Preparing for a trip to Disney can be easier than you think, especially when it comes to planning what you’ll want to pack to take into the Disney parks with you each day. The summer months are the hardest to plan for if you’re not from the Sunshine State. Our heat and humidity (and those pesky afternoon thunderstorms) may drive most people indoors in search of air conditioning and a place to rest.
If you’re wondering how people keep pushing through to do the absolute most during their days in the Disney Parks, I’ve pulled together my personal Floridian’s guide for what to pack for a day in the Disney parks.
What to Take Inside the Disney Parks
Here’s a mini packing list of everything I like to take into the Disney Parks with me:
Lightweight Bag: I personally like the small Longchamp backpack because it folds up small, so it’s easy to pack and the nylon cleans up with warm water and some soap. So, even if you get some dirt and grime on it, just take some warm water, soap, and scrub each mark with a washcloth; the backpack is good as new.
Sunscreen: Be sure to pack sunscreen in your bag for a day in the Disney parks. The sun is intense in the summer, and the Animal Kingdom is the only park with some shade. I like to keep the Supergoop sunscreen mineral glow powder for easy touch-ups that also help with oily skin.
Lip balm: Lip balm with a sunscreen helps keep your lips moisturized and protected from UV rays. The new Supergoop lip balm is my favorite to keep in my bag.
Hair ties: When the heat gets too much, it’s always nice to have a hair tie to pull your hair off your neck.
Hand Sanitizer: The Touchland hand sanitizers from Sephora are my favorite because they a super light mist and the scents are overly powerful.
Hat: The glare of the sun is intense a lot of days, so I like to pair a hat with my sunglasses to protect my face from the sun and reduce the glare for my eyes.
Cooling towels: If you’ve been to the parks recently, I’m sure you’ve seen the rise in popularity of the cooling towels draped around peoples’ necks. I found a four-pack on Amazon, and they truly are lifesavers to cool you off. Just wet a cooling towel in a sink, wring it out, give it a shake, and you’ve got a chilled towel.
Cooling patches: I also recently purchased some cooling patches from Amazon. All you have to do is peel the backing off and place the patch on the back of your neck to cool you off.
Mini rechargeable fan: There are days in the Disney Parks when it feels like there is no air circulation. In the center of the state, there are days when there is no breeze. So having a mini fan is a game changer when you’re standing in line and need to feel some air movement.
Clear pouch: A clear pouch keeps all the smaller items in your bag organized and easy to pull out and grab what you need. I keep cooling patches, bandaids, blister patches, and more in the clear pouch.
Cooling water canteen: I use the Corkcicle sport canteen or the Stanley 30 ounce IceFlow in the parks because it holds 20 ounces, has a straw and a flip top, and keeps drinks cold up to 25 hours. While in the Florida heat, I don’t quite get 25 hours of cold water out of the sport canteen, my ice does last the majority of the day. Plus, you can refill your ice and water at any foundation drink station in any quick service restaurant in the parks.
Thigh chafing stick: If you wear anything other than leggings or bike shorts, you’ll probably want to pack a thigh chafing stick. I love this one from Megababe.
Bandaids and blister pads: This goes without saying, but keeping a few bandaids and blister pads on hand helps when a blister pops up at an inopportune time.
Rain jacket: I have a packable rain jacket from Lululemon that folds down into its own pocket, which makes it easy to keep a rain jacket on hand at all times. This rain jacket fits perfect in my Longchamp backpack, and doesn’t add a ton of weight.
Bug wipes: I keep the Kinfield bug wipes in my bag, and I’ve had to use one every time we’ve been in the parks this summer. The Kinfield wipes are DEET free, and instead have citronella, clove, and lemongrass to repel bugs. Just a word of caution, don’t use the Kinfield bug wipes or bug spray on freshly shaved legs—it will burn!
What I Wear to the Disney Parks
I’ve cracked the code on what to wear into the Disney Parks, and I’ve made it a uniform of sorts. I always wear a lightweight Lululemon T-shirt , a Tommy Bahama linen shirt, or a Men’s Columbia UPF button-down shirt (they are looser and more comfortable). The Lululemon tennis skirts are my actual favorite to wear to the Disney Parks because they have bike shorts underneath with a pocket on each side to hold your phone, and the light, floppy skirt is super comfortable and quick drying. Sometimes, I’ll also wear the 6 inch align bike shorts, which are soft, comfortable and quick-drying, too.
I’ve tried a few types of socks, but my favorite overall to wear into the parks are the Bomba no-show socks. For sneakers I wear Hoka or ON Cloudnova sneakers, and sometimes I’ll wear the Teva universal sandals.
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