11 Things You Must Have Before Your Next Trip to Disney World
If you are planning for your next Disney World vacation, you may get overwhelmed with all of the tips and tricks that friends, family, and the internet may be throwing at you. From planning dining 180-days out to booking Fast Passes 60-days out, by the time you get to Disney World, you may need a vacation from all of your vacation planning! Well, here is a little more for you to consider before your trip. We have put together a list of Things You Must Have Before Your Next Trip to Disney World!
You Gotta Have a Backpack!
When going to Disney World, there are quite a few things that you will be carrying with you throughout your trip. The best way to do this (with or without a stroller) will be in a backpack. Now, you can use any old backpack like we did on our first trip, but as you venture out into the parks, you will see so many different backpacks that seem like they were made specifically for people vacationing at Disney World. In all honesty, any backpack will work, but if you fear that you may suffer from backpack envy, here are a few that we recommend!
External USB Charger
External USB Chargers, fuel rods, power banks, or portable chargers. Whatever you call them, you will definitely need one! If you are taking pictures, using the My Disney Experience App on your phone to book and manage your fast passes and dining reservations, or letting your kids use the Play Disney Parks app while waiting in lines, your battery will not make it! While the parks do have Fuel Rod exchange kiosks throughout the parks and at the hotels, some of them are not the best quality, and you can find yourself looking for the kiosks instead of enjoying your vacation. I would recommend the larger power banks that can charge overnight and then be used the next day to charge multiple electronics at one time. Definitely one of the best investments made before our last trip!
Disney Character Autograph Books
As you are planning for your upcoming vacation, you will notice that there are many options for Disney character meet and greet options throughout the parks as well as in many of the restaurants in the form of character dining. Once you start interacting with the characters, you will see that many of them will do autographs for you or your children. It is so nice to be able to hand them your autograph book for them to sign, plus this will give you a souvenir that you can cherish for years to come! You will find them in every park, at Disney Springs, and online, but we recommend buying one ahead of time to save money in the parks.
Lanyard and Pins for Trading
One of the things that my family loves doing is pin trading. Now, you can buy lanyards and pins throughout the parks, resorts, and at Disney Springs, but many of the ones that you will find and buy will have special meaning to you or your child. We recommend buying a few before you go that do not have any special meaning so that you will feel better about trading them for better pins during your vacation. Carry your pins on your lanyards which you can buy before you go so that you are not searching around the parks trying to find what you want. This will give you more time for the rides, attractions, and character meet and greets once in the parks!
Personal Fans
There is a good chance that when you are heading out to Disney World it is going to be hot. Orlando does not have much of a winter, and as we have learned, you can still get some pretty hot days during the “winter” months, so because of this, we recommend having a couple of things to help you beat the heat! There are so many different options when it comes to personal fans. You’ll find some that spray water with the fan, some that are battery-operated, and some that work when connected to a USB port (or even your phone for that matter). No matter what you choose, buying before your trip is always a good idea. We traveled to Disney World in November and didn’t think we would need our fans. It was HOT! We ended up dropping $25 on a Disney spray bottle fan. Kids loved it, but I was so bummed as we had great options at home.
Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad Cooling Towel
We have tried many different types of cooling towels, and we keep coming back to Frogg Toggs as our family favorite. Frogg Toggs cooling towels are made from a hyper-evaporative material that retains water while remaining dry to the touch. These things make for an awesome way to cool down when the temps go up at Disney World. The best thing about them is that when they stop cooling, you can re-wet them and wring them out, and then within minutes, it begins cooling you off.
Family Packs of Rain Ponchos
As the last recommendation regarding the heat, depending on the time of the year that you visit Disney World, there is a great chance for rain. Now, there might be a 15-minute downpour each day, there may be hours of rain, or it may be dry, but we always recommend taking ponchos as you do not want to get caught in a park without one when the rain starts falling. While there are many places to go to in each park to avoid the rain, if you try and buy one in the park, you are looking at a $10 purchase. Unlike many other purchases that you make in the parks, you most likely won’t get any future uses out of the ponchos. Once they get wet, they are almost impossible to get dry, so with the high humidity in Florida, there will probably be mold growing within a day or two, and these bad boys will start to stink!
Glow Sticks, Glow Necklaces, Glow Bracelets
Once the sun goes down, you will see carts lining the streets in every park selling light-up toys and glow items. Believe me, if your kids don’t have something that lights up or glows, you will be shelling out big bucks to keep them happy! If you have a pack of glow sticks, necklaces, or bracelets in your backpack, you can get them out and have them ready as the sun is going down. Thank us later!
Collapsible Water Bottle with Water Filter
When you are in the Orlando area, you will want to be drinking water all day! The last thing you want is to be dehydrated or worn down because you are not drinking enough water. Unfortunately, unless you want to pay for bottled water in the park you will need to have a water bottle. Most foodservice locations will provide you with a free cup of water, but it can be small and can take up a lot of time getting in lines for water. If you have a collapsible water bottle, you can go anywhere and fill it up, and since it has a built-in water filter, you won’t have to worry about the water quality as this will help with the flavor!
Durable Moleskin
On your park days, you will be on your feet all day long! Not only will you be on your feet, but you will most likely be trekking quite a few miles per day. Add in the fact that your feet will get hot and the chance that they will get wet, you are going to need some protection for your feet! Moleskin comes in different varieties including rolls, strips, and pre-cut pieces. I would recommend that you throw some in your backpack as you never know when a blister might try and pop up. If you are prone to getting blisters on your feet, it might not be a bad idea to put this on any places that are prone to blister before you even get started each day!
Body Glide
This is something that I had not heard of until our most recent trip, and I am so glad that I found it! If you ever have problems with chaffing or you think that you might once you get into the heat and humidity of central Florida, this is the best thing you will learn about today! Simply apply before you get dressed, on your thighs, neck, arms, or literally anywhere skin gets rubbed. Body Glide will help stop any chaffing trouble before it starts!
A couple of Additional Potential Items for Your Next Disney World Trip
I think that most of these items above can be useful for anyone heading out to Disney World. But, here are a couple of items that I would recommend looking into if your vacation needs it. If you are looking into different stroller options at Disney World, we highly recommend reading more about your options here – Do You Need a Stroller for Your Next Disney World Vacation? If you will be booking a session at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, I would highly recommend buying a dress for your little one before you go. When you book, they will let you know that there are dresses available for purchase, but they do not guarantee any certain princesses or sizes. Plus, you can find one at JCP or on Amazon for MUCH less. Learn everything you need to know about Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in this article – Is the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Really Worth It?
In Conclusion
I know that there seem to be so many things that you need to plan for, but I can assure you that the better you plan ahead, the more you will be able to enjoy the magic of Disney World once you arrive! Is there anything that we missed? Do you have any secret items that everyone needs to know about? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below! Also, if you have any Disney Fanatic friends, please be sure and share our list with them as well!
If you are planning your first trip to Disney World, check out these 7 Important Tips to Enjoy Your First Disney World Vacation!
Oh yeah, we have an amazing community of Disney World Fanatics hanging out on our Facebook Page. If you want to join us and thousands of other Disney World Enthusiasts to get all of your Disney Vacation questions answered, check out our Facebook Group – Disney World Questions and Answers.
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