Door decorations on cruises: How to get creative in your cabin corridor

You’ve likely walked down the endless cabin corridors on a cruise ship only to find that every door looks exactly the same. While it can be challenging to remember your room number (I’m one of those people who’s lost for the first few days of a cruise), one way to remember which room is yours is by decorating your door.

If you’ve ever sailed on Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean or Carnival Cruise Line, you might have even passed some cruise door decorations like magnets, signs and small banners and thought about doing the same on your next cruise. It’s a great idea since decorations are an easy way to know which room is yours, plus it adds a little pizzazz to the vibe in the hallways.

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If you’ve been inspired by cruise ship neighbors and plan to decorate on your next cruise, you should know a few key things before you plan your hallway masterpiece. Read on to learn which cruise lines allow decorations, which decorations are best and where to find the best cruise door decoration ideas.

Which lines allow cruise door decorations?

Not all cruise lines allow door decorations. For the lines that do, here are their basic decorating rules.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line allows door decorations as long as they’re made from fire-retardant materials. Decorations can only be placed on the cabin door and not on the adjacent hallway walls. Magnets or command strips are acceptable ways to hang decorations, but tape and glue are not. String lights are also not allowed.

I love going with a themed door when I’m sailing with Carnival. I try to think about what upcoming holidays are close to my sailing or where the cruise is sailing to. For example, if the cruise is heading to Mexico, I might try to find some taco and margarita magnets to put on my door to bring a bit of fun flair to the hallway.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean permits guests to decorate their cabin doors, but you should ensure that all decorations stay on the doors and not stray to a nearby wall. Decorations should not destroy the door in any way. If you want to decorate your door while on a Royal Caribbean cruise, simple magnets are best.

I try to find decorations that fit the lively party vibe of Royal Caribbean ships. Party banners that can be hung with magnets are always a hit. I also love finding fringe curtains and cutting them to the size of my door to add a little sparkle and shine to my cabin entry.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line passengers can decorate their doors but cannot use adhesive to affix the decorations. Otherwise, Disney is fairly open to all types of door decorations. Decorative magnets or hanging signs with magnetic hooks are a popular choice.

Unfortunately, Concierge rooms on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have wooden doors, so magnets will not stick. If you’ve booked one of these rooms, you’ll be limited as to how you can decorate.

Many Disney Cruise Line decorations take their inspiration from the huge collection of Disney characters and movies. In the past, I’ve seen everything from The Muppets and “Star Wars” characters to Mickey Mouse and Pixar decorations on doors.

A particularly Disney trend is to attach a magnetic pin board to your door. Fellow cruisers will pick up one of your pins and leave behind one of their own. I’ve gotten some really fun pins from international parks this way. On holiday cruises, generous travelers will even attach small gift bags to their doors and passersby can help themselves to a holiday treat.

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises allows door decorations, and doors are often decorated for celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. Like all the other lines, Princess Cruises prohibits decorations that might damage the door, so the use of adhesives to stick decorations to the door is a no-go here.

Princess leans into its connection with “The Love Boat,” so you might want to find decoration inspiration from the 1970s sitcom. Print out pictures of characters, the ship and the logo, then laminate and stick a magnet to each piece and you’re set to sail.

Holland America

Holland America also allows guests to decorate their doors but offers no rules about the size or placement of the decorations. The brand does ask its guests not to display any inappropriate decorations.

The best decorations for a cruise with Holland America are themed around the cruising lifestyle, with magnets that show off your favorite cocktail, trivia champion status or any big milestone celebrations you’ll be having while on board.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises does allow door decorations as long as they are family-friendly. If I had an upcoming sailing on MSC, I would find some decorations that showcased any celebrations like birthdays or anniversaries I might be celebrating or some cute cruise magnets or banners.

Celebrity Cruises

Decorating cabin doors is less common on Celebrity Cruises than its sister company, Royal Caribbean, but the cruise line does still allow decorations. One thing to keep in mind if you’re decorating your cabin door on Celebrity is that nothing should damage the door in any way.

If you want to decorate with something that’s on theme for a Celebrity cruise, consider decorating with martini magnets, which are right in line with the brand’s iconic Martini Bar.

