Before we went on our trip to Disney World, I watched a slew of YouTube videos on what others carried around in their Disney park bag. I had been to Disney previously, of course, but I never felt like I had a handle on what I really needed to carry with me. I either felt like I carried too little and needed things I didn’t have, or I carried too much and ended up miserable with a back ache. This time, I actually felt like I carried just enough to be comfortable while still having everything that I needed.
I carried two bags with me this time depending on which park we were going to that day and how long we were planning on being there. For long days like Animal Kingdom, Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, the bag I carried was this leather backpack from Loungefly with a Beauty and the Beast pattern. I received this bag for Christmas, and it doesn’t seem to be in stock anywhere now that I can link to. However, here is something similar. It carried more than my other bag and was comfortable to wear. However, there was no air flow (being as it was leather) between my back and the bag, so it tended to make my back very hot and a little sweaty. It didn’t bother me too much seeing as it was January, but I can imagine in a hotter month it would be pretty miserable.
The items I carried in this bag were:
- Sunglasses – Florida sun. Need I say more?
- Phone – Absolutely necessary to take pictures and use the My Disney Experience app for dining reservations and Fastpasses.
- Apple Watch – Worked in tandem with the app to send dining reservation reminders and keep us on time to make it to our Fastpass reservations. I did put it in the bag a few times when the strap was getting too hot on my arm.
- GoPro Hero5 Session – Definitely not a necessity, but I used it to get some fun footage of the rides!
- Clorox Wipes – These came in handy when eating at some of the quick service restaurants. There were way too many people eating for the cast members to wash every table when someone left. Also, if you saw someone leave a table, you better grab it! So, we used these to wipe down the tables before we ate.
- Vlogging Camera (Canon G7X) – For pictures and video of our trip (If you want to see more pictures and video that I took you can check out my Instagram page @wheretonowjenny or my YouTube Channel.)
- Wallet – I used a really small card holder and I only carried my ID, a little cash, debit card, Disney Visa Card, and Disney Visa Rewards Redemption card.
- Car Keys – Not shown. We used a rental car.
- Gum – Also not shown because we chewed it. 🙂 They don’t sell it in the park, so if you think you’ll need it, you better bring your own.
- Collapsible Water Bottle (something like this) – Dang it! Also, not shown. (I should have re-checked my picture before writing this post!) We used this a few times (especially in Epcot since it was our longest day and my husband wasn’t feeling well) to get water from the water fountains. It came in very handy!
- Emergency Items Bag – See below for specifics.
This bag is small, but it can surprisingly hold quite a few items! In this bag, I carried:
- Kleenex
- Band-Aids/Blister Block/Blister Band-Aids/Moleskin
- Pen
- Hair Ties
- Aleve/Advil/Tums
- Dramamine/MotionEaze Oil
- Antibacterial Hand Wipes/Antiseptic Wipes/Face Cleansing Wipes/Antibacterial Hand Gel
- Hand Lotion
- Sunscreen Lotion Packets/Face Sunscreen/Lip Balm with SPF
See? I told you it held a lot! 🙂
The only thing I wished I had packed were some snacks. On the first day, we got in line a little before 10 am for the Na’vi River Journey in the Animal Kingdom with an estimated wait time of 70 minutes. After standing in line for over two and a half hours, we were hangry to say the least. I wished I had thrown a granola bar or something in my bag!
The first day we were there, I also carried around ponchos for my group and sometimes I would hang my MagicBand from the top loop.
And, on the days we went to Disney Springs and Hollywood Studios, I used this small black crossbody from Vera Bradley. It carried just the essentials wallet, phone, car keys, and camera.
What about you? What are your must haves for your Disney park bag? Anything I missed that you carry in your bag?