What do you carry in the parks

[buggy2727]

We will be traveling with kids 8, 6 & 4 so luckily we are done with diapers but will still need to be "prepared". I really don't want to take too much but also want to make sure I have the "key" items. Here's what I came up with so far - but it sounds like a long list to me (I will go for travel / small sized when I can)....

Sunscreen
Camera / Video camera (spare battery and tape)
Drink cups (something to fill and carry)
Wet wipes
tissues
Cell Phones (and portable battery charger)
Ponchos
Sweatshirts (going in early May so I may not need)
Kindle (for dining entertainment emergencies)
Coloring / activity pages (see above)
Bandaids
Snacks (something small just in case)
Autograph books

I'm sure I'm missing something important and I know I can't be prepared for everything. Anything on here that can be left off? We will have a stroller so I figured I could stuff things down there.

 

[BrianL]

My rule is that if it won't fit in a pair of cargo shorts, it doesn't come. A typical loadout would be:

- Park Wallet (card insert) - holds ID, one CC, some cash, small card with ADR/FP+ times
- Sunscreen
- Glasses/Sunglasses
- Sports strap for fast rides where I need to be able to see
- Phone
- Pre-Folded Poncho - single use
- small tube of ibuprofen and stomach medication

 

[LindsR]

Since you have a stroller, it may not matter...but I would ditch the drink cups. I thought taking a water bottle would be a good idea one trip....and soon found out the drinking fountain "pressure" is so low, you can barely get anything in there. Then I found out you can get a free water cup with ice at any quick service..and that made my life much easier! We no longer take any sort of water bottle because full ones are heavy to carry, and empty ones take up so much space!

 

[RDawn]

I would skip the kindle. The kids will have the autograph book to look at & can scan thru pics on digital camera.

 

[ponyboy]

It kills me that moms have to bring so much stuff for the kids. My wife used to do the same thing when ours were that little.

 

[DVC Doctor]

I like to travel as light as possible. If it fits in my pockets it can come.

 

[CinderElsa]

• iPhone (acts not only as a phone, but also as a camera & a Hidden Mickey guide)
• Small wallet with CC, DL, cash & insurance cards
• Disposable poncho
• Sweatshirt or jacket (depending on weather)
• Refillable mug
• Autograph book
• Sunscreen
• Compact hairbrush & elastics
• Rescue inhaler (would LOVE to be able to leave this off the list...)
• Park map & event guide, mainly as a souvenir

 

[dsdeleon]

Eye drops
Afterbite
Carmex
iPhone charger
Sunscreen stick
iPhone
Drivers license and 1 Cc
Amazing reusable ll bean rain jacket that folds into the size of my hand
1 brita filter bottle
Small print out of trip long park schedule
Small print out of my touring plan
Sunglasses
Hair tie

I have only been able to use a fanny pack comfortably to keep all that and my hands free.

 

[2Tiggies]

Camera bag with camera and poncho inside, phone in my pocket, sunglasses on my head and a small amount of cash.

My DD is 12 and carries her own bag which helps. She's been enough times to weigh up the importance of having something she might want against the inconvenience of a heavy bag all day. When she was 7 I took her to the Emporium and told her she could pick any bag she liked and I'd get it for her but the condition was that she carried her own stuff. Never looked back. So hers is a bit different: She takes a snack, autograph book and pen, paper and a pencil (she loves to sketch while waiting in line or for parades), poncho and her phone. She used to carry a whole lot more. That bag on her own shoulders instead of mine turned things around pretty quickly

 

[lkh]

I don't have kids but your list seems similar to what I'd bring plus a few extras that would help with kids! I normally visit with my boyfriend and we bring a backpack into the parks and take turns carrying it. I usually pack:

• our phones, a camera, extra memory card and a portable battery charger all in a plastic zip pouch so I won't worry about rain or water rides
• resort mug in one of the side pockets
• wallet with drivers license, credit card, annual pass, and a small amount of cash
• depending on the season, light jackets or long sleeve tshirts to put on at night
• park maps & times guides
• ibuprofen, chapstick, and eye drops (my contacts get itchy) in a small pouch
• hairbrush, fast rides mess up my hair and I take more pictures at Disney than anywhere else so I don't want too messy of hair!

I used to pack snacks but never ate them because I'd always rather have Disney snacks! I've only used sunscreen on one trip (when we went in Sept) but just sprayed it on before we went to the parks in the morning.

 

[kitayama]

Sounds like what I carry for a day...
I stopped carrying my video camera though because my digital SLR takes good video and great pictures. I purchased a Sony NEX 5 which is small, light, and has great battery life so I also ditched extra batteries. Check the video on your camera and see if it is acceptable. Memory cards are quite cheap.

 

[njforumrider18]

For me, Small backpack that has:

• Rain Jacket
• Wallet
• Camera (Nikon 1 J1)
• Water
• Phone
• Glasses/Sunglasses

 

[Jewel3k]

Money for pressed pennies and EPCOT pass port.

