUS for my fellow coffee snobs: French press and high quality coffee. Nescafé is awful.
LEAVE:
1. About 50% of the clothes you were planning to take. (Not applicable to Alaska cruises) Trust me. You really don't need three outfits per day. I promise.
2. Clothes that need to be ironed. The one in the laundry room is hit or miss.
3. Room spray. A glade plugin in the bathroom works just fine and won't explode in your luggage on the plane making you smell like Tahitian Sunshine all week (whatever that smells like)
4. Personal care items. I know, I know. The ones they put in the rooms are small. But ask for more. They'll give them to you and they were more than adequate for everyone in our group. Obviously if you have allergies, sensitivities, etc this doesn't apply.
5. Shoes. Clearly you need them, but listen- You. Are. On. Vacation. I got on the cruise after running the WDW Marathon so I had a ton of running gear. If not for that, I could have done the entire cruise with two pairs of shoes and sandals/flip flops. Comfy walkers, nicer shoes for dinner. That's it. I promise.
6. Bottle openers/corkscrews. These run the risk of getting confiscated, especially the ones with the blades on them to cut foil off the necks. If you need one, your stateroom attendant will make one appear. It's like magic!
7. Bottled water. It's great to have, but heavy to lug around. If you're driving to the ship, ok, go for it. But if you're walking to the terminal or especially flying in, just buy it through the ship. Yes, it's more expensive than WalMart, but the smallish markup is worth not having to schlep it around.
8. Snacks. Again, food allergies notwithstanding, I don't understand taking snacks. You're on a floating Gluttonmobile. Save the space and eat what's available on the ship.
9. Your cellphone. Up on a soapbox again. Even if you can use your phone in port, do you really need to? Put the leash down and enjoy your family!
10. Expectations. Anticipation is one thing. But one common theme of all the negative cruise reviews I've read on the Cruise Critic website and other places is they usually start out with "we expected more from Disney ..." Yes, Disney is known for guest service above all. (full disclosure: I worked for the mouse for a couple years when I was younger) However, if you walk on the ship and immediately start looking for things to be upset about, you'll find them. Just keep an open mind, go with the flow and enjoy yourself. After all, even if the stateroom attendant doesn't remember to give you extra towels or enough chocolates on the pillow, remember: YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE YOUR BED OR CLEAN YOUR ROOM. Same goes for dining. Are the MDR's as good as Ruth's Chris, Morton's, etc? Um ... no. Not even close. But did you have to cook dinner? Or anything for that matter? Smile. You're on vacation. It'll be over soon, and in a few days the cleanliness of your sleeping quarters or quality of your food will be up to you again. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Sorry for the marathon post. Hope it helps!
Background: Husband and Dad of three (almost four!) kids ages 12, 9 and 5 at time of last cruise.
I agree with pp's that jellyfish stuff is unnecessary. Even on CC, it's probably not needed and if it is, there's a medic on CC who has everything you need. Save the space and potential disaster when that stinky goop explodes in your luggage
I'd also eliminate a bunch of the other randomness. I feel like we WAY overpacked and it was super overwhelming getting it all in and out of our bags. This would be my top 10 needed and unnecessary items:
TAKE:
1. Sunscreen. A no brainer, but it's super expensive on the ship and at CC. Buy some at Costco/Sam's and just take home whatever you have left.
2. Water bottles. These are not only for water, but drinks at the soda machines. The cups up there are tiny. (Bonus points for tervis cups if anyone in the group likes coffee or hot tea)
3. Bleach wipes. Kids are sticky and gross sometimes. You'll be happy you have them. Get the ones in the small flat package that look like baby wipes in the travel section at the store. That'll save space.
4. Laundry kit: pack a small ziploc with a couple laundry toss in tabs, a stain stick and a couple dryer sheets. That way if a Micky bar ends up in a lap you can take care of it at the laundry station.
5. USB power dock. OP covered this, but with multiple tablets and phones plus a camera, this is crucial. Most staterooms are low on power plugins.
6. Nightlight. If any of your kiddos are scared of the dark, bring a nightlight. We also slept with the tv on one night with the "bridge view" channel turned on. That was pretty cool, but when the sun came out (earlier than I wanted to be awake) it got really bright in the room.
7. Lots of large ziplocs. I'm OCD and used them to keep all my kids outfits in. Every day they had a bag with a pre made outfit to choose from (DS13 made his own) but at the end of the day dirty clothes went back into the bag. This keeps dirty clothes separate from clean ones but also helps us keep up with our stuff. ("Where's the shirt that went with these shorts?") Also great for packing wet clothes for the trip home.
