Disney Park Bag Essentials

Are you trying to get some ideas about what you should have in your Disney park bag? This post contains tips and a list of things that I think are essentials for any park bag. My strategy for theme park days are to stay in the parks all day. In order to do that, I need to make sure I’m prepared for anything I might need.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is very important for my family. I make sure the kids get lathered up before leaving the resort and again a few hours later. We are a family of redheads so we burn very easily. However, I was amazed that no one got sunburned during our trip. I like to have travel size sunblock so, it takes up less space.

Reusable Straws

Disney World no longer uses plastic straws. In an effort to be more environmentally friendly they switched to using paper straws. Paper Straws don’t last long, especially if you drink a milkshake. I used the strategy of turning my straw upside down when one side got too soggy. But even that tactic didn’t help for long. If you like drinking with straws then you must remember to bring some with you to the parks. I know my kids preferred drinking from a straw while we were at the parks. My three year old liked to chew on his straw making it unusable rather quickly. Here is metal reusable straws. There are also silicone straws.

Good Quality Shoes

Disney World is huge, so you will be walking several miles each day. Accordingly, it’s essential to have good shoes. Obviously, this is not an in bag essential, but it is very important to have in the parks. The brand I highly recommend is Teva. Some sandals are very affordable and some are higher priced. This is the brand I bought to wear in Disney World. They were very comfortable, and durable. Teva has so many cute sandals, so it was hard to pick just one. The best thing was, I did not get any blisters. Also, Teva has men and kid sandals. I wanted the whole family to have comfortable sandals, for this reason I bought everyone a pair of Teva sandals.

Rain Ponchos

Rain ponchos are a very important Disney park bag essential. Florida is infamous for it’s frequent rainstorms. I felt lucky because we were at Disney World for 5 days with zero rainstorms. But, then came our last day in the parks. It rained off and on the whole day. As a result, we left Epcot right after an early dinner. Disney World has rain ponchos and umbrellas that can be purchased. But the price is a lot higher in Disney World. Therefore, it’s better to buy a rain poncho or umbrella before you vacation. Rain ponchos are cheap and can be bought in a pack, perfect for families.

Dramamine

Only a Disney park essential if you are prone to motion sickness. Some people have stated that certain rides, like Star Tours or Mission: Space have caused them motion sickness. I get motion sick in cars but I didn’t have any problem with any of the rides. My kids get motion sick but they did fine on the rides. They also did the green side of Mission: Space, which is the less intense side. If you are worried about getting sick, then you should bring some Dramamine just in case. I prefer to get the chewable kind for my children.

Water Bottle

Florida is hot and with all the walking you will do it’s important to stay hydrated. Water fountains can be found throughout the parks. The Market Place in Galaxy’s Edge even has a water bottle filling station. I noticed that some water fountains have colder water than others. For instance, The water fountains near the Tangled themed bathrooms was my favorite. That bathroom is located in the Magic Kingdom in Fantasyland as you walk toward the Haunted Mansion. I felt thirsty all the time in Florida, so I was glad I brought a water bottle and some for my kids.

Water Flavoring

Water flavoring is important to have if you don’t like the taste of Florida water. As well as, if your kids don’t like to drink water. I have 4 kids and 2 of them don’t like to drink water. Although, they are getting better at it. Therefore, this was essential for us to have in our park bag. It’s important to stay hydrated, so this helps encourage kids and adults to drink more water. Stores sell liquid and powder of water flavoring.

Snacks

Disney World has plenty of snacks to try, but if you have little ones its essential to have snacks. Kids can get a little impatient when waiting for a show to start. I found it very important to have snacks on hand during those times. We were waiting for 30 minutes before the River of Lights show started. That was a good time to have snacks to keep kids happy. I really like fruit snacks and applesauce pouches.

Personal Cooling Items

Disney World does sell things like personal fans. They are very cute and fun for the kids. But everything in Disney World is more expensive. You could save money by buying a handheld fan before you get there. I also found a cute mini fan with mickey ears. Besides a personal fan there are neck or head wraps to keep cool. I also found a cooling scarf wrap/ face mask. Even in December I found it necessary to have a fan. The temperature was much better than going during the summer but at times it was uncomfortably hot. It depends on your preference whether to use a fan or a cooling wrap. I know my kids enjoy the handheld fans the most. My kids got hot sitting in the stroller. If you have kids in a stroller getting a clip fan is really handy.

Wipes and Hand Sanitizer

Eating various snacks like ice cream can get very messy. I find wipes essential especially if you have kids. For me, wipes were one of the most important things in my park bag. Even if you don’t have kids, they are very handy to clean up messy fingers or spills that get on your clothes. I also carried around hand sanitizer. Rides and doors are high touch areas. As a result, I made sure everyone in the family used hand sanitizer throughout the day.

Extra Clothes

Extra clothes are important for those times when you get wet from a ride. Hopefully a child doesn’t get sick but just in case have some extra clothes. My son Zachary hates it when his clothes get wet. Therefore, we needed to bring an extra pair of clothes for him. Zachary also needed an extra pair of socks. He didn’t like how his sandals felt on his feet and preferred to wear socks. Also, make sure to include sweaters in your park bag. It can get cold at night.

Ziploc Bags

Ziploc bags are great for various reasons. Water rides such as, Splash Mountain will get your personal items wet. In order to avoid this put your stuff in a Ziploc bag. As well as, dirty clothes and stinky socks. Ziploc bags also come in handy when your watching a show and you need to put trash somewhere.

This is just a few Disney park bag essentials. What do you put in your park bag? Is there anything I left out of the list? What do you think I should have put on the list? Please let me know in the comments below. It really does help our readers out.