Cruise Packing Plan & List

Preparing for Travel

1-2 Weeks in Advance

  • Put your hands on your Passports, insurance cards, and travel documents! Double check your Passport is valid for at least 6 months. If your Passport expires within 90 days of your return date you will not be permitted to sail!

  • If traveling with children but without both parents/legal guardians, a notarized permission to travel document signed by the absent parent will be needed. If you are flying internationally to embark your cruise you will absolutely need this to prove you have permission to take the child(ren) out of the country.

  • Retrieve luggage from storage.

  • If driving, service your vehicle and finalize route 1-2 weeks in advance. If you plan to split your day into 2 days I do recommend reserving a hotel room in advance as well.

  • Refill any medications.

  • Make a grocery list or an order for your return - you will thank yourself for this!

  • Plan outfits for themed evenings like Pirate Night, Halloween, Christmas, Star Wars, Marvel, etc. (more on this below).

  • You should receive your luggage tags from Disney Cruise Line in the mail around this time. Keep those in a safe place until it is time to go.

  • Make a grocery list or order for your return - you will thank yourself for this!

  • Check with your phone provider about adding a CRUISE plan - not an international plan! International phone plans do not cover you when you are at-sea. You can also plan on purchasing the wi-fi onboard if you need access to texting, email, and internet.

  • If we have not set up a pre-arrival hotel or airport transfers this needs to be done now.

    1-3 Days in Advance

  • Place your Disney Cruise Line luggage tags on any bags you plan to have delivered to your room. Whatever you plan to carry until your stateroom is ready does not need a luggage tag.

  • Put all of your travel documents together, including Passports and a copy of your QR codes from online check-in. Tip: If you want to use your QR codes digitally instead of printing that is totally fine! I like to take screenshots and save them to my phone's Photos so I can quickly retrieve them.

    Departure Day

  • Be sure to stay hydrated! I always drink more water 1 day before I fly. Avoid too much caffeine today.

  • Do not put medications in your checked luggage.

  • Tip: Did you know a CPAP machine, medical equipment, and a baby bag do not count as your carry-on? You can bring these items AND a carry-on bag onto your flight.

  • Gather snacks & travel entertainment/activities for kids. Download movies on your devices for travel days.

  • Keep all electronic chargers in your carry-on.

Packing for Your Disney Cruise

There are four components to consider when preparing for your cruise: 

  1. Embarkation Bag

  2. Luggage

  3. Pirate/Speciality Themed Nights

  4. Castaway Cay/excursions

Embarkation Bag

  • Your luggage will be collected by Porters before you enter the building to check-in for your cruise, then delivered to your stateroom. This means you will need to keep any items with you that you may want or need while you wait for your stateroom to be ready. Similarly, whatever you do not want to carry while you wait should go with your stateroom luggage.

  • Your embarkation bag needs to be small enough to go through the security belt at arrival. You will be walking a lot, so backpacks, tote bags, cross-body bags, etc. are all good options. I do not recommend bringing any rolling luggage, even if it is small.

  • Recommended items to keep with you: medications, sunscreen, swim suit if you want to swim or ride the Aqua Duck/Mouse after boarding, cameras, water bottle.

  • Did you know the stateroom doors are magnetic? Many people bring magnets to decorate their door! People get real creative with this, and there are Etsy shops that specialize in Disney Cruise door magnets!

  • Tip: You are allowed to bring 2 bottles of unopened wine OR a 6 pack of beer, per adult 21+, onto the ship with you. However, alcohol MUST go through security, therefore carried onboard and cannot be packed in your luggage. So, ask yourself whether you are willing to carry around your alcohol for about 2 hours before you can drop if off in your stateroom!

Carry-On Packing

What is a carry-on? A piece of luggage that is small enough to fit in the overhead bins on the airplane. A personal item is small enough to fit under the seat in front of you, such as a purse or small backpack. Most airlines allow you to bring a carry-on and personal item onto the plane. Unsure about how much you can bring? Bag sizes? Find your airline below for baggage rules:

Packing List

Clothing based on a 4-night cruise. Always check the weather forecast before packing - do not assume you know the weather! The list below is for a traveler using a carry-on only.

If you are sailing longer than 4-nights consider packing light and washing clothes while onboard, especially if you are sailing during cooler months/Alaska/Europe and traveling with bulkier clothes. A huge perk of cruising is the ability to do laundry!

