Things on my packing list I'm obsessing too much over . . .

[LennyMachine]

I have entered that single-minded madness I get pre-vacation where I am the victim of the battle between the Mr. Hyde part of me that goes, "Oh yes, yeeesss, we need these things on the packing list!" and the Dr. Jekyll part of me that goes, "Nooo, nooooo, we mustn't overpack!" So please tell me that I really don't need the following things, and maybe, just maybe, I will stop fixating on them!

1) A tray for carrying food back to my staterooms. I will be in a party of 5 with 3 adults and 2 kids. I envision that there will be times when someone has to fetch food and bring it back to our staterooms. (I've made the very cute drink carrier that I saw linked to in a post in this forum, so liquids are covered!) A tray can't hold 5 plates, I know, but it sure could help. Do any of the dining rooms provide trays we could use? Or is it better to bring my own because then I can keep it in my room and use it to get food wherever I want?

2) Our own cereal. My husband is quite particular about his cereal. He likes granola or muesli kinds of cereal. The closest Disney usually gets is Raisin Bran. Should I tell him to lump it and eat what's on the ship, or is it better to bring our own for those mornings we need a quick breakfast (e.g., before a port excursion that has an early meeting time)?

3) Our own cereal bowls. At WDW and DL, we either bring our own bowls or buy them in a gift store so we can eat in our hotel rooms. Is there any point to bringing them on the cruise? I could just order empty bowls from room service, maybe? Or should I just save myself the time waiting for them to be delivered and just have our own on hand?

Many thanks in advance for your advice! (And now, back to the voices in my head . . .)

 

[jlynch924]

As far as a tray, I think you'll be able to find those at the quick service places, so I wouldn't bother.
Cereal... Ehhh. They have a pretty wide selection of things for breakfast, and maybe you could get DH to branch out?
Bowls... Again, there is so much more in the offering than cereal. You might need plates. But that said, both should be readily available at the buffet.
All in all, I'd say leave your space for other things!

 

[LennyMachine]

I swear we're not cereal-centric -- we love a good hot breakfast and plan to eat our weight in just about everything available -- but I'm sure there are going to be days when it's hard to get out the door with two kids early in the morning, or someone needs a little something to tide them over, and cereal often fits the bill.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have entered that single-minded madness I get pre-vacation where I am the victim of the battle between the Mr. Hyde part of me that goes, "Oh yes, yeeesss, we need these things on the packing list!" and the Dr. Jekyll part of me that goes, "Nooo, nooooo, we mustn't overpack!" So please tell me that I really don't need the following things, and maybe, just maybe, I will stop fixating on them!

1) A tray for carrying food back to my staterooms. I will be in a party of 5 with 3 adults and 2 kids. I envision that there will be times when someone has to fetch food and bring it back to our staterooms. (I've made the very cute drink carrier that I saw linked to in a post in this forum, so liquids are covered!) A tray can't hold 5 plates, I know, but it sure could help. Do any of the dining rooms provide trays we could use? Or is it better to bring my own because then I can keep it in my room and use it to get food wherever I want?

2) Our own cereal. My husband is quite particular about his cereal. He likes granola or muesli kinds of cereal. The closest Disney usually gets is Raisin Bran. Should I tell him to lump it and eat what's on the ship, or is it better to bring our own for those mornings we need a quick breakfast (e.g., before a port excursion that has an early meeting time)?

3) Our own cereal bowls. At WDW and DL, we either bring our own bowls or buy them in a gift store so we can eat in our hotel rooms. Is there any point to bringing them on the cruise? I could just order empty bowls from room service, maybe? Or should I just save myself the time waiting for them to be delivered and just have our own on hand?

Many thanks in advance for your advice! (And now, back to the voices in my head . . .)

1) You can pick up a tray in Cabanas, if you want one.
2) All sorts of cereal onboard, besides the "traditional" ones:


they have a "mix your own"


3) Again, you can get bowls in Cabanas, if you need them.

 

[KristiMc]

You can also order cereal through room service. You can put the tag on the door the night before and it will be delivered at the time you select in the morning.

 

[MissMet]

Our number one cruise essential is the McDonald's drink trays...so convenient! The rest is overkill, IMO.

 

[skiingwife]

I would say No to all 3. Relax, you'll be on vacation. Who wants to lug a tray around and wash out cereal bowls? And there is plenty of food for your husband to eat. Have a great time.

 

[LennyMachine]

Thanks to all for your advice, especially PrincessShmoo -- my husband's gonna love the "mix your own" granola bar (although truth be told, he'll be at the omelet station first, ha ha ha).

 

[squirk]

Yes, there is actual old-school muesli in Cabanas, too, usually in the pot next to the oatmeal.

