What do you pack to carry all day?

[Keels]

I took a larger bag and left it in a locker in the promenade area between both parks (it cost $7/day - well worth it to me!), especially since I was driving in daily from Santa Monica and staying from rope drop until fireworks. This was for a solo trip in late July.

In my large bag/locker, I had:
* Four or five large bottles of SmartWater that I would grab as I went back and forth between parks
* Change of shoes (either flip flops or Chuck Taylors, depending on what I started wearing that morning, and I found my tired feet REALLY enjoyed the change!)
* Change of sundress/t-shirt (again, I was looking at 14+ hours a day without an opportunity to go back to the hotel to freshen up so I didn't feel gross)
* Extra sunscreen
* Ballcap
* Band-Aids and Aleve
* My iPad
* Travel deodorant and travel hand lotion
* Travel pack of baby wipes & face wipes
* Denim jacket for nighttime

Otherwise, I had a smaller cross-body purse that I carried with me - large enough to fit my iPad if I wanted to take it with me for killing time while having a cocktail or meal outside. In that was the basics - wallet, iPhone, lip gloss, hand sanitizer, purse-sized Evian mister (it was July and was CRAZY hot!) and an external battery charger for my iPhone and cord (Mophie charger, for those who watched the Super Bowl).

 

[Canuck16]

I have small peanut butter jars for the snacks. The goldfish crackers didn't keep too well in ziplock bags.

Geemo

Awesome Idea!

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I love this thread. I've always brought whatever I wanted into the parks until last November... my DGD was in a stroller up until that point so it didn't really matter to me how much I was bringing in. I made sure we had whatever we wanted! But in November it all changed. We went stroller-free for the first time and I wore a backpack every day for 8 days. I tried to still bring everything we wanted, just in smaller amounts, but man that thing was heavy! This next trip in March I'm using a smaller backpack and ditching the insulated water bottles, and leaving out a few things that I found we didn't really use or need. I know a lot of people have their kids wear their own backpacks but my DGD is 6 and I want her to be unencumbered for a few more years. I love the whole process of getting ready for a trip to Disneyland so I'm going to keep following this thread and see if I can pick up some good ideas from everyone.

 

[crystal1313]

I am taking my DS6 in 2 weeks, I plan to take the following in a cross body purse:

hand sanitizer
ibuprofen
band aids
wallet
camera
phone
hair brush
gum
wipes
some protein bars for snacks
sunglasses

I plan on getting a locker for our sweatshirts/hats/etc and plan on just getting free water from CS restaurants. I used to carry a backpack, but try to avoid now if I can.

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I am taking my DS6 in 2 weeks, I plan to take the following in a cross body purse:

hand sanitizer
ibuprofen
band aids
wallet
camera
phone
hair brush
gum
wipes
some protein bars for snacks
sunglasses

I plan on getting a locker for our sweatshirts/hats/etc and plan on just getting free water from CS restaurants. I used to carry a backpack, but try to avoid now if I can.

That's interesting - I hadn't even though of trying to do a crossbody only. I wonder if I could pull that off...

 

[farmfresh]

Just got back from three days with the family (kids all teens). I take a fanny pack with as little as possible!
Tickets
credit card
phone
lip balm
hand sanitizer
sunglasses
aspirin or similar

I can fit a small water bottle as well. I wear an extra layer around my waist. Kids all have to cart their own stuff which reduces it remarkably.....

I could also fit small ponchos in if needed,but would only do so if that was the plan for the day! Definitely no emergency stuff - it it's that bad we'll head to the hotel and fix it, or stop in and buy something.

FWIW when my kids were younger I did buy them small body bags to carry their own water in. Think of it as empowering them not encumbering them!

 

[freckles04]

I don't know if I count, because we haven't been to Disneyland yet. But we've made lots of trips to Disney World.

I use a small, plain, black backpack that I got at Walmart for around $8. It's lasted me several trips. (I strayed and bought a cuter one at Target once, and a strap broke by the time we got home). I don't like crossbody bags because they swing around when I bend over, etc. My backpack is very small and I barely notice I'm wearing it.

What I put in there:
Small tube of sunscreen
Sunglasses in a case
Wallet (ID, a little cash, credit cards, etc.)
Tickets (well, lately at WDW that has been on my wrist instead!)
Small necklace fans (about $5 at Walmart, a lifesaver in FL summer, not sure if we will need this in CA summer? Dry heat??)
Chapstick
Phone (doubles as a camera for me) with Mophie charging case on it
I used to carry hand sanitizer until it busted on me one year! Now I bring sanitizing wipes instead in a travel pack and we practice frequent hand washing.
Used to carry an autograph book and Sharpie, but my DS has outgrown that.
2 disposable Dollar Store ponchos (are these needed as much in summer at DL??)
Meds (I have some prescription meds I take at a certain time at night, and sometimes we are still out and about in the parks at that time, so it helps to have them with me. I found a little pill case at Walgreens that holds a few doses without taking up much space and I usually throw a couple ibuprofens in there as well).

