What to bring with you to the Disney Theme Parks

This is the age-old Disney question – how much and what to bring with you to the Disney parks. As you have read often at Chip and Co, the answer is… it depends. There are three main factors to consider – who you are traveling with, your budget, and how prepared you like to be for every eventuality.

The Necessities

In my book, it is only necessary to bring four things to the park for a successful day of touring. Must-haves are your “documents,” sunscreen, water or other beverages, and a Touring Plan.

Documents will vary for each guest but include your Key to the World, park pass, DVC membership card (for discounts), Tables in Wonderland card (for a dining discount), Photopass card, and ADR numbers. I learned the hard way that you should also bring your driver’s license if having an adult beverage is on your agenda. Although I am closer than forty than thirty, I was carded on my last trip and didn’t have appropriate identification so don’t assume you’re too old to be asked for ID! Note: Magic Kingdom is a dry park.

Convenience is at the top of my list when choosing a way to keep my documents secure. Because I use my park pass often to get a FASTPASS, I don’t want to fumble around trying to find it when there are attractions to ride and characters to meet! A lanyard with a cardholder is a great solution to keep everything together and handy. As Brenda points out, be sure the cardholder closes at the top.

No matter what time of the year you travel to Disney, sunscreen is not optional. The dilemma of how to reapply sunscreen often without carrying a bulky bottle of sunscreen to the parks emerges. Luckily, almost everything today is available in a smaller, travel version and sunscreen is no exception. Travel sizes of sunscreen or sunscreen wipes that come in a sealed pouch can be slipped into a pocket.

Water is a must during a day of touring the Walt Disney World theme parks. However, whether you bring it with you to the parks or not really depends on budget; you can purchase beverages in the park or use a snack credit from your Disney Dining Plan. Because most families prefer to use their snack credit on an actual snack and purchasing enough bottled water in the parks for a family can be very expensive, I’m adding water to a list of must-brings to the parks.

Don’t forget you can order from Garden Grocer and have all your must bring items delivered to your hotel room!

Having a touring plan isn’t just a convenience; it gives you more value for your vacation dollar. View your Disney World vacation in terms of Return on Investment (ROI). Spending less time waiting in line means your family will make more memories and experience more magic. That’s where a touring plan comes in. A good touring plan will maximize the attractions your family wants to experience based on crowd levels. Touring Plans and its app, Lines, are well-respected sources of Disney World touring plans and wait time information.

Your Travel Party

In most cases, an adult couple will need to bring far less to the parks than a family traveling with little ones or someone with special needs.

• Healthy, non-perishable snacks
• Diapers / Wipes / Pull-Ups
• Small Toys
• Autograph Book and Pen
• Toddler Utensils / Bibs / Sippy Cups / Bottles
• Wet Wipes
• Portable High Chair Cover

Budget

Almost anything you would need during a day of touring can be purchased in the parks – for a price and sometimes it is a steep one. My approach is to bring items that I’m most likely to use in the parks and that are fairly expensive to purchase at Walt Disney World.

• Ponchos
• Common over-the-counter medications and Band-Aids
• Spare memory card for camera
• Hats
• Sweatshirt during cooler months

Be Prepared

If I have room in our theme park bag, I’ll add items that are not a necessity for my family but a convenience.

• Camera (with Disney’s PhotoPass service, a camera is not a necessity for my family but it is for some families)
• Battery-powered fan or fan / spray bottle combo
• Favorite guidebook

What do you bring with you to the theme parks?

Thanks to Lisa from Beyond the Attractions

Related articles

• 10 Tips for Staying Cool at Disney World This Summer (chipandco.com)
• Top 5 Ideas For Going Beyond the Attractions (chipandco.com)

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel

Who is your Travel Agent?(Required)

Let us pick for youEric HilesStacy ReedAbbey JohnsonAlisa SullivanAlli WillisAmanda FolsomAmanda VannAmber BrillhartAmber FisherAmy SieburnAndrea SmithAngela AndersonAngie BaycuraAnna PetrilliAnnabelle DuboseApril StefanskiAshley RamseyBeth ParsonsBetsy SantoroBrandie McQueenBrian BuckleyBridget HatchBryan SchwartzCandice SneedCarrie ButlerCarson DockumCasey BoltCharleen HortonChelsea RoyChelsea WuebkerChris BoyerChristie GrubeChristina FratturaChristina SmithCourtney WhiteCraig YoderDan MercedDanielle NorcrossDarby MouritsenDavid ForrestDeborah AlvaradoEmilee BiegelEmily MorrisFaith HakesGail HatchGreg MatzkerHelen HummerHolly CurryJackie CavistonJaclyn PepitoneJamie SwansonJeanine JordanJeff CallahanJenni MaierJennifer BrownJennifer StephensonJennifer StoessnerJessica HatfieldJessica HuffJessica WunderJoe GuertinJon CarpentierJoseph SliwaJulie McCombJustin BrownKat AttridgeKathryn EberhartKathy AndersonKatie HarrellKatie PrevotKayla CookKelsey SullensKim HelmsKimberly HutchinsonKristi GallagherKyle RamsdenLauren DewlenLeanne MonterLinda DurhamLindsay AckermannLindsey VromanLissette BritoLori HardyMallory MorrisonMandi QuinnMaranda PerkinsMarisa AlvaradoMegan TeismannMeghan BlairMelissa ReedMichele KlineMike BeyerMissy McCormickMisty DickersonNancy CasteelNicole ThorntonPatrick O'ConnorPaul SulPeyton Ward-KubikRaylene CooganRegan OstranderRobbie BulusRobert ThomasSara SolbergSarah McCandlishShanna BrowningShelley BennettShelly MetzStacy CristStacy KrzyminskiStacy SmithStephanie DraganoStephanie FerencStephanie WalshSusannah McCordTara SlusserTerri MillerTiffany DobraskiTiffany DrenkhahnTina FarmerTonya LesiukTracy DaneTroy DuncanVeronica RenteriaVicki FesslerWendy CarllWendy HauserWendy KellehanWendy Shelley

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Destination(Required)

Walt Disney WorldDisneyland ResortDisney Cruise LineAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaUniversal FloridaUniversal HollywoodRoyal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian or other Cruise LineI don't know yet

# of Adults(Required)

# of Children(Required)

Check-in-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Check-out-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Comments, Questions or Special Requests

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!