  • 1 pair comfortable walking shoes. You'll be surprised how much walking you do!

  • 1 pair of fancier shoes for nighttime/dinner

  • Flip flops or sandals. Even in cooler months I like having shoes I can slip on so I can quickly walk up to the buffets, grab a coffee, etc.

  • 1 set of pajamas

  • Socks & underwear

  • Sunglasses & sunhat to wear on deck and during excursions.

  • 2 pairs of shorts or skorts

  • 1-2 pair of jeans or long pants

  • 2-3 tops/blouses

  • 1 set of pajamas

  • Socks & underwear

  • 1 light sweater or cardigan, even in warmer months. It can get cold on deck at night!

  • Pirate night costume

  • Guests tend to change clothes and look nice for dinner. Disney Cruise Line has no official formal night, so you can leave the long ball gowns and tuxedos at home. Generally you will either see people dressed in semi-formal, resort casual, or costumes in the evening. So, two outfits per day is pretty standard.

  • Palo, Remy, and Enchante are the only 18+ restaurants on Disney Cruise Line. They have a semi-formal dress code. I usually wear a nice dress and dressy sandals or heels. Men are not required to wear jackets, but many do.

  • Swimsuits & cover-ups. Flip flops for the pool.

  • Each Disney hotel has an iron & ironing board in room.

Toiletries & Medical

  • To save space I use Disney’s body wash, shampoo, & conditioner provided in the staterooms.

  • Hair brush

  • Toothbrush, toothpaste

  • Contacts, glasses, contact solution

  • Sunscreen

  • Over the counter medications such as antacids, pain relievers, motion sickness tablets, band aid, etc.

  • Razor

  • Feminine products

  • Deodorant

  • Nail clippers & tweezers

  • Lip balm/chap stick with spf

  • Each Disney hotel has a hair dryer in room.

    Don’t Forget These:

    • Portable phone charger - you'll be on your phone a lot! Tip: Put your phone on low battery mode each morning to conserve power!

    • Refillable water bottle

    • Cash in small bills to tip your drivers, Porters, excursion guides, etc.

    • Chapstick

    • Hand sanitizer/wet wipes

    • Wet bag for swimsuits

Packing for Pirate/Themed Evenings

  • Each cruise will have a Pirate Night. People really get into this - not just the kids! Bring a pirate costume to wear at dinner and that night's show. It's always so much fun to see an entire family with their pirate hats, eye patches, hooks, etc. 

  • It's common for children to wear favorite Disney costumes in the evening to dinner, especially if you are on a themed cruise such as Halloween, Christmas, Star Wars, Marvel, or Toy Story.

Castaway Cay/Excursions 

  • Disney provides towels on Castaway Cay, no need to bring your own.

  • The walk from the ship to the beaches is full-sun. An umbrella to shield yourself or a sunhat really helps!

  • Beach toys are available for purchase on the island, or you can bring your own.

  • Rash guards and sun hats are great if you plan to spend a lot of time in the sun.

  • The food and drinks on Castaway Cay are included with your cruise. I like bringing a water bottle with me on the island to stay hydrated.

Items Prohibited Onboard

  • Weapons or toys that look like a weapon (exceptions are Disney-themed toys like plastic lightsabers, plastic pirate swords, plastic versions of Thor's hammer, etc.)

  • Diving equipment 

  • Knives, including pocket knives

  • Agricultural items, including flowers

  • Pool noodles, boogie boards, surfboards, wave boards

  • Candles and incense

  • Appliances including coffee makers, microwaves, rice cookers, diffusers, blenders, and bottle warmers (if you are in need of a bottle warmer you can request one).

  • Metal detectors

  • Your own streaming devices

  • Illegal drugs (all medications should be in their original casing)

  • Drones and remote control airplanes​​​​

Departure Day

  • Keep your key card with you - you will need to scan it to get off the ship.

  • You will need to show your Passport to re-enter the United States at disembarkation.

  • Do not put medications in your checked luggage.

  • TSA tip: Did you know a CPAP machine, medical equipment, and a baby bag do not count as your carry-on? You can bring these items AND a carry-on bag onto your flight.

  • Download shows/movies onto your device for travel. Gather snacks & travel entertainment for the kids.