 

[707MickeyGirl]

FWIW when my kids were younger I did buy them small body bags to carry their own water in. Think of it as empowering them not encumbering them!

I do like the idea of everyone carrying their own stuff, but even more than that, I love love love spoiling my granddaughter. The trips we take to Disneyland are my attempt at making some indelible memories with her. I wanted to give her something that she would associate with me for the rest of her life, and when she was 2 1/2 I decided it would be Disneyland trips as frequently as possible. So far, we've been 4 times, and next month will be our 5th. Being 6 years old now, she loves dressing up. Most days she's a princess but she's starting to branch out with a little push from me, so she's now rockin' a super cute pirate outfit, a cool Cheshire Cat outfit, and a sweet Doc McStuffins outfit that we created together. We're usually there for 7 days and she likes to be someone different every day. A backpack would definitely take away some of the charm from her outfits, and I know I don't like unstrapping mine to get on rides, re-strapping it after getting off, etc. so I thought I would keep carrying her water and snacks for a while longer. I really just want to do anything I can to keep the magic as pure as possible for her while we're at Disneyland.

 

[harpetj]

I carry a Thirty-One cinch sac that says "Park Hopper" on it with all of our little items. Love it because it is light weight and I can just throw it into our packed suitcase to get it down with us. Then we also use one of the Thirty-One thermals to carry snacks, drinks etc with small ice pack inside. I personally use a small crossbody purse for my wallet, phone, etc. We

 

[SweetAlex]

I don't like the way the water tastes in Anaheim, so I keep a stash of crystal light packets in my pack when I am visiting the parks. If I am there during hot weather, I fill the waterbladder up with ice, and it stays cold pretty much all day.

Being spoiled in most parts of Canada with delicious fresh from the tap water, you will likely NOT be able to handle the water at Disneyland... it really is awful. We learned this the hard way our first trip and ended up buying drinks all day... such a waste of money. After that, we started bringing a ton of Crystal Light packages. Easy to carry and makes the water so much better. Other than that, we bring two water bottles (Contigo) which we share between the 4 of us, a camera, hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes, and sunscreen if its sunny. We go when it's cool in the mornings and evenings so we would wear sweaters there then rent a locker for them when it got too warm. We carry as little as possible so our bag was small. It was great! Yay for older kids! Have fun!

 

[MommyJKM]

We are also stroller-less now so had to learn to condense - a backpack of just snacks and water bottles works best for us. I use my daughter's lunch box freezer blocks to keep the backpack cold because my husband "the snack sherpa" says it helps keep the whole bag cool and his back doesn't sweat.

We always order Vons delivery and I like that they have a good variety of healthy, low-sugar, low-sodium and organic snack items. I used to bring fruit but it's worth it to me to buy it in parks instead of stressing it's getting smashed in the bag.
From Vons I get granola bars, fruit snacks, veggie stix "chips", bags of almonds, macadamia nuts or pistachios and licorice or jelly beans.
We usually have 3 kids under 6 and from my experience it keeps their natural energy up to not give them all the salty/sugary DLR snacks all day and let them have ice cream or churro or popcorn as a treat instead of a between meal filler.
I also bring juice boxes or the Capri Sun 100% juice for the kids since DLR usually only has sugary lemonade or soda. I freeze them at the hotel and let them defrost all day.

The LA water is so awful, at home I don't usually buy them -but in DLR I bring those water flavor squeezers (like Mio) and use them in our Swell water bottles to flavor it (which I swear by because the neck is large enough for ice cubes and the bottle stays cold but doesn't get condensation and sog everything...they also advertise it holds a whole bottle of wine Hee! ). The bottles also double as a cooling item in the bag. http://www.swellbottle.com/product/...r-bottle-shimmer-collection-white-angel-food/

LOVE that DL and DCA provide free water and ice at all counter service locations serving drinks!!! It makes it so easy to refill and stay hydrated

In my flat crossbody (http://www.michaelkors.com/kempton-small-nylon-crossbody/_/R-US_32S5GKPC1C?No=28&color=0410) I bring hand sanitizer, a pack of baby wipes (which I also freeze overnight for cooling effect ) and my zip phone wallet (http://www.coach.com/coach-designer...olor=LIRED&cid=S_GPLA63112&src=googleshopping). I like that it keeps my phone encased, holds park tickets and FP's and I only bring the credit card and ID that I need. I like the flat body because it fits between my legs on rides and I don't have to take it off!

We stay onsite so we don't bring change of clothes but my cousin rents a locker and puts sweatshirts in it as Crystal 1313 said it's convenient.

