Packing for the World
(Disclaimer: There are some affiliate links here that could send some blog supporting money my way at no cost to you. HOWEVER, I personally use every one of these products on my Disney World trips.)
How does packing for Disney World Work?
There are a gazillion blog posts and Pinterest pins regarding how to, what to, and what not to pack for a trip to Disney World. In all fairness, it’s not rocket science and is pretty much how you would pack for any vacation. However, you do need to consider packing strategies for your trip as well as for each day in the parks. You may be away from your “home base” resort for most or all of the day depending on how you organize your days. Knowing what to bring and having it handy is a good thing to think about ahead of time. As magical as Disney World is, there will be no woodland creatures assisting you, Snow White style.
Here are some of the tricks and tools that have worked for my trips.
Dealing with the Weather
Be aware of Florida’s very changeable weather. This is especially true if your “home climate” is light years away from Florida’s climate.
First, figure out what the average temperature and rainfall are during the month that you will be taking your trip. Pay attention to the range of temperature from morning to night. If you plan on being out early and being out most of the day, this is information that will absolutely impact what you wear and/or bring with you in your park bag. You don’t want to have to buy a jacket or sweat shirt in the parks JUST for the sake of keeping warm.
Second, BRING SUNSCREEN. I know that this is a no-brainer, but it needs to be stressed. Buy sunscreen and USE it, people. Florida has a blazing foreign sun from another planet that should not be trifled with. Period.
Lastly, pack a poncho. Ah, ponchos. There is always a raging debate regarding ponchos. It rains in Florida in quick unprecedented downpours. While we tend to avoid the height of rainy season on our trips, we ALWAYS bring ponchos with us. We learned that lesson the hard way at Universal Studios a few years ago and paid a pretty penny for what did turn out to be very good quality ponchos. Now, we traipse about Disney World in “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” ponchos and try not to look too ashamed of our lack of park loyalty.
I will confess the poncho that I carry in my park bag for the duration of the trip often never leaves my bag. However, I fold that sucker down small enough to fit into a quart size ziploc so it doesn’t take up that much space in my park bag. It comes with me just in case.
Ponchos are not just for a weird Florida downpour either. They are great for the wetter and splashier of the water rides. Yes, they can be little tropical terrariums when you wear them in the heat, but it beats getting drenched and walking around all day in clothes that will never dry in Florida’s 128% humidity.
Speaking of the humidity, cooling towels a good way to beat the heat.
Again, Florida sun is not YOUR sun. We tried the Frogg Toggs Chilly pads that everyone raves about and HATED them. They get stiff when they dry, are hard to pack and just did not work for us. These handy cooling towels are much better. They don’t get all weird and stiff when they dry and they fold up to a teeny tiny square that easily fits in our park bags. You know, next to the poncho packet.
Dealing with the Walking
And walking and walking. I covered some of this here already, but I can’t write about it enough. NOT packing with an eye toward all of the walking you will do on a Disney trip is a BIG mistake.
Band aids are key. Yes they have them in all of the parks at the first aid centers. However, it is easier to stop where you are and slap a bandage on your burgeoning heel blister than to hobble half way across the park to get one. Just bring some with you. Oh, and waterproof blister bandages are also helpful to use BEFORE you get a blister.
Keeping Connected
You will be using your cell phone to make and modify reservations and FastPasses while in the parks. You will be taking pictures and just generally sucking the battery life out of your phone every day. Bring a reliable portable phone battery charger for everyone that has a phone with them.
There are fuel rod kiosks in the parks but I find that bringing my own is a better deal. What happens if you need to charge outside of the parks or at the airport?? I have used this one on many trips. It can fully charge my phone SEVERAL times before it has to be recharged. I just recharge it over night along with my phone.
One downside is that this particular model is not a delicate little rod that is light as a feather. It has some heft to it, but I don’t notice it weighing down my park bag. I lug it around ALL day in the parks with no problem.
What to Wear
Unless you are going to eat at Signature Dining locations or plan on going anywhere on property that has a “business casual” dress code, this is pretty subjective. Again, understanding what the weather will generally be like during your travel dates is key. Keep in mind that for most of the year, the early mornings and evenings can be a little cooler so a light jacket or cardigan may be in order. Make sure it’s something that can be easily carried around with you in the parks until you need to use it or after it heats up in the afternoon.
While comfort is the most important consideration when deciding what clothing to bring on your trip, a lot of folks like to Disnify their outfits. That’s a WHOLE other post or 2 or 3 for another day, but just be aware that you can’t wear a costume or cosplay in the parks if you are an adult, with the exception of some special events. So, keep your laser sword and fairy wings at home.
If you enjoy dressing like a Princess, no judgment here, just know there are rules regarding that sort of thing. There are some Disney fan based solutions to that no costume rule. For Disney fashionistas, DisneyBounding and Dapper Days are a way of expressing yourself in the parks. If you are into fashion, they are worth checking out. There is also something to be said for looking nice for all of those PhotoPass pictures!