Which cruise lines do not allow door decorations?

Norwegian Cruise Line

Leave your cruise door decorations at home if you’re sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line, as it has banned door decorations on all ships. The line cites the safety of guests and crew because many cruise door decorations can be a fire hazard.

Virgin Voyages

According to the Virgin Voyages cabin FAQ, “We think our lady ships look fabulous as they are, and door decorations inevitably lead to unsightly damage.” So, no, you cannot use cruise door decorations on any of the ships in the Virgin Voyages fleet.

Which types of cruise door decorations are best?

To ensure you comply with the majority of the cruise line’s door decoration policies, try to find decorations that are either magnetic or can be hung with magnetic hooks. None of the decorations should leave a residue on the door. The best decorations are easy to pack, lightweight and won’t get in the way of your room steward as they enter your cabin.

Which types of cruise door decorations should you leave at home?

Leave string lights, crepe paper, garlands and cumbersome decorations at home. Cruise door decorations that might get in the way of your room steward or other guests should also be left behind. Do not pack any decorations that are so large they extend beyond the door or need to be attached to the hallway panels. Most cruise lines only allow decorations on the actual door of your cabin.

What should you keep in mind when packing decorations?

Think about space when picking and packing your cruise door decorations. I love bringing magnets that can lie flat in my suitcase but look great on my cabin door. If you’re flying to your cruise embarkation port, you’ll need to think about size and weight. You don’t want heavy decorations that would weigh down your bag. For example, big wooden signs or pinboards that could be held up by magnets might look cute on your door, but they can also weigh down your suitcase.

If you want to decorate your cabin door as soon as you board, you should pack your decorations in your carry-on bag.

Where do you find cruise door decoration ideas?

If you’re looking for decoration inspiration, Pinterest is a great place to start. You’ll find thousands of ideas for door decorations on the site. You can filter your selection further by putting the cruise line name into the search bar. For example, if you’re going on a Carnival cruise, search “cruise door decorations carnival cruise line” to get ship-specific ideas.

I also love finding ideas on Etsy because I can see and buy decorations right away. Hundreds of Etsy shops sell cruise door decorations, but buy them early so they arrive in time for your vacation. Also, read reviews before you place an order because some shops offer higher-quality products than others.

You can also find acceptable door decorations at party stores, dollar stores or the Target Dollar Spot. If you’re looking for decorations where you live, you can find great cruise decorations with a tropical vibe during the spring and summer months.

Do cruise lines sell decorations on board or online?

Some cruise lines sell door and cabin decorations online before a cruise begins and on board once you’ve embarked. These include Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line. If you plan on buying your decorations online or on the ship, be sure you have plenty of room in your suitcase to bring them back home with you, too. The decoration package might include souvenir pillowcases, towels and picture frames, as well as easier-to-pack magnets.

Do you have to decorate your door on a cruise?

No cruise line requires you to decorate your door, but joining in the fun of decorating can enhance your overall cruise experience, especially on certain cruise lines. If you’re sailing with Disney Cruise Line or Carnival Cruise Line, you’ll find that many doors in the cabin hallways are decorated. Disney cruise door decorations can range in style from large magnets featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse to smaller decorations that showcase a family’s personality and interests or even themed decorations to match a holiday-based cruise, birthday or anniversary celebration.

For Carnival cruise door decorations, the majority of the options tend to lean more into the fun party vibe on board Carnival’s ships. You’ll find that many of the doors are covered in cocktail glass magnets and have cute signs that say something about a celebration or being on vacation mode.

Get started shopping for cruise door decorations

If you’re still wondering where to get started shopping for cruise door decorations, we’re sharing a few of our favorite all-line decorations from Amazon to shop.

Bottom line

Decorating your cruise cabin door can be a fun way to get into the cruising spirit while serving as a helpful tool for finding your cabin in a long corridor. Even if you don’t wish to decorate your own door, take a few minutes on your sailing to wander the cabin hallways and look at your shipmates’ door decor. The creativity cruisers display is sure to brighten your day.

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Door decorations on cruises: How to get creative in your cabin corridor