A Cast Member once told me that a Disney trip is like a marathon, and truer words have never been spoken. While I love pounding the pavement and progressing through my touring plans as much as the next girl, the truth is, without preparation and a few emergency tools on hand, my Disney day can quickly go from a joyful adventure to a desperate slog at the drop of a hat.
Part of my purpose behind this blog is to help YOU have a more magical time at Disney, and that includes passing on the knowledge I’ve gleaned over the years so that you don’t have to make the mistakes I did! Because Disney friends don’t let Disney friends trudge unhappily through the parks.
I’m currently packing for my next Disney trip in less than a month (woohoo!!), which means today I pulled out my “Disney Travel” bag stocked with necessities for venturing into the parks. If you are already planning your 2021 “Revenge Travel” (so weird to think of it that way!), read ahead for 10 helpful items to have with you to keep your day magical!
I need to preface this list with a few caveats… if you are a Disney Minimalist and carry nothing but a magic band and a smile into the parks, you may balk at some of these. I get it. I used to be you, roughing it in the great outdoors… er… parks! But as my family has grown and I’ve gotten a bit older, my desire for comfort has outweighed my desire to carry nothing.
Consider this list somewhere between Glamping and Survivalist on the scale of Disney preparation… car camping may be the best way to look at it. Like when you want to experience nature, but you still want to charge your cell phone.
I’m also including links to items just for your own personal ease in case you don’t want to hunt them down on your own. These aren’t affiliate links or anything, and I’m not paid anything to recommend any of them, I just want to help make your planning a little easier!
One last thing… you don’t have to agree with all these items! This is simply what has worked for me, and I’d LOVE to hear what your must-haves are in the comments below! Take what is helpful, leave the rest. Agreed? Ok, let’s get to it!
These super handy, small, and lightweight ponchos are an absolute necessity when traveling to the Florida parks, and are a helpful item at Disneyland. Afternoon thundershowers happen often in Orlando, and you’ll be so grateful to have this little guy on hand to keep you from walking around damp the rest of the day if you get caught in one. You’ll also look like you have your life together as your stroll past all those poor unfortunate souls huddled in a corner waiting for the storm to pass while wasting precious park time.
As a bonus, these double as splash-free covers for any wet ride (Splash Mountain, Kali River Rapids, Grizzly River Run, etc) for those who prefer to not get soaked. You can simply toss them when you’re done, or stuff them back in a baggie and dry them out back in your hotel at the end of the day.
For all you parents out there, ponchos are also helpful to cover strollers when the sky looks ominous to keep your ride (and 16 million kid accessories in the bottom basket) dry. Or, if you forget to throw it on and your stroller gets soaked, they make a great makeshift barrier between your kid and a soaking-wet seat (not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…)
I’ve also used disposable ponchos in a pinch to sit on the curb to wait for parades (pre-COVID of course) if I don’t happen to have my lightweight packable blanket with me.
I didn’t use to consider personal fans a must-have until I experienced a Floridian summer with a mask on (I don’t recommend it, by the way… travel in cooler months if you can!). Fans are also life-savers for those in your travel party who cannot tolerate heat long. There are several options available, but my favorite is this one by O2 Cool because it is small enough to slide into my bag, hands-free, and cheap enough that it’s not a heartbreaker if it succumbs to the rigor of the parks.
UPDATE: Misting fans are also a great option for Disney! We like these small ones for the kids or bringing a bigger one to share for the whole family.
Speaking of beating the heat, reusable cooling towels are life-savers whether you’re standing in the sun in line or traversing around the World Showcase at Epcot in the afternoon. You simply need to get them wet, wring them out, and then snap them to make them instantly cold! Lay one over your neck for instant relief, then re-snap and reapply once the cooling effect wears off for a refresher.
These towels are particularly helpful if any of your travel mates is prone to heat rash as they keep the skin cool and covered. And they are an absolute must for hot, cranky kids (and adults)! Cooling towels alone have saved my vacation with my son who wilts easily under the California/Florida sun.
I’d recommend washing these in the sink with some detergent once you’re back at your resort for the evening and laying it out to dry completely each night. They might smell not so magical after a few days if you don’t. ?
