Cruise Door Decoration Ideas For Your Cruise Voyage!

cruise door decoration ideas

Decorating cruise doors is a great way to personalize your cabin, especially for celebrating a special occasion. But what if it doesn’t meet expectations? Sounds disappointing, right?

But don’t worry; take a deep breath, fella. I’ve got your back. I’m Zoe, and cruising since my childhood. From the years of observations, I’ve come up with some appealing and eye-catching door decor ideas that will give you an edge over others. 

So, stick with my ideas, and you’ll definitely end up with unique and impressive decorations. 

Let’s get started.

Note: 
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9 Fun Ways or Ideas to Decorate Your Next Cruise Door

Here are my favorite decor ideas that will make your stateroom’s door stand out.

Although these ideas contain items that you might find difficult to get in local stores. For your ease, I’ve mentioned those items and where you can buy them at affordable prices.

#1 Make Announcement Theme

There can be several reasons to cruise, and cruise door decoration is an exquisite way to express. 

For example, if you are cruising on your birthday. One of the easiest ways is to use fun magnets, stating, “It’s my birthday cruise.” You can easily place these magnets on your cruise door. Let others know your uniqueness and share your good times with them. 

Not only birthday celebrations – theme announcement goes the same for any special occasion you want to share with the world. 

It can either be an “anniversary” or a banner covering “Will you marry me” or “just got married” to express your love for your partner. For this, you can use “couple cruise magnets.” 

Below are my recommended Cruise Door Magnets.

#2 Express Your Love For A Book

Cursing can be an excellent opportunity to collaborate or meet with like-minded people. And adding a personalized touch to your door decoration will help people to know more about you.

For example, if you love a particular book or a writer, you can use a hanging wall theme stating the favorite motivational quote and name of the book.

#3 Make the Cruise Door Interactive

magnetic board

Another fun way to decorate a cruise door is to make it interactive. Magnetic dry-erase boards are best in this regard.   

For example, write “How many times have you cruised?” or “Which is your favorite port?”

Believe us; we were astonished to see the response of fellow guests. A lot of them responded, and we even started communicating later.

Even once, we left the board with the statement, “leave a note.” Seeing how people contributed to it by placing a short note or laughing joke was good. 

#4 Nautical Inspired Theme

Nautical themes are the most popular choice for any cruiser decorating the door. 

This theme got inspiration from the Maritimes elements. The uniqueness of the nautical theme lies in its colors, which sets it apart from others.

For example, vibrant red, crisp white, and deep navy blue are nautical themes’ color patterns. 

Since we have also used nautical hanging swirls for our cruise doors, many cruisers compliment and admire our doors. 

#5 Use DIY Projects

If you love crafting, there is no other preferable way to customize your cruise door.

One of the best things about using DIY crafts is endless opportunities. Either use beach theme items or create your wreath using sea shells – the options are never-ending so that you can make it fit up to your choice and personal style. 

However, you must know that cruise lines can cost you a penalty of up to $100 if you damage their property. So, you must be careful when choosing glue or strips, as the cruise doors are metal. 

#6 Hanging Pocket Organizer

A hanging pocket organizer is a multipurpose door decoration. You can place it inside or outside the room – surely it will be a space-saving idea.

Especially if you are cruising on a Disney cruise line, a hanging pocket organizer will be essential for the fish extender program. 

#7 String Lights

String lights also look good placed outside the door. 

For this purpose, we preferred these ocean-themed string lights, which look so cute. These are remote control and versatile lights.

Cruising with kids will make it a popular choice. However, these strings can also be used as an additional gear and touch-up.

For example, you can place it around your door hanging board to make it more appealing or use it to enhance the beauty of any DIY project. 

Note: Battery operated string lights are not an issue. Make sure not to bring plug-in lights.

#8 Cultural Showcase

A cultural showcase on a cruise is always an anticipated idea to stay unique.

For example, you can add a touch of your culture or heritage in a DIY project to show others where you are from or represent your country. With that, displaying a flag outside your cruise door is also a great idea to connect with your people. 

Moreover, you can also decorate the door with different textiles or symbols representing the state or country.

#9 Personalized Magnates

Choosing magnets to decorate the doors can be overwhelming as it is one of the most popular options. 

To make this popular idea unpopular or unique – you need personalized magnets.

For example, buy a blank magnet and customize it with your desired theme, color, paint, or picture. Alternatively, you can also get personalized cruise ship magnets online. 

Rules For Decorating Cruise Doors

Different cruise lines have distinct rules regarding decorating doors. However, they all share the same purpose: ensuring the ship’s and other cruisers’ safety.

I’ve outlined the rules of various cruise lines for adorning cruise doors. Just make sure to follow them to avoid any penalties.

1- Royal Caribbean Door Decoration Rules

  • Leave No Trace: Make sure not to damage the cruise doors while decorating. Or don’t use the materials that leave any mark on the stateroom doors. Only use magnets (or command strips for non-metallic surfaces).
  • Keep It PG-13: Royal Caribbean highly prioritizes not doing decorations that include language or imagery that may be considered vulgar or offensive. It’s a family-friendly cruise line, so make sure to keep this rule in mind while decorating.
  • Safety First: That’s the common rule all cruise lines have. For safety reasons, use flame-retardant materials for dressing up the doors. 
  • The Doors: The decorations you do should only be on your door or inside your room. They shouldn’t interfere with clear access to your room or the hallway for crew and fellow guests.

2- Carnival Cruise Line Door Decoration Rules

  • Fire Retardant Materials: Like the Royal Caribbean, Carnival allows only fire retardant materials on the doors. Plus, ensure you’re using pure fire retardant materials instead of the fire retardant spray.
  • Placement: Decorations should only be placed on your room’s door, not the surrounding frame, walls, or railings. Also, no decoration items should be placed over light fittings or fixtures, as these may restrict the airflow and cause the item to ignite.
  • No Adhesives: Adhesives like tape or glue are not allowed. Only you can use magnets or Command Strips.
  • Door Hanging Organizers: Over-the-door hanging organizers must hung inside your stateroom. Also, they must be of fire-retardant material that doesn’t damage the door.
  • Balconies: You’re not allowed to make any decorations on balconies.
  • String Lights: No String lights of any kind are allowed.

3- Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) Door Decoration Rules

Norwegian Cruise Line doesn’t allow you to decorate your stateroom’s door.

As per safety requirements, all stateroom door decorations are strictly prohibited on the Norwegian Cruise Line. 

If you are against their policy, Stateroom stewards can remove all decorations and place them inside the room.

So, my dear Norwegian Cruise fellas, leave your decoration dreams home if you don’t want your stateroom steward playing the décor police, haha!

4- Disney Cruise Lines Door Decoration Rules

Disney Cruise Line has similar policies when it comes to decorating stateroom doors. You’re welcome to place magnetic signs on your stateroom door. 

Also, items should not be attached using tape or adhesives that could damage the door’s finish. Plus, over-the-door hanging organizers are prohibited.

Resulting in any violation may cost you $100 per incident to cover the cost of repairs. So be cautious, and let’s keep those doors and wallets intact.

Bottom Line

Wrapping up with a discussion with a note that cruise door decoration is not only restricted to your personality or taste. It can also be used as an opportunity to connect with fellow travelers. 

So, do not bound or restrict yourself to one idea while choosing the door decoration theme.

With that, planning door decoration is always a fun pre-cruise project. But again, before you do so, don’t forget to check your cruise policies to align with them. 

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