How do you carry it without a stroller?

[dispooka]

Oct will be our first trip with no stroller (DD 7 and DS 10). We have always put all our stuff in the bottom of the stroller.

What do you find that you need to bring with you to the park, and how do you carry it without a stroller?

Bag recommendations appreciated

 

[ZoZo]

How much stuff are we talking about? My last trip, this February, I carried a Baggallini Messenger Bagg and loved it. Enough room for my day-to-day stuff (bottled water, cell phone, sunscreen, sunglasses, camera). But I wasn't having to lug a bunch of things for other people (kids).

How about a small backpack, if you need to carry more stuff? Or maybe you can stash a backpack in a locker for the stuff you don't need every minute (jackets, extra water) and carry a smaller bag with the stuff you need to keep with you?

And remember, you don't need to lug tons of extra bottled water with you. You can get free cups of ice water at any CS restaurant. That would eliminate the need to lug around heavy bottles of water, which would really add to the weight of a backpack.

Also, could your kids wear a fanny pack to carry a bit of their own stuff? If each one carried their own bottled water and other stuff, it would lighten your load.

Good luck!

 

[North of Mouse]

Oct will be our first trip with no stroller (DD 7 and DS 10). We have always put all our stuff in the bottom of the stroller.

What do you find that you need to bring with you to the park, and how do you carry it without a stroller?

Bag recommendations appreciated

You really shouldn't need much - usually not jackets, or at most a hoodie that can be tied around waist when not using. It's usually still hot most of the time.

Water can be had at any time at CS places.

Small necessities can be put in a crossover bag or small back pack. If children of that age want to take snacks in, I would suggest they carry their own small back pack, or 'horrors' a waist pack (I personally don't get the fashion police at a place like Disney ).

Only you know what you really 'have' to bring in the parks. Most people take in way too much - then have to wear themselves out toting it around!

To me, not having a stroller is a huge relief, and freedom!
JMO, of course!

 

[ktlm]

I had to trade in my Vera Bradley Hipster for a Vera Bradley mailbag when there was no more stroller. The hipster wasn't big enough for all the "Mom hold this" items. The good thing is that the older they get, the less you actually need to bring into the parks with you.

 

[mousekatool]

I have a really small crossbody bag that came from a luggage and gifts-type store that I used on our last trip, and it was perfect. Of course, I travel pretty light- money/cards (although Magic Bands should eliminate the need for those), sunscreen, phone, point and shoot camera, maps, copies of ADRs/TPs, etc., and a pack of Kleenex (DS sometimes has nosebleeds). I got an even smaller Dooney crossbody for my birthday that is nylon, and I may use it this time.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

My kids are 8 and 12. We've been stroller-less for MANY trips now (last one was when dd8 was 3.) We started out with a backpack with ponchos (we go in August, so those are a necessity,) water bottles, snacks, sunscreen, chapstick, hand sanitizer, etc. You get the point. Each year, our bag has dwindled. Now, we barely carry anything. I have a small bag that holds my phone (dh's goes in his shorts pocket,) wallet, sunscreen and ponchos. That's about it. I might throw a few granola bars in there for the kids, but nothing else. My goal is for us to soon be bagless. Since I'm usually the pack-mule as we enter the park, I'm the one that has to go through the bag-check line. So I'm the one that wants us to be bagless!

 

[bumbershoot]

We had stuff stolen from a stroller twice at Disneyland, and I witnessed squirrels getting up into strollers and licking/gnawing/chewing food/water-related items more than once...so we got over leaving stuff in the stroller QUICKLY.

If you have to carry everything into each ride, you stop carrying things on/in the stroller to begin with.

We carry an Igloo Maxcold backpack cooler with us, with waters and sometimes things like apples. DS wears that. I carry sunscreen, little fans, and various other things in a bag. DH carries whatever he wants to carry.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

During our recent 14-hour MK day, I went backpack and stroller-less for the first time and it was great. My youngest is five. I wore a tiny cross pouch with essential cards, my flip phone, chapstick, and small sunscreen. DH took photos with his phone. We told the kids to eat lots at meals and bought ice cream treats in the afternoon, so no snacks needed. We drank lots of free ice water at CS restaurants and stopped at drinking fountains. I would miss having a stroller only on winter days, when we shed layers as it warms up.

 

[Hannathy]

You don't need to bring a bunch of stuff! keep repeating I'm going to Disney not a third world country!

Next establish the rule that everyone over 5 carries there own stuff! I did carry a few of the ponchos tho cause I took a bag. It's amazing how little anyone needs when they have to carry it themselves.

You will love not having the stroller, it is so freeing!

