A family vacation to Walt Disney World comes with a lot of decisions. What to pack in your Disney Park Bag is one of them. And if this is your one and only Disney Family vacation this can be stressful. Should you check your luggage or should you carry it on? Will you arrive too early to bring stuff to your room? Is driving a better choice than flying? How can you maximize your first day in the parks without spending an hour at the resort desk for check-in? What if you’re only staying for 4 days, how can you make the most of it? What should be on your Disney Park Bag Packing List so you’re not regretting life and needing a chiropractor by the end of the day? We’ve got answers to all these questions, but let’s tackle the one you can control at this moment.
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Disney Park Bag Packing List
It’s your FIRST DAY at Disney. Your room wasn’t ready when you checked in so you’re probably going to lug around that extra-large purse, backpack, or bag in the parks. Yes? No. You have a couple of options here!
- Leave extra items at the concierge at your resort before heading into the parks if you packed too much to actually spend all day walking around with.
- Rent a locker at the entrance of the parks when you arrive.
- You can also just pack that carry-on purse or mini backpack for your first day at Disney in the parks a little lighter.
Believe us, there are things you will be okay lugging around the parks for a long 12-hour day and things you will have wished you left in your suitcase. This is our quick and dirty MUST-HAVE Disney Park Bag Packing List essentials.
What Kind of Bag Should You Have For Disney?
We would be amiss if we didn’t actually tell what kind of Disney Park Bag is best. You can grab a backpack, mini backpack, sling bag, or crossbody bag. All are great choices.
▢ Vacation Bag: Crossbody We love a good crossbody bag as our Disney Day bag, but sometimes it’s hard to find the right kind. It’s important to find one that is the right size for a water bottle, has plenty of pockets (which means our cameras, phone, and money are safe), and it is 100% washable.
▢ Vacation Bag: Mini Backpack If you have camera gear aim for a mini backpack small enough to fit under a plane seat and lightweight enough to bring on rides.
▢ Vacation Bag: For Kids If you’re not toting the stroller around, you can arm each of the children with a lightweight drawstring bag. Just beware of ones that have thin straps that will dig into little shoulders.
Disney Bag Essentials
What Should You Have in Your Disney Day Bag? Your Disney Park Bag should have only the most necessary items. Mainly because you’ll be carrying them around all day long, but also because a few things will be needed if you hope to survive the Florida heat! Here’s our lineup of what Disney Bag Essentials you should have in your park day bag.
Vacation Water Bottle
▢ Water Bottle: An empty water bottle can be filled just about everywhere in the parks. In the hot Florida sun, it’s important to stay hydrated. Take it from us, grumpiness will ensue if you’re not drinking enough. We love Swell and Yeti! You can also always ask for free complimentary water at any quick-serve restaurant.
Sun Protection
▢ Sunscreen: While your large bottle of sunscreen is probably packed in your suitcase you can have a smaller sunscreen in your vacation bag for the first day in the parks. Per TSA you’re allowed cream or oil or spray up to 3.4oz. Be sure to buy a sample size for this first day. After that first day with the travel size, we upgraded ourselves to the spray can of 100 SPF sunscreen that we tote about to the parks every day. It’s totally necessary and we recommend you do the same with the goal of reapplying at least twice throughout the day. We like banana boat sport 100spf and sun bum 70spf.
▢ Lip Balm: You will be surprised how quickly your lips will dry out in the heat. Be sure to bring one in a squeeze tube, because if it’s hot enough the standard lip balm stick will melt.
▢ Sunglasses: Big or Small, make sure your sunglasses are comfy. And maybe a little cheap, since they’re the most often thing lost at Disney.
Disney in the Rain
▢ Poncho: If you’re traveling in the shoulder seasons chances are you’ll catch some rain. While you should definitely check the weather before traveling to Orlando, be prepared to stash a small poncho in your bag just in case. If you’re not willing to spring for the 10-dollar poncho at the Disney gift shop, you can pay a little less for a Coleman poncho ahead of time, and they have kids’ sizes too. We also like this 6 pack of ponchos at Amazon. Super cheap but highly rated!
The Tech
▢ Phone: Chances are this will be attached to your hand, but do be sure to keep it safe in a pocket in your crossbody bag. Walt Disney World collects about 8,000 lost phones a year.
