I distinctly remember my Mother packing for vacations when I was a child. I would sit in silence and awe as she completed the ritual of counting socks and “unmentionables” and it seemed no matter how overflowing the drawer was, leaving for vacation always required more undies and socks.
Disney Cruise Line
With a few cruises already under my belt it was my pleasure to torture my mother about packing for her first cruise. While she reverted to her systematic counting I was making a list of the things she’d soon learn she couldn’t live without.
So what’s on my list of random paraphernalia I can’t live without on cruises?
- Highlighters: a color of multipack highlighters will save your life. Ok, maybe it’s not quite that dramatic but I have a serious obsession with office supplies. Each night a Personal Navigator will be put under your stateroom door outlining the next days events. A colored highlighter will help you pick your “not to miss” events that you can highlight. Assign a color to each member of the family so everyone can easily mark their “must do’s”
- A large cup: The 24 hour complimentary beverage station is awesome but the 6oz cups…not so much. I’m usually finished with that cup of water before i’m down the stairs so now I throw a travel mug in my luggage to use at the beverage station that actually holds enough liquid for an average human being.
- Note: Be clean and don’t share your germs. Use a clean cup to fill your personal mug at the drink station, we don’t need the germs from your mouthpiece…thanks.
- Over the door shoe organizer: I cannot tell you how deeply my love of this fantastic invention is for everyday life, however for cruises they are invaluable as well. So, what would you need a shoe organizer for on a cruise? Basically anything and everything!
- Hang it from the bathroom door and use it to keep everyone’s toiletries nice and tidy. The individual slots make it easy to find hair brushes, tooth brushes, deodorant and all those little odds and ends you don’t want crowding the tiny shelf space in the bathrooms.
- Put your wave phone and stateroom keys in there while you’re in your room so remember to grab them on the way out the door. It’s also a great place to store those highlighters you brought, or to roll up extra copies of the daily Personal Navigator.
- You could actually use it for shoes too, but what fun would that be?
- A 2-pocket folder or a Ziploc bag to put your take home items in. If you scrapbook you’ll want to save the Personal Navigators and other paper items from your cruise. It helps to have one place to put everything to keep wrinkle free and ready to go.
- Magnets for the door: Nothing says home sweet home like customized magnets. You’ll find the majority of Disney cruisers doors decorated with various magnets they’ve made, bought or collected. Having magnets makes you feel at home and it also makes it easier to find your stateroom in the long corridors.
Now that you know what to pack to look like a pro, you should book like one too. Using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner will save you time and money. I’m here to answer all your questions, share tips and ticks and monitor your reservation for promotions. PixieMichele is offering onboard credits for Disney Cruise Line bookings based on your package price. Michele@PixieVacations.com for your free quote or more information.
- $1,000-$1,099 cruise cost=$25 on board credit
- $2,000-$2,999 cruise cost=$50 on board credit
- $3,000-$3,999 cruise cost=$75 on board credit
- $4,000-$4,999 cruise cost=$100 on board credit
- $5,000-$5,999 cruise cost=$150 on board credit
- $6,000-$6,999 cruise cost=$200 on board credit
- $7,000-$7,999 cruise cost=$250 on board credit
- $8,000-$8,999 cruise cost=$300 on board credit
- $9,000-$9,999 cruise cost=$350 on board credit
- $10,000-$10,999 cruise cost=$400 on board credit