 

[TJA]

We just returned from our first trip without our jogger. Each of my girls brought vera hipsters that had their ipods, sunglasses, sanitizer, tissue, autograph books, pen. I alternated between a Disney fannypack and a vera hipster. Just carried my iphone, thin card case with my ID and essentials, sunglasses, wipes, tissue.

We didn't bother with water -- just figured we'd buy a drink if needed.

The wristbands are awesome because they eliminate room keys, passes/tickets, and paper fast-passes.

Oh - on days where we needed to bring ponchos, we carried a vera backpack.

 

[liball3]

Last august trip We all carried small camelback backpacks filled with ice water and lots of little pockets for all the essentials. I had my camera attached to belt-loop with a carabiner. Had a stroller with us too but plan to repeat this summer without, great to read the tips

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

I remember our near-panic when we left the stroller (pack-mule) behind for the first time. What ended up working was everyone have their own waist pack with their own snacks and anything else that fits in it and a filtering water bottle or two to refill and share. If adults have huge waist packs this can work, else one of the adults can have a backpack especially if you will need bulky sweatshirts. We carry less and less each trip but that first trip without a stroller was a challenge - it takes a while to whittle down the park stuff after you've been used to having it all with you in a stroller...

 

[ancestry]

We don't carry anything into the parks in a bag. If it doesn't fit into our pockets we don't take it. It was so freeing once we switched over to being bagless and once we stopped carrying all of that stuff around.

 

[EMode]

I can't imagine needing enough stuff that I had to use a stroller to carry it, especially with kids 7 and 10.
I carry a medium size cross body purse and that is it. If my kids want to bring something they can carry it themselves. That is why cargo shorts were invented

 

[Marionnette]

I made my kids carry anything that they insisted that they had to bring into the parks with them. Mom is not a pack animal and refuses to shoulder the burden just because the kiddos think they need to have something along for the day.

They all had fanny packs (yes, we're going back a ways) and they carried their own water bottles on a strap. They kept a small stash of snacks, a poncho, small tube of sunscreen and their autograph books in the fanny packs. I carried their tickets, tissues, the camera, hand sanitizer, and a few more snacks.

I've moved on to a VB hipster now that we travel kid-free. If I could manage to carry my phone in my pocket, I would go bagless. I'm just not comfortable with an iphone in an otterbox in any of my pockets.

 

[jm106]

OP I totally understand. It is so nice to have enough cold bottled water on hand and not have to head to QS which tastes pretty bad or pay $2.50 per bottle all day. I like a few snacks for kids and it is nice to have the rain ponchos in case. I have camera and my phone. I have to eliminate any more then that. But kids will get duffys in Epcot and souvenirs(off site, no shipping them) so add those to bag. A hat, sunglasses for 4 ppl, its just great to have a place to shove it.

I hate back packs, I get migraines/neck spasms and if I carry one, I am going to be in a lot of pain by the end of the day let alone a week of parks days. I am on the look out for a nice cross body bag now. I have 2 brita filter bottles to try but have to carry them or put in bag which holds my camera! I will need a large cross body to hold those as they arent small.

 

[cmaee]

I thought it would be hard to go without a stroller, but we haven't missed it yet. I carry a small-ish drawstring bag. I'm not sure what they are technically called, but I got a Mickey Cinchsack Backpack and I carry that around. I carry an autograph book, three trading pin lanyards (because they always end up in my bag by the end of the day), camera w/camera case, ponchos (if the weather calls for it), sunscreen, and a gallon size Ziploc bag for my phone and camera to go in on the water rides.

 

[AthenaBolina]

My husband.

He's a soldier so he's used to heavy bags, and he has insisted I not carry anything and let him do it all He'll take a backpack, and we'll fill it up as little as possible...some camera equipment, water, snacks, wallet etc. I still like having something to carry, so I may carry a small cross body...a very small one, or my camera. And to eliminate the whole water thing too, I'm going to try remember to take the camelbak insert for his backpack too so we don't have water bottles to lug around.

 

[hakepb]

A string bag /backpack works well for water bottles when its hot outside. We freeze the water bottles the night before. With a refreshingly cool backpack, we almost get into a fight as multiple people want to carry the "backpack"

 

[GenevieveRaqs]

DH carries a backpack. We pack light. I just don't see the need for a ton of stuff. This is our first summer trip, so we will be packing a few more items than on our past off-season trips, but still...

Camera
Three ponchos (one for each of us)
Misting fan
Frogg toggs
Water shoes for DS, possibly flip flops for DH and I (only for MK and AK days due to water rides)
Refillable water bottle for each of us (I'll end up hooking mine to my purse)
A Ziplock full of flavor packets for water
Bottle of sunscreen

We just don't need anything more than that.