8. Multiple swimsuits. Yes, you need more than one per person. If your kids are like mine, they'll want to live in the pool, so reusing that suit for a week will get pretty funky if you don't have multiples.
9. Movie candy. Little random, I know, but go to Dollar Tree and grab movie candy so when you go watch a movie you don't have to pay the Micky tax for Skittles.
10. Perspective. (Tip of the cap to Anton Ego) I'm a hyper planner and tried to have every day mapped out ahead of time. I know some people here can relate
But try to keep in mind that this is vacation. Take it slow. Relax. Breathe. Put the camera down. Play with your kids. Don't rush them from thing to thing to the point where you miss some truly amazing moments that happen in between. You've planned this trip for months. Don't ruin it by micromanaging the experience. BONUS for my fellow coffee snobs: French press and high quality coffee. Nescafé is awful.
LEAVE:
1. About 50% of the clothes you were planning to take. (Not applicable to Alaska cruises) Trust me. You really don't need three outfits per day. I promise.
2. Clothes that need to be ironed. The one in the laundry room is hit or miss.
3. Room spray. A glade plugin in the bathroom works just fine and won't explode in your luggage on the plane making you smell like Tahitian Sunshine all week (whatever that smells like)
4. Personal care items. I know, I know. The ones they put in the rooms are small. But ask for more. They'll give them to you and they were more than adequate for everyone in our group. Obviously if you have allergies, sensitivities, etc this doesn't apply.
5. Shoes. Clearly you need them, but listen- You. Are. On. Vacation. I got on the cruise after running the WDW Marathon so I had a ton of running gear. If not for that, I could have done the entire cruise with two pairs of shoes and sandals/flip flops. Comfy walkers, nicer shoes for dinner. That's it. I promise.
6. Bottle openers/corkscrews. These run the risk of getting confiscated, especially the ones with the blades on them to cut foil off the necks. If you need one, your stateroom attendant will make one appear. It's like magic!
7. Bottled water. It's great to have, but heavy to lug around. If you're driving to the ship, ok, go for it. But if you're walking to the terminal or especially flying in, just buy it through the ship. Yes, it's more expensive than WalMart, but the smallish markup is worth not having to schlep it around.
8. Snacks. Again, food allergies notwithstanding, I don't understand taking snacks. You're on a floating Gluttonmobile. Save the space and eat what's available on the ship.
9. Your cellphone. Up on a soapbox again. Even if you can use your phone in port, do you really need to? Put the leash down and enjoy your family!
10. Expectations. Anticipation is one thing. But one common theme of all the negative cruise reviews I've read on the Cruise Critic website and other places is they usually start out with "we expected more from Disney ..." Yes, Disney is known for guest service above all. (full disclosure: I worked for the mouse for a couple years when I was younger) However, if you walk on the ship and immediately start looking for things to be upset about, you'll find them. Just keep an open mind, go with the flow and enjoy yourself. After all, even if the stateroom attendant doesn't remember to give you extra towels or enough chocolates on the pillow, remember: YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE YOUR BED OR CLEAN YOUR ROOM. Same goes for dining. Are the MDR's as good as Ruth's Chris, Morton's, etc? Um ... no. Not even close. But did you have to cook dinner? Or anything for that matter? Smile. You're on vacation. It'll be over soon, and in a few days the cleanliness of your sleeping quarters or quality of your food will be up to you again. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Sorry for the marathon post.
Hope it helps!
tonyolily
Luv 2 Lurk
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2004
Love this conversation! Kudos for starting it. I agree with PPs that much of this is subjective and based on the specific context of the individual cruisers, so here's my two cents based on my family and our experience.
Background: Husband and Dad of three (almost four!) kids ages 12, 9 and 5 at time of last cruise.
I agree with pp's that jellyfish stuff is unnecessary. Even on CC, it's probably not needed and if it is, there's a medic on CC who has everything you need. Save the space and potential disaster when that stinky goop explodes in your luggage
I'd also eliminate a bunch of the other randomness. I feel like we WAY overpacked and it was super overwhelming getting it all in and out of our bags. This would be my top 10 needed and unnecessary items:
TAKE:
1. Sunscreen. A no brainer, but it's super expensive on the ship and at CC. Buy some at Costco/Sam's and just take home whatever you have left.
2. Water bottles. These are not only for water, but drinks at the soda machines. The cups up there are tiny. (Bonus points for tervis cups if anyone in the group likes coffee or hot tea)
3. Bleach wipes. Kids are sticky and gross sometimes. You'll be happy you have them. Get the ones in the small flat package that look like baby wipes in the travel section at the store. That'll save space.
