Ahoy, Adam!
Welcome to planDisney! We are so glad you are here and looking forward to sailing with
Disney Cruise Line this month! One of my favorite things about cruising is only having to pack once, even though your destination is constantly changing. It's the best feeling to wake up each day not knowing what you might see from the ship!
Your question made me smile because it took me back to my cruise on the Disney Fantasy to Norway this past September. I knew the only way I was going to get everything I needed and wanted to wear into my medium-sized suitcase was to vacuum-seal. My daughter is the queen of vacuum sealing, so she assured me that the manual pump was the way to go because it lets you compress the bags even more than an electric pump (in her experience!). So the good news is that manual pumps are not on the
prohibited items list, and you should still get your bags airtight when you
pack for coming home.
Adam, since you are vacuum-sealing, I'd like to share two options to smooth out some of the wrinkles. In your stateroom closet, you'll find a laundry bag and form to use the ship's full-service laundry. The prices to press your clothes are half the cost of having them laundered. So if you would like to send off any items, place those in the laundry bag, complete the form, and leave it for your stateroom host or hostess on the bed. I do this on every cruise and have my pressed items back within 24 hours. Disney Cruise Line also has self-service laundry facilities on every ship, and there are irons for your use at no charge. If you end up needing to do any
laundry on board, there is a nominal fee for the washers, dryers, and detergent.
Thank you for sending in your question, Adam. We'd love to help again, so keep us posted if you have further cruise questions.
Happy packing!
Nancy