Gear Essentials for Parks

[Jalva22]

Early June trip with spouse and 5 yr old and 9 yr old. I don't want to overpack for the parks, but don't want to miss something important either! What should go in my waist pack? Already planning on a mister, sunscreen, more sunscreen, camera, water bottles, more sunscreen

 

[rgf207]

maybe a change of socks if you go on any water rides. you aren't allowed to take your shoes off for Kali River Rapids anymore so you are sure to get your feet wet there. Maybe a couple snacks like a granola bar or pop tart instead of buying all those expensive snacks, sunglasses, park tickets

 

[lauran cameron]

i usually always bring my own water bottle that deffinately an essential for me

 

[rwodonnell]

On the water bottle thing, we bought a couple of Brita sports bottles, and they worked well. We could refill the bottles from water fountains and the thing filters it. It gets warm quickly, but you can always refill it again at the next fountain.

 

[chessie]

Bring your mole skin or whatever you are using for blisters. When you feel a hot spot you can apply it right then. If you wait till you get back to your resort it will probably be too late

 

[Bellefan66]

I kept my DL, and CC's,chap stick,tylenol,each days itinerary,and camera.I never brought a backpack, or my purse. DH and I took turns wearing the fannybag. I LOVED it!

 

[dischick4778]

Snacks are a definite. You can spend a lot of money in the parks just for a quick snack. Granola bars are probably the easiest to carry around. Cookies are good too. Anything non-chocolate would work well. I also usually carry Tylenol or some kind of aspirin/medicine just in case anyone isn't feeling well.

 

[Leota]

If we are touring for the day - I carry a small meds bottle with advil, tums, zantac & bonine in it. Along with that are the essentials of water, chapstick, small bottle purell,shout wipe, camera, sunglasses & wallet stripped to bare essentials - money, cc, passes & ID. I also often carry a sarong in my bag - it can be used to sit on, as a towel or as a cover-up against too much A/C.

I used to carry a backpack with a few more items in it, but rarely do that anymore - only if weather dictates layers. We usually stop back at the resort in the afternoon at somepoint anyways, so I no longer bring everything with me. I figure bandaids etc.... are readily available at First Aid. As far as sunscreen, we apply before leaving the room & reapply at breaktime at the resort. I hate lugging the bottle with me & have found I don't really use it between anyways.

 

[kikipug]

Bring your mole skin or whatever you are using for blisters. When you feel a hot spot you can apply it right then. If you wait till you get back to your resort it will probably be too late

I have read zillions of posts, and, while the thought to ask this has crossed my mind a zillion times, I've decided to ask it now...

Why on earth would anyone wear shoes to the park the cause blisters? Doesn't anyone wear socks any more? I have walked for days straight on WDW and non-Disney vacations, not to mention walking trade show floors for 3 days at a time, and have never once encountered a blister. Shoes that fit properly will NOT cause blisters, no matter how much walking you do.

 

[WillCAD]

I have it down to a science these days, although I tour solo so your milage may vary:

Neck lanyard with plastic pouch containing my park pass, ID, PhotoPass card, room key, and any FastPass slips I pick up.

Sunglasses also on a neck cord.

Camera on a wide cloth strap (to prevent chafing) slung over my shoulder.

Utility belt with: Brita water bottle, cell phone, mechanical pencil, pocket-size tripod, and rolled-up Mickey poncho (in quick-release velcro straps).

On my regular belt I wear a small digital pedometer.

In my pockets I carry: mini notebook for trip journal, small carry wallet with spare CF card for my camera and a spare set of batteries, a small wallet with my credit/ATM cards etc., some cash/Disney Dollars, a couple of disposable hand towletes, a small pill box with any meds I might need (including Zantac, Tylenol, and allergy meds), a little plastic tube of Roll-Aids, and a 1-gallon Ziploc to put on my camera in case of rain or water rides.

Sometimes I also carry a Chapstick.

 

[WillCAD]

I have read zillions of posts, and, while the thought to ask this has crossed my mind a zillion times, I've decided to ask it now...

Why on earth would anyone wear shoes to the park the cause blisters? Doesn't anyone wear socks any more? I have walked for days straight on WDW and non-Disney vacations, not to mention walking trade show floors for 3 days at a time, and have never once encountered a blister. Shoes that fit properly will NOT cause blisters, no matter how much walking you do.

