Do you ever wonder what you should keep with you when you’re boarding a Disney cruise? At some point on the day you embark, before you check in for your cruise, you’re going to be separated from most of your luggage. That luggage will appear in your stateroom during the first afternoon. You’ll want to keep everything you need for the first afternoon with you in a carry-on—preferably one that won’t be a pain in the neck to drag around until the staterooms open at 1:30 p.m. or later! Tammy Whiting, our Disney Cruise Line expert, shares with us 10 things you may want to carry onboard on embarkation day.
1. Proof of Citizenship – Don’t forget to keep your Proof of Citizenship with you, as you’ll need it when you check in. By that, I mean your passport or your birth certificate and ID if you are traveling on a cruise that allows those instead of a passport. The porters who take your bags are usually very good about reminding you to keep your documents with you, which is great if you’re forgetful!
2. Port Arrival Form – At the end of the online check-in process, you’ll be assigned a port arrival time and a boarding group number, along with a unique QR code for each person in your party, which will all be on your Port Arrival Form. Multiple people will check that form and scan the QR code. You can print your Port Arrival Form and bring it with you, screenshot it on your phone, or add the QR code to your Apple Wallet. Disney usually only needs to scan one QR code per party, but it’s not a bad idea to have them all.
3. Medications – Because you may not see your checked bags for several hours, you’ll want to keep any medications you need on the first day with you.
4. Alcohol – Disney does allow each adult (21 and up) to bring up to two bottles of wine or Champagne or six bottles of beer onboard. They do need to be in your carry-on; you cannot check them! Incidentally, you can purchase more in ports and bring it back onboard with the same restrictions on amounts.
5. Soda and Bottled Water – While soda and water are both available onboard at no cost, unless you are sailing concierge, you won’t have cans and bottles in your stateroom. You can purchase some from Disney or carry some onboard with you. I like to have cans of Coke Zero in my stateroom, so I don’t have to go to the pool deck to fill my cup in the early morning (don’t judge, it’s my coffee). Like alcohol, they must be carried on. Disney does not want to risk anyone’s drinks leaking and soaking the luggage.
6. Swimsuits – I used to say the pools weren’t crowded that first day, and it was a great time to swim. While the pools fill up pretty quickly these days, I still say it’s a good time to swim! I also know that your kids will want to be in those pools the second they lay eyes on them. So, keep those swimsuits with you! You don’t want to wait until your luggage arrives later that day. You can change in the bathrooms near the pools.
7. Laptops – I travel with a laptop for photo processing as well as possible work emergencies. While I hope to never have to work the first afternoon, I also don’t want my laptop in a suitcase that’s being thrown around (I mean handled with professional care) with other bags. I’ll keep it with me, thanks!
8. Camera – One thing I know I’m going to want onboard that first afternoon is my camera. I always keep it with me. It also falls under the category of items I don’t want thrown around in a suitcase. And you do want to take those pictures onboard, at the excursion ports, including those on embarkation day.
9. Charging Cords – If you are doing a lot of videos, texting, or other things that deplete your phone battery that first day, you’ll want to have charging cords with you so you can plug in when you get to your stateroom. You don’t want to have to wait for your suitcase! You could also carry an external battery with you instead.
10. Dinner Clothes – Your suitcases are usually delivered before you need to change for dinner. But sometimes they aren’t. Unless you are boarding in swimsuits, whatever you are wearing to board may be exactly what you are wearing to dinner, so you’ll be fine. But if you would like to change for dinner, or if you have one of the adult restaurants reserved that night, like Palo or Enchanté, where they have dress codes, you should probably keep those clothes with you, just in case!
Did you enjoy Tammy Whiting’s embarkation-day tips? Let us know!
About the author of the blog: Tammy Whiting is the coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. Blogger, Space Force wife, and mother of two, Tammy has been involved in the travel industry for more than 15 years. Though she certainly enjoys vacations of all kinds, her favorite adventures around the globe have been on cruise ships. Tammy spent five years of her childhood in Europe as a military brat and has been a military spouse for over 30 years, living in almost every corner of the US. When she isn’t traveling, you can find her enjoying her family, buying camera equipment, and planning her next trip!
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