Packing light

[Dolewhipt]

We’re taking our first cruise in 3 weeks (me, DH, kids 7 & 9). In general I prefer to pack very light for trips, but since I’ve never cruised before I don’t want to regret forgetting something.

Aside from basics, is there anything you feel is a cruise MUST PACK? Is there anything you’ve packed but wished you’d left at home?

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Things you must pack: Medications, necessary documents for leaving and re-entering the country. Detergent pods/dryer sheets if you think you'll need to do laundry. Yes, you can get them on the ship but it's cheaper to do it on land. They are already getting a nice chunk of your change.
Wished I'd left at home: So, so much stuff. Like the old saying goes: Pack what you think you'll need, then un-pack about 50% of it.

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Specifically for a cruise, I would bring a night light or two, the cabins get dark. A laundry bag/basket. A highlighter to mark your navigator (activity newsletter) for the next day, I like sticky notes for cabin mates and room host notes. If you have a balcony, people like clothes pins for the curtains. Also a large refillable cup with a lid for the free drinks, they are very small and not eliminated straws and lids. A lanyard to hold your ktwc, (creditcard size room key, payment, etc.) for the whole family. A sweater, gets chilly in dining rooms and on deck. If you have a popcorn pail from one of the parks you can bring it for cheap popcorn refills. If your kids like movie candy, bring that for $1 from home. Also, any favorite soft drinks if not on board and water bottles when you leave the ship.

 

[Quellman]

depends on what is in your basics pile I guess. But in terms of clothing, I find the convenience of flip flops/sandals worth it on cruise ships or out to beaches. Easy to kick off and put on when you are going from the pool to lunch without worrying about drying off feet or putting on socks. I find that 1 pair of jeans is great for dinner. You can easily re-wear many clothes with different bottoms/tops/layering. Especially since you likely won't wear it all that much. While I spend time in the pool, I don't find the need to have 2 different swim suits. That is to say, I don't take them off wet and then later be like, ok lets put them back on and go back to the pool. Understand others may see it differently. I gues you could take the hair dryer to them. I use clothespins and the balcony to help dry clothing.

 

[TrishaK]

Magnetic chip clips can be used to hang your excursion tickets, navigators, etc. on the room walls.
I found low-profile "glowing" nightlights from Amazon that worked great.
Lanyards for each member of your family.
I agree with bringing a sweater or another layering top for chilly restaurants and theaters.
Singles to tip for room service (if you order anything).
Refillable bottles.
Lots of sunscreen - and sunglasses/hats, too.
We forgot my daughter's swim goggles and bought a pair on Castaway Cay. Which actually worked out nice since they were tinted.

Have Fun!!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

After overpacking for far too many trips, I now pack as lightly as possible. I typically map out the clothing we”ll need on each day, add up how many of each item I need to pack, divide that number by 2 and do laundry once, mid-trip. I bring neutral, flat sandals that go with everything and pack easily, plus water shoes and that’s it. This allows me to get our packing down to one carry on and one personal item each. It also makes packing up at the end of the cruise super easy. The lighter the better. And if you find you really need something, chances are you’ll find what you need in the gift shops.

 

[ludari]

Just before my second cruise I found an packing app that was very helpful (they are numerous packing apps) in helping me check off what I packed and discover the items I don't need or didn't use. Now after 10+ cruises and numerous international trips I can travel for a month with just a carry-on bag. Yeah, I have to do laundry on those longer trips but that's a minor inconvenience considering the benefits of only having a carry-on bag. I'm a big fan of wrinkle resistant, moisture wicking clothing and one of my favorites is my London Fog folding blazer. I also like to use compression packing cubes to really make things fit. Good luck.

 

[LizGirl]

Clothing, etc, will vary. As others have said, you can do laundry and/or wear items multiple times. The one thing I try to make sure I have is a travel OTC pharmacy. The ship doesn't carry everything, the shops aren't always open and what they do have is very expensive.

 

[cadien]

For cruises on other lines, we find it pretty easy to pack lightly. None of those "must-haves" in articles and Cruise Critic posts end up applying to us. I don't pack anything I wouldn't bring on a land trip to a beach area.

Disney cruises have been a whole new world, however. There are so many things people dress up for. Like in costume, not formal dressing up. Especially children. We just give up and bring two suitcases for DCL.

 

[mmmears]

We pack lightly every time and have never regretted it. So many things people say you need to bring aren't necessary for us. I would make sure to bring some meds just in case since the ship has things, but not to the extent of a place like Target. For clothes, less is more. We have done laundry on the ships and it's not a big deal. We just finished a 10 night cruise on the Magic (18 days of travel) in cold climates which makes fitting stuff in so much harder, and did it with one international carryon each. I had room for magnets, but we skipped the FE. We had a much easier time traveling than those we saw with several huge suitcases.