I agree with everyone else. Relax. Don't worry about any of that stuff. Not once have I sailed with my family of five and ever thought "OH MY GOD!! WHY DIDN'T I BRING MY OWN DRINK HOLDERS AND TRAYS!?!?!?!?"

 

[LennyMachine]

I don't know, I'm the kind of person who *would* think that . . . But to each his own!

 

[tinkerone]

if you want bowls in your room 'just in case' you can pick up as many as you need in cabanas and take them back to your room, no need to pack them. you can also take cutlery if you wish. what ever is there you can take for your own personal use.
we to take the coffee trays that we get at quick services and coffee places. there cardboard, easily found and can be tossed after or passed on to someone else who may want it for the next part of their journey.

 

[LennyMachine]

Exactly what I needed to know. Thank you, tinkerone!

 

[MunFam]

We brought along our own drink holder (it was like the one posted here with the black red gold and white dots) and it was the BEST thing that happened to us! It was so handy to have and I used it to carry our sunscreen and drinks and sunglasses too when we did not want to take a whole beach bag. I had people stop me so many times to ask me where I got it. I will never travel to a resort or cruise again without my drink caddy.

The trays you can get anywhere and if you order a "to-go" meal from the sit down restaurant, one of the waiters will cover the plates and put it on a tray for you so no worries there. As far as the cereal goes. I wish we had packed some of our own. I am gluten free and planned on eating the Frosted Flakes but they were a whole grain variety. If you are a cereal nut, pack your own, if not, dont bother.

Bowls, as others have said are readily available...and if you do not want to wait for a room service delivery, you can go up to the deck and get paper cups and plastic spoons 24/7 from the drink/ice cream area (if the buffet is closed).

 

[LennyMachine]

Extremely helpful and reassuring! Thank you, MunFam!

 

[Ronald Wallace]

it will be delivered at the time you select in the morning.

 

[muse7mom]

We were never in the room enough to necessitate trays or the drink holders.

 

[MissMet]

Just an fyi... we rarely used the drink trays to bring drinks back to our room either...that was only when we would order late-night room service. However, we did use the drink trays when we were at the adult pool, we'd send one person for drinks rather than all of us. We'd send one person for drinks when we go see a movie in the theater or nighttime show. And if our seats at the buffet were far from the drink station, we'd send only one to go get soda, from the soda drink station, not the drink stations in the buffet. So it all depends on how many are in your group, how much you drink & what you'll be doing. We're going to be a party of 9, so it's a necessity for us.

I mean I'm talking the throw-away, cardboard drinks trays. Hardly a hardship to pack & when you're done with them you throw them away. If you're debating brining one, I would, since it's quite easy to pack. And I'm the type that thought packing the over-the-door shoe holder was a waste, the cloths pins, power strip........most things I see on DIS suggested to pack, IMO, is overkill, but the drink tray was the only thing that I really agree with. We're always asked where we got ours. I'm like you and that would drive me nuts to have not packed it and ending up seeing the value in it.

 

[LennyMachine]

We were never in the room enough to necessitate trays or the drink holders.

We have little ones, and my mother-in-law has some mobility issues due to a broken ankle and a torn rotator cuff, so we'll probably be in the room more than most. (I did want to say that I love your avatar; I'm a musical theatre nerd myself! So much so, that I actually have a performance with my musical theatre class tonight . . . )

I mean I'm talking the throw-away, cardboard drinks trays. Hardly a hardship to pack & when you're done with them you throw them away. If you're debating brining one, I would, since it's quite easy to pack. And I'm the type that thought packing the over-the-door shoe holder was a waste, the cloths pins, power strip........most things I see on DIS suggested to pack, IMO, is overkill, but the drink tray was the only thing that I really agree with. We're always asked where we got ours. I'm like you and that would drive me nuts to have not packed it and ending up seeing the value in it.

A very helpful viewpoint. Thank you, MissMet! I've got my little decorated drink carrier all ready to go (the same one mentioned by MunFam -- hey, I had to find some time to kill between 180 days for ADRs and 75 days for cruise reservations! ). I'm pretty certain my husband will be serving in the roles of domestiques (heh, a cycling reference for all you Tour de France fans -- they're the guys who go back to the team cars and collect water bottles and energy bars for the rest of the team), with two kids and the mother-in-law with aforementioned mobility issues, which is why I'm preoccupied with the issue of whether I need items to help with schlepping snacks and drinks for 5 people from Point A to Point B.

 

[kylaura]

Chick Fil A drink carrier works great, and it folds flat
They will give you a tray at Cabana's if you ask. I like them to carry my food to pool in one trip.

 

[TinkRose]

In Cabanas they have Kellogg's Low Fat Granola in the cereal boxes, Raisin Bran too. The hot Muesli is with mixed with yogurt and the make your own granola station is awesome.