This guide has everything you need to know about packing for your Disney Cruise vacation, including the all important question "what to wear on a Disney Cruise?"

You might be asking:
"What do I need to pack for a Disney Cruise?"
No sweat.
We got this.

There's a lot to think of when planning a Disney Cruise so I put together the most complete Disney Cruise Packing List anywhere to help you decide what to take with you.

Disney Cruise ships have dress codes. Here's what you need to know:

Dinner in the Main Dining Rooms
Most nights it is “cruise casual”. Jeans, pants, capris, dressy shorts and sundresses are acceptable. No tank tops or swimsuits.

I usually pack outfits that I would wear to a dinner out with friends --- something a little dressier than what I'd wear to the grocery store.

Adult Dining at Enchante, Palo, PALO Steakhouse and Remy (Specialty Restaurants)
Enchante, Palo Steakhouse, Palo & Remy are for adults only and have stricter dress codes to preserve their ambiance.

REMY
Remy offers brunch, dessert, and dinner reservations.

At dinner, this is the dress code:

• Men: Jacket (such as a sports, suit or tuxedo jacket) is required, with dress pants/slacks and shoes. Ties are optional. No jeans, shorts, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
• Ladies: Cocktail dress, evening dress, pant suit or skirt/blouse are required. No jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

During brunch and dessert, this is the dress code:

• Men: Jacket is optional but dress pants and a nice shirt are required. No jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
• Ladies: Dress or pantsuit is required. No jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

PALO

• Men: Jacket is optional but dress pants and a nice shirt are recommended. Jeans in good condition (no holes) are also okay. No shorts, hats, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.
• Ladies: Dress, skirt or pants are recommended. Jeans in good condition (no holes) are also okay. No shorts, hats, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

Here is the typical schedule of "Formal Nights" and "Pirate Nights" on most Disney Cruise sailings:

3-Night Cruises:

• One "Cruise Casual" night
• One Pirate Night
• One Formal Night (jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women)

4-Night Cruises:

• Two "Cruise Casual" Nights
• One Pirate Night
• One Formal Night (jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women)

7-Night Cruises:

• Four "Cruise Casual" Nights
• One Pirate Night (or other theme, such as Star Wars or Marvel)
• One Formal Night (jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women)
• One Semi-Formal night

Is It Required to Dress Up for Formal Night or Pirate Night?

No, both are optional. In my experience, however, most people do participate in some way! On Formal Night, some cruisers go all out and wear tuxedos and ball gowns. Others put on khakis and polo shirts. There are definitely those that don't, and that is totally fine.

If you just want something simple, try a bandana.

I definitely recommend joining in the fun!

When I’m on a tropical cruise, I pack the following for each day:

• Day Outfit: shorts and a t-shirt or a sundress.
• Pool Outfit: swimsuit with coverup
• Night Outfit: either nice jeans/blouse, a casual dress/sundress, or a pant jumpsuit - all with a sweater to keep me warm. (Of course if it’s a dress up night or formal night, I'll wear a pirate outfit or formal attire.)

I love cruises because you are always less than 5 minutes away from your stateroom. Because it’s so close, it’s easy to run back to your room for a quick change or refresh.

The trick is to not over-pack and still have plenty of options. This is where mix and matching comes in handy.

Example: You could wear your day sundress as a swim cover-up and then a day or two later wear that same sundress as a night outfit with a cute sweater.

I try NOT to do laundry when I’m on vacation. So...

I tend to wear a pair of shorts or a pair of jeans a couple of times during the week with different tops. Since I change often during the day (see above), I'm only wearing an outfit for 3-5 hours and not the whole day. You can get away with wearing them twice without washing in between. The same goes for tops too.

I pack 3 swimsuits so I can let my damp suits dry for a day. I was surprised how often I put on a swimsuit. A lot of excursions at tropical spots are water based and we often like to lay out by the pool, take a dip in the hot tub, or float down the Aquaduck.

I also like to bring several different swimsuit cover-ups (you know, just to mix things up).

If you're like me and you get cold easily, I can’t emphasize enough to pack a couple of sweaters or jackets.

Even my husband (who doesn’t tend to get cold) thinks it’s a bit chilly at night. I suggest taking a sweater with you once you get dressed up for dinner and keep it with you for the rest of the evening.

Shoes take up a lot of space, so minimize! Again, mix and matching is your friend.

You can change up your outfits with the type of shoes you wear with it. You could dress up your night sundress with a pair of heels instead of sandals or flip flops.

• Ladies: I suggest 1-2 pairs of dressy shoes, 1-2 pairs of sandals, a pair of flip flops, and a good pair of walking/tennis shoes.
• Men: I suggest packing 1 pair of dress shoes, 1 pair of flip flops, a pair of sneakers and/or comfy walking shoes.