 

[Dolewhipt]

Yeah, I’m skipping the Fish Extender thing. Cute, but looks like a lot of work for stuff that I would probably throw away (not trying to be mean at all—my kids just already get so many dollar store things from relatives/school and I’m relentless about throwing it away before I drown in little notebooks and doodads...)

Glad to hear laundry is easy—I’d rather wash or send out for cleaning than pack a lot of stuff. I’m going to look up the foldable blazer mentioned above—DH likes to looks sharp, but jackets are sometimes a pain to pack. Hmm.

 

[Jess_S]

In my opinion, Bonine is the only thing I need for a cruise that I would not need for a land based trip to a destination with a similar climate. I am actually able to pack lighter for cruises because I know that there is a laundry room easily accessible. So if you are used to packing light already, I would say just do what you usually do.

 

[gotomu212]

It’s funny, and I mean no offense, but almost everything listed here as a must have is something we never bring. We pack light and for us that means clothes for the beach and mix and match nicer clothes for dinner. I have one pair of flip flops and one nicer black flats for shoes (same for all the family except they substitute fancy tennis shoes for flats), toiletries, a few normal OTC Tylenol and excdrin, sunscreen, and books.

 

[Shanti]

We’re taking our first cruise in 3 weeks (me, DH, kids 7 & 9). In general I prefer to pack very light for trips, but since I’ve never cruised before I don’t want to regret forgetting something.

Aside from basics, is there anything you feel is a cruise MUST PACK? Is there anything you’ve packed but wished you’d left at home?

Must haves imo:

• Comfortable clothes
• Bathing suit
• Sandals for the beach & pool
• Nice looking (but need not be fancy or formal) clothes to wear to MDR at dinner
• Medications (including sea sickness meds just in case)
• Hairbrush, toothbrush, dental floss, etc. (DCL provides nice shampoo, conditioner, body soap & lotion)
• Sunglasses, contact lenses, glasses
• Hat or cap with brim
• Passport, credit cards, cash for incidental tips (for porters, etc.)

 

[starvenger]

I think if we tried we (me + wife + d11 + d8) could compact everything into 3 carryon bags. And we have, when we went to San Francisco on a 4 day trip for a wedding.

As was mentioned it’s a matter of picking things you can mix and match together. Suits are tricky but after watching some videos I can get mine into a carryon without using too much space. My shoes are the big space eater, so they get stuffed with... stuff. I usually layer a few things to wear on the plane, so that also reduces space in the bag.

Now, for our last few vacations we’ve been flying WestJet, which has been great since we get one free checked bag each, meaning we ended up with a lot of space in checked baggage for things we were “on the fence” with for taking. So in other words, more kids clothes.

 

[mmmears]

Now, for our last few vacations we’ve been flying WestJet, which has been great since we get one free checked bag each, meaning we ended up with a lot of space in checked baggage for things we were “on the fence” with for taking. So in other words, more kids clothes.

For us it's not an issue of baggage cost (our flights to Europe let us have 2 large suitcases each with no extra fees), but an issue of dealing with having all that stuff with us on the trip.

DH wore his dress shoes on the flight, along with his jacket (which they were nice enough to hang up for him since he didn't really want to be wearing it).

 

[starvenger]

For us it's not an issue of baggage cost (our flights to Europe let us have 2 large suitcases each with no extra fees), but an issue of dealing with having all that stuff with us on the trip.

DH wore his dress shoes on the flight, along with his jacket (which they were nice enough to hang up for him since he didn't really want to be wearing it).

Yeah I get what you’re saying there. I tend to navigate between doing carryon and checking suitcases so I’m comfortable either way.

 

[darnheather]

For me a must have is a cardigan. The dining rooms get chilly.

 

[Donna M]

On our first cruise I bought way, way too much stuff, 2 regular sized cases for 2 adults and teenage son. I read the packing lists and thought they must know better than me. Maybe they used the stuff, but for us it just stayed in the suitcase and took up too much space.

One item on the list was duck tape. Believe it or not I have a small amount that I keep in my suitcase and we used it to tape dh's swim trunks when they ripped at Castaway Cay.

Now, a bunch of cruises latter the only thing we bring that doesn't come on a regular WDW trip are water shoes for Serenity Beach since sometimes they are needed in the water, and we only take a carry on each, and I have a small backpack.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

The things I didn't pack and ended up needing: bag for carrying stuff around on the ship and in ports. A sweater or jacket--I had to buy a sweatshirt because all the indoor places were freezing.