Packing for a regular cruise is one thing.
Packing for a Disney cruise apparently opens an entirely different section of the internet.
I’ve read the blogs. I’ve watched the videos. I’ve saved packing lists. I’ve seen magnetic hooks, themed outfits, cabin organizers, door decorations and enough “Disney Cruise must-haves” to fill another suitcase.
And honestly?
I got overwhelmed.
Everything I’ve read looks incredibly fun, but at this point in my life, I need our vacation to be fun and simple.
This is our first Disney cruise. We’re also not a die-hard Disney family.
The boys know Disney. They’ve watched the movies and recognize plenty of the characters, but they aren’t actively searching for Disney things or asking us to plan a theme-park vacation.
My sister and I actually liked the idea of introducing Disney to them gently.
We already know that we enjoy cruising, and right now a short cruise feels like a much easier introduction than several full days in a theme park. My nephew has been to Disneyland Paris before, which is smaller than the Florida parks, and even that was a very long and tiring day for him.
The theme parks can wait until they’re a little older.
For now, we’re trying Disney at sea.
And my packing strategy is following the same philosophy as the rest of this trip:
Bring what we actually need. Keep the extras intentional. Stop trying to prepare for every possible scenario.
Our One-Suitcase Plan
There are four of us traveling: my sister and me, plus our two boys.
It’s only a three-night cruise, so we’re attempting something I know won’t work for every family:
One large checked suitcase for all four people.
Each person will also carry one travel backpack.
No rolling carry-ons.
That’s simply our preference for this trip.
I don’t want us navigating the airport, Uber, hotel, cruise terminal and then the return trip with a pile of luggage.
Inside the suitcase, we’ll divide it straight down the middle.
One side is for one adult + one child.
The other side is for the other adult + child.
That makes it easier to unpack and keeps one person’s belongings from taking over the entire suitcase.
I’m also folding an empty duffel bag into the checked suitcase.
If we come home with souvenirs—and we’re going on a Disney cruise with two birthday boys, so I’m assuming we probably will—we’ll have an extra bag available without bringing an extra empty suitcase on the way down.
What Goes in the Boys’ Backpacks
The boys will each carry their own backpacks.
I’m keeping them lightweight and giving them the things they’ll actually use while traveling:
- Tablet
- Headphones
- Snacks
- One swimsuit
That’s enough.
I don’t want their personal items becoming another bag that the adults end up carrying.
Having a swimsuit in each backpack also means they can change and swim if our checked luggage doesn’t immediately make it to our stateroom.
What Goes in the Adults’ Backpacks
The adult backpacks are where the important things live.
We’ll have:
- Passports and travel documents
- Wallets
- Phones
- Kindles
- Headphones
- Portable chargers
- Medications
- Smaller first-aid kit
- Swimsuits
- Anything valuable that I don’t want inside checked luggage
The larger medicine bag can stay in the checked suitcase.
Our Family Medicine Bag
This is one category where I would rather have too much than discover I need something at 11 PM in the middle of the ocean.
Our medicine bag will include:
- Adult Tylenol
- Adult ibuprofen
- Children’s pain reliever
- Bonine
- Dramamine
- Motion-sickness patches/stickers
- Pepto or another upset-stomach option
- Lactaid for the adults
- Bandages
- Alcohol wipes
- Regular medications
We’ve cruised before, so this isn’t something I’m reinventing for Disney.
It’s one of those things we’ve learned works for our family.
Swimwear and Shoes
The boys will each have two swimsuits.
That way one can be drying while they wear the other.
Realistically, they may spend much more time in swimsuits than regular clothes anyway.
Each person will also have:
- Water shoes
- Flip-flops
- Sneakers
- One nicer pair of shoes for dinner
The sneakers will double as travel-day and port-day shoes.
I’m trying very hard not to pack footwear for imaginary situations.
Clothing for Three Nights
This is a short cruise.
I keep reminding myself of that.
We’re roughly planning one daytime outfit per day, although the boys will probably spend large parts of those days in swimwear.
For the evenings we’re thinking:
Night 1: casual
Night 2: comfortable Halloween costumes
Night 3: our dress-up dinner night
I’m purposely calling it our dress-up dinner, rather than treating it like some huge formal event. We just want one night where everyone looks a little nicer and we take some family pictures.
The boys also have matching Disney-themed shirts.
Part of that is because they’re cute.
Part of it is practical.
When we’re moving through a busy ship, having the boys in the same noticeable shirt makes them much easier to spot quickly.
They’ll have two sets of pajamas each, with one Halloween-themed set.
Their Halloween costumes are Power Rangers, which pack fairly easily and are something they already genuinely like.
I’m not trying to convince them to dress like characters they don’t care about simply because we’re on Disney.
Four Curly Heads, One Set of Hair Products
All four of us have curly hair.
There is absolutely no reason for us to bring four separate bottles of everything.
We’ll share:
- One gel
- One leave-in conditioner
- The basic hair tools we actually use
Add toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen and the normal toiletries, and that’s basically our bathroom plan.
Simple.
Our Reusable “Cruise Stuff” Packing Cube
One thing I do appreciate from all the cruise content online is finding products that actually solve a problem.
But instead of buying those products for every cruise, we’ve built a little collection over time.
We already own:
- Lanyards
- Magnetic hooks
- Wall adapters that meet cruise requirements
- Luggage-tag holders
- Waterproof phone cases
- Towel bands
Those live together inside one large packing cube.
When we cruise, I can basically grab the cube and throw it into the suitcase.
I don’t need to repurchase any of it.
What I’m NOT Buying
This is the part I’ve had to practice.
Before buying another cruise product, I’m asking:
What problem does this solve for our family?
If I have a clear answer, I’ll consider it.
If my only answer is:
I saw it in seven cruise videos.
It probably stays in my cart.
Ten $10 cruise essentials are still $100.
I’d rather put that money toward something the boys will actually remember.
Which is exactly what we did.
Our one big onboard splurge is the boys’ pirate makeover through Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique/Pirates League.
I’ll talk more about why we chose that in [LINK: How We’re Planning a Disney Cruise Without Overspending].
The Goal Isn’t Perfect Packing
I am absolutely going to forget something eventually.
That’s family travel.
But the goal isn’t to pack for every possibility.
It’s to get four people from Connecticut to Florida, onto the Disney Dream and back home again without feeling like we moved our entire house.
One checked suitcase.
Four backpacks.
One folded duffel for the way home.
And hopefully enough space left over for a couple of souvenirs.
Because this vacation is supposed to give us a break from managing everything.
I don’t want packing to become another full-time job before we even leave.
Continue Our First Disney Cruise Series
Next: How We’re Planning a Disney Cruise for a Family of 4 Without Overspending
And if you’re specifically packing for a fall sailing: What I’m Packing for Halloween on the High Seas
