Disney Cruise Packing List

Looking for a complete Disney Cruise Packing List?  This guide covers everything you'll need and not need, what to wear, and the Pirate Night essentials you'll need to pack for your Disney Cruise!

Are you planning a Disney Cruise? Check out my Honest Disney Cruise Review & Tips,  Top 20 Photos from my Disney Cruise Part 1 and Part 2, which includes all our family character meet and greets.

Disney Cruise Packing List

Look no further for the perfect Disney Cruise packing list.  Packing for a cruise on Disney Cruise Line, especially if you've never been on one can feel a bit daunting, but let me take the guesswork out of it for you.  From travel essentials, documents you need, what to wear for dinners, fun extras for the room, plus everything you need for a pirate night this list has everything you do and don't need to pack for a Disney Cruise.  Before we dive into the full checklist, here are a few things to thing about before you start packing.

Pro Tips for Disney Cruise Packing:

• Don't Overpack: The staterooms are smaller than standard hotel rooms.  While there is space to put stuff, there is only so much room.  Be mindful of what you bring because there is only so much that can fit into your room.
• Bring Large Bags: If possible, pack in large, sturdy pieces of luggage.  The fewer number of overall bags you have the easier your check-in and check-out process will be.  Don't bring soft duffle bags because they are checked and transported in a similar way to checked airline luggage and will get a little beat up.
• Carry-On Bag: Have at least one small carry-on luggage that you carry with you on board.  Make sure that the bag has whatever you need to get you through dinner that evening, including swimwear.  I would also include your prescription medicine, chargers, and anything you need to get by.
• Matching T-Shirts: Consider matching or coordinating outfits or shirts! So many families go the extra mile with clothes on a Disney Cruise.  It's fun to get t-shirts made ahead of time, and pretty affordable.  We got these made for our entire extended family and they were a hit!  Many wear them on embarkation day.
• Disney Gear: The same goes with special Disney gear including Mickey ears and Disney-inspired clothes.  You can get Mickey ears on Amazon for SO much less than buying them on the boat.  Plus you have more color options and can wear them when you arrive.  There are also lots of little girls running around in Disney Princess dresses and full costumes.  There are a lot of mega Disney fans on a cruise and you will not feel out of place.

Disney Packing List Check List

Travel Essentials

• Passport - Since many Disney cruises go to other countries, you'll need one for everyone in your family, including kids.  Check and make sure your passport is not expiring within 6 months of you leaving the country, or you will need to renew it before you leave.  In some situations, you might need a child's birth certificate, so make sure to check on that before you leave and pack them.
• Drivers License
• Health Insurance Cards 
• Official Cruise Documents, Arrival Forms & Luggage Tags
• Travel Insurance Documents - Make sure you have access to your travel insurance either by printing it out or keeping it on your phone just in case.
• Credit Card - You'll be asked to add one to your account when checking in online, but it's always good t have the actual card as backup.  I like to bring a second one just in case too.
• Cash - A small amount of cash is helpful for tipping the workers who take your luggage to the ship, extra tips for room service, or if you are buying souvenirs in markets on the islands.
• Cell Phone
• Computer or iPad - It's useful to have at least one device or electronics to stay in touch with the world, check your flights when leaving, etc.
• Disney Magic Bands and Chargers