Not everyone has enough experience at long-distance walking to understand that, and of course not everyone realizes how much walking is involved in a typical day in the WDW parks. This means that some will blindly go to the parks wearing sandals (which can chaffe badly and expose your feet to sunburn), or ill-fitting shoes or boots (which can also chaffe or cause your feet to sweat in the Florida heat), or shoes without proper arch support and padding (which can cause serious pain after a few hours).

My personal choice in walking shoes for the last few years have been New Balance walking shoes, model 573. I make sure they are snug, but not tight, and I have found that they have plenty of arch support and enough padding to prevent my feet from feeling the full force of impact when I take a step. I just wear ordinary white cotton socks with them, but again, I make sure the socks are snug around my feet and not bunched up inside the shoe where they can chaffe.

Even with my experience and precautions, I have gotten a few blisters on my toes over the years.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

change for vending machines

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Sometimes you don't KNOW your shoes are too new or not fitting properly if you don't do that much walking on a regular basis at home. LOL I remember on my 2nd trip (first solo) I was wearing the same tennis shoes I'd worn at the previous trip and for the past year and they never hurt (Reeboks) and I got blisters on one foot. I'm not sure if it's because I was solo and doing more walking/skipping/running at a faster pace than before (which was behind a stroller with 2 other kids in tow) or maybe because they got a little wet? It was awful though, let me tell you. Didn't know about the mole skin then. LOL I have since learned. LOL

you aren't allowed to take your shoes off for Kali River Rapids anymore

What?
Well I won't be doing that ride anymore then. Extra socks aren't going to help someone with soaking wet tennis shoes. LOL

 

[luv2nascar]

having two kids changes the amount of stuff you need to carry considerably
one is still in diapers. I bring wipes they are also good for sticky fingers after mickey pops etc. I use a backpack instead of a fannypack. Burt'sBees wax lip balm w/spf. Sunscreen, bandaids, sunscreen. I wouldn't bother with change of clothes for youngest because its disney and I just buy her something new. Parkmaps and I have a small notebook and pen that would have itinerary and PS numbers and times in there. I also carry bottled water and motrin. snacks for kiddos. camera. Hats for kids and dollar store rain ponchos just in case. We take turns carrying the back pack between DH, myself, and oldest daughter plus we have stroller so its doesn't get to heavy or bad except for water bottles. They really add weight so we limit those to 1-2 bottles.

 

[Jalva22]

Planning on packing sandals in a backpack for the Kali day. I would guess in the FL humidity that tennis shoes wouldn't dry out before I got home!

For those of you who wear waist/fanny packs, could you recommend a brand and model that you like?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We found that the only things we used from our overstuffed backpack which contained every imaginable item were: camera, autograph book, park maps, Purell, pennies and quarters for the pressed penny machines, and money (maybe $20) for things we didn't charge to the room. We went in January so the sunscreen wasn't a big deal.

DH insisted on putting a bottle of water in the backpack every morning. Every night we came back to the resort with the SAME bottle of water, unopened. And it was heavy. We only needed moleskin once, and that was because it was raining. We got it from First Aid because by then we had put the backpack in a locker.

I completely agree with WillCAD about the badge holder and sunglass strap. Those were terrific.

We had all sorts of first aid stuff, ponchos, snacks, etc. that we never used and it made the backpack much heavier. It also made it more difficult to actually find what we needed inside the backpack. When we go in October we will be much smarter about what we carry around. For us the vast majority of the stuff could have been left in a locker, at the resort, or at home!

 

[LSUDis]

If you have children, a small bottle of hand sanitizer is a must after they touch everything in the parks.

I recommend an Eddie Bauer waist pack that I got at Target. It holds 2 water bottles--one on each side (great if you have kids..everyone has their own). This pack can hold lots of things. It even held a Canon SLR camera during some damp rides. It also holds an autograph book--kids will not keep up with them if they have to carry them in their hands.

We usually pack hand sanitizer, park tickets, money, one credit card, kids' autograph books with pens, ibuprofen, kid's tummy med., tiny tubs of Crystal Light to flavor the water, copies of PS conf. #s, park maps, torn-out pages from guidebooks, sunglasses (when on rides)....ummm, I think that's about it. Oh, if we do a character meal and the DD dresses up, I pack an extra top and shorts in there, too, for her to change into.