Aren’t quite sure what to pack for a Disney Cruise with a baby? Don’t forget these 23 important items you’ll need to have with you on your cruise!
Babies (specifically those under 1) need a LOT of stuff. When it comes to packing for vacation, you probably have to pack everything but the kitchen sink (or at least that’s what it feels like!). I don’t know about you, but we usually end up forgetting something very important and have to stop at the store several times during our trip. But during a Disney cruise? There won’t be an option to go to the store (except for what’s aboard the ship of course). When I pack for a Disney cruise with a baby, I make sure I comb over my list about 100 times.
When our daughter was 7 months old, we took her on her very first Disney cruise. We had SO much fun! I wanted to be sure to packed as light as possible while also making sure we had all of the necessities. Disney allows you to have up to two checked bags per person as well as a carry on, so you’ve got plenty of room for everything you need. If you’re worried about how you’re going to fit everything you need for baby in two suitcases, let me give you some tips :
- Invest in good luggage. My husband and I bought all new luggage for our trip because all we had were cheap Walmart suitcases that didn’t really fit much of our stuff. We found some American Tourister Minnie Mouse suitcases for me and our daughter on a really good sale – and we LOVE them! I don’t even know how I lived without this suitcase before. You can place your things in both sides of the suitcase, and it has a zip up pouch in the middle so you can close one side off as well as add toiletries to your suitcase. I highly recommend it!
- Line your suitcase with diapers and wipes. This is a great space saving hack that really helped us on our cruise. Instead of packing unopened and bulky diaper packs, save space by taking them out of the packaging and lining them along the sides and middle of your suitcase in between clothes.
- Pack daily necessities in your day bag. I probably went overboard doing this, but I was terrified our luggage would be severely delayed getting to us and we wouldn’t have something that we needed for our daughter. I packed everything we would need over night (a pair of pajamas, sheets, a couple bottles, some formula and baby food, etc) just in case a freak accident happened with our luggage, and I highly recommend you do the same. If you aren’t sure what all you need to pack in your day bag, check out this post where you’ll find a list of everything we recommend for the average person!
I know you’re so excited for your cruise and are ready to get packing, so lets get to the list of necessities you’ll need to pack for a Disney cruise with a baby!
23 Important Things to Pack for a Disney Cruise with a Baby
1. More outfits than you think you’ll need
Babies have a lot of accidents (as I’m sure you know if you’ve been a parent for any amount of time). I always pack more outfits than I think we will need – just in case the unexpected blowout or spit-up happens. I have a general rule when it comes to how many outfits to pack for baby on vacation: pack at the very least 3 outfits per day. There are laundry facilities available onboard that you can use for free (except it will cost you for the detergent, but more on that later), but who wants to be doing a bunch of laundry on vacation? Save yourself the hassle and pack a few more outfits than you think you’ll need, just to be on the safe side.
Also, make sure you pack baby some nice outfits that they can wear to dinner and on formal night. You can get as fancy as you want with this. It will make for some adorable photos if they are all dressed up! DCL even offers photos on formal night so you can get that long awaited family photo.
2. Bathing suits
While it is true that kids who are not potty trained are not allowed in the pools on board, they can take advantage of Nemo’s Reef. This is a splash pad just for kids who are still in swim diapers. Our daughter LOVED this splash pad! We spent a good chunk of our cruise here because she loved it so much. You’ll definitely want to make sure you pack your baby a swimsuit so they can play!
3. Sunscreen and bug spray
There are definitely lots of shaded places onboard, but it’s always a good idea to bring sunscreen for baby for when you’re out on the deck or on an excursion. We also highly recommend bringing bug spray for when you’re off on excursions. You might find yourself in a climate with unfamiliar bugs and you don’t want baby to get bitten. We use Babyganics brand and love it! It works well and is safe to use on baby.
4. A sunhat
Our daughters sunhat was a lifesaver when we were out by the pool or on the beach at Castaway Cay by keeping her head and face from getting burnt. She had some hair at that time but not enough to fully cover. We found some really cute hats at Carters for a great price!
5. Diapers, swim diapers, and wipes
I packed about 10 diapers per day and 3 packs of wipes (we went on a 7 night cruise). Disney does sell them at the stores onboard but they are very expensive and they may or may not have the kind you like/need. We also brought about 3 swim diapers per day.
6. Necessary medicines (even ones you haven’t used in a while)
I know it sounds crazy to bring medicines that you haven’t used in a while, but trust me on this. For example, I wrestled with whether or not to bring gas drops for our daughter because she hadn’t used them in months. But I was SO glad I did because she ended up getting an upset tummy from something she ate and really needed them. It saved me money because I didn’t have to buy it from the onboard store and it kept me from having a fussy baby.
