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Important Things to Pack for Your Disney Cruise – Packing List [Printable]

We just returned from our family’s very first Disney Cruise! We’ve cruised before so in terms of packing, we had a bit of an idea of what to pack. But for a Disney cruise, there are some extra items to include along with the basics. I decided that every great Disney vacation needs a cute printable, so I made a Disney Cruise packing list. (Find the list at the end of this post)

Disney cruise packing list plus tips and secrets to planning what to pack to make the most of your family cruise.
I’ve made this cute Disney cruise packing list for your Disney cruise. © Kimberly Tate

I wanted to go through each of the sections on this Disney cruise packing list to help make sure you know exactly what to pack. Affiliate links are included in this post meaning I might receive a commission if you make a purchase.

Clothes to Pack on Your Disney Cruise

This section is pretty straightforward. You obviously need clothes to wear while on your cruise! Most of these are tailored for a warm-weather cruise. If you’re heading on to a cold-weather destination, be sure to pack what you need to stay warm.

Disney Cruise Lines has a cruise casual policy which means you don’t need to worry about packing too many formal clothes. T-shirts and shorts are perfectly acceptable for the main dining rooms. You are not allowed to wear tank tops or swimsuits in the restaurants.

There might be a reason for you to pack formal clothes, pictures. Our own family has had family portraits taken while on our cruise. They’re often a great opportunity to capture a formal family photo for remembering your family in a moment of time. If you do want to get family portraits, I recommend putting a little advance thought into your clothes. Try to coordinate the outfit colors and perhaps avoid strong print fabrics.

You also should be sure to pack a swimsuit or two as well as a cover-up to wear off-ship if you’re planning for a beach day. We have the girls pack two swimsuits in case they don’t want to put on a wet swimsuit for a second round of swimming.

Another good thing to pack is a jacket or sweatshirt and pair of pants. The windy evenings on the cruise deck can feel cool.

Disney Extras to Add to Your Cruise Packing List

Here is a whole section dedicated to packing for a Disney cruise. One of the popular activities for families aboard most Disney cruises is their Pirate Night party. Some families go all out with full costumes and even custom t-shirts. Other families enjoy the party with nothing more than the pirate bandana Disney provides for all guests. You can keep it simple and pack clothes that are white, black, and red.

Check out these Pirate Costume items on Amazon.

You can order Custom Disney Pirate Shirts on Etsy. Here are a few samples of Disney shirts.

If you’re heading to Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, you might want to pack for running (Etsy has some fun Castaway Cay 5k shirts). Our family took part in the Disney Castaway Cay 5k, a free running event that occurs on the morning of the Castaway Cay port day. It’s a flat and paved 5k (3.16 miles) run.

family castaway cay 5k Disney Cruise
Our family loved running the Castaway Cay 5k. © Kimberly Tate / Stuffed Suitcase

If you have young kids, or just love autographs, make sure to bring an autograph book along on your cruise. There are quite a few character meet ‘n greet opportunities, so the book will help you capture their autographs and you can add a photo too for kids to relive the experience.

There are a few opportunities to trade pins while sailing aboard your Disney cruise, so be sure to pack your traders.

Another popular thing that families do on a Disney cruise is to decorate their doors with custom magnets. Some are as simple as fun characters printed on paper and a magnet stuck to the back of the paper. Others are more elaborate and created to fit around the Disney porthole door shape. Disney cruise door magnets are another item you can find on Etsy.

The final Disney extra to pack for your cruise has to do with the popular Fish Extender activity. Families join a Facebook group and partner up to leave little gifts for each other while on the cruise. Note, this isn’t a sponsored or licensed Disney activity, just something that has “caught on” with cruisers. Plan to pack your fish extender door hanger as well as your gifts.

Accessories to Pack for Your Disney Cruise

Shoes are a must for any vacation. I recommend a good pair of walking shoes for exploring your ports of call. These can work for running the Castaway Cay 5k too if you’re planning to do that as well. In addition to your walking/running shoes you need to pack a good pair of sandals or flip flops. You might even pack both if you have a great pair of walking sandals you plan to wear at the ports of call. Flip flops are great for the beach and for the pool deck onboard the ship.

