Packing tips for cruise/Disney World combo trip

[smd8z]

Anyone done a cruise following a few days at Disney? It will be 6 of us traveling at the end of summer and I am looking for packing tips. Do you pack one suitcase for Disney and one for the cruise? I was thinking that way you can just put the Disney suitcase full of dirty clothes in the closet on the cruise and not deal with it?

 

[FigmentSpark]

I packed for both, but did laundry after one of our excursions. Not ideal, when on vacation, but it saved a suitcase and the extra airline fees.

If you have a car you're parking, you could also leave that extra suitcase in the trunk.

 

[Sunshine1629]

Packing cubes are great for multi-stop trips like this.

 

[smd8z]

We are flying and won’t have a car; Using disney bus to the resort, to the cruise and back to the airport. I might have to look into doing laundry on the cruise.

So what’s a packing cube? I need to look this up!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Anyone done a cruise following a few days at Disney? It will be 6 of us traveling at the end of summer and I am looking for packing tips. Do you pack one suitcase for Disney and one for the cruise? I was thinking that way you can just put the Disney suitcase full of dirty clothes in the closet on the cruise and not deal with it?

When we did our Dream/WDW/Fantasy B2B, we packed one bag with enough clothes for the Dream & WDW part (6 days). We then did laundry at the resort before going on the B2B. And we had another bag that we actually didn't open until we got onboard the Fantasy for the B2B. That worked for us.

Of course, there was only 2 of us.

 

[Sunshine1629]

So what’s a packing cube? I need to look this up!

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics...rd_wg=j4ROQ&psc=1&refRID=VNVM89EEXQKCQP7GWKTJ

We use these. Each family member has a set in a different color. On our upcoming trip we're going to Universal before the cruise, so we'll have everything for universal in one cube and cruise clothes in another. I find it helps keep me organized.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Following. Current plan is to fly to Orlando, 5ish days at WDW, then cruise. Or possibly cruise, wdw, then another cruise. We are trying to keep the cruise part a secret so that will add to our challenge.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I'm recommending these one:
https://www.amazon.com/Packing-Prem...&sr=8-1&keywords=Modase+Premium+Packing+Cubes

I like the sizes and they're a little heavier material than some of the other ones.

I also have and love these:
https://www.amazon.com/Gonex-Packing-Luggage-Organizers-Pouches/dp/B01N6KUBW1/ref=cts_ap_2_vtp

but they are more of a light wind breaker material, whereas the Modase are a heavier windbreaker material.

Both do a great job. I love this medium size, because I can pack my t-shirts like I would for the drawer and fit quite a few in them (11-14).

 

[phinz]

We pack two separate suitcases, and we also send laundry out on board.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

our travel style for our family of 4 is no checked bags. we each have a backpack and a carryon suitcase. we use packing cubes, and yes, we wear things more than once. We wear our biggest/heaviest pair of shoes on the plane, and pack 1-2 pairs. In November we did a week in DW and then a 7 night cruise. We bring a collapsible laundry bag, and we did laundry on the ship the first day so we would actually have clean clothes to wear on the cruise. On our last night we did laundry again so that we were coming home with clean clothes. The ship has so many machines, we can do multiple loads at once and get it over with in a short period of time insteas of doing one load at a time at home. it feels so good coming home with clean clothes, and have one less thing to do.

 

[starvenger]

We did this in Oct 2015, and packed based on the cruise. Since we were flying in from Toronto, we did have one (adults) or two (kids) sets of warmer clothes. We stayed offsite, and the place we were at had free laundry, so we did a round before going on the cruise. As it was a DCL cruise, we were able to do another round while on board. Not my most favourite use of time on a cruise ship, but it is what it is.

 

[smd8z]

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics...rd_wg=j4ROQ&psc=1&refRID=VNVM89EEXQKCQP7GWKTJ

We use these. Each family member has a set in a different color. On our upcoming trip we're going to Universal before the cruise, so we'll have everything for universal in one cube and cruise clothes in another. I find it helps keep me organized.

Brilliant! I like the color coding idea.

