It’s just been a bit over a year since we sailed away on our very first Disney Cruise, aboard the newly revamped Disney Wonder. What a trip that was! I’ve shared with you some very special activities and events so far (remember the Disney Cruise Royal Court Royal Tea?), along with some important tips (I talked all about seasickness in my Tiana’s Restaurant post), but this time I want to talk shopping and my top picks for Disney Cruise souvenirs!
Who goes on any type of Disney vacation without wanting to bring home a little something special to remind them of memories made? If you’ve planned a Disney Cruise, this is especially true. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorites, unique picks, and even a few free items you’ll want to pack up!
I’ll also be sharing some Disney Cruise shopping tips that you’ll need to know before you go.
(Affliate links in post. I may make a small commission if anything is purchased through the link, at NO cost to you.)
Top Disney Cruise Souvenirs
Disney Cruise Plush
If there is one souvenir to get during your cruise, it’s this.
The Disney Cruise plush characters are a hot ticket item. They sell quickly. But don’t despair, really. What you’ll discover is that they are prepared for this and restock often. Which in all honesty is a good thing because I was about to cry. So check back and relax if you notice your favorite character gone.
Though we ended up choosing Captain Mickey as our souvenir, somehow Santa knew we wanted more and surprised this little girl with sea-going Pluto! From Cruise Director Minnie to seamen Chip, Dale, and Goofy, there were plenty of friends to choose from.
Dooney & Bourke Disney Cruise Line Edition Handbags
Many of you likely already know that Dooney & Bourke has a Disney designer handbag collection. The collection features new releases throughout the year, and are available online and inside Disney parks, Disney resorts, and of course specialty stores at Downtown Disney or Disney Springs.
The collections are incredibly popular, so it’s no wonder Dooney & Bourke decided to offer Disney Cruise line edition handbags. These are (almost always) only exclusively available aboard a Disney Cruise. Don’t miss your chance to grab one (and see my shopping tips below). If you are lucky, you can occasionally find one of these handbags on Amazon so you can have it before you board!
Souvenir Butter Knife from Animator’s Palate
With the Disney Cruise rotational dining, any sailing involves you enjoying Animator’s Palate. A truly original restaurant concept, you are surrounded by screens while you dine – whether for dinner or for a character meal (we met with Mickey and Disney Junior pals on our sailing).
The room is perfectly themed right down to the lighting, which goes from black and white to full color. So many surprises (but I’ll leave that for another post).
But now, for one of the most unique Disney Cruise souvenirs you will want to take home…
You’ll notice you have a very special butter knife at your place setting in Animator’s Palate, one that is shaped like a paintbrush.
This is just one of those special little touches that Disney is famous for.
Best of all, we found that we could purchase our very own Animator’s Palate butter knife in one of the shops onboard. Since our kiddo was at the stage where she didn’t really like sharp knives, this was a great addition to our kitchen.
Pirate Night Mickey Bandana
If you have been researching Disney Cruises at all, you are probably familiar with Pirate Night, an evening onboard themed all things pirates (and of course includes some fun with Pirate Mickey too).
While many are fully prepared for Pirate Night and pack costumes and accessories for the experience, Disney knows that many families will show up unprepared (and that’s okay). You’ll discover Pirate Night Mickey Bandanas in your cabin before the evening’s festivities.
Whether you don them for the events or not, tuck the bandanas away for fun when you get home. Free souvenir!
Disney Cruise Jewelry Box
Princess jewelry boxes are popular anyway, but there’s an extra special one you can purchase on your Disney Cruise. Notice the side of the jewelry box above – you’ll spy a magical cruise ship!
NOTE: This is one of the many gifts you will receive if you attend the Disney Cruise Royal Court Royal Tea event onboard – a highlight of our trip! But you can also purchase these in the gift shops.
Disney Cruise Limited Edition Pins
Pin-trading is a favorite activity for Disney fans and you can bet that it’s also featured on your Disney Cruise. Just like you’ll find at Disney Parks, Cast Members onboard often wear lanyards with pins that can be traded.
