If you are headed to Disney World you want to make sure you are well prepared for your day. From the hot sun to hydration, and everything else, having a well-prepared backpack for Disney World is essential to making sure you have a great day.
Special Note: If you are looking for a good backpack, I recommend a backpack with two shoulder straps, The weight may not seem like much first thing in the morning, but by the end of the fireworks that extra 5-10 lbs of weight will feel a lot heavier than it did when you left the hotel that morning.
Here are some Disney-themed packs for you to get you in the mood.
Make sure to get: The Ultimate Disney World Packing List – Free Printable
Passport or Photo ID
If you haven’t activated your Magic Bands yet (which is for everyone outside of the US), you will need to go to customer service outside of the park entrance and have your Magic Bands activated. To do this you will need the card that you used to pay for your passes and proof of ID for everyone going into the park. Once you do they will take your finger scan so that you will not need them the rest of your days at the park.
Magic Bands
If these were sent to you in advance, you will need to make sure you have them when you get to the park. Otherwise, you will have to go back to the hotel room and get them.
Phone/ Chargers
Your phone you will likely remember, but you will also have it out a lot. Between booking the extra fast passes using our FastPass Strategy, to just wanting to take pictures of every cool thing you will see, your battery will die on you.
Don’t get caught with a dead phone halfway through your day.
Grab a portable battery charger and make sure you don’t miss any amazing picture moments.
Money
If you aren’t attaching a credit card to your Magic Band (which isn’t a bad idea, since it’s one more thing to carry around) then you will want to make sure you have enough cash and credit on you to buy your snacks, meals and other gift shop buys for each of the parks.
Epipens/ Inhaler / Band aids/ Advil / Allergen Pills & Other Medication
If you have allergies or other medication conditions, make sure you have your medicines on you in case anything should ever happen.
Mouse Ears
This is one that you can easily buy in advance and save your family some money. These were in big demand at the parks. Our kids weren’t keen on the idea until they saw other kids everywhere with them. So they immediately wanted some. Luckily we had the foresight to buy them before the park and saved big time.
Click here to get your mouse ears.
Glow sticks
If you plan on being around in the evenings for the fireworks, and you should because they will give you goosebumps. Then make sure to bring some glow sticks with you for the kids to enjoy at the park. It’s way better with them!
Grab a bunch of glow sticks here.
Water Bottles
You can get a small glass of water for free anywhere in the park, but I found that it was easier to have an empty water bottle to bring with me. Also, a Contigo water bottle has the advantage of keeping your water cool throughout the day which is important when it’s 90 degrees first thing in the morning.
Grab your own Stay Cold Contigo Water Bottle here.
Snacks
You can bring snacks into Disney, and it’s a good idea to have them when you need them. This was a nice thing to have with allergies, just in case we couldn’t find anything to eat.
Hand Sanitizer
If you are not a big fan of germs in public places (I mean who is?) or if you have allergies like I do and just need to wipe a table down before you eat somewhere it’s a good idea to pack some hand sanitizer with you.
Thinking about Hollywood Studios? Here is our Hollywood Studios one Day Plan or check out the complete list of Hollywood Studios Rides
Wipes and Kleenex
Pins and Lanyard
Disney big thing for the kids is pin trading and collecting. They have starter packs but each pin costs around $8.99 to start and go higher.
It’s a lot of fun to watch the kids trade and it’s a really good way to have shy kids break out of their shell and talk with other people.
I wish I had known about this before we got to the park. I would have stocked up. Grab some pins before you head to Disney World here.
Gum
Somewhere in the day you are going to need a little shot of sugar just get you through the wait in one of the lines. Pack some gum to help you and the fam blow bubbles while you wind through the lines to the bigger attractions.
Taking a break from the parks? Here are some FREE things to do at Disney Springs.
Hats
Protect yourself from the sun, I’m not a hat wearer but I had one on all day every day. Otherwise I would have burned.
Sunblock
The first thing you will do every morning is coat yourself in sunscreen, but half way through the day you will probably need a touch up. Make sure to pack some for the rest of the afternoon.
Here are some different one to pick from, we liked the spray on sport because it was longer lasting and higher SPF
Sunglasses
You will need them. Everyone will. I couldn’t believe how strong the sun was down in Orlando. Make sure you whole family has a pair for the trip.
Lip chap with SPF
The heat can be really hard on those of us who aren’t used to living in cooler climates. Makes sure your lips don’t get burnt and bring some lip chap with SPF.
Get a two-pack of SPF Lip chap here
Ziplock Bags or a Water Proof Case
If the rain doesn’t get you rides like Kali River Rapids and Splash Mountain are bound to get you wet. I got absolutely soaked on Kali, much to the delight of my family. Luckily we had all of our electronic items in a waterproof bag or that ride would have cost us two iPhones. (As the pack mule of the family I was blessed to carry around the backpack all day).
You could also use ziplock bags as a frugal choice! If you want to get some water proof pouches before you leave you can purchase them here.
Ponchos
In Disney World it rains at the same all the time in the summer. 15 minutes of pouring and then you are good to go again. Having some disposable ponchos is a good idea.
We ended up using ours every other day. It’s also a good idea to have shoes that can dry out quickly.
Autograph cards/ Sharpies
I was shocked at how my kids wanted every characters autograph, we would ask them over and over before leaving if they were interested and it was always met with a “Nah, not really.”
Luckily my wife picked up some autograph books before we left otherwise we would have paid an extra 400% on these inside the park.
Make sure to have a few sharpies too. The characters don’t have pens with them so you will need something and it’s better to have a thicker pen so it’s easier for them to grab. A normal sharpie will do.
Want more tips? Check out our 100+ Great Disney World Tips!
Cooling towels
These are in big demand at the parks. In fact they were pretty hard to find.
We got ours before leaving and they were a godsend in the summer heat. All you need is some water and these towels provide some very nice, much needed cooling.
Don’t leave home without them get them here.
What Leave Out When You Pack for Disney World Parks
Selfie stick
These are banned in the parks. If you bring one in your bag it will have to be left behind. Just something you should know before you get there.
Checklist for Your Backpack
There you have it. That’s the list of things to buy before going to Disney World. I carried around many of these items in our back pack everyday at the park. It was definitely worth it.
Need More Disney World Tips? Check out these:
- The Ultimate Disney World Packing List – Free Printable
- Best Rides in Disney World: Top Rides to Get FastPasses for at Disney World
- Disney Fastpass Secrets: The Best Strategy to Optimize Your Disney FastPass
- How Much Does a Trip to Disney World Cost?
- Looking for what you can do at Magic Kingdom? You can find all of the Magic Kingdom rides here!
- Epcot RIdes and Attractions: Everything you can see!
- Epcot FastPass Tiers and how to hand them
- How to See Animal Kingdom in 1 Day
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We just went to Disney World and this is a great list! We froze our water bottles and vitamin water the night before and that really saved us with the heat! I’m glad they let you bring in food, especially with the high prices! Thanks for this!