What to do with bags on rides?

[halssister]

Five weeks from today, we will be heading out on the first day of our three day road trip to WDW!! Wednesday was DS's first day back to school and he was having trouble getting to sleep that night (not that unusual for him). DH went to check on him and see if he had to use the bathroom, and he said "No, want to go to Disney World!" I must have commented over the summer that we were going to be going to Disney World after school started, and he though, HEY, school's back in session now!

I have another question, maybe a silly one. We want to bring a little backpack with snacks, drinks, calming favorite objects for DS, etc into the park with us. But what do we do with it if we go on any rides? Is there a place to leave them until the ride is over, do you bring them with you, or do you have to go rent a locker or something to stash it in (which is always a major hassle that we avoid in places like Six Flags by making my poor parents hold our stuff for us while we go on rides!) People always suggest bringing all this stuff, but what do you do with it?

 

[kchughes]

most of the rides have plenty of room at your legs for a back pack. We found that it was easier for my husband and I to each carry a smaller boarding type bag (found at target for 20 bucks each in the luggage area) rather than one larger back pack. that is something you may want to consider. i also found that i hated carrying around water and having it be hot. I may be in the minority here, but I would rather pay for a cold bottle of water or get the free water at CS places and carry the little flavor pack sticks. I just found it too heavy and burdensome. Just my opinion. Hope you have a wonderful time. We leave in 26 days and I am wondering if it is too soon to start packing!

 

[maxsdad18]

I bring in a small cooler with water and fruit and snacks for the park during the daytime. I put it where everyone leaves their strollers. It has always been there when we get off the ride. I wouldn't leave a camera or cell phone in it, but water and snacks only.

 

[snow_white's_mom]

I take a smaller backpack with all of our valuables and a few little snacks such as lollipops, gum, or rasins, and one juice box and carry her essential comfort item (a blanket) onto the rides. In her stroller I leave a little cooler bag with drinks and snacks, and another small bag of stuff with suntan lotion, change of clothes, those kinds of things that she won't need in line. I have never had a problem with anyone taking anything out of our stroller.

 

[halssister]

Thank you for the suggestions! We won't have a stroller or anything (just three of us and DS is almost 9, insistent he is a "big boy" and refuse to ride one though it would be easier!), but if we each have a smaller bag I'm sure we can fit them at our feet should we go on rides. DH won't likely go on many anyway so he can wait and hold all the stuff like a pack mule for us Thanks!

 

[Petraman]

Even if for some reason there is no room at your feet, you can always just leave it at the exit to your ride. Many times we have gotten on ride, then asked the CM there to put it over against fence or wherever, then just retrieve it when we get off. Once again, don't leave anything valuable in the bag. There's always a chance someone could take it, but in 15 years of Disney, we have never had a problem.

 

[ILoveMyGirls]

lots of great ideas.

 

[halssister]

Even if for some reason there is no room at your feet, you can always just leave it at the exit to your ride. Many times we have gotten on ride, then asked the CM there to put it over against fence or wherever, then just retrieve it when we get off. Once again, don't leave anything valuable in the bag. There's always a chance someone could take it, but in 15 years of Disney, we have never had a problem.

This is good to know too! That is how it used to be at Six Flags, but in recent years they have gotten ridiculously strict to where you can't even enter lines with any sort of bag in your hand. My brother had to throw out a $15 refillable mug he'd just purchased because he couldn't take it on the ride after our 25 minute wait and they wouldn't let someone who was waiting a few rows back from us hang onto it for him (they were nice enough to offer). Nice to know Disney still treats their customers well!

 

[csjordan]

My DD has always been young enough to need a stroller until week before last. For the first time ever, we didn't rent or bring a stroller so we were a little unsure where to leave our backpack. We left the backpack out with the strollers, and didn't have any problems until the last day when we were told by a ride attendant that security would pick up our backpack if it was just laying around. Again, it was with the strollers, who had all of their things inside, so I don't see the difference. This was Disneyland, and I'm not sure whether WDW has the same policy (or really if there is a policy). We ended up putting the backpack in a locker for our last couple of rides. Having to use lockers could become a pain if you are on the other side of the park and need something out of the bag.