Be on the lookout for special Disney Cruise Line Limited Edition Pins in the gift shops and on Castaway Cay. (More info on Castaway Cay below)
Disney Cruise Stateroom Pillow
For those looking to bring home Disney Cruise souvenirs that are really unique, you can actually purchase one of the Disney stateroom pillows that you will find in your room. Just check out the shops onboard!
Disney Cruise Ornaments
If you are a regular reader here at Finding Debra, you might have discovered one of my favorite holiday traditions. (There are a lot of them – worth a read to see if there’s a few you’d love to start with your family)
With every family trip we take, we purchase a special Christmas ornament. When the holidays come around each year, we really enjoy reliving some great memories while decorating the tree.
You’ll find a large selection of Disney Cruise Christmas ornaments onboard and on Castaway Cay as well. (More info on Castaway Cay below)
Disney Cruise Bath Toy Set (really just regular toys)
While these are hailed as bath toy sets, these wildly popular toys are very often not used as bath toys at all. In fact, since my kiddo was little, we’ve added many sets to her collection – just as regular toys. The fact that they are made as bath toys just mean they are safe for little ones, plastic, and durable. They also squeak if squeezed!
We love these sets and were excited to see a Disney Cruise Line edition featuring Captain Mickey, Cruise Director Minnie, Crewmen Donald, Goofy and Pluto! One special figure in this set – your Disney Cruise ship! They make the perfect little toys for kids to play with onboard and at home too! A great souvenir for kids!
Disney Cruise Shopping Tips
There are two very important things to note about shopping while on a Disney Cruise.
- Disney Cruise shops are closed while the ship is in port
So don’t expect to catch up on your shopping if you decide to skip going ashore one day. It’s not going to happen. All shops are closed onboard.
If you want to purchase any Disney Cruise souvenirs to commemorate your time spent on Castaway Cay, you better listen up.
- Castaway Cay items are only sold on the island
Disney’s private island is the only place you can buy Castaway Cay souvenirs, from t-shirts to pins.
TIP: While I had been told that the “Key to the World” card (aka your room key) with credit card information stored on it would not work on Castaway Cay (so I had better bring cash), I’m happy to report that our experience was completely different. I was able to charge everything using my room key. Just in case this changes, be sure to ask a Cast Member before you disembark, as it’s really nice not to have to bring a wallet/purse (most food/drink/treats on the island are free and included with your cruise).
Did I miss any favorite Disney Cruise Souvenirs you brought home?
More Disney Cruise Posts:
Disney Cruise Royal Court Royal Tea
Tiana’s Restaurant on the Disney Wonder
YOU WILL ALSO LOVE:
If you like this post, you’ll love these that I’ve picked out just for you!
I’m so sorry someone misinformed you about Castaway Cay and you’re key to the world card. That’s so far from the truth I can’t help but wonder where they got that idea. You only need cash on the island to get a stamp.
On a completely different note my and my husband’s favorite souvenir is the picture package. At first it felt really over priced. Then we got over 100 pics on two of our cruises we’ve never looked back. We use them on holiday cards, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Waiting in line has even become fun as we befriend cast members and other cruisers.
Thanks Dana! We totally bought the picture package during our first cruise. This past month we went on the Disney Wonder to Alaska and didn’t buy the package, but instead bought a few individual digital pics for fun.
Yes, you can mail a postcard from Castaway. It’s $1 (USD) for the stamp. The post office also sells postcards there for $1 (USD) or you can purchase on the ship and also st the Castaway shops. The stamp is cash only! Took almost two months to get here, but it’s Bahamian stamps and postmark!
Thanks!!! Love that (except for the 2 month delay – HA)!
There are 3 Pandora Charms exclusive to Disney Cruise, you can only get on the cruise ships I have 2 so far!
What a great tip Debbie!
If you bring cash you can mail yourself a post card from castaway key and it have the postage stamp from there across your post card.
That is such a fun tip!
My wife and I are thinking about going on an Alaskan cruise. Thanks for sharing. I am going to share this with my wife.
Disney’s Alaskan cruises are fantastic. You should go!
This post brings back so many good memories! We love Disney cruises!
OH my goodness! There are so many great tips here! I NEED that butter knife and special Castaway Cay & Cruise pins in my life.
Right? We fell in love with that knife too!