A trip on Disney Cruise Line is all about exploring, fun, and relaxation. Disney does all the work for you so that you can enjoy all of the activities on the ship and the adventures at ports of call. With that in mind, there’s one simple item we found that makes a trip much, much easier – lanyards.
If you’ve already been on a Disney cruise in the past, you’ll receive a lanyard as a member of the Castaway Club. These are basically a status symbol that show what level you are in the Castaway Club. But, if it’s your first trip with Disney Cruise Line, you won’t receive a lanyard and your Key to the World card will have to stay in your pocket or bag.
The Keys to the World card acts as your stateroom key and your ability to charge things onboard to your room. It’s pertinent to bring with you at all times on the ship. A lanyard makes that extremely easy, especially for children.
Some of our favorite lanyards on Amazon:
- Mickey and Minnie cruise lanyards
- 3-Pack Generic cruise lanyards
- 4-Pack Mickey and Minnie lanyards
- And many more!
The Key to the World card can be compared to a MagicBands at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Instead of sticking the card in a wallet or purse, most people keep their card in a lanyard so they can tap it on their door lock or use it whenever it’s needed. Disney Cruise Line has introduced their own bands for cruise guests, but these do carry an additional cost and may not fulfill all of the needs of the Key to the World card. You’ll still need to carry your ID around, so you might as well stick with the lanyards.
DisneyBand+, which is essentially the same thing as MagicBands, are available on some ships. These are an alternative to the traditional Key to the World card. While these bands do have some fun haptics and lights, remembering to charge them can be a bit annoying.
As first-time cruisers, we wish we would have had lanyards when we boarded the ship. By sticking your Key to the World card in your lanyard (we also put our IDs in our lanyard), we were able to leave cumbersome purses and wallets in our stateroom. The lanyard was all you needed to grab before enjoying everything the ship has to offer.
We ended up buying the official Disney Cruise lanyards from the ship’s gift shop. We couldn’t resist after seeing how useful they were for other guests. Admittedly, the official lanyards on the ships are a bit pricey (OK, very pricey), and more affordable options are found online. We know better now.
Summarized, a lanyard frees you up and allows you to travel around the ship without any bags or items in your pockets. The vast majority of guests on Disney cruises wear lanyards – it’s kind of a thing! Whether you pick up a lanyard online before your trip or on the ship itself, you won’t regret having one.