4. Laundry kit: pack a small ziploc with a couple laundry toss in tabs, a stain stick and a couple dryer sheets. That way if a Micky bar ends up in a lap you can take care of it at the laundry station.
5. USB power dock. OP covered this, but with multiple tablets and phones plus a camera, this is crucial. Most staterooms are low on power plugins.
6. Nightlight. If any of your kiddos are scared of the dark, bring a nightlight. We also slept with the tv on one night with the "bridge view" channel turned on. That was pretty cool, but when the sun came out (earlier than I wanted to be awake) it got really bright in the room.
7. Lots of large ziplocs. I'm OCD and used them to keep all my kids outfits in. Every day they had a bag with a pre made outfit to choose from (DS13 made his own) but at the end of the day dirty clothes went back into the bag. This keeps dirty clothes separate from clean ones but also helps us keep up with our stuff. ("Where's the shirt that went with these shorts?") Also great for packing wet clothes for the trip home.
8. Multiple swimsuits. Yes, you need more than one per person. If your kids are like mine, they'll want to live in the pool, so reusing that suit for a week will get pretty funky if you don't have multiples.
9. Movie candy. Little random, I know, but go to Dollar Tree and grab movie candy so when you go watch a movie you don't have to pay the Micky tax for Skittles.
10. Perspective. (Tip of the cap to Anton Ego) I'm a hyper planner and tried to have every day mapped out ahead of time. I know some people here can relate
BONUS for my fellow coffee snobs: French press and high quality coffee. Nescafé is awful.
LEAVE:
1. About 50% of the clothes you were planning to take. (Not applicable to Alaska cruises) Trust me. You really don't need three outfits per day. I promise.
2. Clothes that need to be ironed. The one in the laundry room is hit or miss.
3. Room spray. A glade plugin in the bathroom works just fine and won't explode in your luggage on the plane making you smell like Tahitian Sunshine all week (whatever that smells like)
4. Personal care items. I know, I know. The ones they put in the rooms are small. But ask for more. They'll give them to you and they were more than adequate for everyone in our group. Obviously if you have allergies, sensitivities, etc this doesn't apply.
5. Shoes. Clearly you need them, but listen- You. Are. On. Vacation. I got on the cruise after running the WDW Marathon so I had a ton of running gear. If not for that, I could have done the entire cruise with two pairs of shoes and sandals/flip flops. Comfy walkers, nicer shoes for dinner. That's it. I promise.
6. Bottle openers/corkscrews. These run the risk of getting confiscated, especially the ones with the blades on them to cut foil off the necks. If you need one, your stateroom attendant will make one appear. It's like magic!
7. Bottled water. It's great to have, but heavy to lug around. If you're driving to the ship, ok, go for it. But if you're walking to the terminal or especially flying in, just buy it through the ship. Yes, it's more expensive than WalMart, but the smallish markup is worth not having to schlep it around.
8. Snacks. Again, food allergies notwithstanding, I don't understand taking snacks. You're on a floating Gluttonmobile. Save the space and eat what's available on the ship.
9. Your cellphone. Up on a soapbox again. Even if you can use your phone in port, do you really need to? Put the leash down and enjoy your family!
10. Expectations. Anticipation is one thing. But one common theme of all the negative cruise reviews I've read on the Cruise Critic website and other places is they usually start out with "we expected more from Disney ..." Yes, Disney is known for guest service above all. (full disclosure: I worked for the mouse for a couple years when I was younger) However, if you walk on the ship and immediately start looking for things to be upset about, you'll find them. Just keep an open mind, go with the flow and enjoy yourself. After all, even if the stateroom attendant doesn't remember to give you extra towels or enough chocolates on the pillow, remember: YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO MAKE YOUR BED OR CLEAN YOUR ROOM. Same goes for dining. Are the MDR's as good as Ruth's Chris, Morton's, etc? Um ... no. Not even close. But did you have to cook dinner? Or anything for that matter? Smile. You're on vacation. It'll be over soon, and in a few days the cleanliness of your sleeping quarters or quality of your food will be up to you again. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Sorry for the marathon post.
Very nice tips!
TheRichFam
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2013
NYIceQueen
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2014
Robin"D";52141991 said:A digital luggage scale....
We pay enough to the airlines, no need to pay them anyone....
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sto...BYYDl9VargAKD98rMjAvsxifpRekS_eLbKGgIIm_D_BwE
Works well very accurate and portable
Hope this helps
Robin & Angel "D"
Oh my gosh...THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been looking to get one but didn't know which was good.
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