When heading into a Disney Park, it can be easy to over or under-pack for the day. You won’t want to carry a heavy backpack in the heat, but you don’t want to be caught unprepared for your day.
Seven items stick out as we look at the most helpful items in a Disney park. Ensure you have these with you each day, and you will be prepared without overpacking.
1. Portable Charger
The first time, and one of the most important, is ensuring everyone has a portable charger. Phones are a big part of the Walt Disney World experience, and you don’t want to be caught in a park with a dead phone.
Not only will you want your phone throughout the day to take pictures, but you will also need it to access My Disney Experience. Disney’s app is what keeps guests connected to the magic. See wait times, book dining, see your photos, and discover where the characters are within the app.
By bringing portable chargers, you can ensure everyone has a charged phone ready for the day. Ensure you charge them each night so they are prepared in the morning.
2. Umbrella / Ponchos
No one wants to get soaked as they walk around the parks. Pack rain gear daily, no matter what the weather app tells you. Pop-up rain storms happen all the time in Disney. Even though they might only last for a while, they can damper your plans if you aren’t prepared for them.
Toss in those rain jackets, ponchos, or umbrellas to pull them up when it rains and then enjoy the park. We also like to use our umbrellas when out in the sun. It can be a great way to provide some relief from the sun.
We keep these items in our park bag throughout the trip to ensure we have them each day.
3. Sunscreen
Another weather-related item we always have is sunscreen. It is so important to protect yourself from the Florida sun. Even if you put on sunscreen before leaving for the day, the sun is intense, and you must reapply throughout the day.
No matter what type of sunscreen you prefer, ensure you have some in your park bag and reapply throughout the day to protect yourself.
4. Water
Hydration is essential to a successful and joyful time in Walt Disney World. When you head out to the parks for the day, make sure you have water. Disney allows guests to bring their water bottles and fill them with ice from your Disney resort before you leave in the morning.
Once in the parks, visit quick service locations or water refill stations to keep those bottles full. Water is expensive at Walt Disney World, so bringing your own can save you time and money during your trip.
If you prefer bottled water, consider delivering some to your Walt Disney World Resort. This will be a huge savings and help keep everyone hydrated as well. We also like to purchase hydration packets for our trips. These are nice to toss into our park bags and use if we are tired and rundown.
5. Snacks
We love having Disney snacks but know we often get hungry when we aren’t near a snack cart. Because of this, we like to toss in small individual snacks for those emergency moments.
Like with water, Disney allows guests to bring in snacks. Granola bars, snack mixes, grapes, fruit snacks, and other non-chocolate items are great to have on hand. Remember that it will be hot, so don’t get anything that will melt in your bag and cause a big mess.
6. Medicine
We always have a few medical items in our park bags. Chapstick is one of those top items. Lips get dried out, and chapstick will help with that and protect them from the sun.
Blisters happen; it doesn’t matter how prepared you are with your shoes. Provide yourself relief by bringing blister bandages or moleskin. Covering those blisters can allow you to keep moving and walking.
With so much walking in the heat and humidity, you will have places that rub. Bring along a chaffing stick to help when this happens. We suggest bringing these with you to the Parks. By having it with you, you can easily use it when those spots start to bother you.
Finally, we also have essential medicine for headaches, tummy aches, and motion sickness. Having these tossed into our bags makes it easy to battle those icky feelings when they show up during the day.
7. Hand Sanitizer and Wipes
Even though our kids are older now, we always travel with hand sanitizer and wipes. Cleaning off hands, tables, and other surfaces when needed is excellent. No matter how old kids get, the Mickey ice cream treats are still messy.
Toss these into your bag or attach a hand sanitizer to the outside of your bag for quick access. You will be surprised how often you use both throughout your trip.
Those are the top seven items in our Disney parks bag. They make our trips to the park easier without us having to carry a substantial, heavy backpack all day long. We hope it was helpful to break down these items so you can also get your Disney bag ready for the magic.
Related: Seven Helpful Tips for Doing Disney with Toddlers
Related: Critical Items You Don’t Want to Forget When Packing for Disney
