Disney Cruise packing list: What to bring and what to leave at home

A Disney cruise is all but guaranteed to be an amazing, relaxing and downright fun vacation, but knowing what to pack for a vacation on Disney Cruise Line can be overwhelming, especially if this is your first cruise.

With seven Disney cruises under my family's sea legs to destinations ranging from the sunny Bahamas to chilly Alaska, I now consider myself a Disney packing expert. Here is a tried-and-true Disney cruise packing list to take you from the beach to glaciers and back again.

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It's always a good idea to have a passport when you cruise, even if it isn't required. You never know if there will be an unexpected situation or emergency causing you to debark your ship early and fly home from a foreign country.

But it's not always feasible for everyone in your travel party to have a passport. The good news is there are lots of Disney cruises that do not require you to pack a passport.

For example, round-trip sailings from Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston, San Diego, San Juan, New Orleans and New York require only an original state-issued birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Kids 15 and under do not need a government-issued ID.

However, if you are sailing from Vancouver to Alaska, you will need a passport if you are 16 or older. Those under 16 can do that sailing with a state-issued birth certificate, which works for land and sea crossings, but everyone who arrives in Canada by air from the U.S. would need a passport.

Pro tip: Don't put passports in your checked bags! You must show them in the cruise terminal when you check in for your sailing, so put them in your embarkation day backpack.

Be sure to pack any other documents you might need to show your identity, citizenship and ability to cruise:

Pack your luggage tags when you travel to the port and attach them to the luggage that the crew will deliver to your cabin.

Related: These are the documents you need for a cruise

Don't stress about what you're going to wear on a Disney cruise. In most areas of the ship, casual, comfortable clothes are always appropriate.

How long your cruise is, where it is going and what you are doing will dictate what you need to pack per person. Here are some suggestions on wardrobe items to pack for your Disney cruise.

If sailing to Alaska:

Related: 10 things to know about sailing on a Disney Alaska cruise

If on a seven-day or longer sailing:

Related: What to pack for a cruise

Your Disney Cruise will likely have a themed night, though the theme will depend on where you're sailing.

Mexico and Caribbean cruises most reliably have pirate night, which is the most common theme on a Disney sailing. However, Alaska sailings often have a Frozen-themed evening instead. Many cruisers dress up for these events.

Most Disney Cruises have a pirate-themed evening where everyone, even the characters, dresses up in pirate attire. The crew may lay out pirate bandanas in your stateroom for you to wear, but you should bring your own pirate gear from home. It's a bunch of fun to lean into the theme — and it's much cheaper to bring from home than buy onboard.

If you're sailing to Alaska, you'll get a "Frozen"-themed night instead. Pack your Elsa dress, Nordic-looking sweater or Sven the reindeer outfit and join in the fun.

There's never not an appropriate time to dress in your princess best on a Disney cruise. You can buy princess dresses for your kids at the Bibbity Boppity Boutique, but you'll save some cash by bringing one from home.

The BBB package that includes the dress, backpack and makeup is about $200. If you bring your own dress, the hair-and-makeup-only package comes with a T-shirt and costs half that amount. I'm partial to the non-itchy dresses from Little Dress Up Shop if you want something both washable and wearable.

Either way, when you're in that magical age range, there's nothing like meeting your favorite princess onboard while being dressed in your own royal ballgown.

Related: Best Disney Cruise tips and tricks

If you're sailing on one of Disney's Marvel, Pixar or other themed cruises, you may want to pack costumes or outfits to represent your favorite superheroes or movie characters. Halloween costumes are a must on Halloween on the High Seas cruises, and holiday apparel won't go amiss on Very Merrytime cruises around the holidays.

While the ships are working on transitioning to a DisneyBand+ system, most still give passengers a keycard to use as a room key and onboard charge card. Though it isn't the most stylish look, wearing your keycard around your neck via a lanyard is a functional solution to keep your card handy (and keep your kids from losing theirs), so pack a lanyard to hold your key card if it's your first Disney Cruise.

If you are a returning cruiser with Silver, Gold, Platinum or Pearl status in the Disney Castaway Club program, a free lanyard should await you in your cabin. It will be themed to your level in the Castaway program.

Regular self-pour coffee and soda are free on a Disney Cruise — but only up on the pool deck and in the buffet area. Unless you like going up and down the stairs frequently to grab the small paper cups, pack a coffee mug with a lid or other container to hold the coffee or soda you want.

Refillable water bottle stations are available around the ship, so pack a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated for free.

You'll need to pay extra for soda in cans and plastic water bottles (unless you are staying in the concierge level and getting them for free from the concierge fridge). So you'll save money if you bring your own containers and refill from the dispensers.

Related: 11 ways to save money on a Disney cruise

You're going to be using your phone a ton on your Disney cruise, whether to find activities or message your sailing party in the Disney cruise app or to take plenty of pictures. Batteries can drain quickly — especially on port days.

