Park Necessities

Another cargo shorts guy here.:) Sunscreen, wallet, phone, phone charger(cos my phone is old and the battery depletes quickly) and a tiny little ziploc bag for some meds. For water I splurge for the $3.50 bottled water because then I can complain that I can buy an entire case of water for $2.50 at home. ;)
 
I bring a string backpack (sometimes known as a sack pack). Super lightweight, and even foldable into a pocket when empty. It won’t be an excuse to lug around stuff I don’t need, because it‘s not designed to hold anything heavy.

But it’s a good place to carry your water bottle when it’s empty, a sweatshirt for cooler nights, poncho, charger, etc.. I’ve liked it better than pockets for certain things because it’s splash resistant so the stuff won’t get soaked even on Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids.
 
I'm more comfortable carrying things in a small crossbody bag than in cargo shorts. I have what many listed - sunscreen, reading glasses, small water bottle, poncho, portable phone charger, car keys. I need to re-sunscreen every few hours. My bag has a pocket for credit cards, license, my universal AP, gift cards (I stay offsite so no room charging). There is no downside as far as I am concerned with carrying a bag in the parks, especially Disney but I do it in Universal too. It gives me a place to stash my hat and sunglasses when on rides.
 
I feel naked without my purse, so I carry that.

Phone
Chapstick
Wallet
Umbrella
Portable phone charger
Period supplies
Bandaids
Aleve
Travel sized contact lens solution, contacts case, eye drops
Mini brush
Sunglasses
Snack - Belvita or a breakfast bar, usually eaten in the morning
 


Going solo, I tend to bring a bucket bag these days since I find it less hassle than going without the stuff I'd carry in it. I don't bring snacks since my preference is to budget more for food and just buy whatever I want while I'm there. I don't carry water because it's heavy - but I do carry my refillable mug (if I buy one that trip) or a folding silicone cup (if I don't) - I don't mind the taste of the drinking fountain water but I prefer to fill a cup at the fountains rather than drink out of them directly. Going with a bunch of (all adult) Disney newbies early next year, I might beef up my first aid kit to make sure we have painkillers on hand.

Beyond that: poncho, cardigan (I tend to go in January), hand wipes (I like them better than sanitizer because you can really scrub your hands with them), external battery for my phone, couple of fabric bandaids I can slap over any skin that's threatening to blister, and these days a spare mask (most days I didn't need it, but I was SO glad to be able to change into a dry mask after Splash Mountain). I also bring a reusable straw these days.
 
Thank you to everyone that replied! I enjoyed reading what everyone takes and how they keep it (whether pockets or bag).

We took our mini trip and I ended up taking a small purse to Disney springs and going completely bag less to the parks. It was weird and freeing all at the same time! Not having a bag I felt like I must be forgetting something 😂 took me a bit to get over that. But once I did it was fantastic! I bought a pair of shorts with normal pockets and one zipper pocket that I could put my phone in without worry of it falling out. I also brought along a power bank as usually I need to recharge my phone (not as much of an issue without needing to check for fast passes etc this trip). I took hand sanitizer the first day, but found it to be in good supply so I left it in the room the next day. Since we were staying on property we brought along some old magic bands and just charged things to the room. I would definitely make sure you test them out BEFORE heading to the park. I thought ours were ready to go and they were not. Thankfully I found that out at Disney springs while I still had a purse since I didn’t know how many places allow you to charge to your room. Normally we bring a bunch of water to the park, but this time I just carried a single bottle with me (in my hand) and either refilled it with water from quick service or bought a new bottle. That was probably the only downside of having to carry it in my hand, but it definitely beat carrying a heavy bag all day in the heat!
 
I carry a small bag with rain ponchos for the party( all adults). Back up battery, charge cable for watch and phone. Wallets for the party. Chapstick, hand sanitiser( every place I tried to use Disney’s they were out, Sept 13-17), extra mask filters, sunglasses for party and collapsible tumblers(hydaway) for the party.

I fit all this into a small bag, this past trip used a castaway club bag and had plenty of space for any purchases made while in the parks.

Do not count on Disney hand sanitiser. On our second EPCOT day a CM actually told us they are only refilling the stations once a day.

The Hydaway collapsible tumbler is great because you can fill it from the ice water stations drink what you want then have it go back to the small size for easy carry. It comes with a silicone straw, lid, neoprene cover and 16oz silicone collapsible cup. Best money spent as I use all the time even when not in Disney.
 


I carry a small bag with rain ponchos for the party( all adults). Back up battery, charge cable for watch and phone. Wallets for the party. Chapstick, hand sanitiser( every place I tried to use Disney’s they were out, Sept 13-17), extra mask filters, sunglasses for party and collapsible tumblers(hydaway) for the party.

I fit all this into a small bag, this past trip used a castaway club bag and had plenty of space for any purchases made while in the parks.

Do not count on Disney hand sanitiser. On our second EPCOT day a CM actually told us they are only refilling the stations once a day.

The Hydaway collapsible tumbler is great because you can fill it from the ice water stations drink what you want then have it go back to the small size for easy carry. It comes with a silicone straw, lid, neoprene cover and 16oz silicone collapsible cup. Best money spent as I use all the time even when not in Disney.
I guess we just had good luck/timing with the hand sanitizer. I don’t remember a single one that didn’t work. But good reminder that it can be hit or miss.

I’ll have to look into the hydaway collapsible tumbler! That sounds handy in general!
 
I tend to start our trips taking a bag into the parks and then end the trip going bagless. When I do take a bag it's usually just to carry a bottle of water, a poncho and my external charger/cords. However I wear athletic leggings (usually capri length) but prefer the ones with pockets so I can put my phone in my pocket and my phone case has the cover that can also hold my card/cash. and then I can put a cheap poncho and extra mask (in ziploc bag to keep it dry) in the other pocket. Before I had this phone case I would just carry a lanyard that had card slots and it was so nice because I never had to go through bag check with it. Of course now bag check isn't the same so its not a big deal to go through. Personally I prefer bagless but may have to take my external charger in the parks each day if I'm using Genie+.
 
I tend to start our trips taking a bag into the parks and then end the trip going bagless. When I do take a bag it's usually just to carry a bottle of water, a poncho and my external charger/cords. However I wear athletic leggings (usually capri length) but prefer the ones with pockets so I can put my phone in my pocket and my phone case has the cover that can also hold my card/cash. and then I can put a cheap poncho and extra mask (in ziploc bag to keep it dry) in the other pocket. Before I had this phone case I would just carry a lanyard that had card slots and it was so nice because I never had to go through bag check with it. Of course now bag check isn't the same so its not a big deal to go through. Personally I prefer bagless but may have to take my external charger in the parks each day if I'm using Genie+.
I had forgotten about the changes with bag check and was so excited about being able to bypass it! And then I got there and was like oh yeah, that didn’t matter anyway.
 

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