When it comes to a Disney trip, there is so much to plan for! Even if you have a travel agent, you still need to decide on restaurants, resorts, and transportation. That doesn’t even include the planning for once you get to the park (like fast passes, shows and rides!) Throw in a special event or two…
It can be a little overwhelming!
And then there’s the packing! 😧
Take it from a Disney Pro- there are really only 5 essentials that you need for your trip besides the basics (like clothing, shoes and toiletries).
The 5 must have essentials for a Disney Vacation
Water bottle
This is the NUMBER ONE essential item- and every blogger and vlogger and instagram influencer will tell you- a reusable water bottle is a MUST.
Even in the “colder winter” months (its not really cold but it’s comfortable) you can get dehydrated!
Save yourself the hassle of dehydration and get a reusable water bottle for everyone in the family to bring to the park. Especially since Disney is moving away from lids and straws (animal kingdom only has paper straws) so you can always use your water bottle for other drinks too!
I have two favorites for water bottles.
The First is this water bottle by Simple Modern, which features pretty powder coated stainless steel and two lid options (one is a regular wide mouth lid and the other a flip lid!)
The other is the budget friendly model- especially if you dont plan to use this bottle after Disney! Check out the Contigo Plastic Bottle with flip top lid. Many times you can find this for under 10 dollars on Amazon! And they have multipacks available too. Just keep in mind that plastic won’t keep your drinks cool for very long.
Also note, it has to be plastic or stainless steel. Glass Water bottles are NOT ALLOWED in the parks!
Ponchos
Rain rain go away!
I wish! 🤪
The Rain always seems to come at the worst times! Don’t let it ruin your plans- simply bring a poncho with you! These are small and lightweight so they dont take up much room. They are wayyyyy more acceptable in the parks (umbrellas are large and pokey to other people!) and cheap (if you buy them ahead of time). Disney does sell ponchos and umbrellas in force when it rains, but you’ll be paying Disney Prices for them.
If your concerned about Disney’s Rain Policy, hop over to this post that gives all the details, like refunds and hurricanes.
Fans- stroller, personal, misting
Fans are insanely useful, especially the smaller ones for personal use. These can be ones that have a water spritzer, ones the clip to the stroller and ones that you wear around your neck.
Even in 70 degree weather I bring my fan.
Why?
🔥Because the lines are HOT.🔥
You’ve got lines to get in the park, lines for the rides, lines for the bathroom- and most of those lines do NOT have a fan. So you have all these bodies packed into a small area with the sun beating on you, no shade and no wind.
NO thanks!
I’ll keep my fan and stay cooler than most! (plus it works so well with the Frog Towel below!)
Cooling Towel/ Frog Towel
They have these for sale at Disney- so if you decide to save some packing room you can get them at the parks! I recommend grabbing them early, (Amazon DOES deliver to the resorts) because just getting into the parks can be long and hot. These Cooling Towels are amazing for keeping you from overheating, especially when you plan to be in the sun all day for several days in a row.
Plus, Disney only has a few colors, and you can get a lot more options (for everyone in the family) when you order them online.
Phone Charger
Ok, here’s the things with phones at Disney. Even if you have a brand new smartphone, your battery will decline at some time during the day.
Why?
The RIDES!
Yes, some of these lines (and then the rides themselves) have very poor service because of how they are designed, so your phone is searching and searching for service- which of course, drains the battery.
The other 2 things that suck a lot of energy are taking tons of pictures and using the myDisney app. So if you plan to do either of these things, make sure you bring a portable charger!
Must of us already have one, but if you need one for your trip, I definitely recommend the best selling Anker PowerCore 10000.
But if you need a really cheap one that is still a winner, check out the Amazon’s Choice Phone Charger, Power Add. You can typically find it listed under 20 dollars- which is a steal!
That’s a Wrap
These at the top things that I ALWAYS recommend to people coming to Disney World- it really does make your life easier when you are prepared (Even though you have a 10000 things to do for your magical vacation!)
Are you taking any of these items with you? Or maybe you have some more essentials I didn’t add? Let me know in the comments!