Cruise vacations are my very favorite type of vacation. Our family has cruised exclusively on Disney Cruise Line and find it more relaxing than any other type of vacation we take. I am the family planner, so I love the fact that once I am onboard, the planning has been done and the thinking is truly taken out of the process. It is then that I can truly relax, not having to think about much more than which character we most want to meet on any given day.
But, secretly (well, okay, my husband would say I make no secret of this), I really l o v e the preparations leading up to a cruise. Not only is it just a fun topic to think about in the months leading up to a cruise, I find that being well prepared ahead of time leads to an even greater sense of relaxation onboard. Some of these items I found as a result of combing many must haves and packing lists. Others I came up with on my own as I figured out how to adapt the stateroom space for maximum convenience and comfort. Having these items along makes for smooth sailing… see what I did there?
Author’s Notes:
- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- The best place to check for allowable items before your cruise is always https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/prohibited-items/list/. If at any time any of these items make that list, I will update accordingly. As of the time of writing, these have all been allowed in our stateroom.
1. SMALL ORGANIZING BUCKETS
My first item is one borne of personal necessity. In my life, I like a lot of things but I do not like a lot of clutter. This is a constant battle for me. Add a small living space with four people sharing it for a few days or a week, and I need solutions for containment. For this reason, I always pack a few small storage bins or buckets. We live close enough to drive for most cruises, so my packing list does not have to be as compact as people flying. My buckets were a Target Dollar Spot find many years ago. They are striped and nautical and I love them. However, I now have my eye on these Lannu Nautical Fabric Storage Baskets, as they are adorable AND they pack flat. This is a perfect solution for those with limited luggage space. One of the first things I do in our stateroom is set these buckets out. Normally I put them on the desk, but the dresser or bathroom are options as well. For our family, we use these to store all the little “things” that need containment. Bands for the kids’ clubs, sunglasses when not in use, kids’ key cards, emergency kit (more on that in a bit), extra clips and magnets, and anything else that you want in grabbing distance. Ever since I started packing stuff buckets, the containment level of clutter has been much more manageable.
2. “EMERGENCY” PROVISIONS
Speaking of that emergency kit, I do not love having to emergency shop in the onboard store for provisions in a crisis. I’m being a bit dramatic, but if I can MyGyver a solution with my own supplies, I would rather spend my money on another mai tai and not $10 super glue. Hence, I always travel with the following: bandaids, moleskin (those formal night blisters are real), super glue, safety pins, a small sewing kit, safety scissors (scissors with blunt ends and less than 4” blades are allowed), and a handful of AA batteries. The number of times we have avoided a complete meltdown because we had these items in our room is actually quite high. Ask me about the time that coveted Captain’s hat didn’t quite fit the older child….
Either one of these sets (Primrose Hill Nautical Cosmetic Set, TFWell Cosmetic Bag Set), would be great to hold your emergency kit. You could use the clear one to make your kit, and the other two for your cosmetics and toiletries! Bonus!
I love this Singer Sewing Survival Kit in the ocean blue color because not only does it follow our theme, it comes stocked with a lot of the items on my must pack list! You have the scissors, sewing kit, safety pins, and even some fabric glue built right in. No saggy hems for us!
Amazon batteries are a great deal. You never know when your toothbrush batteries are going to die. 
The single use Scotch Super Glues are perfect for traveling!
3. HOOKS
Staterooms are fascinating in their smart design and ability to maximize storage in a small space. However, if you are traveling with a family, or you just overpack like I do, there is a need to expand on that storage. In many staterooms, the walls are magnetic, as well as the doors and sometimes even the ceilings. We have been very creative with using our hooks for hanging lanyards, hats, bags, and even celebratory banners when we are celebrating something! The key here is to buy your hooks with super strong magnets. Sometimes the paint on stateroom walls and doors has been touched up a few times and renders inferior magnets useless.
These magnetic hooks are a good buy and get good reviews from cruisers. It’s also important not to buy anything so strong that it will scratch the surfaces when removed, so these are a good middle range strength.
Additionally, I love to bring a couple of suction cup hooks to use in the shower for bath poufs. Hanging them from the spout or handle seems to always result in them falling on the shower floor, so a while back, I invested in some inexpensive suction hooks to avoid this challenge. These would be perfect for the shower. I actually found mine at the Dollar Tree, so you might want to check there before investing.