Why I love it?
Everyone needs an accordion document organizer.

No more of this..."Which pocket did I put that in?"

Keep all of your important documents in one place. While on the trip, you'll always know where your passport, reservation numbers, and other travel papers are located. No more stress of digging through your suitcase, searching for a particular document.

Add your keepsakes such as nightly Navigators, Animators Palate drawings, etc in one folder without getting wrinkled or folded.

Why I love it?
If you have young kids you need this Disney Character Autograph Book!

Character Meet and Greets are such a fun part of your Disney Cruise. Goofy, Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Ariel, Belle, Elsa, Cinderella, Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain America, Captain Hook (that's a lot of Captains!), you name it! Your favorite Disney character will probably be on-board with you.

Take advantage of the chance to meet your favorite princess or hero while on the ship. Character lines are much shorter on DCL than in the parks.

Have an autograph book and sharpie for each child. Each Disney character has a distinct signature and having them sign your autograph makes such a fun keepsake from your Disney vacation.

Why I love it?
It's so relaxing to bask in the sun at the pool deck on a Day at Sea.

In my experience, however, it gets a little windy up there.

Throw a few of these towel clips into your beach bag and you'll easily secure your beach towel to your deck chair, no problem!

If you plan on spending any time in a beach chair, you'll be very glad you have these.

Why I love it?
You're going to need a beach-worthy tote bag to carry some sunscreen, sunglasses, bottle of water and maybe a magazine or two.

Material is premium leatherette with a top zip closure and inner zip pocket to keep the sand of Castaway Cay out of unwanted places.

Why I love it?

A Disney Cruise will most likely be one of the highlights of you life! Plan ahead to document all those wonderful memories.

My husband takes both his digital camera (Canon 60D) and a GoPro on our Disney Cruises. He uses the DSLR camera for more staged photo opportunities (like Formal Night family portraits).

Most of the time, however, he prefers to carry the GoPro with him because it is so much lighter, compact and more versatile.

It is easy to pack due to its size and weight. You can strap it to your head, chest or put on a selfie stick for live action video. The wide angle of the GoPro makes it great for family selfies.

If you're going underwater (swimming with sting rays, snorkeling, etc), a GoPro with the right accessories is the ideal choice.

All in all, I love the GoPro to help make the perfect Disney Cruise travel video.

Why I love it?

American Tourister meets Mickey Mouse!

If you're going to pack up the kids and get on a big floating shrine to Mickey Mouse, what better way to do it than with some Mickey Mouse luggage.

There are also some cute Minnie Mouse luggage options too!

PS - get more Disney luggage ideas here.

Why I love it?

This handy-dandy little gadget will charge up to three devices (in my case, my iPhone, my husband's iPhone, and one more iPhone). 

Not only does it charge them. It charges them FAST!

It’s best to travel with your US passport if you are leaving from a U.S. port and then returning to that same port.

You can use a birth certificate to board the ship, but if you have an emergency in a port of call in a different country (like the Bahamas, for example), you’ll need a passport to travel home. Obviously, this isn’t a likely scenario, but I like to carry my passport just in case.

Disney Cruise Line puts specific passport guidelines on their website for each sailing/destination. It’s always a good idea to read their advice.

Each guest is allowed two pieces of luggage plus one additional carry on (about the size of an airline carry-on).

The less bags the better, as you have to store your suitcases in your stateroom.

There is ample room beneath your bed for a reasonable number of suitcases, even the large size. Under the bed clearance is a little more than 13 inches. I have found that all of our luggage (4-5 big pieces) will fit comfortably under the bed.

You can stack suitcases inside each other if you have bigger and smaller luggage.

Thinking about saving some money on booze by bringing your own alcohol on the ship? Here I'll explain the basics, but I've made a full guide that can be found here.

Each guest 21 years or older can bring up to 2 bottles of wine/champagne (must be unopened) or six beers on board at the start of your sailing. The guest is able to bring the same amount on the ship at each port of call as well.

All alcoholic beverages must be carried-on, not stowed in checked luggage. Alcohol found in your checked bags will be removed and stored by the Disney Cruise Lines staff. Hard liquor and spirits aren’t allowed.

You can bring your own wine/champagne to the main dining rooms. The staff will charge a corking fee of $25 per bottle and will store it for you to drink each night at dinner.

It used to be that you could mail a package to yourself at Port Canaveral. Disney’s stewards would then deliver it to your stateroom. There used to be a limit of one mailed box per stateroom. Your package had to arrive 24 hours before your sail-away time.

Unfortunately, this service is no longer available.