When I decided to use Dreams Unlimited Travel to book my first Disney Cruise, I only had a vague idea of what to expect as a thank you. I knew they were going to give me some amount of stateroom credit that I could use towards, well, just about anything on the cruise. I heard about a gift bag, but I didn’t think too much about it and had no clue what would be in it.
A month before my cruise departure, a large plain cardboard box appeared at my doorstep. Being plain, I knew it wasn’t Amazon. Did I buy something on Ebay? Did I buy something that was on backorder? The return address was cryptic, with the words “DUT” and a city of Port Canaveral, Florida. Wait, Port Canaveral? That’s where the…it’s the gift bag!
I hurried inside and grabbed a pair of scissors to cut through the packing tape. But not too deep because I don’t know what’s inside, and don’t want to accidentally cut it. So I carefully cut into the packing tape near the side and then I ripped it open like it was Christmas morning!
First impression: wow, that’s a lot of stuff!
So much stuff inside! And so nicely wrapped and tied with ribbon! You can tell this wasn’t thrown together at the last minute, this was put together meticulously and thoughtfully. I appreciate the effort!
So what’s all inside? I’ll show you! First, there was a nice letter on top thanking me for using Dreams Unlimited Travel to book my Disney cruise, so that was a nice touch. In addition, there was:
A very handy travel mug and magnetic dry erase board!
Travel mug: Having a travel mug on a Disney cruise proved invaluable! While Disney provides cups at their drink stations, they are not very large. Having your own travel mug gives you the opportunity to fill up on soda, coffee, tea, etc., and make fewer trips back to the drink station for refills. Plus with the lid, you can fill up and carry it around the ship without worrying about it spilling.
Dry erase board: Need to leave a message for someone in your stateroom? Want to put something on your stateroom door and leave positive affirmations or Disney trivia questions to people walking by? Here’s your chance to do all three! With the attached magnets on the back, this can easily be placed on a wall of your stateroom, or on either side of the stateroom door (except for concierge doors).
Cell phone key card holder, Magic Candle Company air freshener, and a pack of Glow Bracelets!
Card holder: I personally did not use the card holder on the cruise because I prefer a lanyard, but I can see the value in this for others. The rubber card holder attaches to the back of your cell phone and is the perfect size for your Key to the World cruise card. I can see this coming in handy if you just want to make a quick trip from your room and really just need your room key card to get back into your stateroom, but don’t want to risk losing the card.
Air freshener: The Magic Candle Company air freshener is a gift for everyone in your stateroom. Hang this up on one of the towel hooks near the toilet to keep the commode area smelling pleasant for the duration of your cruise. Your traveling party and stateroom attendant will thank you.
Glow bracelets: I know what you’re thinking. “What do I need glow bracelets for?” Well, they’re for fun! You can wear these during the Pirate Night deck party to add some fun color to the night festivities. I believe you can string two together to make a necklace. Heck, string them all together and make a belt! The possibilities are endless. Well, until the brightness eventually fades.
A pack of wet wipes!
I get it: public surfaces are germy. Sometimes the only table you can find in the buffet looks like it hasn’t been wiped down by the staff yet. You can pull one of these out and wipe the table down in the meantime! Or you just finished your free ice cream cone, and your hands are a little sticky? No worries, grab a wet wipe!
Highlighters, magnetic clips, and a deck of playing cards!
Magnetic clips: Need a little extra space to put important papers on a wall in your room that you don’t want to lose or accidentally throw away? Want to hang up your lanyard by the door so you don’t misplace it? Did your child make some art in the kid’s club and you want to display it? Here are two magnetic clips to do just that!
Playing cards: Find yourself kind of bored with nothing to do? Play some solitaire! Want to get together with some friends down at the pub on the ship for poker? Grab your deck of cards! Want to teach your kids the fun game of 52-pickup? Grab your deck of cards!
Highlighters: Back in the pre-pandemic days of cruising, every stateroom was given a daily paper navigator with all of the activities for the day and the times the activities were happening. To make note of which activities you were interested in, you could use a highlighter to highlight them so as to not forget. With multiple people in a stateroom, each person can have their own color to mark activities.
Nowadays, paper navigators have quietly faded away and instead activities are listed in the Disney Cruise Line app. I’ve heard mixed reports about paper navigators still being available by request at Guest Services, so this highlighter is included just in case paper navigators are still available.
A mini flashlight and clip-on watch! (very important!)
Mini flashlight: Speaking of bathrooms, have you ever tried to walk to your bathroom at home in the middle of the night? Now, have you ever tried to walk to the bathroom in the middle the night in a room you’re not familiar with? Don’t stub your toe or bang your shin on the bed, grab your mini flashlight and navigate your way easier. Trust me, with all the lights off in an inside stateroom cabin, it’s dark!
Clip on watch: On a cruise, there’s one time that is the absolute most important: ship time. Whatever time the ship is set to, that’s the time you need to set this watch to. Do this at the very start of your cruise so you don’t forget!
As your cruise ship sails to its destinations, you may pass through these pesky time zones the world has. Along with you crossing into another time zone, your cell phone will also cross into another time zone. Your cell phone will automatically change to whatever the local time is.
Ship time and local time are two very different things. If you’re stopped at a port of call, and the all-aboard time for your cruise itinerary is 4:45pm, that is ship time, not local time. The local time could be 3:45pm, which is what your cell phone will most likely be displaying. If you go by the clock on your cell phone, at 4:45pm local time, your cruise ship will most likely be leaving or have already left.
Don’t be a pier runner, set this watch to ship time, so when it says it’s 4:45pm ship time, you’re already back on the ship, regardless of what the local time is.
A tote bag!
The last item, and most obvious one at that, is what all of these items came in: a tote bag! Fill it up with everything you need before heading to the pool. Or fill it up with everything you need before heading out to Castaway Cay. Heck, you can even fill it up with items that you need for your cruise and use that as your carry-on item during embarkation day. (it counts, I’ve done it.)
The wrap up.
So there you have it! Lots of handy and helpful items are included in the gift bag I received from Dreams Unlimited Travel for booking my cruise with them.
If you’re interested in booking a cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you can get a free, no-obligation quote at www.DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com.
Thanks for reading!
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