Pack a portable charger or power bank, so you don't run out of battery juice while you're on the go.

Cruise cabins are small. If you are traveling with a family, every nook and cranny can fill up quickly. Take advantage of the ship's metal frame by packing magnetic hooks that you can attach to your cabin's walls and doors. They create the perfect spots to hang your keycards, hats, light jackets, bags and/or swimsuits.

Amazon sells some affordable magnetic hooks.

For your port excursion days, long afternoons on the pool deck, and for your embarkation and debarkation days, you'll want a good backpack or large crossbody bag to keep the things you need handy.

Related: These are our favorite travel backpacks

You will most likely hand your larger suitcases to the porters at the pier when you arrive, and they won't arrive in your cabin until mid-afternoon. Therefore, you'll want to pack anything you need to check in for your cruise or your first afternoon on board in the backpack you keep with you.

Some of those items include:

Related: Items you should always pack in your cruise carry-on bag

Pro tip: One of the best times to swim without crowds or use the waterslides without waiting is shortly after boarding. Don't be shy about popping into that swimsuit in a restroom (or wearing it under the clothes you board in) and taking a ride on the slide before half the ship has had time to embark. If you are one of the first to board, the pool deck attractions may not be open yet, but usually by noon or 1 p.m., you should be good to go.

If you walk the halls of a Disney cruise ship, you'll see decorations on many doors. Usually, these decorations consist of magnets, some personalized to the guests in the cabin or the cruise itself.

It's not only fun to have a decorated door, but it can also help your kids (and you!) easily spot your door while you're still getting used to the ship.

You can buy personalized items on Etsy or even find some Disney cruise accessories on Amazon. Just order with enough buffer to allow time for personalization.

Ignore this part if this is your first Disney cruise or you're already overwhelmed with the packing and planning. We've sailed seven times with Disney and only done this once.

But if you want to go all-in on the Disney Cruise Line experience, you can join an informal group on Facebook whose participants exchange gifts throughout the cruise. Just search for your ship name and sailing date in Facebook to find your group.

To join the fun, you must pack a "fish extender," a pouch you hang from the fish-shaped mail holder above your cabin door. With enough advance time, you can order a personalized fish extender on Etsy or just get a basic one on Amazon.

Even if you don't join a gift-exchange group, you might want to hang up a fish extender anyway. Sometimes other cruisers will surprise cabins with small gifts like stickers and candies. Or you can delight your own kids with unexpected gifts you place into the pouches yourself.

If all of that sounds like too much, but you'd like to exchange a bit of Disney magic, some cruisers put up pin trading boards on their cabin doors. You can pick up pins on ShopDisney or Amazon before your sailing and then make pin trades as you walk the halls.

If you are 21 or older, you can bring up to two bottles of unopened wine or Champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or six beers (no larger than 12 ounces each) at the beginning of the sailing and at each port of call. The catch is you must carry these on board yourself and cannot put them into your checked bags.

If you want to stock your stateroom minifridge with Gatorade, bottles of water or cans of soda, you can bring those on board, too. They must be unopened, and, as with the wine, you have to carry them on yourself, so the only real restriction is your ability to carry the drinks yourself.

You can also bring nonperishable snack foods in original factory-sealed packaging if you want specific snack items. If you have a baby who needs special foods or formula, bring that along, too. If you don't want to lug a bunch of jars, you can request fresh, pureed vegetables in the main dining rooms and via room service.

Related: Things you can't bring onboard a cruise

You'll likely want some cash on hand for tips for excursion tour guides, your room host, the crew delivering room service and baggage handlers at the pier. While U.S. dollars are generally welcome as tips in ports such as Nassau and Mexico, you'll want local currency for tips and purchases in places like Europe.

In most cases, the purchases you make on the ship will be charged to the credit card you have on file. Maximize your spend by bringing one of the best credit cards for cruises, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which will award 3 points per dollar for travel charges. For onshore purchases in the ports, you'll want to pack a credit card that charges no foreign transaction fees.

The Disney Visa is another popular credit card to consider if you are sailing with Disney Cruise Line.

Related: Is the Disney Visa worth it?

If you want to pay for some — or all — of your onboard purchases, tips added to your account, etc., with discounted Disney gift cards, be sure to pack those along for your trip. You can apply those to your account at the guest services desk.

It's hard to resist the urge to overpack, but there are only a few must-pack essentials for a Disney cruise — or any other cruise for that matter. Pack comfortable clothes and shoes, something to swim in, and necessary identification and funds, and the rest is just gravy. You can always wash clothes on board — or even visit a shop on board or in port for forgotten essentials.

But, if you want to be as prepared as possible, this Disney cruise packing list should set you up for a magical cruise.

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