Must Haves for Your Disney Park Bag

Before you can even pack a bag, you need to choose the best park bag for your family’s needs. Since we stay on Disney property every trip, we take the necessities in our bag, and then refill it later that afternoon or evening.  When we return to our resort for a break, that is the perfect time for us to regroup our bag before going back to the parks.  I actually take two types of bags with me.  I take a larger backpack, which also doubles as my daughter’s carry on, and a smaller crossbody bag.  While I am all about minimizing our items and focusing on the essentials, I like having the option of a smaller bag for a quick trip to Disney Springs, around the resort, or even for a short evening in the parks. It is also easier on my shoulders to alternate bags while we are traveling.  Choose a bag that is comfortable with you, and that you can easily access when going through bag check and security.  The guards will unzip every zippered pocket on your bag, so keep that in mind as well.

 

First, everyone has their own way of touring the parks, as well as their own “must haves”. MagicBands, ID, wallet, an alternative form of payment, sunscreen, and an autograph book typically top the list of park bag items. But, you may not have thought of these things:

 

Ziploc bags. I take a gallon size bag with several smaller sizes stashed inside of it.  It stores easily in one of the pockets of the backpack that I don’t use very often. These are great for dirty clothes, a wet poncho, or even protecting your cell phone from the splashing water on some attractions. We have also stored our cooling towels in one of these when they aren’t in use. Another great use is unfinished snacks or food you will finish later in the day.

 

Electronic essentials.  Don’t forget your phone charging cord and your portable charger. 

 

A small wallet or zipper pouch.  I don’t like to take my entire wallet into the parks ~ there are only a few things I really need!  So, I stash my ID, a little cash, a Disney gift card, and a credit card in this small pouch. Having an alternative form of payment in case the system is down is a good idea if I cannot charge back to my room with my MagicBand, so keeping a credit card and some cash handy is a good idea.

 

 

Essential toiletries.  This varies greatly, depending on your party size. However, we always have chapstick, hand sanitizer, a small bottle of ibuprofen, and a travel size of sunscreen. I have several small pockets in my backpack, and I keep all of these in the same pocket.

 

Next, don’t forget your Disney essentials.  Minnie Ears, pins and lanyards, and autograph items are what I would consider Disney essentials.  We often ship purchases back to the resort, but there is always room in my park bag for smaller souvenirs. 

 

I also take a stainless steel water bottle.  This has been a huge lifesaver for us on many occasions.  My daughter has a smaller one she uses for school, and it fits perfectly in both the backpack or the smaller crossbody if I want to carry that instead. We will fill it with ice in the morning from the resort.  Then, buy a bottle of water from the resort QS location as we are heading to the transportation. The bottle keeps the water cold alllll day.  Plus, when we finish it, we just ask at a QS location for a free glass of ice water and refill our water bottle.  Often, the ice is still intact, and that is so nice!

I add the must have items that we use the least to my bag first.  This may be the ziploc bags I mentioned, the small toiletry items, or our ponchos. These go in first, since they do not need to be accessible often during the day.  I typically put these in the larger section of the backpack, and that also leaves room for any souvenirs or our misting fan.

 

In the middle pocket of our backpack, I put my wallet, the water bottle, the phone charger, and charging cable. I also stash the autograph book and a pen in here, so it is easy for my daughter to unzip and access when we are in line for characters. 

On the side pockets, I will often store the external charger when it is in use. I can put that in the side pocket, plus in my phone, and leave my phone in my pocket.  This keeps my phone charging, but also easily accessible if I need to check wait times, our itinerary, or take a quick picture.

 

What are your must haves for your Disney park bag? While that question can have a lot of different answers, I think that these items can be extremely helpful. Entering the Disney parks without a bag is a dream, isn’t it? Having done it one time, I can tell you it was fantastic, but not realistic when traveling with my family. What are your must haves for your Disney park bag?