4. CLOSET ORGANIZER
Drawer and closet space can be fairly limited in staterooms. The longer the cruise, the more clothes I am naturally bringing. Some people like to bring laundry supplies and don’t mind a wash day mid cruise so they can rewear and therefore pack less. I am not that person. Not only do I not like anything remotely resembling a chore on my cruise, I also like the opportunity to wear at least two real outfits a day for a week or so. This is definitely not happening in my daily life as a stay-at-home-mom, so I seize the opportunity. The only cruise on which we have done laundry was the Alaska sailing, and that is because we were away for a week before the cruise and were going to be gone another week after. We did a couple loads to wash jeans and sweatshirts and it all worked out fine.
So, back to the closet organization. I love having a hanging closet organizer where I can keep my kids’ daily outfits. Not only does this maximize the closet space and save room in drawers for the socks/undies/pajamas, but it helps eliminate the “what am I wearing today?” moment every morning. (Wellllllll…. It’s supposed to help with that. They still ask. Maybe I need neon signs, too.) Any extra pockets can stash bathing suits, extra bags (I average about a clutch a night), or other accessories. This will collapse nearly flat in your suitcase and expand your organizational space immensely. I like this one because it has side pockets for stashing any outfit extras, and it comes in a lot of cruise-worthy colors. It’s also a good price point for something you may stash in your packing supplies and not use all the time. There are other options out there as well. I chose this for its size, function, and color theming.
Please note that these must be hung in the closet and not over any door. That used to be allowed, but they were banned due to damaging the door paint. Any hooks hung over the door may subject you to a $100 fine per incident.
5. CLIPS
I always travel with a handful of these coated metal clothespins. They are great for hanging the bathing suits in the bathroom after a day at the pool or beach. Yes, there is one of those shower clotheslines, but I find everything wants to dip toward the center on those, which doesn’t allow for good drying time! With these clothespins, you can space everything out and it will stay put. You can also use them to clip your beach towels on your chair on excursions. And with the metal hooks above, you can even get creative and use them to hang papers from your wall that you need for quick reference (like the paper copy Personal Navigator, available now from Guest Services). I’ve never NOT needed these clips. Plus I like the nautical color scheme we have going here.
6. PACKING CUBES
I am new to the wonders of packing cubes. When we went to Alaska, and an extended tour of the PNW, I had to get familiar with them really quickly. What I was not expecting that felt like an added bonus was the ease of “unpacking” once we were on the cruise. Since each person has their own color, I could quickly disseminate everyone’s unmentionables to their respective drawers and be done! No more sorting everything out on the bed and making sure the seven year old’s undies aren’t mixed into the 12 year old’s drawer. (I have done that before and they have barely noticed… boys!) I have these exact cubes, which have the second zipper that compresses the contents, much like that second zipper on the suitcase. I bought a set without the compression by accident and I much prefer the compression type. Especially if space is tight, you want that second squeezy zipper!
7. SMART DEVICE HUB
Staterooms are notorious for not having a lot of power sources. This led to a lot of recommendations to take along a power strip. Power strips are on the prohibited items list, along with extension cords and surge protectors. We have always used this smart device hub on the desk, which extends your USB charging capabilities. My husband likes this type because it keeps the charging devices contained instead of spread all over the desk. We generally do not have tablets along for the cruise, but we do all have phones that get a lot of use for taking photos and communicating via the onboard app. Being able to quickly plug in and recharge is essential.
We also really love these multi USB charging cords! Some of our battery chargers have different connectors than the phones, so we bring along a few of these cords and have any charging capabilities we need at our fingers. It’s a lot easier than trying to manage 12 different cords and inevitably still not have the one you need!
With these seven essentials, our stateroom is well equipped for maximum space and efficiency. Many of these items could crossover to any kind of vacation you take, like the smart hub, packing cubes, closet organizer, and emergency kit, meaning the investment in convenience will last for many travels. Are there items you find essential for organizing your stateroom that I haven’t listed? If so, please leave them in the comments! Maybe we will make a second list of organizing essentials! Until then, I wish you calm seas, smooth sailing, and an organized stateroom! 