I recently went on my very first Disney Cruise and it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. My husband and I did several cruises in the past, but this was our first cruise with kids and our first with Disney.

When we travel, I am usually the over prepared one. I guess that’s part of being a mom to a 7-year-old and 4-year-old. However, on this trip I felt slightly unprepared at times. So here’s my top 10 list of things to bring on a Disney Cruise!

#1 – Disney Cruise Line Navigator App

This is a MUST. Download the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App before you get on the ship. The app is an essential item and it outlines daily activity schedules, lists dinner menus, and allows you to message your friends and family members for free. If you don’t download the app prior to leaving, you will need to download it on the ship, which may require purchasing wifi to do so.

#2 – Magnetic hooks

A friend told me to bring magnetic hooks with me so that we could easily hang up our swimsuits by placing them on the bathroom doors. I purchased 6 and thought that would be more than enough. Well, these hooks were amazing and helped the 4 of us stay organized. We used them to not only to hang swimsuits, but to also hang baseball hats, purses, toiletry bags, etc. I could’ve easily taken 12!

#3 – Stainless steel tumbler with lid

There’s nothing I love more than a hot cup of coffee. Now picture carrying that hot cup of coffee in a small ceramic mug on a moving ship while small children are EVERYWHERE. Yep, I wish I brought my Yeti stainless steel mug with lid to fill up at the coffee counter. They do have disposal cups with lids in certain areas, but my tumbler would’ve also been helpful in the afternoon to keep my iced tea cold. Just pack a small container of dish soap so that you can wash it in your room.

#4 – Nightlight

Once you turn off the lights in your room at night, the room is pitch dark and my kids always need a light on in the middle of the night. We ended up leaving the bathroom light on, but those fluorescent lights are really bright even if you only open the bathroom door a crack. Next time I will definitely pack a small nightlight.

#5 – Lanyards

Yes, everyone really does wear lanyards around their neck with their room key in it the entire time. And it is normal. On the cruise you really don’t need to carry anything – except your room key. So keeping it in a lanyard is really convenient and it would’ve prevented me from constantly trying to figure out where my room key was. Once you get back to your room, hang it up on one of the magnetic hooks you brought.

#6 – Downloaded tv shows / movies or books

Every night before bed I typically spend time on my phone or watching tv. In our cabin this wasn’t possible because we didn’t purchase the extra wifi and having the tv on would’ve woke up my kids up. Therefore, I wish I downloaded a few movies or shows ahead of time to watch at night with my headphones on or brought a book.

#7 – Warm clothes for dinner and evening activities

Because our cruise was in the Caribbean, I packed lots of sleeveless dresses for dinner. I didn’t take into account that we would spend most of our evenings inside in air conditioning. So after dinner I was constantly running back to my room to change into jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt. Next time I plan on taking more cardigans, pants, or other items I can use for layering.

#8 – Collapsible bag for beach towels

Disney provides beach towels to use on the islands free of charge, but they give them to you right before you get off the ship. I brought a grocery style bag that was collapsible and at every port I would pull it out and stuff it with beach towels. It was nice for us to have a separate bag for beach towels so that my backpack didn’t get filled with sand everyday.

#9 – Small cooler bag

Unfortunately, both my kids got sick a few days prior to the cruise and we had to bring their antibiotics with us in a small cooler bag. We were so glad we brought it though because we could put water bottles in it to take to ports or in the afternoon to take beer from our fridge to the pool. And yes, you can purchase beer in the ports and bring it on the ship (one 6 pack per adult).

#10 – Autograph books and large pens

I knew we would meet a lot of characters on the ship, but I never thought about getting their autographs! Luckily, my kids had extra notebooks that they were able to use, but next time I will make sure we have cool autograph books with us. Also, make sure you bring a thicker pen if possible and that it is ready. It will make things easier for Mickey and Minnie to sign.

Cheers to all things travel!