What's your 'must pack' cruise tip?

[Ikaikalani]

We always bring a clear plastic, multiple shoe holder and hang it over the back of the bathroom door and fill it with our various sundries. It makes it really easy to see everything and get right to what you want. Anyone else have any must pack items that aren't part of the usual?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We always bring a clear plastic, multiple shoe holder and hang it over the back of the bathroom door and fill it with our various sundries. It makes it really easy to see everything and get right to what you want. Anyone else have any must pack items that aren't part of the usual?

Be aware over the door holders (ones that actually hook over or go over the top of the door) are prohibited on DCL. That said, some have started using the hooks in the room and in the bathroom to hang such holders.

 

[Sherrilatte]

Ziplock bags (assorted sizes) and one large plastic bag for dirty clothes so I shove them into the suitcase like magic!

 

[jrapps]

• Garbage bags for dirty clothes.
• A bottle of wine for the room (and corkscrew if it's not a twist off).
• Separate zip-locks to pack wet clothes.
• A multi-port USB charger (you can not bring extension cords).
• Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Goggles, and anything else you want for the beach!
• Cheap waterproof watch for Castaway (if you don't already have a waterproof smartwatch)
• Cheap sand toys - if you have little kids that like building sand castles like I do, we get a cheap kit at Walmart and just throw it away before coming home. Buying the sand toys on the island can be expensive, and hard to bring home
• An old hotel room key/credit card sized card for leaving in the room power switch (room only turns on if a room key is inserted but it can be any card)
• Don't forget a hat!
• Collapsible duffel that folds down to nothing...sometimes you have more stuff coming back than you board with and need extra luggage space going home
• A small phone-sized cross-body purse just for carting your phone around the ship...especially in Covid now that you need your phone for everything, makes it easier to carry around especially if wearing a dress with no pockets
• Cheap dollar-store light up toys for when your kids wants to buy the $25 light up toy they sell at night

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Sewing kit! ‘Stupid tax’ several cruises ago & somehow gets used every trip

 

[tinkerone]

• Garbage bags for dirty clothes.
• A bottle of wine for the room (and corkscrew if it's not a twist off).
• Separate zip-locks to pack wet clothes.
• A multi-port USB charger (you can not bring extension cords).
• Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Goggles, and anything else you want for the beach!
• Cheap waterproof watch for Castaway (if you don't already have a waterproof smartwatch)
• Cheap sand toys - if you have little kids that like building sand castles like I do, we get a cheap kit at Walmart and just throw it away before coming home. Buying the sand toys on the island can be expensive, and hard to bring home
• An old hotel room key/credit card sized card for leaving in the room power switch (room only turns on if a room key is inserted but it can be any card)
• Don't forget a hat!
• Collapsible duffel that folds down to nothing...sometimes you have more stuff coming back than you board with and need extra luggage space going home
• A small phone-sized cross-body purse just for carting your phone around the ship...especially in Covid now that you need your phone for everything, makes it easier to carry around especially if wearing a dress with no pockets
• Cheap dollar-store light up toys for when your kids wants to buy the $25 light up toy they sell at night

Just as an FYI you can call room service and they will bring you up a corkscrew. They will also provide you with wine glasses.

 

[HiStitch626]

Something like clothespins or binder clips for the curtains. The Caribbean sun is bright and that one little gap in the curtain will be the part that shines right in my eyes in the morning.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Soft sided hamper. Dirty clothes in, easy to haul to laundry. Folds right into suitcase. I like a tidy cabin

 

[Karin1984]

Something like clothespins or binder clips for the curtains. The Caribbean sun is bright and that one little gap in the curtain will be the part that shines right in my eyes in the morning.

A hack I picked up for this issue is to use a coathanger suitable to hang up pants.

Clothespins always come in handy, but in case you ever forget them, this is a trick that works. If you need more hangers, ask guest services.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

binoculars and Poo-Pourri

 

[DisneYE]

binoculars and Poo-Pourri

hahaha... we've been fans of poopurri since it became a thing 3-4 years ago... an essential item with the bathroom being so close to the bed, couch... it works like a charm too lol

 

[squirk]

My wife does most of the packing, so I don't really have a "must pack" list other than gadgets. Make sure you bring sufficent cables for your gadgets, and one or more approved charging devices to charge said gadgets. Especially nowadays, if the paper Navigators are gone, and who knows when they are coming back, if ever?

My better tip is a "must not pack" list, and that is clothes. You don't need nearly as many as you think.

Put as many clothes as you think you will need into your suitcase. then immediately take out 1/3 to 1/2 of those clothes and put them back into your dresser/closet/wardrobe.

When I first started cruising (we usually do 5+ day itineraries), every time I packed what I thought I would need, I always came back with 2-3 shirts and 2-3 pairs of shorts that I never put on once. Carry that across the other four people in my family, and that's a lot of unnecessary luggage.

 

[rhinodadz]

My better tip is a "must not pack" list, and that is clothes. You don't need nearly as many as you think.

Put as many clothes as you think you will need into your suitcase. then immediately take out 1/3 to 1/2 of those clothes and put them back into your dresser/closet/wardrobe.

1000% this! We live an hour from the port so it's very easy to overpack since we're not dealing with airline luggage limits.

 

[DisneyKrayzie2]

Um swimming trunks. I'm sitting in hotel before we embark and just noticed I didn't pack mine.

 

[mrp4352]

We always bring a hanging tree air freshener for the bathroom. And I second the multi-usb port charger!

 

[diznymom]

Glow sticks....fun and they are wonderful as night lights.
If doing laundry -- pop-up laundry hamper, laundry supplies (we don't use Tide products)
A pop-up toiletry caddy
Magnetic hooks to hang lanyards on
Foldable boxes for keeping the desk area neat. They fold down for packing, snap together to make the box.
1/2 the clothes we think we will wear
Extra swim suits
Clothes pins

 

[Girl of the South]

Agree about air freshener for the toilet half of the bathroom.

I have a very small USB fan that I bring for white noise.

And books. The Disney ships used to have a Library with books and board games. On the Magic a few years back there was a small 'lending library' in the coffee shop where people had left paperback books but I suspect that has been done away with. I remember around 7 or 8 books being sold in one of the gift shops. On a TransAtlantic cruise on the Magic I got through 6 books. Now I can't even read the menus!

I bought some Star Wars DROID stamps for postcards (to mail from MCO) since I am on a Star Wars at Sea cruise.

My HIdden Mickeys Go to Sea book.

And some chocolate. One little piece of Dove won't do it for me. Maybe some little Snickers Bars - the ones you hand out at Halloween?

 

[twincruisers]

Massage Gun. Get rid of those stress points from doing all those things you normally don't do...Bottom of the foot and neck are my favorite pressure points

 

[jmclester]

We always bring a clear plastic, multiple shoe holder and hang it over the back of the bathroom door and fill it with our various sundries. It makes it really easy to see everything and get right to what you want. Anyone else have any must pack items that aren't part of the usual?

I have read that the laundry rooms are not open on the Dream (at least on the first cruise). Does anyone know if travel irons are OK to take onboard?

 

[hrhdhd]

I have read that the laundry rooms are not open on the Dream (at least on the first cruise). Does anyone know if travel irons are OK to take onboard?

Travel irons aren't allowed on any cruise line.