A departure from my usual Peloton musings. I wrote the original post 4 years ago when we first visited Disney. This was trip No. 2 and it did not disappoint. We loved all the new Star Wars additions and with the kids a few years older, we had more rides at our disposal (for example, The Tower of Terror!). I have to think that all of my Peloton training helped me walk the 9 miles a day through the parks! New pictures added.
2017 vs 2021
Post Updated 2021
This is not your typical Walt Disney blog where the author tells you where to stay, where to eat and what rides to take. There are thousands of those blogs. (Although we stayed at the Beach Club again). This blog is all about what to BRING to Disney. By buying in advance we saved a load of money and it was easier than having to go shopping once we landed or checked-in. Have fun. Like they say, Disney World is magical! We had a great time!
Portable Phone Charger. I used the Walt Disney app on my phone to check on attraction wait times, to confirm lunch and dinner reservations, move around fast passes and to keep in touch with my husband when he got lost… The app is really handy but when you are in the park for 10 hours you will need to recharge your phone battery. The charger is high speed and compact. I recharged the charger each night, slipped it into the backpack and powered up my phone usually in the afternoon while on the go.
Chilly Pad Cooling Towel. These were a lifesaver in the Florida heat. I really don’t know how these work but they hold a lot of water and stay cool for hours. We would wet them in the morning, place them in a Ziploc bag and they would stay cool all day. The towels were great to wrap around the neck when stuck in a long line or in the direct sun (e.g., Main Street parade).
Shout Out. Your kids will spill food on their clothes. I REPEAT, YOUR KIDS WILL SPILL FOOD ON THEIR CLOTHES. Whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack it is bound to happen. Throw a few Shout Out packs in your backpack and problem is solved. This is especially important if you need to wear anything more than once. This was certainly an issue 4 years ago but no so much this trip.
Across the Body Purse. Not the prettiest but it is lightweight bag and perfect for carrying the essentials around Disney all day. Still rocked it this trip.
Backpack. You’ll need a backpack to carry all your stuff, including the stuff mentioned here and things that you pick up along the way. This backpack was perfect – waterproof and lightweight. Great for those Florida showers. They are so compact that I packed them in my suitcase.
Pin Sets. Pin trading is very popular at Disney. Kids can trade their pins with Disney workers throughout the park. The pin sets are expensive to buy at WDW (like everything else there) so we bought them in advance. They also come with a lanyard that the pins can attach to. The only issue? My kids loved the pins so much that they didn’t want to trade! Here is what we bought. We didn’t do the pins this time around but they are still very popular.
Autograph books. This is the “official” Disney autograph books. Get it before you go because they are so much more expensive at the park. My kids got 16 autographs during the week and meeting the characters seemed to be when they were at their happiest! Here they are meeting Jake. Also, you can see the lanyards and the pins.
Retractable Sharpies. The characters have very big hands and can’t hold normal pens. We bought these Sharpies because they are big, you don’t need to fiddle around with caps and all you need to do is just push a button! See how the Chipmunks and Donald Duck are holding the pen.
Mole Skin. Buy this. Trust me. In Disney you will likely wear the wrist bands for your dining plan, buying things, getting on rides and other stuff. They are super convenient BUT they were too big for the kids’ wrists and they really irritated their skin. Mole skin is essentially adhesive padding that I wrapped around the plastic part that was bothering the skin. One pack lasted the whole week (I had to redo it each morning but it was no big deal).
Body Glide. We walked an average of 7.1 miles per day when we were at Disney (9.1 during trip No. 2). And it was HOT: 95F+ each day in the middle of October. My 7 year old twins are not used to that type of activity or heat so we rubbed this body glide on all of their “strategic spots” and there were no complaints about chafing, raw skin or other irritations.
Mickey Mouse Shirts. I am beginning to sound like a broken record but what you get online costs 3x at Disney. I recommend buying and packing a few themed shirts for the kids. I picked up some Mickey Mouse and Star Wars shirts. These are really soft and wearing Disney shirts while at Disney is a “thing.”
“Enough with the pictures Mom!”
Wet Ones. If you are a Mom you know what these are. And you know that you will need to clean the kids up here and there. This came in handy mostly during snack time – like when ice cream dripped down their hands. Also, a quicker alternative than finding a bathroom to wash up. This plus hand sanitizer (COVID days) was great to have handy.
Zip Lock Bags. Zip lock bags came in handy to store and separate sun tan lotion, snacks and the cooling towel inside the backpack.
Ponchos. It’s Florida It will downpour for about 20 minutes. These ponchos are a lot less expensive than in the park and are easy to carry in the backpack.
Snacks. We ordered some food to have delivered to the room at the Beach Club. For breakfast we had milk and cereal to save time and money. We also had snacks on hand that we ate in the room or packed in the backpack. We bought things like Gold Fish, Fruit Rolls and Gum. Stuff that was easy to pack and eat on the go. We ordered a lot less during trip 2.
That sums it up. Let me know if you have any questions! Have a magical time!
P.S. I HIGHLY recommend the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review for dinner!!!
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Hi and thanks. You are right – these are some great ideas on what to pack! Is it as expensive as they say? We are planning a trip in April.
Thanks. Yes, I am afraid to say but things are pretty darn pricey at the Magic Kingdom. Have a great time!
Great post. About the phone charger, would it hold the charge for the whole day?
Hi! Thanks for writing. Well, the phone would be charged before we left the hotel in the morning. I needed to recharge later in the day and the portable charger worked like a charm. It held its own charge and would charge my phone in about 20 minutes.
Have fun!
Well, it really depends what your family needs. While we saved some money buying before Disney, it was really the convenience factor that we enjoyed.
Hi! Thanks. I hope that you enjoy. Like I said, our trip was magical! Beth