P.S. - I buy a few $1.50 packs of glow sticks at Michael's Crafts for the evening and the kids love them and it's significantly cheaper than the DLR glow stuff.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Great tips! Does Von's deliver to the hotels on the resort?

 

[707MickeyGirl]

The LA water is so awful, at home I don't usually buy them -but in DLR I bring those water flavor squeezers (like Mio) and use them in our Swell water bottles to flavor it (which I swear by because the neck is large enough for ice cubes and the bottle stays cold but doesn't get condensation and sog everything...they also advertise it holds a whole bottle of wine Hee! ).

I love Swell bottles! I have the smaller 18 oz and my DGD6 has the 9 oz, but we have both dropped ours and they're a little scratched up. Other than an actual Thermos bottle, I've never had a water bottle that keeps ice cold as long as Swell. Your crossbody bag is super cute too. I have a little Disney Harveys with the Fab 5 that I got last year, with a matching wallet. So, when it's a girls-only trip, do you wear the backpack?

 

[MommyJKM]

Great tips! Does Von's deliver to the hotels on the resort?

Yup! And they give you a delivery time within an hour...AND you don't have to be at the hotel to get the items - the hotel will receive them for you. Von's should be paying me for all the times I've referred people to them but I really do like their service - so much so that I use them at home for delivery during busy holidays.

I love Swell bottles! I have the smaller 18 oz and my DGD6 has the 9 oz, but we have both dropped ours and they're a little scratched up. Other than an actual Thermos bottle, I've never had a water bottle that keeps ice cold as long as Swell. Your crossbody bag is super cute too. I have a little Disney Harveys with the Fab 5 that I got last year, with a matching wallet. So, when it's a girls-only trip, do you wear the backpack?

Riiiight? Swell Bottles should be named Amazing Bottles

Those Disney Harvey's bags are so cute - I almost bought the Minnie Mouse leopard one once. Do they last well? I like my MK because it cleans easily and seems to be bulletproof on the outside. Ha.

When I'm without all the kids I just wear a bigger crossbody no backpack, I have a perfect sized one - please ignore that it's Gucci but it's SERIOUSLY the perfect size - I get it dry cleaned post Disneyland and it comes back looking brand new.http://www.gucci.com/us/styles/2952...SdZXa1ZtAuJTjdwMTwaAh198P8HAQ#295257KGDIG8588

It fits the same stuff I just put less snacks and no juice boxes (I still like the healthy snacks for myself too because I love eating in DLR and want to still have natural energy and save my calories for the good stuff! ) and I like my featherlight Nalgene water bottle on the side to keep it all lightweight. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=25265&catid=660

 

[Canadian Harmony]

So I'm online checking out Vons and I notice it's part of Safeway. Would it accept my Canadian Safeway card or Airmiles number for points?

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Oh! And there's a free delivery code on right now!! I hope it's still there in October!

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Ha! one more question: If I'm a Canadian customer, will they still allow me to order online, or do I need to call them with my order for delivery?

 

[crystal1313]

707Mickey Girl, I have the Harvey's Fab 5 convertible clutch and LOVE it!!! That's what I carried last trip (just me), but plan on bringing my Harvey's convertible tote when I go with my DS. It's bigger and still a cross body, which I love! I asked for the fab 5 streamline tote for my bday! I am officially obsessed.......

MommyJKM, so far, my Harvey's have held up wonderfully. What I like is that they are guaranteed FOR LIFE, and they are made in the USA. Two things I LOVE.

And thanks for the tip about the Swell bottles.....we have the Thermos, but I don't like that they sometimes condensate and/or leak. =)

 

[707MickeyGirl]

707Mickey Girl, I have the Harvey's Fab 5 convertible clutch and LOVE it!!! That's what I carried last trip (just me), but plan on bringing my Harvey's convertible tote when I go with my DS. It's bigger and still a cross body, which I love! I asked for the fab 5 streamline tote for my bday! I am officially obsessed.......

You have excellent taste! I have the convertible clutch too, and the wallet. And I have the streamline tote on my wish list. I love that they're so well-made and sturdy. Some people don't like the weight, but I love it - I feel like my items are protected while on the rides etc.

 

[Keels]

When I'm without all the kids I just wear a bigger crossbody no backpack, I have a perfect sized one - please ignore that it's Gucci but it's SERIOUSLY the perfect size - I get it dry cleaned post Disneyland and it comes back looking brand new.http://www.gucci.com/us/styles/2952...SdZXa1ZtAuJTjdwMTwaAh198P8HAQ#295257KGDIG8588

I LOVE that style of bag! My crossbody bag of choice is almost identical, except it's the LV version! I haven't even bothered dry-cleaning it yet as the piping and everything still looks great.