Happy Monday, friends!
As many of you know, my family and I embarked on a Disney Cruise the week before last! Many of you have sent me messages on Instagram asking me to round-up my must-have’s for a cruise, since it sounds like lots of you have a cruise in your upcoming Spring/Summer travel plans!
Here are my 10 Cruise Must-Have’s ::
swimsuit | earrings | sunscreen | hat | jelly sandals | sunglasses | book | beach towel
1. A good book {or two!} + magazines. There are few things more relaxing than being able to read by a beach or pool, right?! A cruise is the perfect opportunity to take time to read! Keep in mind that when you are on the boat, there isn’t access to Amazon Prime or a bookstore, so bring more than enough reading material with you! I packed two books, and am enjoying reading both :: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown.
2. Cute flip-flops / jelly sandals. During the day on a cruise ship, flip-fops are really the only shoe you need to wear! I packed these cute Jack Roger’s jelly’s {available in additional colors on Amazon here} and pretty much lived in them each day of the cruise. I also wore them for our day off the ship at Castaway Cay. I love that these jelly’s look stylish and cute yet are completely water and sand friendly!
3. A fabulous sun hat. Sun in pretty much unavoidable on the top deck of a cruise ship, so be prepared to wear a hat to protect your face from direct sun! This $44 Brixton Straw Hat is an absolute must-have. It comes in four sizes {I have a rather large head and wear a medium} and three colors. If you prefer a ball cap, I picked up this cute Rip Curl Trucker Hat that you can see Lily sporting at Castaway Cay!
4. Several bathing suits. I always like to pack plenty of bathing suit options for vacation, but having a good selection on a cruise is a must since it can take swimwear longer to dry, since you cannot place swimsuits outside on a balcony! I purchased this Becca crochet one-piece last season and it always brings lots of compliments wherever I wear it. The fit is ultra-flattering, even for large chests, and it now comes in two other colors! {I am wearing a size small.}
5. A cute cover-up for Castaway Cay. A cute and comfy coverup is a must for the day you spend off the ship on Disney’s Castaway Cay, as well as roaming around the ship the other days. I wore this $60 tasseled coverup over my swimsuit for our day on Castaway Cay and it was perfect for biking around the island after we snorkeled and swam. I liked having an easy on/easy off coverup dress to slip on when we walked from one activity to the next. If you think you will be uncomfortable biking in a swimsuit, you could also pack a pair of shorts, but I felt perfectly fine wearing this coverup all day long, and it made it simple to not have to change! {My kids and hubby stayed in their suits + a cover up and/or tee shirt all day and they were all also very comfortable.}
6. An oversized carry-all tote/beach bag. A good sized tote is a must for the cruise! You will need a tote to carry pool side on the ship as well as to pack sunscreen and other beach essentials for excursions off the boat. A cute backpack, like this one, is also an excellent option!
dress | bag | hat | similar shoes
7. Cute, casual sundresses for dinner. One of the things I loved about the Disney Cruise is that you can dress nice-casual for dinner. After relaxing pool/beach-side all day, the last thing I wanted to do was get all dressed up! It was extra relaxing to throw on a comfortable sundress or white jeans for dinner. I wore both of the dresses above to two dinners, and then the striped dress pictured below for “Pirate Night.” Unless you want to really dress up on this cruise, a sundress is perfectly acceptable at any of the ship’s restaurants.
8. A versatile cross-body bag. There is no need for a large handbag while on the boat, so I primarily carried this crossbody and this crossbody everywhere I went. You honestly just need a bag big enough to fit your room card, a lipstick, cell phone and sunglasses, since you need little else walking around the ship! I loved that both of these crossbody’s dress up or down, and could be worn day or evening to dinner and a show!
Jack’s pirate outfit | Lauren’s dress | Lily’s pirate outfit
9. Pirate-Themed Outfits for the entire family. Pirate night is quite possibly the most memorable night aboard the Disney Dream, and most guests dress up! I am SO glad friends told me to order Jack and Lily pirate outfits. I found this one for Jack and this one for Lily on Amazon for under $12 each! The twins loved their outfits and both were so comfortable all evening, which was an added bonus.
I ordered this striped dress last minute, and was so happy I had something pirate-like to wear! {Note that this dress is super cute but runs really small. I am wearing a Medium.} The cruise-line delivers pirate bandanas to each state room before the Pirate Dinner and Party, so if you bring an outfit, you can accessorize with the gifted bandana, like I did below!
Also, we treated LIly to the Pirate-Princess experience at the ship’s Bippity Boppity Boutique and highly recommend it! Lily was completely mesmerized as she was pampered with Pirate themed makeover, including nail polish, glittery makeup and priate accessorizing, and I was super impressed by the entire experience! Boys can also enjoy a pirate makeover, and Jack later wished he had done it, too! Just be sure to reserve a spot in advance, or at least stop into the Boutique as soon as your board the ship.
10. A spirit ready to UNPLUG and have FUN! I am preaching to the choir when I say this because I 100% struggle with unplugging. That said, I made a very conscious effort to put down my phone {it helped that service is mostly out when out to sea!} and be present with my family during our cruise. It was so good for my mind and my soul to feel disconnected from technology, to take time to read and to enjoy each moment! I encourage you to do the same if you go on a cruise. Turn on your email away message and tell friends, family and those you work with that you will be unplugging, so there are zero expectations on you while away. You and your family will be glad you did!
Stylishly yours,
P.S. I am excited to team up with some blogger friends to giveaway a $750 Nordstrom gift-card! Enter here ::
I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers
to give YOU a chance to win:
a $750 Nordstrom Gift Card to spruce up your spring wardrobe!
Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter.
You’ll receive one entry per completion.
This giveaway is open internationally and runs until end of day 3/19.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!
*this giveaway is in no way sponsored by Nordstrom.
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