You have booked your Disney Cruise (with a Smart Moms Travel Agent) and you are so excited to go, but your cruise is still six months away. You can plan several things before the big (departure) day. What excursions you are going to do, planning family outfits for the themed nights (I’m looking at you, Pirates Night!), fish extender gifts, and of course, you don’t want to miss out on door decorations!
You may be thinking, why should I make door decorations for my cruise?
It’s a fun (and inexpensive) way to bring some extra magic to your cruise.
One of my favorite things to do when we get on the cruise ship (after we have eaten at Cabanas and taken a dip in the pool) is going to our room and decorating our door. You could say it’s a tradition for our family. We also love walking around the ship and seeing everyone else’s decorated doors! It’s a treasure hunt for us to each find our favorite door on the ship.
Whether you’re not very crafty or you are a DIY queen, I have three door decoration ideas that are easy to make, inexpensive, and sure to make everyone on the ship admire your magical stateroom door. The best part? You will be able to join in on the fun.
Good old fashion paper and laminating sheets are a simple way to decorate your door. I printed many of our decorations for our first cruise from this FREE Disney Cruise Line Printable Decoration Art Pack from Disney Cruise Line. I Googled laminating options (I don’t have a laminator) and found that there are laminating sheets! They are almost like giant transparent stickers. You just add your art in between the two sheets, pull off the sticker protector, and viola, you have a beautiful door decoration. Next, you add a magnet to the back and you are ready to go! The best part is your kids can help with this craft.
Perler Beads are another fun and simple way to include your kids in a craft project and make beautiful door decorations. It was a bonus that every time I craft with Perler beads it brings me right back to when I was a kid. I purchased this Perler bead kit on Amazon, however, you can get Perler beads at any of the major crafting stores. You can make so many different designs with Perler beads. I made a Disney cruise ship, however, Perler beads are perfect for making your favorite Disney characters, like Mickey, Minnie, or even a pirate Stitch.
Cardboard and paint are two materials that you can make Disney Cruise door decorations with and the sky’s the limit on what you can create. I have a Cricut Maker which allows me to cut out cardboard pieces easily, however, you can make all sorts of fun cardboard projects with painted finishing touches using scissors or an exacto knife. I personally use cardbaord and paint for our larger door decorations, like raindeer antlers for our Alaskan cruise or a larger name tag sign.
We have seen some over the top door decorations on our cruises including backlit decorations and string lights. You can also get creative with the location theme (if you are going to Alaska you could do Disney’s Frozen characters or if you are going to the Caribbean you could decorate with a tropical theme). There are many other materials you can experiment with too. I have seen decorations made from fabric, styrofoam, wood, and more.
Just keep in mind when working on your door decorations that tape or any kind of adhesive, including removable gel adhesive, is prohibited. If you are sailing Concierge on the Disney Dream or Disney Fantasy you will have a non-magnetic wooden door.
Whether you are celebrating your first cruise, your 50th cruise, an anniversary, a birthday, or just spending quality time with your loved ones, don’t forget to add a little bit of extra magic with these fun DIY door decorations.
If you already have a Disney cruise booked with a Smart Mom Travel agent, you are in good hands. However, if you are looking for FREE help planning a Disney Cruise, I would love to help! I am an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner with Smart Moms Travel, and I can help you plan a magical vacation customized to you and your family. Click here to fill out my form to start planning the trip of your dreams. B