Clothes & Personal Items

• Nice Dinner Outfit for Each Night - The dress code is called "cruise casual" and for the main restaurant is very loose on the attire.  You honestly saw some guests in shorts and t-shirts and others dressed up.  We dressed well, but not too fancy.  For the boys, we wore shorts short-sleeve shirts, and polo shirts each night.  I wore nicer long sundresses.  You can see an example of what we wore to dinner below.  There are a handful of adult-only restaurants like Remy or Palo that require dress pants for men and dress shoes, so plan accordingly if you are booking one of those.  Disney cruises do not have a formal night, but some people do dress up for the nicer restaurants like 1923.  You'll need one dinner outfit for each evening of your cruise minus what you are wearing for pirate night.
• Pirate Night Clothes: Bring your pirate-themed outfit or accessories with you because there aren't a lot of options to buy on the boat.  See below for my list of pirate night essentials.
• Casual Clothes - For the days around the ship we wore casual clothes like simple dresses, t-shirts, and shorts.  I coordinated my boy's outfits with the characters we were going to meet.  I did find w wore these clothes more than the swimsuits.  I wore casual clothes around the ship a lot more than I expected because you didn't want to walk around in your swimsuit other than the swim deck.
• Swimsuits - Bring as many as you have because it takes forever for them to dry out in the tropical climate.  There is a clothesline in the shower, but they will not dry overnight.  I'd recommend bringing a rashguard to block the sun for kids.  Here's one for girls and one for boys.
• Swim Cover-Ups - For women, it's helpful to have a nice swimsuit cover-up that looks like a dress, so you can get from the stateroom to the pool area while looking nice.  Try this one or this one.
• Swim Suit Wraps - I also like having a wrap to easily throw around my swimsuit, without having to put on the entire cover-up.  This one is cute.
• Pajamas and Lounge Clothes - Whatever you like to use for pajamas, sleeping, and lounging.  There are robes in the rooms.
• Light Jacket or Sweater - It has been very warm on our trips, but occasionally a sweater is nice at night or if you do something indoors.  I find myself cool at dinner and inside.
• Rain Jacket - You might need one in the rainy season.
• Baseball Hat or Sun Hat- A good baseball hat sun hat is necessary when out on the deck.  Here's a cute one.  Use this clip to carry it with you on the plane.
• Comfortable Beach - Pool Flip Flops or Sandals- The cruise ship has a lot of walking, so you might want to upgrade your standard plastic flip-flops if you have any trouble with your feet.  I swear by these!
• Nicer Dinner Shoes - You'll need a nicer pair of shoes to wear with your dinner outfits.  Try to find something in a neutral tone that matches everything.
• Walking Shoes or Sneakers- If you have trouble with your feet, consider packing a pair of real walking shoes.
• Sunglasses
• Outfit for Family Photos - They have photo stations in the evening on the ship, so you can easily take a family photo.  Pack a coordinating outfit for your family for the best result.  It's kind of a pain to do, but is worth it!

Toiletries & Medicine

• Personal Toiletries - They do have shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, and lotion in the rooms.  You'll probably need shaving cream, a razor, a deodorant, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and your brush or comb.
• Sunscreen - Bring a lot of sun protection!  The sun is intense and you will go through a lot, especially if you plan to spend time at the pools or Castaway Cay.  If you will be snorkeling at the coral reef, consider bringing reef-safe sunscreen.
• Aloe Gel - Just in case you get burnt.
• First Aid Kit - Especially since having two accident-prone kids, I always travel with a first aid kit. I like this one.  It's a great size for packing and has so much in it.
• Prescription Medicines
• Medications - Pack any medicines you might need during the trip including ibuprofen or Tylenol for yourself and the kids.  When traveling, I also like to have a bag of emergency medicine including cold medicine, stomach medicine, and Benadryl just in case.  I'm sure you can get these things on the boat but they are probably pretty expensive.  Someone always seems to get sick in our family when we travel, so I just keep a bag of this kind of stuff in our travel bags. 🙂
• Motion Sickness Medicine - Bring over-the-counter and/or prescription motion sickness medicine for kids and adults just in case.  Sea bands can also be helpful.

Other Useful Items

• Hand Wipes or Hand Sanitizer - You are around a lot of people, so this never hurts.
• Dry Bags - I like these waterproof dry bags that you can carry wet swimsuits around without getting your bag wet.  They are great to take the Castaway Cay.
• Trash Bags - Bring anything that's still wet home in your suitcase.  Stuff doesn't dry very quickly there. It also can be useful to bring your laundry home.
• Ziplock Bags - Come in handy for packing up things when you are leaving, especially for wet things.
• Clips - There is a clothesline in the shower to dry swimsuits.  It helps to have some clothespins so you can hang more on it and they dry more easily.
• Magnetic Hooks - The walls and doors in the cruise ship cabin are magnetic.  Magnetic clips can be used to hang stuff.  These are super strong and we used them to hang my bags and purses, instead of it all collecting on the floor.
• Shoe Hanger: We also used heavy-duty magnetic clips to hang an over-the-door shoe organizer to get the shoes off the floor.
• Shout Wipes - I like to travel with shout wipes to keep the kid's clothes from staining. I've found if you wait to treat them until you get home, it doesn't come out.  I also travel with a few extra laundry detergent pods just in case.  I don't like to plan to do laundry on vacation but with kids, you really never know if you will need to. There are nice laundry rooms on the ship. 🙂
• Luggage Hand Scale - Useful for weighing your bags if you happen to be flying home so you don't get charged extra.  I like this one.
• Beach Bag
• Extra Tote Bag - Having an extra non-sandy tote bag can come in handy for taking stuff to dinner or activities.  You don't need a wallet, so it doesn't need to be big.
• Refillable Water Bottle - If you really like to have more water with you, you can bring a refillable water bottle to use at the water and soda stations.
• USB Charger Cube - If your family has a lot of devices to charge, a USB Charger cube can come in handy because there aren't a ton of plugs.
• Camera - If you are a photographer, you might want to consider bringing your camera rather than just using your phone.  Also if you snorkel or dive, consider bringing your underwater camera.
• Waterproof Phone Case - This is handy to keep water or just sand out of your phone.  I love this one.
• Sand Toys - These collapsable sand toys are perfect if you have the space.
• Sand Trucks - If your kids love trucks as much as I do, we don't travel to the beach without these.  They do take up a little space but are light to pack.
• Kids Snacks - There is so much food, BUT it's nice to have some of your kid's favorite snacks in the room for bedtime or before dinner.  They don't have things like goldfish or granola bars around.
• Activities for Kids at Dinner - We like Play Packs, sticker books, these little grid blocks, and Wiki Sticks,  They don't have anything like crayons to hand out to the kids at the restaurants.
• Few Small Toys or Books - Depending on your kid's age and temper, it might be helpful to bring a few small toys or books for them to use in the room during any downtime you have.
• Beer & Wine - Disney allows you to pack a 6 pack of beer or 2 bottles of wine per person.  You will need to carry any alcohol on and not check them.

