Disney's Magic Kingdom and Disneyland theme parks may be in sunny Florida and California, but Disney cruises sail everywhere from Alaska to the Bahamas. While it may seem as simple as tossing a few bikinis, T-shirts and a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt into your suitcase, your best preparation guide is the local weather. Check ahead of time to find out the temperatures and predicted rainfall for the cities you'll be visiting. A website such as Cruise News Daily offers links to popular cruise destinations. Keep in mind that many cruises sail to multiple ports during the itinerary; be sure to check each city's weather. You may be surprised how the temperatures vary widely just from one day to the next. Temperatures can vary widely on the Disney cruise ship itself too. Pack at least one warm sweater or sweatshirt to keep the chills away as you visit some of the cruise ship's activity centers such as the casino, theater and shops, which are often a chilly blast compared to the outer deck pool and lookout areas.
Prior to stepping on board, research the ship. A cruise liner is line a mini-floating city, with areas such as fitness centers, salons, upscale restaurants, dance clubs, pools and kids' clubs. By learning the layout ahead of time, you'll have more of an idea of what to pack. The cruise line's Disney Magic ship, for example, offers three pools (one for adults only), water slide and whirlpools. Cruisers who enjoy swimming will want to make sure they pack bathing suits and water shoes. Fitness enthusiasts will want to pack and plan for the Magic's gym, which offers an open-air track, treadmills, personal training, basketball court, spinning machines, weights, yoga classes and massage. Cruise deck plans and descriptions of each ship are available on the Disney Cruise website.
To preserve vacation memories, many cruise travelers plan to souvenir hunt along the way, looking for that perfect magnet, snow globe, sweatshirt or other trinket to remind them of their trip. Children may become overwhelmed with the onboard shops, wanting new stuffed animals and dress-up costumes. To save money and ward off potential overspending, purchase and pack a few new items before the trip. Buying a Mickey Mouse doll in the local mall Disney store, mass merchandiser or online, will cost a fraction of the price of the ship's mark-up costs. Many discount supercenters feature Disney character-emblazoned clothing and accessories. Pack an item for each day of the trip and leave it on the end of your child's bed for a magical moment when he wakes up. By planning ahead and packing Disney gear, you'll be able to get in the Disney spirit right away instead of waiting to buy clothes along the way.
