Disney World Packing List
Disney World Packing List
Here are some things I recommend packing for a Disney World vacation. I’ve left off obvious things, like underwear, so please don’t forget that stuff, weirdo. Also, you might not need everything on here. Take it more like a suggestion list so you don’t forget anything.
Backpack/Bag to bring into the park. The elusive perfect bag. This is such a preference thing; some people like fanny packs, and lots of people carry Loungefly mini backpacks. I like to carry a bigger thermal backpack to keep our snacks and water cold. I would say your biggest priority should be comfort. Unless you’re lucky enough to have children of stroller age, you’re gonna be carrying it around all day.
Lanyard or MagicBand. I might have to weigh in on which I think would be better after visiting the parks post-Fastpass days, but I’m a fan of using a MagicBand over a lanyard. Your passes are stored on them, and if you are staying at a Disney resort, you can use them to charge things to your credit card/room. They are light and cute. I don’t love having something hanging around my neck. That being said, at the “other” parks, I use a lanyard, and I bought a pack of clear pouches that I keep my pass holder cards, photo passes, etc., all in together, and it works great. A lot of things are also available on mobile now, but so far, I haven’t made the leap to where I trust it to pull up when I need it.
Band-aids and Neosporin. All of the parks have first aid stations if you forget, but I like to carry a few bandaids and the pain-reducing Neosporin for small cuts and scrapes and definitely blisters.
Glow Sticks. If you’re going to be in any park after dark, you can cut down on a lot of begging for light-up toys if you bring along glow sticks for all the kids. They can also help you keep track of strollers and children. I pick up packs of them at the Dollar Store.
Ziploc Baggies. This is how I store most of my items to keep them dry and organized, but I throw in a few extras as well. They are super useful, especially when you paid $73 for chicken nuggets, and your kid only ate three. Pack up the rest in a baggie and offer them to your offspring when they are hungry again in four and a half minutes. If you’ve got really little ones, these are great for wet clothes or after accidents. I’ve started investing in reusable ones, so we aren’t creating quite so much waste.
Reusable Straws. We really love saving the environment, but we really hate paper straws, which are becoming standard at most theme parks. I like these because they come with a nice little carrying pouch.
Ponchos. These are great for afternoon Florida rainstorms and also for covering strollers. If you are going during the summer/early fall, it is a must. Cash hates wearing them, so for him, I get throwaway ones at Walmart and keep one in my bag just in case. When the rain is over, I can throw it away. That being said, I used mine often enough to want an upgrade. I bought this one off of Amazon and absolutely love it. It has lots of snap options, turning it into more of a jacket or a loose poncho, it has pockets and an adjustable hood. It’s durable and easy to wash and even folds conveniently back into its carrying case with zero profanities uttered. I love it.
Umbrella. Same reason as above. I recommend a light travel one.
Antiseptic Wipes. I started carrying travel-size cleaning wipes during the pandemic, and they turned out to be so handy I’m keeping the habit. Sometimes, the parks get busy, and the staff has trouble cleaning down the tables in between guests. Now we get to eat at a clean table every time!
Chapstick.
Pain reliever. Because walking around all day and riding roller coasters isn’t as easy on your back and head as it used to be.
Tums. For counteracting the effects of all that tasty theme park food.
Hand lotion. All that hand sanitizer is rough on your skin.
Sunscreen. For obvious reasons. I found a travel size at Walmart that hooks onto our bag with a carabiner, and it’s perfect for mid-day touchups!
A small toy. If you have little ones, I found it’s helpful to bring something to keep littles entertained in long lines. Hot wheels, action figures, a small doll, Wiki-stix…there are lots of options. The Disney app sometimes has games you can play together, and there was a popular app game not too long ago called Heads Up that was fun to play in line. As a rule, I’m not a huge fan of scrolling through my phone when we’re supposed to be having a family day. Cash and I often entertain ourselves with the hand slap game (you know what I’m talking about), and I spy, and we always seem to be having a better time than everyone else who is zoning out.
Hand Sanitizer. You can usually find this around the park nowadays, but it’s that super industrial goopy stuff, so we prefer to bring our own.
Small travel towel. I know this is weird, but hear me out. I’ve used it to wipe up spills, soak condensation off of water bottles, set our food on it for a picnic on the ground when all of the tables are taken, and sit on it to watch fireworks. Basically, the possibilities are endless. At first, I just used one of our hand towels, but I’ve since upgraded to this one.
Portable Phone Charger. Even though I try to stay off social media and live in the moment when I’m at the parks, this is still a necessity when you spend all day taking photos, looking up wait and show times, booking fast passes, and checking the map.
Travel Kleenex.
Autograph Book and Pen. I bought a simple themed one off of Amazon, but they can get really fancy and personalized. You can also use something like this book to collect autographs, as each character has their own page. If you go with this idea, be sure to get Cinderella’s stepsisters’ autograph; they put a really fun spin on it.
Cooling towels. Great to have, especially in the warmer months (so anytime but December-February). We have this one, but you can search on Amazon for “cold towels,” and a lot of options come up. These towels can be soaked, then put into (surprise!) a Ziploc bag and pulled out when you need them. They actually cool you off the whole time they are wet. If they start to dry out, you simply get them wet again, and it’s reactivated.
Mini fan. Another great hot-weather accessory. Cash has one with a mister attached. If you have a kid in a stroller, I think they would be heaven. I give small children a jealous side-eye when I see them in a stroller outfitted with a clip-on battery fan. And hey, once they fall asleep, you could aim that bad boy at yourself.
Swimsuits. If you’re staying on-site, don’t forget to pack your swimsuit! Disney pools are super fun and heated year-round.
After you Arrive…
I always recommend making a run to the store after you arrive, if at all possible. Even better, most of the resorts allow Shipt, Instacart, and Amazon deliveries right to the lobby, so you don’t have to mess with scheduling an Uber if you don’t have a car. You’ll, of course, want to pick up everything you’ve somehow forgotten to pack, plus these items:
At least one case of water. Cash and I average 6-8 water bottles a day, and if it’s hot, we easily drink more. In the park, one bottle costs around $7…so you do the math.
Grab-and-go Breakfast items. There’s likely to be at least one day you want to sleep in that extra 20 minutes you would have spent waiting in line at the resort breakfast bar.
Snacks. Disney lets you bring in any amount of food you please, so this could extend to sandwiches as well. However, I recommend packing some granola bars, fruit snacks, nuts…stuff you can munch on in line if you start to feel peckish. I like to try and find fun things we don’t eat at home because when you’re faced with the same old brand of chips or a hot fresh churro in the park…you’re gonna choose the churro every time.
Alcohol. It’s obviously a lot less expensive to pour a beer or mix up a drink in your room than it is to buy something at the hotel bar.