#WDW Wednesday: Disney Park Backpacking Essentials

 

For some reason I just wasn’t sure what we were able to bring into the park.  Before I went to Disney, I read plenty of Disney posts a la Pinterest searches, but for some reason I just couldn’t believe you could bring a COOLER into the park!  I saw a family with a COOLER on wheels plus STROLLERS…. that is a lot to lug around the park.  I imagine the cooler is cost effective in the event you’re not staying on the park or using the meal plan.  We didn’t want to bring too much with us, but we wanted to make sure we wouldn’t have to return to our room because we didn’t have something essential.

Four out of five of us brought along bags, we chose bags that were smaller, had pockets, and were waterproof.  I borrowed my daughter’s cross body bag, which is not waterproof, but small and efficient, I was able to eliminate my wallet and bring other must-have-items along.

Depending on the park we heading to for the day we decided if we need to bring all the bags or consolidate to one or two bags.  However, for the most part we took all the bags because we wanted somewhere to put our drinks.When you’re walking around all day, you tend to get quite thirsty!

Here are my suggestions for Disney Backpacking….

• Extra outfit: With kids anything can happen, therefore we rolled up an extra outfit and placed it in a Ziploc vacuum bag, this helps to save space.
• Ponchos… I’ll let the picture explain 

Ponchos were on my list, and I forgot to purchase before we went, which resulted in paying somewhere around $50 for all of us to have a Disney Poncho.

• Snacks! Even though we were on the Disney Meal Plan that includes snacks, we wanted to make sure we had snacks for the kids in between rides and lines.
• Drinks, because FLORIDA! Okay, seriously, you need to keep hydrated.  In the mornings we would fill up our Disney cup that we received for staying on Disney and drink that with our breakfast.  We would keep our bottled drink that came with our ‘meal’ via our meal plan.  The bottled drink from breakfast and a water bottle would come along with us on the park.

• Boogie Wipes, we used these for more than boogies 🙂 they work on sticky hands too.
• Tissue
• Sunblock!  You have to protect your skin, the Florida sun can be unforgiving.
• SHOUT wipes are wonderful for the park! We actually ended up sharing some.
• Charmin seat covers, I’m just a germaphobe… so for that reason they are essential.
• Hand Sanitizer, again I’m not down for germs.  Plus you have to have clean hands to eat a Turkey Leg!
• Altoids, because you ate the turkey leg.
• Band-Aids
• Waterproof Blister bandages, because you should NOT try wearing a new pair of shoes at the park.  You could possibly end up in the Magic Kingdom First Aid station getting a blister cleaned up and bandaged….
• 

• Aspirin or Ibuprofen, because while you’re in the First Aid clinic you see a family bring in a man who is having pain, and the nurse hands him some aspirin or ibuprofen. (Don’t forget prescribed medication that may be needed…. maybe Xanax because lines… J/K)

 

•  Don’t forget your money! Do you have credit card gift card rewards?  We were able to get a Disney Gift Card using our credit card rewards.  It also helps to have cash on hand.
• Pennies and Quarters… lots of them!  I know you were wondering why the picture above was sprinkled with pennies and quarters, right?  Well, Disney has coin press machines sprinkled throughout Disney World Parks.  I found this WDW Pressed Coin Checklist link that seems quite helpful for the coin enthusiast.
• Chapstick, those lips need love in the sun.
• Blotting paper, because you’re going to dinner and want to look refreshed not oily.
• Charged up cell phone, believe it or not, I solely used my iPhone for picture-taking, we also used Disney’s PhotoPass Service.

I think that about covers it!  It seems like a lot but honestly, it is certainly not a cooler + backpacks 😉

The MagicBands should not go in your bag, but make sure you do a MagicBand check before you leave your hotel room!

What else would be essential on your Disney Park backing adventure?