What’s Inside Our Park Bag?

Making sure you are prepared and have everything you need for a long day in the parks is an essential way to ensure you keep the magic alive during your trip. In this post, I will share with you what’s in my bag and helpful links for you to prepare for your next visit.  

The Bag Itself –  When choosing a bag for the parks, you want to make sure it’s comfortable. Walking around for hours on end is no fun if you have a back ache. For our first visits down to the parks with kids, we genuinely just used our diaper bag as our park bag. But now that I have more experience under my belt, we found This bag and it works much better for us. It is technically a hiking backpack but since it’s water resistant and lightweight, we found it to be perfect to weather the elements of Central Florida and be comfortable enough to wear all day.

The Kids Essentials – Diapers, Wipes, Bottles, and Baby Food 

If you are traveling with babies and toddlers, inevitably, you are going to have to bring more things into the park with you.  Making sure you have enough diapers, wipes, baby food and bottles are a given. What is really nice about Disney is that they have Baby Care Centers in every one of their parks. These centers provide an air conditioned area where you can breastfeed, change your babies diapers (changing tables provided), or even just have a quick break to regroup in a quiet area. You can read more about the baby centers and see where they are located on the map in each park. If you do not have the littles with you on this trip, congrats! You have more room in your bag. 

Stay Hydrated – Water Bottles and Water Flavor Enhancers 

I can’t tell you how hot it is in Florida. Especially when you are walking on pavement all day with no shady spots in sight. Making sure you stay hydrated is one of the most important park tips you will hear. To set yourself up for success, bring your own water bottle.  Andrew and I both love the Yeti brand and have several different bottles that we bring to the parks with us. I recommend this Yeti bottle because it has a lid. If you are putting it in the side pocket of your bag, it will be your best option for you not to spill that precious H2O all over you. Pro Tip: Before we leave the hotel every morning, fill your Yeti with as much ice as possible. As you continue to refill your bottle throughout the day, your water will stay pretty cold. 

I don’t know about you all, but my kids don’t love plain water. Heck, some adults I know don’t love tap water either. Another item we have started packing is flavored water drops like Mio. It really helped this last trip keep the kids happy and broke up the monotony of ice water. 

Rain Gear – Umbrella, Poncho, Rain Jacket, and Stroller Cover

If you like getting caught in the rain, Central Florida is the place for you. If you don’t like being completely drenched then walking approximately 5 miles, then this list may be for you. I’m not a poncho gal. Those things are like sweat traps and I would honestly just rather be wet. For me, its umbrellas or bust. Pick your favorite one and throw it on the other side pocket of your bag. I would suggest a more compact option so you have more room in your bag. While I may not be a poncho person, I did snag these rain coats for Andrew and I for our last trip. They are great because they fold up into these cutie little pouches and they did keep us dry when we got caught in an afternoon downpour at the Magic Kingdom one day. 

If you are traveling with kids and have a stroller, I can’t recommend a stroller cover enough. There is nothing worse than a soaking wet stroller that your kids won’t sit in. There are great universal options on Amazon for single and double strollers. We have this one and have used it since 2018 with no rips or leakage. 

Protect Yourself in the Sun – Sunscreen, Hat, Sunglasses, Portable Fan

Have I mentioned that Florida is super hot? You have to protect yourself from the sun as much as possible. Make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen and a hat and sunglasses. I also recommend portable fans. We have two for the double stroller that really help the kids stay comfortable. It may seem silly, but we have a black stroller and it traps in the heat from the sun like no other. If you aren’t traveling with a stroller but still feel like you need some relief, there are some great options like this or these 

COVID-Era Essentails – Face Masks, Ziplocks, and Hand Sanitizer 

Hopefully we can erase this section within the next year, however COVID has definitely changed the way everyone does Disney.  Currently, at the time this post was published, every guest age 2+ years old is required to wear a face covering. While you may be thinking “this isn’t a bag item, it’s an item I’ll be wearing” I highly suggest bringing multiple masks with you to the park. It’s hot. You sweat. They stink. Gross. Thank me later.  Our favorite masks for the parks include these paper masks and also the ones from shopDisney. (Buyer alert: Andrew wears size XL, and I wear a size L comfortably in the Disney masks. The sizing is a little wonky, so I encourage you to measure!) Also – those Ziplocks I mentioned come in super handy for a lot of things. One being you can put your mask in there when you sit down to eat (so you aren’t just setting it down on the table) or you can use it for the dirty ones when you want to swap one out for a fresh, non smelly option.  Lastly, bring hand sanitizer. There is hand sanitizer everywhere in the parks, however, it never hurts to have your own. I always make sure we bring multiple pocket sized hand san for our trips, pandemic or not. 

Miscellaneous Items We Have Found Helpful – Plastic Placemats, Mama Hook, Your ID/Perk Cards, Portable Phone Charger, and Snacks

I was gifted plastic placemats by one of my co workers a long time ago and it may have been the best hand-me-down I’ve ever received.  Kids are so messy. My kids love to throw dishes. (please tell me I’m not the only one!) These little plastic placemats are so handy. Not only do they eliminate the ‘throwing of the plates’ situation, but it is also easy cleanup for myself and the Cast Members at the restaurants we are eating at. (By the way, this isn’t just a Disney thing. I use these all the time and highly recommend.) 

If you are using a stroller, the Mama Hook is something I cannot live without. You can throw your park bag on there so you don’t have to wear it, shopping bags for all of the merchandise you buy, even your popcorn bucket! You can fit all of your things without stuffing them in the basket below. Bonus – Here is a Mickey Mouse Rose Gold hook that I’m adding to cart as we speak.

It sounds silly really, but don’t forget to put your ID in your park bag, especially if you plan on drinking alcohol. It’s easy to not bring your wallet to the parks. With MagicBands being your hotel room key, your credit card, and Park Ticket, you really don’t feel the need to bring your purse/wallet. However, what the Magic Band doesn’t have is a valid ID which is needed when purchasing alcoholic beverages. I made this mistake once when we were in Epcot – NEVER AGAIN. Additionally, if you qualify for any discounts like Annual Passholder, Disney Vacation Club Member, or Tables in Wonderland, make sure you have those cards with you so you can show proof of your discount eligibility. 

You use your phone A LOT at Disney. Since most of Disney has gone digital, you have to use the My Disney Experience app for everything. Mobile ordering food, park maps, Play Disney, virtual queues, etc. It’s a pretty cool tool, but it drains your battery. Having an external portable battery for your phone is an essential item to pack in your pack bag. Another option is getting a phone case with a battery attached. I was gifted a Casely external battery charger which I love. It is heavier and bulkier than most phone cases, but since I dont put my phone in my pocket, that doesn’t bother me. 

Last but not least, bring some snacks in your park bag.  Disney is expensive.  Food is expensive. Bottled water is expensive (but free from the tap to fill up your Yeti!) So bring some items to munch on in between meal times.  Things like granola bars, Uncrustables, fruit snacks, Go-Go-Squeeze applesauce, apples, Goldfish, etc. make for great options. These snacks don’t take up too much space in your bag, but are game changers for crabby kids who are hot, tired, and just need a snack. 

So now you have an idea of what we bring in our park bag! What did I miss? Do you have any must have items that you make sure are in your park bag? Let me know in the comments below!

-Melinda