 

[NC Disney Fan]

I think that you are bringing about what you need for the troops. I traveled with two little girls at 5 & 7 and didn't bring a stroller because that is a big pain but then again, I didn't have it to stuff things into, so we carried a streamlined hiking backpack.

What I would add is

• 1. sunglasses (that sun is bright)
     
  2. A water bottle to share (again, you can refill the one and/or like a PP said, ask for water at any quick service)
     
  3. Moleskin (you can find it near foot care. It is a savior if shoes are rubbing and works 100% times better than bandaids. You will thank me for this one!!)
     
  4. Medication-some ibuprofen and simethicone (anti gas) will be great if there is some issue that arises that can be dealt with these medications.
     
  5. Lipbalm with SPF-remember that FL sun can be brutal and hurt their lips plus, it is drying there so keep there little lips moist.
  
  I would agree that you really do not need to bring a kindle and coloring papers. Disney is prepared for kids and they will have kids menus to color. Also, the ambiance and activity at most of these places is so great that they won't need to have a kindle to entertain them. I hate to see it brought to the park for it could get lost or stolen, especially if you have a stroller. Remember, this is Disney but theft can occur.
  
  One last thing. If you want, get each kid a little back pack and have them carry some of the items like their small jacket and a small bottle of water. That will lessen your load as well. Hope this helps.

 

[Stephaniesue]

I have a small bag that I got at Target before our trip in 2011. It's grey, do DH or I can carry it . If he has stuff in the bag he has to help carry.

I was surprised when the security personnel were checking the bags and I was complimented several times on what I had in there. Here's what I packed:

Ticket cards
ID
Cell phone
small sandwich baggies (wet rides)
spray sunblock
mole skin
small manicure kit (I can't stand snaggley nails)
bandaids
tums
Tylenol and ibuprofen
flat style eye glass holder (3 of us wear glasses)
anti chafing cream, but I have heard body glide is better
small sheet with ADR numbers on them

I didn't find that I needed anything other than this in the parks. Ice water was available for free at all the quick service restaurants, so we didn't need to carry water bottles.

 

[HM]

I use a Passporter Pouch around my neck (no bag check at entrance for me).
I carry my phone, my CC, my Drivers License, money, KTTW, Chapstick, small pencil, a couple bandaids, a couple pieces of Moleskin in it.
I attach my camera to my belt.

OP, all those other things you have on your list are just extras that I find I don't need.

You can actually get bandaids from First Aid
You can use toilet paper for a tissue (or just keep one in a pocket)
You can wash hands in the bathrooms instead of wet wipes
You put sunscreen on everyone before you leave the room
You don't need drink cups, because you can get free water in cups from CS and Kiosks
We've never had to recharge a phone in the park, it usually lasts until we go the room again
Kindle/Coloring stuff, not really necessary, play other games like I Spy with the kids instead
We never carry ponchos (just get under cover when it rains)
Likely to not need any sweatshirts in May, it will be hot

You might think of letting each child have their own Fanny Pack to carry their own Autograph book and pen, and small snack (gummy fruits or peanut butter crackers)

Good luck deciding what to do. My first trip we carried a backpack full of the same kinds of things you mention. Since then, I've pared it down little by little, really concentrating on what I need and what I can get in the parks without carrying something. It's so much nicer to not carry any heavy bags.

 

[kmb584]

Sunscreen
Wet Ones
Advil
Wallet
iPhone
Band-Aids
Neosporin
Small cosmetic bag for touch-ups
Brush

 

[ellie05]

I wear my D&B Disney backpack. It works great. I usually carry 2 bottles of water, sunglasses, a kit to take of our feet in case there is a problem (we have only use it once), lotion, external battery for my iPhone, iPhone, camera.

 

[dawnhaze]

Phone
Spare battery pack and charging cable for the phone - in a Ziploc freezer bag that I can also put the phone in for water rides or rainstorms

Sunglasses
Chapstick
Sunscreen stick
A few bandaids (if I need more than 3 there's a problem, lol)
A couple of Wet Ones hand wipes
Travel-size Advil and Tylenol
Small hair brush and a headband, so my all-day hat hair can look somewhat reasonable for TS meals

Poncho
Flip-flops (My sneakers got soaked once in the rain at Epcot and I had to buy a pair of Mickey crocs just to go eat dinner, never again...)
Sweatshirt (I freeze on the buses, and the evenings can get chilly at the times of year I go to WDW)

All this fits in a standard backpack that I never found burdensome, even walking with a cane. Now that I use an ECV in the parks, I put the small items in a crossbody purse and the larger ones in the basket.

I also wear a small neck lanyard with my ID and any other "cards" I need. The MagicBand replaces some but not all, and I'll always carry my ID, so I don't see the lanyard going away.

 

[buggy2727]

Thanks for all the great feedback, keep it coming! I will definitely omit some things to my list but include others - can't believe I forgot the obvious sunglasses! Never used or heard of moleskin until here but will definitely check it out. Will leave off Kindle but will bring phone charges cause mine don't last a full *normal* day!!

Anything that I put in the stroller will be things I won't miss too much if they "walk" so I will try to limit what I have to put on my person.