▢ Camera: If you’ve purchased Disney Photopass and Memory Maker you won’t need to worry about seeing your vacation through the lens. But you will need to worry about finding the Disney photographers whenever you’re ready for those family photos. If you want something slightly more handheld, but really really high quality, try a Canon DSLR Easy to use and pretty good on the auto setting, you can grow with this camera as your photography skills improve. We also love the Olympus Pen for an easy, travel-friendly mirrorless camera option. These are the cameras we use for this blog.
▢ Phone Charger: And while this is also a given you’d be surprised how many times we forget this! Be sure to make sure to have one in your day bag, there are charging stations at the Tangled bathrooms at Magic Kingdom and France at Epcot as well as other park locations. This Battery Pack is light and small and will fit in your bag for on-the-go charging. We also love the Fuelrod program which allows the one-time purchase of a charger and then exchanges throughout your vacation for fresh batteries at kiosks across the park when you need them. And a quick tip: your phone will be using the battery in its constant search for consistent wi-fi… so turn off your wi-fi when you get in the parks.
The Money and MagicBand
▢ Wallet/ ID: While this is a given, here are some tips. If you carry cash make it a small amount ( like 20 bucks). Some snack carts do have credit card breakdowns, so cash is a good idea for those snack emergencies. Use one credit card for all your Disney expenses, if you attach it to your Magic Band you can set amount alerts for when you reach a spending limit with your concierge. Leave the checkbook, other credit cards, business cards, and anything else in your luggage. Use this cute card holder with RFID protection. This not only keeps your bag light and easy to carry but means you have some backup credit cards and your banking info safe in case something gets lost or stolen.
▢ MagicBand: You can’t leave the resort without it. Your MagicBand is your ticket to everything including your key to your room, rides, and parks, and allows you to pay contactless. Check out everything a Disney Magic Band can do, and why we recommend having it in your park bag, or on your wrist at all times!
Extras
▢ Wipes & Hand Sanitizer: We carry both wipes and hand sanitizer- particularly to clean up post-rides at Disney. You’d be amazed by how much you touch without realizing it. So having these on hand is a lifesaver. We love the hand sanitizers from Bath and Body Works.
▢ Reusable Silverware: If you’re an EPCOT festival lover then you know that not only is getting plasticware from EVERY SINGLE Outdoor kitchen bad for the planet, but it’s also not so great for your health! All that touching of buttons and waiting in lines to get silverware is something we’d rather skip! Thankfully there are tons of eco-friendly silverware options out there. Grab a set of reusable silverware from amazon for every person in your travel party and be a little safer and kinder to the planet!
Other Disney Packing Tips
Frankly, we have a whole Disney Packing List that is pretty complete and includes everything you need. But if you want to make sure you’re prepared for your trip, we couldn’t let you go without mentioning shoes.
Footwear
Shoes: We can’t even begin to tell you how important it is to have the right shoes at Disney. Shoes that you’ve worn-in, feel great on your feet, and that can help you avoid blisters. We walk between 10-13 miles a day when we stay at a park all day. Yes, miles. You’ll begin to notice where your shoes rub your toes, where they rub your ankles, and where they wear completely down to the concrete beneath your feet. Not pretty. Check out the Best Shoes for Disney World to get a look at the best styles for the parks.
We like Converse high tops or Converse shorelines. High tops, or a shoe that covers the whole ankle, won’t dig in and will completely support your feet for the day, plus also allow you to wear socks. Converse also has a nice thick sole, but not as thick and heavy as Vans. Shorelines have an elastic back that can be tucked under your heel to wear as a mule, so slightly more vacation-friendly. Flip-flops are fine as a backup shoe to keep in your bag but will cause issues if you walk in them all day. We live in flip-flops so this was a heartbreaking discovery for us.
Travel Health Tip
Vitamin C: The day before your trip and all during your trip you should be filling up with Vitamin C for two reasons ( we like Emergencee and any gummies). 1-Vitamin C will prepare your skin for the large doses of sunshine found in Florida and prevent you from burning. 2- Vitamin C will boost your immunity so you can survive that plane and car air, that new resort room, and the crowded dining halls.
Disney Park Bag Packing List
There you have it! A quick lineup of all the things you need for your first day at Disney. Want the whole list of everything for your first day? Check out our list on Amazon!
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
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