 

[smd8z]

our travel style for our family of 4 is no checked bags. we each have a backpack and a carryon suitcase. we use packing cubes, and yes, we wear things more than once. We wear our biggest/heaviest pair of shoes on the plane, and pack 1-2 pairs. In November we did a week in DW and then a 7 night cruise. We bring a collapsible laundry bag, and we did laundry on the ship the first day so we would actually have clean clothes to wear on the cruise. On our last night we did laundry again so that we were coming home with clean clothes. The ship has so many machines, we can do multiple loads at once and get it over with in a short period of time insteas of doing one load at a time at home. it feels so good coming home with clean clothes, and have one less thing to do.

I wish I could pull off no checked bags! But I’ll be flying solo with 4 kids (2 Under 6). I have a feeling I’d be carrying all the bags myself!

 

[dclpluto]

I get a 1 bedroom at wdw it comes with a washer and dryer.

 

[seacruise]

We've done this many times (parks both before and after cruises) and don't pack any differently. Pretty much need the same stuff for the cruise and WDW other than dress clothes. We just did 12 days w/ 7 days on the Wonder and 4 park days afterwards. We had 3 checked bags and everybody carries a backpack on the plane. Separate out dirty clothes into a plastic bag in the suitcase. We don't do laundry on cruises. We had laundry in our room at the resort, but didn't use it this time.

 

[Snowwhyt]

Anyone done a cruise following a few days at Disney? It will be 6 of us traveling at the end of summer and I am looking for packing tips. Do you pack one suitcase for Disney and one for the cruise? I was thinking that way you can just put the Disney suitcase full of dirty clothes in the closet on the cruise and not deal with it?

Ok here’s my unusual idea for packing. I have several things that I planned to throw away during the trip. I will bring my worst underwear, one bad/shot bra and 2 good bras. A few shirts with small unremoveable stains for WDW, best shirts for the cruise. Shorts that are faded so I stopped wearing them or were not my most attractive look. Better stuff for the cruise I bring back home. Stuff I wear to the park won’t make or break our family photos because our smiles and the background are the real shot, not that faint yellow that I got on my favorite white shirt and it didn’t show up in the photo anyway.
Here’s another idea have each kid bring a duffle bag/backpack with a few items that will be thrown away then they can carry their own souvenirs home.

 

[JoAnnPan]

My sister & I did a 7 night cruise and 8 days in WDW the following week. Once on board we sent certain clothes to be pressed; not a fan of ironing or doing laundry while on the cruise - have done it and not worth it - pressing charges are not crazy and save a lot of time and aggravation IMO. Agree with above posts about packing cubes - cannot travel with out them! We get ours from Ebags - makes organizing so easy - the night before leaving ship we put clothes that will not be worn on land portion in separate cubes; fancy sandals, dresses, pirate wear, etc. They will not need to be removed from the luggage once checked into resort - I do laundry the day we check in while I lay at the pool.

 

[ludari]

Twice I've done a month long land, WBTA and WDW trips with only a carry-on bag. The benefit of having just one bag outweigh the fact I have to do laundry a several times. I prefer the compression packing cubes over the standard packing cubes to yield more space. I also pack a small travel backpack for shore excursions but it can also be used if I make some purchases during my trip and the good thing is with only a carry-on bag this backpack is considered my personal bag when boarding flights. Included in my suitcase are a lot of wrinkle resistant pants/shirts.

 

[YawningDodo]

How I would do it depends on how long you're staying in WDW and how long the cruise is. If both are long (4 or more nights) I'd just pack as normal and unpack everything in both locations with the possible exception of dirty laundry. When I did a 2 night stay in WDW after my 5 night cruise, I unpacked everything on the ship, but then when I was repacking to go to WDW I put everything I would need in WDW right at the top of my bag so I could leave almost everything in my luggage. For a 2 or 3 night stay beforehand, I'd be inclined to pack whatever I needed for those couple of nights in packing cubes at the top of my bag and not get any of the other stuff out until I was on the ship.

 

[smd8z]

A HUGE Thank you to everyone who replied! Such great tips and advice! I ended up buying packing cubes from Ebags (different sizes and colors for each person). I also bought a collapsible laundry bin. We are staying 3 days in Disney followed by a 4 day cruise. I think the packing cubes will really help me stay organized. Thank you!