Disney cruise checklist: Five items we were glad we had (and five we didn’t need)

Five things we didn’t need:

Snacks. Or any additional food at all! I’d read recommendations to bring snack foods and bottled water, but we didn’t need either one. The water at the refill stations was just fine, and as for snacks, my kids were wide-eyed at the food on-hand at any given moment during the cruise. If yours get hungry before dinner, order a fruit or cheese plate from room service (no charge), and if they need a pre-bedtime snack, there’s always ‘quick service’ options on Deck 11 or again, the trusty room service. Bring snacks for your travel days to and from the ship only!

Mickey Bar on Disney Fantasy

Dressy clothes. I know some cruisers like dressing up for the dinner meal, but if you’re not one of them, don’t worry: only ‘cruising casual’ is expected. There are no formal nights on Disney ships. We brought collared short-sleeved shirts for our boys, and were glad to have them, but could have skipped packing slacks and khaki pants: they wore their ‘nice shorts’ instead and looked just fine.

Cell phone. If you need to have it pre and post-cruise (as I did), be sure to turn it off (or put it in airplane mode) once you leave land while on the Disney Dream or Disney Magic. Internet connection is spotty (though available if needed), and who wants to rack up international roaming rates, anyway?

Cash or wallet for anything other than tips. I never needed my purse the whole cruise, and ended up packing it away. All you’ll need day-to-day is your Key to the World card and a camera!

Fantasy Donald Pool

iPods or gaming devices. Trust me, the kids won’t ask for them, which is certainly refreshing! My kids brought iPods for the plane ride and Disney Cruise bus ride, but after that, we turned them off and stowed them.

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what we needed on a Disney cruise

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