What’s In Your Theme Park Bag?
I really, really like being prepared. I hate spending $7 on a bottle of water when I know perfectly well I have a whole case in my fridge at home that I bought for $3. I like being comfortable and having what I need with me. When we first moved here, I had so much trouble figuring out what it was that I really needed. This may sound like a lot, but I can fit it all pretty comfortably in a medium-sized cooler backpack. Feel free to pick and choose from what you think your family might need. Now that I’ve got a few years under my belt, I can pack our bag and be out the door in about 5 minutes flat.
TICKETS/PASSES/MAGIC BANDS
I keep these in my bag at all times, so I don’t misplace them. Because we have passes to multiple parks, I keep all the cards I need (season pass, photo pass, gift cards) for each park in a lanyard pouch, and swap them out on the lanyard depending on where we are going. I’ll put two in one sleeve, and keep the bar codes facing out so they are easy to scan.
CREDIT/DEBIT CARD
If you are at Disney and staying at one of their resorts, they will let you use your Magic Band to charge purchases to your room, so you might be able to skip this step. I like to avoid bringing cash whenever possible because it is harder to track what you’ve spent where, and because I’m afraid of losing it. Pre-loaded gift cards are also great.
ID AND PASSHOLDER CARD
Both of these are required most places to be able to use your discount at their shops and restaurants, and also for parking.
WATER
Depending on the time of year, I pack at least one frozen water bottle, even though they weigh a ton, because they keep our bag nice and cool, and Cash loves just holding them when he’s walking around and super hot. I pack a few extra bottles of refrigerated water, and a Yeti thermos full of ice that we refill all day. We drink a LOT, and Cash and I both get really grumpy when dehydrated, so this works great for us.
REUSABLE STRAWS
This is a personal preference. We really love saving the environment, but we really hate paper straws, which are becoming standard at most theme parks. I like ones like these, because they come with a nice little carrying pouch.
SNACKS
I prefer things that don’t crush, but I’ll pack goldfish or veggie straws in zip lock bags to eat while we are on the move. Lunchables are great, cheese (if you have a cooler bag), nuts, granola bars, and I love these natural peanut butter packets. Disney is pretty open about what they let you bring, so go wild, just don’t bring any glass or food that needs to be heated. Universal checks liquid-filled containers carefully after dark (so people don’t bring alcohol into Citywalk), and Seaworld recently passed a rule forbidding all snacks that are not for medical reasons. Be sure to check their websites for food and drink policies before you go.
A SMALL ESSENTIALS BAG
This is actually a little cosmetics bag that I carry in my purse, and transfer over when we are going to the parks. Its contents vary a little but generally include a few bandaids, Neosporin and antiseptic wipes, chapstick, ibuprofen/Tylenol, toothpick, Tums, lip gloss, and sample sizes of lotion and antibacterial wipes.
MICKEY EARS, GLOW STICKS, TOYS
When we got our Disney passes, Cash and I each picked out a set of Mickey Ears. I generally bring these along with us to Disney for pictures. If you’re going to be in any park after dark, you can cut down on many pleas of spending more money if you bring along glow sticks for all the kids. It also can help you keep track of strollers and children alike. I pick up packs of them at the Dollar Store and try to keep them on hand. I also let Cash pick a small toy or two (usually an action figure) to bring along to play with any time we are waiting in lines or for a show to start. As he’s gotten older, brain teaser puzzles are fun. Coloring books might be a great idea, or Wiki Stix. Anything that is small and might keep your kiddos entertained for 10-30 minutes is a huge help.
SUNSCREEN
I found a great sample size at Walmart that came with a carabiner that I hook to the outside of our pack.
HAND SANITIZER
I’m not a huge fan of hand sanitizer, but it’s certainly handy when your kid has been touching everything and then decides they want a snack when you’re nowhere near a bathroom. I like to pick up sample sizes of these too.
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 at all times. When the rain is over, I can just 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.
HAND TOWEL
This one may sound weird, but it’s one thing I never do without. It has come in so handy in so many different ways! I’ve used it to wipe up spills, soak up condensation off of the water bottles, set our food on it for a picnic on the ground when all of the tables are taken, used it as something to sit on when you watch fireworks, basically the possibilities are endless. I used to just use one of our hand towels, but recently I sprung for these and they are great!
PORTABLE PHONE CHARGER
I like to stay off social media and live in the moment when I’m at the parks, even in line, but this is still a necessity when you spend all day taking photos, looking up wait and show times, and checking the map.
KLEENEX
This obviously depends on whether you or your kids are prone to allergies or runny noses, but I like to throw in a travel pack of tissues, or more often I just fold a few up and put them in a Ziploc bag. Speaking of…
ZIPLOC BAGS
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.
AUTOGRAPH BOOK AND PEN
I bought a simple themed one off of Amazon, but they can get really fancy and personalized. This is more of a thing at Disney than Universal, but it’s really fun to collect all the characters’ autographs. Please note that as of now, signing autographs has been suspended due to COVID.
COLD TOWEL
These are amazing for really hot days. We have this one, but you can put a search in 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
We haven’t sprung for one of these ourselves yet; I’d like to get this one with a mister attached. If you have a kid in a stroller, I think they would be heaven. I give small children 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. Yes? No? Okay, you do you.
That’s probably plenty of stuff for you to be hauling around. This is a little bit of an obsession thing for me, so if you all know of any other fun tricks/gadgets, please share!