Regardless of the great “Magic Band: Do we still need one now that they aren’t free?” debate, I think it’s safe to say these magical vacation emblems will be around for a while yet. Enter Magic Band savers. These small, inexpensive pieces of silicone slip over the strap of your magic band and keep it securely in place! This is particularly helpful for small children and for when you’re scrambling quickly in and out of rides because nothing is worse than your magic band popping off at an inopportune moment.
Speaking of magic bands, if you are having a tough time fitting one on kid-sized wrists, here is a tutorial on how to make them smaller by removing the outer rubber part of the band!
Ok, this feels like a no-brainer in 2021, and for sure Disney is providing LOTS of hand sanitizer everywhere in the parks, including in ride queues and exits. But when I sit down to eat or if a sanitizing station is not handy, I keep this coconut lemon spray sanitizer at the ready in the outside pocket of my park bag. It’s not sticky and doesn’t leave a residue, so it’s perfect for multiple uses, plus it smells like a vacation in a bottle! Added bonus: It’s the only sanitizer my kids don’t complain about having on their hands.
Ziplock bags are one of my most important park essentials, as they are multi-purpose! Currently, I use them to store clean masks in one and dirty masks in another, as I switch them out throughout the day and don’t want them to touch in my bag. When eating, I turn my mask inside-out and slip it inside one at my table to keep it clean while I enjoy my delicious dole whip/grey stuff/Canadian cheddar cheese soup.
Plastic bags are also handy for keeping you phone dry on wet rides, storing wet plastic ponchos, or tucking away a treat you couldn’t quite finish to enjoy later.
Walking an average of 10-14 miles per day at Disney, your feet will be working overtime to get you to and from the magic! Treat them right before you step into the parks by protecting yourself from blisters with this miracle anti-chafe stick. Simply put it on like deodorant, but on your feet, covering all the places your shoes might rub, and magically prevent blisters from forming by reducing friction! I rarely have blisters anymore since I started using it.
I will also pause to mention here that having the right shoes really does make a difference, and everyone’s feet are unique so it’s tough to recommend the “perfect” Disney footwear. Whatever shoes you choose, make sure you break them in at least a month in advance, go waterproof/fast dry if possible, and pick comfort over fashion!
These blister bandages are a MUST in my park bag every day because sometimes I miss a spot with the foot glide, or someone I’m traveling with gets an unexpected blister. Rather than suffer through foot pain the rest of the day, put on one of these cushiony bandages to protect the injured area and prevent further friction. Voila! Instant relief.
If you’re traveling with children, make sure you do frequent “hot spot checks”, asking them how their feet are feeling. Catching blisters early will help keep your park days be fun for all!
Travel straws are a new arrival to my must-haves list because of the plastic straw embargo at Disney. Paper straws are the WORST, even if they are better for the environment. I carry this little collapsible stainless steel straw with me so I can enjoy the bottom third of my drink without the disposable straw collapsing like a soggy paper tragedy.
Some people swear by the ones with the rubber tip at the end so you don’t get the shock of cold drinks… to each his own! You’re also free to brave the paper version if you’d like, or go commando with no straw at all. ?
Mobile ordering, checking wait times, and snapping pics will eat up your battery life on your phone even if it usually lasts all day. Solve the problem by carrying a power bank and charger cord in your park bag to power-up on the go! Just make sure to recharge every night once you’re back at your resort. I prefer this power bank, it’s served us well and has the capacity to charge two phones at once, plus it’s reasonably priced. But really, any power bank will do!
The sun is a harsh mistress at the Disney parks on both coasts. Even on cloudy days, protecting your skin from the harsh UV rays of the sun is still critically important! I usually layer an SPF face lotion under my makeup, then apply a dry-touch sunscreen everywhere else.
If you’re extra sensitive to the sun, consider a small UV blocking umbrella. I wouldn’t normally recommend umbrellas because they tend to accidentally poke others as you’re walking around, but with social distancing, that isn’t really a problem at the moment!
Some Disney friends also recommend hats and light shirts to keep out the rays. Whatever you do, keep an eye on everyone throughout the day, and reapply after sweating/getting wet so no one looks like lobsters in your Photopass photos!
Here are a few items that didn’t quite make the top 10, but are still staples of my trips!
Filtering Water Bottle (because Florida water is 3% alligator pee and tastes like it)
A set of quality, comfortable masks until this pandemic thing is behind us ? I usually take 3-4 per day to switch out, depending on how hot it is outside, and then wash them in the sink in the evenings to prep for the next day!
