Reusable bottle (soda/juice) – It comes in handy especially if you like soda like me. DCL does have cups but they tend to be too small. Also it is great to have a full size soda during the movies and shows.

Water bottle – Just like the soda bottle it is very useful. Water is sold on the ship but it is expensive. We use Brita filtered water bottles and fill them up every night to keep from running up and down to the lido deck through the night. My family tends to get very thirsty when we sleep. 

Coffee/Tea mug – Same as the first two drinking items. Coffee is free at the beverage center but if you love good coffee like my wife, you will end up at the Cove Cafe a lot. Their coffee is not free but it is gooooooodddd and every 6th cup is free!

Lanyard - You will receive a credit card like key that is called your “Key to the World”. It is used for purchases, your room key, and on some ships it controls the lights in your room. So it is important to keep it on you at all times. Multiple time cruisers get lanyards for free but first timers do not. The gift shop does sell them but if you have one laying around from a conference or convention bring it along.

Pirate outfit – You may have heard that Disney has an awesome Pirate Deck party that is followed with fireworks. A lot of guests dress up with Pinterested DIY costumes to all out professional Jack Sparrow frocks.  The ship sells pirate outfits for children, not sure about adults but purchasing or making your own before you set sail will save you money. Disney does provide bandanas for free for each person in your stateroom. Extra tip, if your cruise is right after Halloween, visit your local Halloween pop up shop or clearance sections in the department stores.

Glow sticks or light up toys – During pirate night on the Lido deck someone sells the standard glow up toys you will find at a carnival. Of course they are Disney versions but it is easy to follow the light and want to purchase one for your kids, or yourself (we are all kids at heart) so bringing glow sticks from home can save a few bucks. Extra tip, if you have a Star Wars Day at Sea cruise consider getting your lightsaber before hand. They will be everywhere on the ship.

Costumes – this tip falls under the same guidelines as pirate night. If you have a Halloween at Sea cruise or if you like to dress up like your favorite princess pack them before you board. My girls loved to dress up as the Disney princesses, so every time we seen them at a yard sale or Craigslist we snagged them. Thrift stores are a great place to find them too. Now our girls are into Disney bounding (future post about that)!

Popcorn cups –  I love this hack. If you love popcorn during a show make sure you get the refillable bucket. It is cheaper to refill them than paying for popcorn each time. We also learned on our most recent trip that they will refill our older ones from previous cruises but at a slightly higher price but it still saved us money. Here is another way to save money. Consider purchasing the paper or foldable snack container. Then refill your bucket and spread the popcorn wealth in the empty bags. I am not a big popcorn eater so the bags are a great portion size for me. 

Magnets – You will see many if not most state room doors decorated with magnets or removable decals. It will tempt you to purchase magnets from the ship to be part of the door decorating crew. My girls were disappointed that ours was not decorated on our first cruise. Now we are door decorating connoisseurs. 

Medicine – Medications are sold on the ship if you really need to purchase it, but bring your own so that you have the selection that you need at a price that you expect. I got really ill one time and the meds that were on hand did not work. I was forced to go to the ships infirmary to get two antibiotic injections. I felt better afterward but it was $300 later. 

Movie candy – Now like I said popcorn is not really my thing but movie candy is. We usually hit the dollar store before our trips. They may not have goofy on our bag of gummy candies but they sure do taste the same.