Want to make your own Disney Cruise door decorations without buying a ready-made magnet set? Before our Disney Adventure cruise from Singapore, I made magnetic character cutouts at home using printed designs, lamination, scissors and 3M adhesive-backed magnetic stickers. We decorated two connecting stateroom doors—12117 and 12119—and the finished result was one of my favorite little details of the trip.
These are our actual Disney Adventure cabin doors. We chose favorite characters including Ariel, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Stitch and Winnie the Pooh, then arranged them in two different designs. The photos also show decorative lights we had in our display. However, Disney Cruise Line’s current prohibited-items guidance lists celebratory string lights as restricted, so do not plan to bring or use string lights; stick to permitted magnets and check the latest ship rules before sailing.
What You Need to Make Disney Cruise Door Magnets
Here is what I used: downloadable character artwork, paper and a printer, a laminating service, scissors, and 3M adhesive-backed magnetic stickers. I also found an unofficial stateroom-door dimensions diagram to estimate how large the cutouts should look. I took my files to a neighborhood print shop rather than printing everything at home.
Step 1: Estimate the Size of a Cruise Stateroom Door
I found an online diagram showing an example cruise cabin door about 73 cm wide. This was only an approximate planning reference, not an official Disney Adventure measurement. I used it to judge whether large characters would overwhelm the door and how much space to leave for the room number and handle.
You do not need millimeter-perfect measurements for decorations like these. The important thing is choosing a practical scale and keeping the room number, lock, handle and safety information unobstructed.
Step 2: Choose Character Artwork
I browsed Disney Clip Art Galore (Disneyclips.com) to find character artwork in styles I liked. The site offers Disney-themed PNG and GIF art. I picked a mix of underwater characters and other favorites so the two doors would look playful but different.
Important copyright note: Disneyclips.com says its character images are intended for non-commercial use and requires attribution. This article links to the website but does not redistribute downloadable artwork files. If you plan to reuse any images, check the rights and terms for your own use. Our photographs show decorations we made for our personal trip.
Step 3: Print and Laminate the Designs
After choosing the pictures, I adjusted their sizes using the door reference as a rough guide, then visited a local self-service printing café. I had the images printed and laminated so that the paper would be sturdier and easier to handle throughout the trip.
Lamination also gave the character cutouts a glossy finish. I did not record an exact print size or total cost, so I would recommend choosing paper sizes based on your own designs rather than copying a single measurement.
Step 4: Cut Out Every Character
This part took the most patience! I carefully cut around each laminated character instead of leaving every design in a rectangular sheet. It was a little time-consuming, especially with smaller shapes, but the finished cutouts looked much more like individual decorations.
I spread the pieces out on the floor to check how the colors and character sizes worked together before adding the magnets.
Step 5: Add Magnetic Stickers to the Back
Next, I attached 3M adhesive-backed magnetic stickers to the backs of the laminated cutouts. The adhesive side stuck to the laminated paper; the magnetic side was what held the decoration to the metal surface. I did not use adhesive tape directly on the cruise stateroom door.
For larger cutouts, test whether the magnetic backing is strong enough to keep the design flat. Magnets work differently on different surfaces, so test them beforehand and verify that your specific stateroom door is magnet-friendly.
Step 6: Test the Layout on a Door at Home
I couldn’t resist trying everything out on our door at home before the trip! This gave me a chance to see the approximate scale, move the characters around and confirm that the magnets stayed in place. It was basically a dress rehearsal for our cabin door decorations.
If you are making a lot of characters, take a photo of your favorite arrangement so you can quickly recreate it after boarding.
Step 7: Decorate Our Disney Adventure Stateroom Doors
Once we were on the Disney Adventure, we divided the characters between our two connecting rooms, 12117 and 12119. Seeing the colorful artwork outside our cabins made the hallway feel more personal, and the decorations made it easier to spot our rooms among rows of similar doors.
I loved the process almost as much as the finished decorations. Choosing characters, printing them, carefully cutting them out and testing them at home made the cruise feel exciting even before departure.
Important Disney Cruise Door Decoration Rules
Disney Cruise Line allows tasteful magnetic decorations on most suitable cabin doors but says not to attach items with tape, gel adhesives or other adhesives. Decorations belong on the door, not on corridor walls or ceilings. Door damage that violates its guidelines may result in a US$100 charge per incident. The cruise line also prohibits celebratory light strings. See the official door decoration policy and prohibited items list before packing.
The adhesive backing on our 3M magnetic stickers was used only to attach the magnet to the back of our own laminated decorations—not to stick anything directly to the cabin door.
FAQ: DIY Disney Cruise Door Decorations
Can you put magnets on Disney Cruise cabin doors?
Magnetic door signs and decorations are allowed under Disney Cruise Line’s guidelines for suitable stateroom doors. Some doors may have different surfaces, so confirm your ship and room.
Should I use tape to attach decorations?
No. Disney’s door decoration policy tells guests not to apply tape or other adhesives to stateroom doors. Use permitted magnets instead.
Can I use decorative fairy lights on my Disney Cruise door?
Do not assume so. The current prohibited-items list includes celebratory light strings, so I recommend making your door design look great with magnets alone. Our travel photos document what we displayed, not a recommendation to bring restricted lights.
Are free character images always free to use?
No. A free download does not necessarily include commercial-use rights. Check the artwork provider’s terms; Disneyclips.com specifies non-commercial use and attribution.
Was Making Our Own Door Magnets Worth It?
For us, absolutely. We got to customize both doors with characters we loved, and creating them became part of the fun of preparing for our family cruise. If you enjoy simple crafts, these laminated DIY magnets are a memorable pre-cruise project.
We also stayed in connecting rooms. Read our Disney Adventure 12117 & 12119 connecting stateroom review for cabin photos and our family setup, or see how we booked Disney Adventure from Singapore.
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