We are going to WDW in October and spending 7 days at Port Orleans, and 7 days on Disney Magic.As we are travelling from UK and the baggage weight allowance has been drastically cut this year I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what clothes I'll need. There are 5 of us - myself, my husband and 3 kids aged 15 13 and 10. I have to say we're not really used to dressing up at all, and wont be going to Palo, so what will we need in the way of smart clothing? and also will we need fancy dress for the pirates party on the ship?. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as we've never done the cruise before and are a bit nervous about it.

When we went during this time frame, the weather was still rather warm, so shorts and light shirts are still a very good idea during the day. In the evening on the ship, especially while at sea, the ocean breeze can cool things down as well.

Generally speaking, "park attire" is fine for the day, and in the evening, people do try to dress up a little more. For example, Mrs. GusMan would wear a nice dress or outfit and I would wear something like Dockers and a nice shirt. I think once I wore a tie on our three-day cruise, when we had dinner at Tritons. (On the Wonder.)

To be honest, it was real nice dressing up a little more in the evening as things got a little more formal and it changed the atmosphere from floating resort to "a night out on the town."

Hope that helps.

I typically wore slacks and a nice shirt in the evenings. I dressed up a little more for the formal night. We did have one couple at our table rotation who were completely unaware of the typical more dressed up attire on the ship and had jeans and t-shirts. While we weren't bothered by it really, they did look a little out of place.

Unless I'm mistaken, Port Orleans should have onsite laundry... you can always take a few hours in the middle of the day toward the end and wash clothes.

Unless I'm mistaken, Port Orleans should have onsite laundry... you can always take a few hours in the middle of the day toward the end and wash clothes.
We would actually do a little laundry while quietly swimming after hours at one of the quiet pools. (Laundry was right there... real convenient.) Its the only "multitasking" I will do while on vacation. :)

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll make sure to leave room for some slightly more formal clothes - it is nice to make the effort now and again, and hopefully we'll get some nice family photos as well.

A good idea is to have a few mix and match clothes. this is what I did for the evenings. only three pair of long pants and five shirts that would go with at least two pair of the pants each. daughters did this to with shirts and skirts that could be recombined for a different look. on the semi formal night I took the white semi dress slack that I wore on day one and combined it with a nice hawaiian shirt and a white jacket. sure I looked like Recardo Mantalban (sp) in fantasy Island, but hey it worked. and I didn't feel to out of place. we did see outfits at the tables ranging from tuxes and evening dress (yes there were a few) to casual wear. what was really interesting was pirate night. while most people just put on the bandanas some people went full out pirate, and quit frankly they looked good. Wfoxx and I have pirate atire, she wore hers and I opted not to, now I wish I had as she looked much more into it then me in my PoTC shirt and hat.

Pirate Nite--not formal, actually you can buy hats, eye patches, etc in the gift store on board if you want to accesorize so you don't need to bring anything special

you can rent a tux for formal nite-it is delievered right to your stateroom and you leave it when you leave the ship http://www.cruiselineformal.com/)
we have done this several times--works great, clothes fit PERFECTLY So have fun, don't stress!:D

If you check catalog/websites, such as Travelsmith and Chicos, you will find lines of "traveler's" clothing, which pack down to almost nothing. A lot of the Chico's seperates are black, but Travelsmith has more color options, including reversible clothes. II just got a catalog from Travelsmith which had a very pretty reversible skirt, which would be great on a cruise, because you could just pack a couple of dressier tanks or halters (Travelsmith also carries a variety of tops with built-in bras), a pair of pretty sandals, and you are set for several evenings, with mix-and-match outfits.

We are planning on the Disney Wonder 4-night cruise for next June, our first with kids, to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Just waiting on confirmation from the TA.

Unless I'm mistaken, Port Orleans should have onsite laundry... you can always take a few hours in the middle of the day toward the end and wash clothes.

I would definitely recommend this versus what we did, which was to wash our clothes on the ship. Because of the humidity our clothes never quite dried. We put them through a few extra cycles on the dryer and they still had a damp feel the next day.

all good advice given....but I would also strongly recommend Palo for dinner one night. The extra charge is worth it, and it will give you and your spouse a little time away from your kids (assuming the 15yr old is responsible enough not to let them get in any trouble for a couple hours -- they could go see a movie while you eat).
Have a great trip!

The Disney ships are more casual in dress than other cruise ships...keep that in mind while packing.

But, that said...if you are planning on dining at Palo, you'll want your husband to wear a nice jacket and slacks, and maybe either a smart pants outfit or nicer dress for you.

At the regular dinner seatings, linen dresses, nice slacks for you are fine. Your husband can wear a nice dress shirt and slacks. Jackets were not required when we went...but many men did wear them.

Some people dress to the 'nines' while onboard...but most were very dressy/casual.

Pirate Nite--not formal, actually you can buy hats, eye patches, etc in the gift store on board if you want to accesorize so you don't need to bring anything special

you can rent a tux for formal nite-it is delievered right to your stateroom and you leave it when you leave the ship http://www.cruiselineformal.com/)
we have done this several times--works great, clothes fit PERFECTLY So have fun, don't stress!:D

can you rent costumes? I'm thinking the Pirate Party for adults

DCL doesn't offer costume rentals on board - just the tuxedos. You'll have to bring your own with you.

I'm planning our 3rd Disney Cruise right now and this is what we usually pack: Khakis and polo or Hawaiian type camp shirts for the guys are just fine for dinner. You can wear nice jeans now too. I wore a pair a nice black capris,a white blouse and dressy sandals, put on glittery jewelry and I was quit comfortable. Also brought a couple of sundresses. What ever you might wear to church or a wedding would be perfect! :) Shorts and tank tops or t-shirts for daytime.