One month ago, I set sail on my Grand Slam Disney Cruise, meaning that I’ve now sailed all 4 existing Disney ships! With that, I’m super excited to share with you the following 4 tips for your future Disney cruises! The fourth is kind of a jam-packed bonus!

Tip #1: Install The Disney Cruise Line (DCL) Navigator App!

Through the DCL Navigator App, I enjoyed a fun countdown to the cruise each time I opened the app, and more importantly, I was able to plan ahead for Palo Brunch, Palo Dinner, beverage tastings, and more, well ahead of the cruise. As I sailed solo during this cruise, I wanted to experience Palo Brunch, Palo Dinner, and a number of different beverage tastings, and although the DCL Navigator showed that brunch and all the tastings were sold out at one point, constantly checking the app each day, especially as it got closer to embarkation day, allowed me to see when space opened up for Embarkation Day Champagne Tasting, plus Palo Brunch and Chocolate and Liquor Tasting on Day 2. The reality is that, closer to embarkation day, guests cancel, so slots for certain events will open up, and the DCL Navigator is the most convenient way to see when that happens, and to snag a spot for an event you’ve been looking forward to.

Another major pre-cruise highlight of the DCL Navigator App is…

How We Packed "Carry-On Only" For A Family of 5

For our family's most recent 5-day vacation in St. Maarten, we were able to travel with carry-on bags, no checked bags, and it was great! Packing for our two sons, using one Rume Garment Travel Organizer ("GTO"), allowed their items to fit into one carry-on, which made it super easy to use only carry-on bags, and also helped us to organize in a way that made unpacking simple.

Feature: 51 Travel Essentials Travel Experts Never Go on Vacation Without

With summer right around the corner, we figured that many of you are looking for "must have" travel items for your summer vacation. Yes, there's a Christmas tree in the photos below, but that's because one of our "must have" items came at Christmas time: I bought the Rume Garment Travel Organizers (GTO) as part of my family's Christmas gifts, and they are a hit because they really work! With My Cruising Family's next family vacation right around the corner, we are about to pull out our Rume GTO, which allow us to pack lots of clothing in one light garment bag that then folds to fit the standard sized carry-on.

Feature: 63 Travel Bloggers Share Their Favorite Travel Items

With My Cruising Family's next cruise right around the corner, we are in crunchtime to pack, confirm activities that we've planned, and all around prepare for our longest cruise yet: our 14-day Caribbean cruise onboard the MSC Fantasia! That all being said, this week's blog post is not the traditional My Cruising Family blog, but it is still quite informative and helpful.

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My Cruising Family's Caribbean Cruise Packing List

My Cruising Family presents to you My Cruising Family's Caribbean Cruise Packing List. We hope that this helps to put our blog posts, WHAT MY CRUISING FAMILY PACKS: CARRY-ON EDITION and WHAT MY CRUISING FAMILY PACKS: CHECKED LUGGAGE EDITION in a much more mommy-friendly package for you. Please utilize this checklist when preparing for your next cruise, and please also provide us with your feedback. Happy Packing!

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Our Cruise Is Approaching, But Our Children Are Sick! Now What?

Why am I writing this now? Well, because, right now – today – just about one week before our family goes on vacation, both of our boys have what seems to be the common cold, with stuffy and runny noses, and coughing. There have also been complaints of ear pain, which we know can happen sometimes simply as a result of congestion, but can also happen if there is an ear infection. Their symptoms started developing on the weekend, so I am thankful that we had that opportunity to treat them at home without having to take days off from school, day care, and work, and without contaminating other people’s children. Nevertheless, with our next cruise around the corner, I called the doctor’s office this morning to try to get an appointment as soon as possible.

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What My Cruising Family Packs: Checked Luggage Edition

My Cruising Family’s philosophy is that it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, especially when cruising with children. The below list should be repeated for each person cruising.

Not To Be Missed On Your Next Cruise

There will be many activities to choose from during your cruise. However, My Cruising Family recommends attending the following events. As with all the information we share here, we hope this is helpful to you and yours.

**MANDATORY** Muster Drill:

Prior to your ship setting sail, you will be required to attend a muster drill. The purpose of the muster drill is to familiarize all guests and crew with their assigned muster station, which is, basically, the location at which guests and crew are to assemble in the case of an emergency. There are multiple muster stations on the ship, and to allow for an orderly evacuation, if necessary, each guest and crew member should report to his or her assigned muster station. The muster drill also includes information on how to put on life vests, which are included in each stateroom.

Note: Generally, the life vests that are in the stateroom are adult-sized. If cruising with infants, toddlers, and/or other small children, you may need to request the appropriately sized life vest for the child. However, My Cruising Family has experienced at least one cruise line that

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What My Cruising Family Packs: Carry-On Edition

Greetings!

Today is a significant day in the countdown to our next cruise. As embarkation day approaches, we are turning our attention to packing, so I will share a bit of that in this post. Some may ask, “With all these hurricanes, are you still cruising this season?” Our quick answer: “By the grace of God, yes!” Anyway, that’s a discussion for another post.

We usually pack the following travel-size items in our carry-on luggage

Some Of My Cruising Family’s Favorite Things

Cruising with little ones? Then these items are for you. Here, My Cruising Family shares some of our favorite things to have during family cruises. We hope that this information and the convenient shopping links help you to prepare for your upcoming travels.

1. Steri-Bottle Disposable Bottles

These sterile and disposable bottles are awesome when traveling with a baby who still drinks from a bottle. This way, you can keep your regular bottles at home, without fear of them getting lost during travel, and you can easily toss the Steri-Bottle Disposable Bottles after baby’s feedings.

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