Backpack question

[AngiTN]

I'm curious how this worked out for you? How old were the kids? Did they keep the bags on? Even on rides?

We thought about this. May do it for our next trip. I like the idea, but just worry that they'll want them on and off, and I'll end up schlepping their bags just the same. Thanks!

Practice these words now, "No. You brought it, you carry it"
It works, I promise.

DGD has brought along her American Girl Doll, a stuffie, a bag, any number of things. Rule when we leave the room is you bring it you carry it. I will not, under any circumstances, carry it. It's worked well for us. I suspect it would for you too

Or maybe I'm just meaner than avg

 

[tobikaye]

The bag issue is really just a personal choice. I have done both and found that I really have not preference as long as I do not carry a lot of unnecessary items in my bag. Most of the clothes I like to wear do not have pockets so I usually need to have a bag of some kind.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm curious how this worked out for you? How old were the kids? Did they keep the bags on? Even on rides?

We thought about this. May do it for our next trip. I like the idea, but just worry that they'll want them on and off, and I'll end up schlepping their bags just the same. Thanks!

You could always then rent a locker. If their whining becomes too much.

 

[dreiwhit]

I'm curious how this worked out for you? How old were the kids? Did they keep the bags on? Even on rides?

It worked fairly well. My son is 14 and my daughter 9. They didn't complain. They each carried their poncho, plus some snacks (granola bars and goldfish.)

They would take them off when they got on a ride and put them back on when they got off. No problems there. They also kept hydrated during the day by sipping on their water.

My son did wear a Camelbak on his first trip, but it was a model that didn't have pockets. We got him a carrier with pockets for the next trip.

Practice these words now, "No. You brought it, you carry it"
It works, I promise.

Its all about setting expectations. I went through their bags to make sure they weren't carrying any extras they wouldn't use. However, the pockets aren't big enough for much else. I also made sure that they knew that if they wanted to take it, they would be expected to carry it!

 

[klmall]

I use a waist pack/fanny pack to carry my meds; camera gear etc. At my age I don't care about what others may think. Convenience is # 1 for me since I stay in the parks from RD to after dinner. Over the shoulder packs bother my back especially since I just had shoulder surgery 5 weeks ago.

If you can stuff everything into pockets that's great or use a backpack. Do what you want and don't worry about what others are doing. Just get to the park early enough to go through bag check if needed.

 

[FrancoFun]

I'm curious how this worked out for you? How old were the kids? Did they keep the bags on? Even on rides?

We thought about this. May do it for our next trip. I like the idea, but just worry that they'll want them on and off, and I'll end up schlepping their bags just the same. Thanks!

We do take bags into the parks with us, for sunscreen, Gatorade, ponchos, snacks (or else we'd spend a small fortune feeding our son!). When our son was 7, he carried his own small backpack in the parks, in the August heat. He was so excited about Disney, he didn't once complain about carrying his own gear.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Sometimes I bring my backpack (bought at Animal Kingdom), sometimes I use a small cross body bag. It all depends on how long I'm spending in the park and what I need for the day. When I'm spending an afternoon or evening eating and drinking around the world in Epcot, all I need is my small cross body bag and some sort of head covering and occasionally a poncho or umbrella if it's going to rain.

When I'm doing an all day marathon at the Magic Kingdom, I need the backpack with all my gear.

I used to go bagless but since my old cargo shorts finally wore out, I haven't been able to find any with big enough pockets to hold all of my stuff. Add in having to go through metal detectors now which means pulling everything out of my pockets and I'd rather carry a bag of some sort.

 

[buddyjo143]

We are all pale and HAVE to carry sunscreen with us, so we will always have a bag of some sort. Add a couple of refillable water bottles and the bag check is more than worth the savings if buying water all day.

So where/how do you refill the bottles? I would be happy to do this to save my snack credits for food and not water. Thanks.

 

[gap2368]

So where/how do you refill the bottles? I would be happy to do this to save my snack credits for food and not water. Thanks.

Any quick service will give you an ice water in a cup and then you can pour it in your own

 

[IrishNYC]

I carry a small backpack with a Brita filter bottle, sunscreen, my wallet, a phone charger, and ponchos. Maybe a small (deck of cards small) first aid kit if I remember, and a pill bottle with Advil, an allergy pill, a Xanax, and a roll of Tums. It's small enough that it can't be a crap collector.

How long on average does it take to get through security with a bag?

Never took us more than a minute or two. We're rope droppers, and PPO ADR people most of the time, although we do go back to our resort midday and go back again later.

Practice these words now, "No. You brought it, you carry it"
It works, I promise.

DGD has brought along her American Girl Doll, a stuffie, a bag, any number of things. Rule when we leave the room is you bring it you carry it. I will not, under any circumstances, carry it. It's worked well for us. I suspect it would for you too

Or maybe I'm just meaner than avg

I'm a "you bring it/buy it, you carry it" mom, too. I carry enough bare essentials, I'm not carrying extras.

So where/how do you refill the bottles? I would be happy to do this to save my snack credits for food and not water. Thanks.

Any QS will give you cups of ice water, or you can refill at a fountain.

 

[buddyjo143]

I carry a small backpack with a Brita filter bottle, sunscreen, my wallet, a phone charger, and ponchos. Maybe a small (deck of cards small) first aid kit if I remember, and a pill bottle with Advil, an allergy pill, a Xanax, and a roll of Tums.

Thanks. I am brainstorming the essentials packing list. Tums and Tylenol and bandaids are a must for me.

 

[nat8199]

So where/how do you refill the bottles? I would be happy to do this to save my snack credits for food and not water. Thanks.

I just refill in the water fountains. I know that other people don't like the water from them, but I have never had a problem. I fill my bottle from water fountains all over, though, so maybe I am used to it? There are also some counter service places where the soda/water set up is available to customers, so I always refill when I see one of them. The resorts that I have stayed at have also had access to cold, filtered water as well.