It seems like everyone has an opinion on what you should (and shouldn’t) bring with you when you visit the parks at Disney World.
Some people will go so far as to bring a whole backpack with them into the parks, but this has its own problems. Between the potential of having to go through a bag check at security and having to tuck your bag somewhere on a ride that you don’t forget about it later, this just creates more problems than it solves. In this article, I want to share my minimalist everyday carry (EDC) for when I visit the parks at Disney World.
I should mention that to save time I am going to leave out some of the obvious things. You should always bring your wallet, your MagicBand, keys, etc. with you since those things will undoubtedly be necessary at some point in your day. This is more of a list of things outside of the items you normally carry on yourself in person or that you can’t enjoy Disney without.
A Jacket
The first thing I skip when I go to the parks is any kind of bag. I don’t care what size it is or what part of my body it is going on, I don’t want it. Instead what I do is opt for a windbreaker that also has water resistance. I like it to also be a model with some deep pockets with zippers. The reason for this is because my jacket is what I use to carry whatever I am taking into the parks instead of a bag.
Rain is a constant thing in Central Florida so having a jacket is a must at Disney and the fact that it has all the pockets means I can carry everything I need to without needing anything extra. Additionally, when I don’t need to wear my jacket I can take it off and tie it around my waist. One thing I will mention though is when it comes to rides involving any kind of restraint system or closed cabin I will take my jacket off my waist and wear it normally. This way I can make sure I am correctly restrained on the ride and the cabin doors are closed properly if I am at the end of the row. Always remember…safety first!
Hand Sanitizer
Something that I have on me at all times is hand sanitizer. I tend to bring a small bottle of this and store it in one of the pockets of my jacket. I am not a germaphobe in my belief, but I still like to make sure I am taking steps to avoid getting sick especially in the post-pandemic world that we live in. This is especially handy in Epcot whenever I am there during the Food and Wine Festival. I like to eat at the different booths and will do other things including rides in between. It is not always convenient to find a bathroom when you get to the next booth you want to try. Having sanitizer on me allows me to go directly from let’s say Soarin to one of the many food booths I am looking to try without having to find a bathroom to duck into to wash my hands first.
Tide Pen
If you are like me, you like to get photos at the different PhotoPass spots around the park and also some selfies as well. Nothing will ruin those photos like a stain on your clothes. Don’t ask me why, but something about a stain on your shirt in an otherwise wonderful picture somehow seems to become the focus of the whole thing rather than say the Tree of Life or Cinderella’s Castle.
For this reason, I keep a Tide Pen in my jacket. They are small and pretty easy to tuck away. I personally haven’t had any issue getting them through TSA screening either when I keep it in my jacket, but your experience may differ there. The one word of warning I will give on this one is that you should read the packaging on these carefully and make sure they will work with the clothing you plan to wear. I have heard from friends that garments have been ruined by Tide Pens because the fabric or dyes in their clothes couldn’t handle whatever is in the pen.
Smartphone
While it should seem like a no-brainer, I still wanted to include this in my list. It makes sense though if you think about it. Now with how high-tech everything at the parks is you are out of luck if you don’t have your phone on you. Without your phone, you can’t check ride times, order food, or get your next Lightning Lane. On top of the Disney-related functions, you won’t be able to communicate with anyone in your party if people split up for any reason. I keep mine tucked away in my pants pocket so I can get at it quickly when I am at the park.
Portable Charger
Like I just said, your phone is something you need for just about everything at Disney. Because of this, you will be referring to it a lot over the course of the day. While most phones these days have pretty long-lasting batteries, the constant waking up and going to sleep will put a drain on even the newest and fanciest of phones. For this reason, I also tuck in my jacket a portable charger.
These can vary in size and capacity but I would recommend something that is as flat as possible and as thin as possible. In terms of size that is up to you, but the 6000 milliamp-hour one I have does the trick for me and my iPhone 13 Pro. If you have a large screen phone though or a phone whose battery maybe cannot hold a charge as well, you might want to consider something a little larger. Just make sure you avoid anything particularly heavy since you will be carrying it all day.
The other recommendation I will make in this space is that you want to skip the portable chargers that have wireless charging built-in. The reason being is this will slow you down on your park day since you now have to sit there with the phone resting on the charger. Instead, grab a model with USB ports and a spare charging cable for your phone. Put the charger in your pocket and when you need it just pull it out and connect it to the phone and stow the whole thing back in your jacket. As an added bonus, you can use this type of charger for other things such as the new MagicBand+ Disney just came out with since the charger for that is also USB.
AirTag (or Equivalent)
If you have been following along, your jacket now contains a portable charger, Tide Pen, and hand sanitizer. Additionally, that jacket is what you have to keep you dry should it start raining in the park. Needless to say…you don’t want to lose it. This is where a tracking tag comes into play. For me as an iPhone user, this means an Apple AirTag, but you can use a different tracker if you are on Android.
My AirTags though have come in very handy for me in general, not just at Disney. If you stray too far from something you tagged with an AirTag you get a notification on your phone that you forgot your item. You can play a sound and also get pointed back to whatever you have forgotten which is pretty handy. Thankfully I have never forgotten my jacket anywhere at Disney, but it is nice to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing I have a way of finding it if I ever do lose it.
Honorable Mention — Apple Watch
While not something I rely on super heavily while in the parks, something I have gotten use out of is my Apple Watch. It can double as a MagicBand thanks to the Magic Mobile feature in the My Disney Experience app. This can be helpful at the park entrance since I can wear my watch on my left hand and use that to “tap in” to the park and have my finger on my right hand on the scanner at the same time making park entry go that much faster.
The walkie-talkie feature can also be handy if you are at the park with other Apple Watch-wearing friends so you can voice chat with them quickly and easily if you need to get everyone together to start heading for a Lightning Lane or dining reservation. The fact that it also puts Apple Pay on your wrist is helpful as well so you can pay and go quickly when you are at a snack cart or gift shop.
The one drawback though is the fact that Apple Watch and most other smartwatches use inductive charging which as I mentioned before is a pain to deal with in the park. For this reason, while I will still wear my Apple Watch when I go to the park, I make sure I still have my phone and a MagicBand with me.
Wrapping Up
The list of things that I bring with me to the park is pretty short, but the benefits for me have been pretty great. I get to skip bag checks and having to stow my bag on rides and get to just enjoy my day at Disney. I also don’t have to deal with the extra weight in the hot Florida sun when I visit in July. Keep in mind though what works for me may not work for you.
I am visiting the parks as a solo adult and don’t need to worry about things like supplies for other people I might be traveling with or caring for while in the park. Take this as just my advice and modify it to fit your needs. Also, keep a lookout for a future article I will be doing on the items I never bring with me into the parks to see which items I prefer to just leave at home.
Thomas Rossi is a columnist for the Boardwalk Times
