Watching how different families tackle a Disney Park is entertaining.  There are the families who walk in with only a park map.  Other families sport waist packs and maybe carry a water bottle.  I’ve seen military-looking dads with a full battle pack loaded to the gills.  Then there are the families with strollers that are carrying bags, blankets, coolers, drinks, etc. — everything except for kids.  Every family has their own reasons and needs for what they carry into the parks, but I thought I would share what we do.

When the kids were smaller, we would bring a double jogging stroller with us, and life was great.  We could load whatever we wanted into that thing — and boy, did we ever.  We even brought a shower curtain and clothespins with us to cover the stroller in case of a rain storm.  As the kids got older and the stroller stayed home, we had to be more selective about what we brought.

At this point, we are down to bringing a few select items with us to the Disney parks.  We bring our “rain bag” with us if the forecast calls for any sort of rain.  Our rain bag is loaded with our ponchos and flip-flops.  As soon as the first raindrop falls, we take off our shoes and socks and exchange them for flip-flops, then throw on our ponchos.  We can do this in less than 30 seconds and we keep moving in the park.  We’ve been at the Magic Kingdom during a tropical storm and didn’t let it stop our plans at all.

We also carry a few other items with us into the parks. Each morning before leaving our hotel room, we load our bags with several bottles of water and small snack items like bags of goldfish or granola bars. This allows us to refuel while we are waiting in line for rides, and keeps costs down.

Another must have for us is our cell phones, loaded with the My Disney Experience app.  My Disney Experience allows us to check wait times, view park maps, and change our FastPass and dining reservations. We also subscribe to the Touring Plans service, which gives us access to their Lines app on our phones for checking wait times on various rides.  Since we use our phones so much in the park for the apps and photos, we carry external batteries to recharge our phones.

Other things we frequently carry into the parks include sunscreen, hand sanitizer, Band-Aids (in case of blisters), wet wipes (great for cleanup after a snack), hair ties for the female members of our traveling party, sunglasses. One or more of us also will carry a camera and camera accessories, to ensure we capture special moments during our day.

We’ve used a variety of bags over the years, but this is the current one we are sporting in the parks:

It has two large pockets plus two water bottle holders on the outside.  It is well constructed and shows no signs of wear after over a year of use.  It is on the smaller side, so I haven’t had any trouble putting it on any of the ride vehicles with me.

Do you have other must-bring items for a day at the park? Share in the comments!

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