What to Pack for Disney: Items You Can’t Forget for Your Magical Day

Theme parks are an all-day activity. As you are preparing for your adrenaline-filled day, it can be difficult to figure out what is worth lugging around all day, and what should be left behind. As an Orlando native, I’ve had more than my fair share of theme park days. I mean, I live in the theme park capitol of the world with Disney, Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens, and multiple water parks all within easy driving distance. Now, I’m here to tell you exactly what to pack for Disney or any other theme park to make your experience truly “magical.”

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What to Pack for Disney: The Ultimate List of Things to Bring

Refillable Water Bottle

Fun fact: Every theme park is required to give you free water at restaurants if you ask for it. The Florida heat is brutal, and it would be cruel not to give a dehydrated human water when they need it most. However, waiting in those long food lines for a water cup or even not being able to take a sip while waiting in line for Thunder Mountain can be almost as bad! The easiest solution to save money, save time, and avoid dehydration, is to bring your own water bottle. You can easily refill it throughout the day at water fountains and restaurants, and you will always have water on hand.

Pro tip: If you want to save space when you aren’t using it, get a foldable one like this one that I take hiking with me! It folds up to easily fit in your purse or backpack until you are ready to refill it.

Things to Beat the Heat

It’s no secret that Florida is beyond HOT, and this heat can easily ruin your day if you don’t prepare properly! The heat in Florida can hit over 100 degrees in the summer plus the humidity which makes it so much worse. You need to make sure to protect your skin and your eyes from the scorching sun. When you are thinking about what to pack for Disney, make sure you bring these heat-defense items!

• Sunscreen
• Hat
• Chapstick
• Sunglasses
• This Awesome Fan that is powered by your phone

What to Pack for Disney: Snack Items

As wait times for rides can easily be over 45 minutes, hunger can quickly strike with no options to buy food while waiting in line. In order to avoid the high Disney prices, rumbling stomachs, and hungry children, make sure to pack some snack items like granola bars or goldfish to tide you and your family over until your next food stop! My parents always did this trick to save money. Of course, we would still eat in the parks for meals, but having some gum or a small snack on hand when we were desperate and exhausted from the heat made a big difference. It kept away the hanger and kept the children happy.

Fun fact: Bringing outside food into the parks is completely allowed and can save you money on snacks! Every child dreams of going to Disney, and bringing in your own snacks can help make the day more affordable. Plus on a vacation to Orlando there are plenty of fun things to do with your kids.

A Small Towel

If you are like me, sometimes anything is worth it to cool off for a bit, even a water ride. One thing that you should make sure to pack for Disney is a small towel for drying off after Splash Mountain or even just for wiping the sweat off of your brow. It can be a not-so-great experience to be drenching wet while walking around after getting soaking wet. A towel can make a big difference. If you really hate walking around wet, you can even bring a bathing suit to change into for the water ride. Just don’t forget an extra pair of socks for when your feet get wet on the ride!

Just In Case Items to Pack for Disney

Here is what I always make sure that I pack for my Disney trips, just in case I need them. I find that it is pretty common for me to get headaches from the rides or someone in the group to start suffering from some form of motion sickness. It’s important to plan for these events ahead of time so that you don’t have to pay insanely high prices for health items. They are definitely something that you will regret not having when you need them!

• hand sanitizer (For the germs)
• pain killers (for the headaches)
• bandaids (for the blisters)
• Motion sickness pills (dramamine) (for the rides)

Magic Band

Disney has upgraded in its 50-some years of existence. Now it includes the wonderful: Magic Band. The Magic Band can be bought and used by anyone and it does all of the following: saves your fast passes, holds your ticket information, collects your park photos, and more! It is truly a game-changer, and definitely something you will want to buy or bring with you for your day at Disney.

Read more: Advice from a Disney Insider

External Charger

There’s no getting around it, Disney comes with crowds and lines galore. In the techy generation that we live in, most of the time spent waiting in line is consumed by phone usage in order to pass the time. It can be awful when your phone is about to die, and you are worried that you will get separated with no way to contact your family.

Avoid this problem by bringing an external charger so that you never have to worry about it dying. I always pack this external charger when I go to Disney, and it is a game-changer.

Pro tip: If you want to pass the time in line enjoying the company of your family or friends, download the Head’s Up app or the Space Team app. I promise they will fill your group with joy.

What would you bring with you to Disney?

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