Revisiting Disney Cruise Packing List

First, I want to say I can't even believe I have taken so long to come back and thoroughly talk about our cruise.  I said that in my last post too.  The only excuse I have is that talking about it makes me want to be on the next cruise out and that is clearly NOT possible.  So today I decided that since I have so many of my clients going on a Disney Cruise in 2018, that I should suck it up and get back to helping you plan your cruise.  

This post will be specific to what I packed based on recommendations and why I was happy to have it and what I really didn't need.  This is specific to my family of THREE and your needs most certainly will not be the same as mine.

​Look back at my previous post to see my detailed list of what I took with us.

Happy I had:

1. Bathing suits- several for each person, though I did NOT need them in my carry-on as we did not care to join the crowds by the pool on our arrival day.  In fact, we almost missed the sail away party because we were busy checking out our room and the ship.  
2. Pretty much everything on my carry-on list from the previous post was necessary since we arrived a day early, and I didn't want to risk the airline loosing our stuff, BUT since we stayed in a hotel upon arriving in Florida a day early, it wasn't necessary to have it separated the day we left for the ship.  In fact, we checked almost everything except a backpack with Rx and cameras and such, and had it put on the ship when we checked in at Disney transportation at the Orlando airport.
3. Downy Wrinkle Release--YES!!  Buy it, bring it, use it.  Fabulous.
4. Motion sickness meds:  I get car sick, daughter gets car sick, so we loaded up on motion meds.  Facts:  Daughter didn't take ANY meds at all, except for one morning she was sick for about 2 hours, but we chalked that up to eating greasy food for breakfast, then running up and down the stairs looking for a charm she lost (long story, don't ask). As for me, I was paranoid.  Seriously had anxiety about getting seasick, even while waiting in the port to board the ship, I felt nauseous.  LOL. So, I used the patch behind my ear.  The first day was WINDY and fairly choppy and I was certainly glad I had the patch.  By the 3rd day, my vision was messing with me.  I heard the patch could cause blurred vision and it must have.  I needed my old lady readers at dinner to see the menu and that got old.  Decided I'd rather be sick than blind, so the day we were in port in St. Thomas, I took the patch off, took a Dramamine (we were going snorkeling and I knew we'd be out on the ocean in a little boat and thought it wise to still take some sort of med) and I was 100% fine.  Never put the patch back on.  Never took or needed any other motion medication for the last 4 days on the ship.  My vision didn't improve until we returned home.  Still glad to have the patch the first days, but think I will only use it if necessary from now on.  Truth be told, I actually LOVED the calming slight rocking motion I felt at night while in bed.  I told my husband that I'm gonna need a waterbed with a wave machine to sleep as good as I did on the ship.  I miss that.
5. Sweater!!  Lord have mercy, I froze in the dining rooms.  Honestly, I considered buying a blanket and bringing it with me.  In fact, one night at dinner I told our servers I was freezing and they asked me what color blanket I wanted, white or red.  I chose red.  Never mind that it turned out to be a tablecloth, I had something to put around me because my sweater wasn't cutting it.  
6. Quarters/Pennies -- Yes, do it.  Pressed penny machine in port BEFORE you board the ship.  Can't do it upon departure.
7. Door magnets- I'll be honest, I liked ours (only 2), but I kept it simple.  Some people go NUTS.  I mean NUTS!!  Like in you can barely see the door for all the magnets and such hanging all over them.  That's not my thing, but to each their own.  Also important to note, my mother's hallway seemed more humid than ours (Deck 10 forward, starboard) and she had issues with her magnets peeling up and not sticking, so we had to add extra magnet tape, which I was smart enough to also bring.
8. Old gift card to stick in light slot in room--yes, nice to have.  I had a little clip magnet that I attached to it and bc the wall above where you put the card is metal, I could slide the card up to turn off, then down to turn on, without having to get our my room key (card).
9. Underwater camera--YES!  Buy one, especially if you plan to snorkel or scuba.
10. Lanyard-Disney does not provide one for 1st cruise.  Buy one.  Here's why...the card they give you upon checking in is the key to your room, your payment method, your get on/off the ship 'ticket', and when you lose it, it is a problem. I didn't have a lanyard for myself and kept putting it in my crossover bag with my camera.  Well, in taking the camera in and out, I must have dropped the card.  I had no idea where, on the ship somewhere, but mercy, I was everywhere and the ship is HUGE!!  So I had to get a new one, no big deal, but it was certainly annoying.  After I got the new one, I took my daughter's lanyard I had gotten for her and put both our cards in it.  She didn't really need hers as we didn't let her check herself in and out of the kid's clubs, which is also the other place you need your card, if you want to drop your kid off and/or want your kid back.  I will have a lanyard from this point forward.
11. Garbage Bags/zippy bags-- YES!!  some people bring collapsable hampers, garbage bags work just as well.  We had 2 full of dirties.  I emptied our suitcase of any remaining clean clothes and smashed the garbage bags into them.  Was nice to have all the dirties in one place once we got home.  Zippy bags were also helpful in stealing, um, recycling all the bath products Disney graciously gives you.  I also had a folder for all our boarding info., and used that to collect all the daily Navigators that they put in our room each day.  
12. Clothes pins- Very nice to hang wet stuff in bathrooms to dry.
13. Inflatable pool ring-- bought 2 at dollar store. Daughter and new friend used at Castaway Cay.  We could have left them there, but it was easy enough to deflate them and I put them in one of those extra gallon zippy bags I brought to bring home.
14. Glow sticks--eh, used them on Pirate Night.  Daughter gave some out to littles on deck for 'pixie dust'.  Not really necessary, but she enjoyed making some littles happy.
15. Snacks-- YES- packaged sealed snack items were good to have.  No child is ever not hungry. (That includes your man-child)
16. Essential oils--YES!!  I used them like I do at home.  Can't imagine going anywhere without them.  (lavender, peppermint, tummygize, breath again, pan away -specifically were used)
17. ​Sunscreen--Yes obviously.

Didn't need

1. Lice cream-- never bought it.  Daughter got a little bite of some sort while snorkeling that stung for a bit, but it only affected her for a short time and when we returned to the boat I put lavender essential oil on her and it was 100% fine.

If I think of anything else, I'll come back and add to this list.  If YOU have questions or have items you always bring on a cruise, PLEASE comment below.  I'd love to get ideas and share ideas with my readers, all 5 of you.  :)