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#WDW Wednesday: Disney Park Backpacking Essentials

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#WDW Wednesday Disney Park Backpacking essentials #Disney #MustHaves

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.

Disney Backpackers

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.

Perfect bags for Disney

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 Disney Tip Pack a Poncho

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.Disney Park Bag Essentials
  • 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….
  • First Aid Magic Kingdom
  • 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)

Disney Backpack Essentials 2

 

  •  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?

8 thoughts on “#WDW Wednesday: Disney Park Backpacking Essentials

  1. Tamara

    July 23, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    We got ponchos from the dollar store! I think that must have saved money although it was sunny when we were at the park. Totally rainy at Universal Studios and we used those dollar ponchos!

    1. MrsA0K2001

      July 24, 2014 at 12:50 pm

      I was suppose to get the ponchos, they were super cheap on Amazon for a pack! I totally forgot to add them to my virtual cart, and paid for in the end 🙁
      My husband purchased them from the… Rain-Poncho-Man who eagerly awaited all the wet people crowded in Boulangerie Patisserie (Epcot), when he returned he said, “Babe, you don’t even want to know.” He later showed me the receipt– Yikes!
      Looks like we need to get in the poncho business 🙂
      I look forward to visiting Universal Studios.
      XO

  2. Stephanie

    July 28, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    We loved those penny machines! It was so much fun getting different characters each time. We found a shop at Hollywood Studios that had little penny slot holders that were Disney themed. They were right around $10+ but it was well worth it to have a cute little display for our pennies! Like you, we also carried the sunscreen and the hand sanitizer. You’re so right, those are absolute must-haves!

    1. MrsA0K2001

      July 28, 2014 at 8:20 pm

      My kids loved collecting pennies and quarters throughout Disney; we enjoyed that it wasn’t SUPER expensive 🙂
      Next time we visit, we want to collect pins. Did you get any pins while you were there? We purchased one for my MIL but none for us… DOH! However, we did purchase a tree ornament for Christmas 🙂

      I imagine you cannot go wrong with sunblock AND hand sanitizer anytime of the year.
      XOXO

      1. Stephanie

        July 28, 2014 at 9:16 pm

        We didn’t do the pins this time either, but they certainly are super cute!

        1. MrsA0K2001

          July 29, 2014 at 3:24 pm

          Yes, indeed!
          xoxo

  3. Becca

    July 31, 2014 at 11:52 pm

    I think you got all of the essentials plus some. I would want chapstick, sunblock, maybe an extra phone battery since my phone dies quickly, and possibly some snacks because the snacks there are so pricy!

    1. MrsA0K2001

      August 1, 2014 at 6:01 pm

      Thanks, Becca. Yes, the snacks can get pricey. We took a few snacks along with us and tried to save our meal plan snacks for things we truly wanted to try, such as the Dole Whip 🙂 Not really a snack but such a wonderful treat.
      XOXO

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