7. Bottles and formula or breastfeeding supplies
Disney offers complimentary bottle warmers, but they are limited. So if you will need a bottle warmer during your trip, be sure to request one at guest services as soon as you board.
8. Baby food, spoons, and bowls
Get the pouches of baby food if you can – it will save you a ton of room in your suitcase! I recommend having spoons and bowls for when you’re on excursions in port. Make sure to buy cheap ones so it won’t matter if they get misplaced!
9. Bottle washing supplies
If you bottle feed, make sure to bring soap and a bottle brush to wash bottles with! We put our soap in a travel size shampoo bottle.
10. Laundry detergent
Like I said before, there are laundry facilities on board that are free to use, but detergent is not free. If you can only use a specific kind of detergent for your baby’s clothes, I recommend bringing some detergent in a travel size shampoo bottle just in case you need to do some laundry while you are there.
11. Pirate night costume
Pirate night is SO much fun! If you are on an itinerary that has this, make sure to pack a costume for every member of the family. We made it easy on ourselves and got customized shirts for everyone to wear. Comfy and easy!
12. Use a backpack instead of a traditional diaper bag
This definitely varies by person and preference, but my husband and I decided to use a backpack for our daughters diaper bag and we loved it! It was super easy to carry around the ship/in port and it fit under our stroller a lot better than a traditional bulky bag.
13. Sheets for pack n play, wash cloths, and towels
This also varies by person and preference, but I chose to bring some extra sheets, washcloths, and towels for baby on our cruise. DCL provides sheets for the pack n play (as well as the pack n play itself in case you were wondering), so if you don’t mind baby using them, great! I wanted to bring our own sheets from home so our daughter would have a familiar smell to sleep on. I thought it might help her sleep better, and I believe it did! We use baby washcloths and hooded towels at home to make bath time easier so I wanted to bring those as well.
14. Body wash/shampoo for bath time
15. Blow up baby bathtub
This is a little unusual but I promise you will want to have one. If your baby isn’t quite sitting up yet, bath time can be a bit of a challenge in a full-size tub. I knew our daughter wasn’t quite stable enough for sitting up yet so I went on Amazon and bought one similar to this blow up bathtub and it worked great! It was easy to blow up and pack away in our stateroom as well. I highly recommend it.
16. Sound machine, nightlight, and baby monitor
Even if your baby is not used to sleeping with a sound machine, I definitely suggest getting one. The staterooms can get super quiet at night and every little noise you make could possibly wake baby up. If you bring a sound machine, I definitely recommend getting one with a night light built in as well, as the staterooms can get very dark at night.
If you have a verandah room, I also recommend having a baby monitor with you that works without wifi. That way, you can sit out on your verandah once baby goes to sleep and still keep an eye on him/her. My husband and I couldn’t have done without our verandah, it was great getting to have some “us” time while the baby was sleeping.
17. Toys, books, and/or stuffed animals
These are great to have during shows, dinner, etc when there isn’t much for them to do!
18. Baby carrier or wrap
This was a lifesaver for our excursions when we couldn’t have our stroller in specific places. I recommend having one that’s breathable and light for both you and baby because those things can be very hot if they are too tight or too big.
19. Small (but comfortable) stroller
One of the most important things to pack for a Disney Cruise with a baby is a stroller. DCL offer strollers for free, but they are limited. If you choose to bring your own stroller, make sure that it is small when folded so it will fit in your stateroom (as the doors are not very wide). We brought our big stroller and it barely fit in our room even when it was folded. I wish we would have taken a smaller, more manageable stroller. But we took our big one because it was the most comfortable for our daughter. Which brings me to my next point.
Make sure that whatever stroller you bring is comfortable enough for your baby to rest and sleep in. We did not want to have to go back to our stateroom for every single nap our daughter took (she was taking 2 naps a day at this point). We also wanted to make sure she could nap well on port days when we were away from the ship. For this reason, I’m glad we took our big stroller because she would nap in it all day long.
20. Antibacterial wipes and/or hand sanitizer
These really come in handy when you’re in port and aren’t near a bathroom where you can wash your hands. They also are really great for sanitizing your hands after changing a diaper.
21. Pacifiers
If your little one takes a pacifier, bring 2 or 3 extra packs just in case as they can get lost very easily in the stateroom.
22. Lightweight blankets and a jacket
Even if you are going on your cruise during the summer, be sure to take a few blankets and a jacket with you. The breeze at night can get chilly, as well as the restaurants and theaters onboard.
23. Changing pad
I never leave home without our diaper changing pad. You never know when you’re going to need it! We love this one from Walmart.
