Happy Monday everyone (okay, I know it is Sunday, but I will be on a college tour tomorrow, before heading to the Grand Canyon for a few days).
We are 14 Mondays away from our cruise and it is time for this week's Monday Forget Me Not's.
Okay, this one is for the lady's....I always wondered what that phrase could ever be used for!
When your packing for a Disney Cruise, you have a choice to make - Pack your whole bathroom, or Take advantage of Disney's complementary bathroom essentials.
Disney does a great job at covering your bathroom needs. They have soap (bar form for face and hand), shampoo, conditioner, lotion (body butter) and even an ion hair dryer. These toiletries are top of the line H2O products.
So, why am I adding this to the forget me not's then, you ask. Well, for those of us who have sensitive skin, or those that have a product they swear by because the results are amazing, we need to plan ahead to take those items even if Disney has already stocked the bathroom up for you.
Being a sailor w/ sensitive skin, and very long hair, I am one who has to consider what to and what not to bring.
Below, I am going to go over each of the amenities 1 by 1 (or 2 by 2).
Hand soap and face soap bars - On prior Disney cruises we have used the bar hand soap and been very
pleased. However, on our last cruise, some one gave us a foaming hand soap
from Bath and Body as a gift during the cruise. We put it in the bathroom, and
found that the pump style soap was easier to use and made less of a mess. We
decided that we would be bringing our own hand soap from that point on. As
for the face bar (which is basically the soap you are expected to use in the
shower), it has never been open in our cabin. This is because of a personal
preference. We prefer to use a body wash w/ a puff.
Shampoo and conditioner - My husband and the boys love the shampoo and conditioner. They smell
wonderful, and do an awesome job. I on the other hand, because I
suffer from sensitive skin, and have found that the H2O hair products and I don't
get along, I have to pack these items. For those of you who expect certain results
from your products, I would suggest packing your own as well. That way, you
can give the H2O products a try, and if they don't work for you, you will have
your own there as a back up.
Lotion (body butter) - With sensitive skin, one might think I need to bring my own lotion as well. However,
I do not. The H20 body butter is outstanding. It does a great job moisturizing skin
that is all dried out from wind and sun
Hair Drier - This item is one that you will find debated on many cruise threads. "Is the dryer a good enough
quality, and does it have enough power to dry my hair?" I would answer yes to both of these
questions. As a matter of fact, I bought my ion hair drier after using one on the Disney cruise.
My hair is extremely long, and tends to take quite a bit of time to dry. However, with the ion
drier, I can dry my hair in about 5 minutes (that is straight out of the shower, with out time
for any air dry time). I do not know how well the drier will work for thick hair, as mine in very
fine, but I would assume it would work just as well.
Hopefully, this helps you narrow down what is a must pack from your bathroom, and what can be left at home. Oh, and always remember to pack any liquids (like your bathroom items that are going in checked luggage...no drinks
those must be in carry on) in a zip lock bag. One of our favorite pass times on boarding day is to watch them load the luggage on to the boat, and see if we can spot ours. And I promise you, there is no "Handle with Care" taking place on the dock. Our luggage is thrown, and dropped, and squished. It would be a horrible way to start you cruise if your soap or lotion ended up all over your clothes.
Have a great week
~Tink~