Try not to over pack. Depending on what resort you choose, you may not have the room to store it all. No one wants to go digging through their luggage EVERY day to find what they are going to wear either. My natural inclination is to over pack, but I have trained myself over the years to rein it in a bit. This is what I do:
I lay out our outfits and put post its on them indicating which day they are for. I know. I KNOW. However, I have found this little bit of craziness to be helpful. If you know what you are going to wear each day, it takes the guess work out of it and gets you out the door and on the bus faster! Since we like to give a little Disney flair to our ensembles and coordinate with the parks we are going to or the meet and greets we plan on doing, it helps.
C’mon. I know I’m not the ONLY person that does this. Surely other people use their guest rooms as Disney vacation staging areas? Right?
Let’s move on.
Packing for the plane
Trial and error finally rewarded me with the perfect checked, carry on and personal item trio. I prefer hard-sided, wheeled luggage and my go to is Kenneth Cole. Not a brand you would necessarily think of for luggage, but I have found them to be sturdy, easy to pack and all around awesome.
My biggest challenge was finding a carry on bag that was easy to carry WITH my luggage through the airport. Then I found this!
This bag has a sort of pouch that slides right onto the extended handle of my suitcase and makes it so much easier to get around. Plus, it matches and is cute. Win, win. It fits under the seat on the airplane if there isn’t room in the overhead and holds the essentials that I might need until my checked baggage arrives at the resort via Magical Express.
One of those “essentials” that I don’t put in my checked bag is jewelry. Packing jewelry always took up way too much space and was kind of awkward until I found this.
Now, I can stuff ALL of my Disney Alex & Ani bracelets and other outfit coordinated accessories into my carry on luggage without much fuss. It holds my bracelets, rings, necklaces and any hair pins and InvisiBobbles (which are a revelation if you have fine and straight hair). All of my doo-dads are secure for the journey. It also rolls out when I need to snatch my accessories for the day and rolls back into a space saving little cylinder when done.
For toiletries, I just use ziploc bags. It’s so much easier and less messy. I used to stuff a fold-able compartmentalized cosmetic bag into my luggage but, in the end, it just took up too much space and encouraged me to take more than was necessary. I’m going to forego lugging shampoo, conditioner and bath gel on our next trip too. Throwing caution to the wind, people! I’m just going to use what Disney provides and see how it works. I’ll give this post an update after I try that out and let you know my findings.
Last, but not least, is the airplane “personal item” bag. Packing for Disney is not just what you take with you on the plane. It’s not just trying to figure out how you are going to jam an AT-AT popcorn bucket into an already stuffed suitcase on check out day. Oh, no. Packing is a daily thing, for most of us, in the form of the much talked about “park bag”. I like to have my “personal item” morph into my “park bag”. Gotta love a multi-tasker!
Packing for the Parks
I highly recommend Kipling bags. They are super sturdy, water resistant and all around awesome. This is my “personal item/park bag” combo.
Not too big, but big enough to carry what I need throughout the day. I can even swing it off my shoulders with ease when I jump onto those omnimover rides!
If you are one of the super magical people (or a single dude with a wallet) that can go bag-less to the parks, kudos to you. You can wave as you bypass me and my brethren at security’s bag check line. I am not one of those people who can drift through the no bag line.
My days of dragging around baby or younger kid essentials are long behind me, so I don’t need to lug a TON of stuff with me to the parks. However, there are essentials that each of us carry in our park bags. Every man for him or herself on our trips.
What goes in this park bag? This is where a smaller container of sunscreen comes in. Just bring it. The poncho and the portable phone battery charger go in that park bag too. Same goes with the blister bandages.
Sticky hands after your lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue? Dole Whip float mishap? Just realized how many people have touched that honey wall on the Winnie the Pooh ride? WET ONES. Sometimes hand sanitizer isn’t enough. Shove a handful into EVERYONE’s park bag in the morning. You’re welcome.
Ziploc bags are also super handy. Pack a bunch in your luggage and stuff a few of those in your park bags when you head out. Didn’t finish that muffin or cookie or WHATEVER? Put it in a ziploc. Took your resort mug with you on the way to the parks that morning, and now you are stuck with it? Put it in a ziploc and stick it in your park bag. Worried about your phone on a water ride…well, you get the picture.
You don’t have to bring half of your life with you. (Sorry, parents of very young children, you probably do.) Just bring a few crucial things. There are first aid stations and Guest Service & Cast Members who will be more than happy to help you out in case of emergency.
I guess the take away here is that I am a wee bit obsessive about packing. Again, it’s not rocket science, but a little forethought will make your vacation run more smoothly. Pack for the World but don’t pack the world.
