Surprisingly you don’t need to pack everything in your house for a vacation to Walt Disney World. It has taken me years to figure this out, but I have finally narrowed it down to key items we need and left those other items at home.
Check out my packing list of what you need and what you don’t when traveling to Walt Disney World for your Disney vacation.
Comfortable Shoes
Probably the most important item that you will have on your Disney world packing list for everyone is comfortable shoes. Walt Disney World and the four Theme Parks are huge and that means a LOT of walking. Guests average between 8 to 12 miles PER DAY during their Walt Disney World vacation.
As most of us don’t walk this during our normal days at home, it is super important to make sure you have shoes that will support these miles. Even though we love to have shoes that match our outfits, we quickly learned that comfort or cuteness is key.
Make sure that everyone has one or two pairs of shoes that are comfortable to walk in and ones that have been worn before at home. Don’t purchase brand new shoes and toss them into the suitcase. Take time to test drive them before you hit your vacation.
We recommend having a backup pair of shoes because no matter how much you love your trusted kicks, they still might cause blisters, and having a different option will be a welcome relief.
Having an extra pair of shoes is also a good option in case it rains and your shoes get wet. We have seen the flooded streets at the Theme Parks so having an extra dry pair of shoes back at the Resort is a good idea.
Weather Items
Even though we wish that Walt Disney World was in a magical weather bubble where the sun was always present and the temperate was a nice 75 degrees, that isn’t the reality. Weather happens in Walt Disney World and by being prepared for it you can continue to have a magical time.
For rain, I like to pack light, rain jackets for each of us that I can easily roll up and put into our Park Bag. This makes them easy to grab when the storms pop up and also doesn’t take up much room. We also typically have at least one umbrella with us for when we might not need the jackets, but still want to be covered from the rain.
If we know that it is going to be extremely rainy all day, I have even tossed in extra shoes/sandals so we can avoid our tennis shoes from getting soaked. Ziploc bags, as well as plastic bags, can be a great way to keep Park Bags and other items dry or to put wet items in after the storm.
When we head down during the summer months when we know it will be hot and humid, I make sure to pack items to help keep us cool. We have purchased individual rechargeable fans which are life savers when standing in a queue with no air movement. A cooling towel is also a great way to keep the body from overheating.
Water is essential during these hot and humid months and we have started to bring along hydration packets to help us avoid dehydration.
For the winter months, yes Florida has winter as well, we make sure to pack those layers. December through the end of February and sometimes March sees temperatures drop overnight which makes those early mornings and late nights in the Parks chilly.
Making sure you have a jacket, mittens and a hat can be a lifesaver during those chilly times in Walt Disney World.
Making sure we are prepared for the weather allows us to continue enjoying the magic no matter what mother nature is doing.
Organizational Items
Another packing tip for what I have on our packing list is those organizational items. There is nothing more stressful to me during a Walt Disney World vacation than a messy Resort room where I can’t find anything.
My organization starts before we leave for Walt Disney World as I use packing cubes to help organize our clothes. I have different colored cubes so we each have our own color making it easy for everyone to grab.
I also use larger cubes to pack our outfits for specific days/occasions. This makes it easy for everyone to know what to wear and have it all together. Sometimes it is hard to remember what is in the cubes, so I have started to use masking tape to mark them which helped a lot.
The packing cubes also help when we arrive at Walt Disney World as they easily go into the drawers and cupboards at the Resort. This really helps keep our clothes organized and less scattered.
I also like to bring along a couple of hampers for dirty clothes as we can easily take the hamper to the laundry facility at the Resort or toss it into the suitcase on the way home.
Cloth cubes are also helpful in keeping our Resort organized. I use these in the bathroom and by the door so we can toss things like MagicBands and sunglasses into it each day. This makes these items easy to grab and less likely to get lost.
When the kids were little, I would also use a cloth cube to put their clothes or PJs in each day. This made it easy for them to grab and get dressed on their own while I continued to get ready.
You can see how I organize our Walt Disney World Resort HERE.
Electronics
Finally, I make sure that we have enough charing items for everyone’s devices. Even though Walt Disney World has done a great job having more USB ports throughout the Resorts, I like to make sure that I have extra cords and blocks for all of us.
With My Disney Experience, our phones are so important to a successful trip that I want to make sure we have everything charged each night.
Those are the main items that I have learned are essential to pack for our Walt Disney World vacation. Obviously, clothing and medicine are important as well, but these are items that I felt Guests might not think about but are helpful when heading to Walt Disney World.