You also want to pack a good pair of sunglasses and even a sun hat if you’re heading to a sunny destination and plan for relaxing in the sun rays. Don’t forget to pack your toiletries bag and makeup if you use it.

When we cruise we always pack a day bag for taking ashore in the ports. It’s great for bringing along your sunscreen, medicines, as well as your cash and credit cards. You can also pack a phone and camera.

Disney Cruise Packing List Extras

My post The Extras to Add to Your Family Cruise Packing List already has the majority of the items I recommend you add to your cruise packing list. I need to update the list to add a couple of other things. I loved having these magnetic hooks on our recent cruise.

use magnetic hooks on metal cruise doors for hanging bags
Magnetic hooks are great for using on cruises! © Stuffed Suitcase

We used it to hang our over-the-door shoe organizer and for hanging my daughter’s EpiPen bag. Also, pack some clothespins, the cruise cabins have a laundry line in the shower, but clothespins can help you hang your swimsuits on the line.

over the door shoe organizer cruise tip by Stuffed Suitcase
One of my best cruise tips for families is to pack an over the door shoe organizer to help store everyone’s little items. © Stuffed Suitcase

Be sure to pack your passports (or birth certificates for kids) for your cruise. You’ll also want to check-in for your Disney cruise online before leaving and bring your paperwork with you.

Medicine to Pack for Your Cruise

My last section can help you if you get sick while on your cruise, and keep you comfortable as well. Of course, don’t forget to bring all your prescription medications on your cruise. You might also want to pack headache/fever meds, stomach or antacid relief, and some allergy medicine. Bandaids might be a good idea, too.

If you’re like me you might already know that you get seasick and will have a prescription to help. However, I also recommend packing motion sickness medicine even if you don’t know if you’ll get seasick. You never know if one of your kids will get seasick or if you’ll suddenly experience rough seas and need the medicine. I’ve heard bad stories about rough seas causing the infirmary aboard to run out of motion sickness medicine.

I’ve added sunscreen to this section of your Disney cruise packing list and I recommend you pack plenty of it. No one wants to spend their vacation with a painful sunburn. Pack some chapstick with sunscreen in it as well. And go ahead and pack some after-sun gel/cream in case someone does get a burn.

The last thing that really needs to be a high priority is to pack hand sanitizer and wipes. Cruise ships are prime spots for catching illnesses due to the close quarters that everyone is sharing. Of course, hand washing is best, but using sanitizer often during the cruise can be helpful. Most of the dining rooms have a sanitizer station dispenser at the door, so be sure to use it before and after eating.

Get Your Printable Disney Cruise Packing List Delivered to Your Email:

Hopefully, this packing list will help you when planning for your Disney cruise! Don’t hesitate to comment if I missed something you always bring along on your cruise.

RELATED POSTS: Cruise Packing List Checklist, The Extras to Add to Your Family Cruise Packing List, Tips for First-Timers, and Are Disney Cruises Worth It?

disney cruise packing list printable
What to pack for a Disney cruise – checklist printable. © Kimberly Tate / Stuffed Suitcase

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Angie Dadfar

Saturday 20th of January 2024

You mention the magnetic hooks. Are there metal furnishings that it will stick on? Also, do over the door hooks fit over the doors? Thank you.

Kim Tate

Monday 22nd of January 2024

Hi Angie, the walls and doors actually are magnetic. So we just use the hooks to hang the over the door hanger on the wall with the hooks. Many cruise lines do not want you to use the door hangers since they can scratch the doors, so we've never used the metal over the door hooks on any of the doors. We have used it in the closet before but it was very awkward and hung too low.

Janice Blaine

Wednesday 7th of December 2022

Disney Cruise Packing list please

Kim

Wednesday 14th of December 2022

Hi Janice, you should have received the printable after inputting your email into the sign-up box. Did that work for you?

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Carolina

Thursday 14th of April 2022

Excelent tips for the trip. Thks