Disney Magic Extras:

• Door Magnets - Many cruisers get magnets for the outside of the door to personalize their stateroom door.  You can make your own or find some online.  Here, here, or here are cute ones.
• Matching T-Shirts - Lots of families purchase personalized matching t-shirts.  You can have them made inexpensively online here.
• Autograph Books - Bring your Disney autograph books for the kids.  They will have the chance to get all sorts of fun signatures.
• Fish Extenders -  Fish Extenders or FE are small gifts that are exchanged between passengers.  You can hang or make a fish extender bag outside your door and trade gifts with other passengers.  There are Facebook groups to join to officially sign up for it.
• Disney Pins - If you are a Disney pin fan, you can do pin trading with them on the ship like at the parks.
• Mickey Ears & Disney Gear - I love these Mickey ears and Disney-inspired clothes to dress the part for your entire cruise.
• Magic Bands - You can purchase or use Disney Magic Bands+ that you have on the cruise to open your door and pay for extras.  We bought them and enjoyed using them.  If you don't have them, I'd consider buying a lanyard to keep your Key to the World Card handy and with you.  These Mickey Cruise-themed ones are pretty adorable!

Pirate Night Essentials:

• Pirate Outfits: Pirate night is more fun if you dress up! Here you'll find outfits for the whole family - Kids Pirate Outfit, Men's Pirate Outfit, Women's Pirate Outfit.
• Pirate Accessories: You can also skip the whole outfit and do fun pirate accessories like an eye patch, sword, and hat.
• Pirate T-Shirt: You can also skip the entire outfit, and go for a fun pirate-themed t-shirt.

Baby & Toddler Items

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Baby Sunscreen
• Extra Clothes - There is no laundry in the room, so I'd bring lots of extra clothes for a baby.
• Travel Stroller - The year we went when the boys were younger we bought this small double travel stroller.  It was great in the airport and also for going to dinner because there is a lot of walking at the resort and they got tired.  Older kids will be fine, but I'd consider bringing something for younger kids to ride in.  Check with your airlines on what you are allowed to bring with you.

Do Not Bring

• Beach Towels
• Life Jackets - They have life jackets in the watersports area. I'd bring just a puddle jumper instead.
• Floats: Floats, rafts, and noodles are not allowed on the ship.
• Pack & Play or Kid Bumpers: Disney provides cribs and bumpers for the kid's beds.  Just click the box that you need when purchasing the cruise.
• Snorkeling Gear - They have snorkeling gear including fins and masks to borrow.
• Power Strips - Bring a USB charger port instead.  Power strips are not allowed.
• Uncomfortable Shoes - There is a lot of walking!
• Anything Too Fancy
• Anything Too Valuable
• Your Entire Wallet - Don't bring your entire wallet.  Select what you need to travel and leave the rest at home.

Disney Cruise Packing List

This Disney Cruise Packing List covers it all from essentials to fun extras that make the trip a bit more magical.  Regardless of what you bring though, I'm sure you will have magical time on Disney Cruise Ships.

Make sure to remember to leave some extra room in your bag for souvenirs too!  And before you finish planning your trip make sure to check out my Disney Cruise guide from my Disney Cruise below.

• Honest Disney Cruise Review & Tips
• Top 20 Photos from my Disney Cruise Part 1
• Disney Cruise Favorite Moments Part 2

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