If you’re heading to Disney World in 2023, it’s time to start thinking about packing essentials. Our team here at Enchanted Vacations have compiled a list of our must-have travel items, some of which you may have never thought of before. From sunscreen to umbrellas and all day snacks, there are an array of items that you should be adding to your suitcase!
#1| First Aid Kit
The first, and probably, most important, is a first aid kit. Including essentials like pain medication, Gravol, bandaids, moleskin, blister bandaids, aloe vera for sun burns and allergy medicine will ensure you are well prepared.
#2| Phone Charger and Portable Battery
You’re most likely gonna be taking a lot of photos and videos on your trip, so number two on our list is having a portable charger. I use this power bank that I purchased off of Amazon. I’ve had it for two or three years now. I find it works really well, has four full charges available and can charge multiple devices at the same time. This little power bank gives me juice throughout a rope drop to close park day!
#3| AirTags
Now you can never be too careful, so item number three on our list is actually Apple AirTag. Disney World is a busy place, and if you have little ones, you wanna make sure that you can find them quickly in case they get turned around or lost in the crowd. You can get an AirTag bracelet off of Amazon, pop the AirTag in there, and your child can wear that on their wrist and you’ll be comfortable knowing that you’ll always know where they are. Another thing you can use your AirTag for is to just pop it in your checked luggage so you can track your luggage that way.
#4| Glasses Strap
Number four on this list is a strap for your glasses. Now, I don’t personally wear glasses, so I wouldn’t have ever thought of this, but EVT agent Erica shared a story with me where she was on Big Thunder Mountain with her husband, flailed her arms out in the air and smacked the glasses right off of her husband’s face. So now every time they travel, they do not travel without their strap to hold onto their glasses to make sure nobody loses their glasses.
#5| Good Carry-On Bag
Number 5 on our list is having a good quality carry-on bag. I recommend the Level8 Textured Carry-On. This case is so durable and has a ton of space for all the essentials. Check out my review in the video linked above.
#6| Reusable Water Bottle
Number six on our list is reusable water bottles with a filter. We really like the Brita water bottles with straw. If you are not a fan of the taste of water at Disney World, then the filtered water bottle will be your friend.
#7| Water Enhancers
Speaking of the taste of water, number seven is some water enhancers in case you’re getting bored of the flavour of water and still need to hydrate. You can use Crystal Light, or Mio is one of our favourites.
#8| Electrolyte Tablets
And still on the topic of water, we move on to number eight. To prevent dehydration, we recommend electrolyte tablets for adults and Pedialyte for kids.
#9| Bluetooth Headphones
I use these SoundCore noise canceling headphones. These are really great for travel!
#10| Good Park Bag
Number 10 on our list is a good park bag. We recommend the Kånken bag, which is super roomy, dirt resistant, water resistant and wipes clean. It is the perfect bag for your park days.
#11| Belt Bag
Number 11 on our list is a belt bag. I use this Lululemon belt bag, although any belt bag will do. It has plenty of room on the inside where I can pop in my phone and any other essentials I need, like hand sanitizer and whatnot. And then the zipper pocket in the back for easy access to cards and everything. I just find it so handy having the belt bag with me at all times.
#12| Sun Essentials
Number 12, in Florida it gets hot, like real, real hot, so don’t forget your sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat.
#13| Personal Fan
Be sure to keep yourself cool with a personal fan. You can either get ones that are battery operated or ones that can be charged with a USB. Either way, it’s gonna give you a little bit of reprieve in the hot sun at Disney World. We used this portable stroller fan when our kids were little.
#14| Ear Plugs
We recently purchased earplugs called Calmer and they don’t actually block the sound completely, but they do help alleviate those really high volume noises that tend to irritate some people. So I find them really helpful for traveling on the airplane and also in the parks.
#15| T-Mobile SIM Card
If you’re Canadian or an international traveler, number 15 on the list is for you. This is the T-Mobile SIM card. It’s a cheaper way to be able to use your phone and data while traveling in the US.
#16| Snacks
Number 16 is snacks. ALL THE SNACKS! I know you’re gonna be snacking a lot in Disney World, but be sure to pack some snacks in your bag that are maybe familiar to your children, ’cause you wanna prevent them from getting too hangry having to wait to go to a location to go grab a snack.
#17| Hand Sanitizer and Wipes
You want to have a quick way to clean up those hands, wipe up some surfaces. Hand sanitizer and wipes are going to be essential for your park days.
#18| Ziploc Bags
These are so versatile. You can put your wet clothes in them, wet shoes, you can put your leftover snacks in there. I promise you, if you put Ziploc bags in your park bag, you will find a use for it.
#19| Packing Cubes
Number 19 is compression packing cubes, especially if you’re gonna be packing all of your things into a carry-on bag.
#20| BodyGlide for HER
Number 20 on our list is a BodyGlide For Her, which is an anti chafing cream. Now, I don’t think I need to explain this much further, but this is for any part of you that is skin to skin rubbing together. You don’t wanna get chaffing. It is gonna bother you for the rest of your trip, so just preemptively use this stuff and you’ll be saved.
#21| Cooling Towels
Number 21 is cooling towels, especially in those hot summer months. You just put some cold water on these cooling towels, put them on your neck, put them on your forehead, they’ll help cool you down real quick.
#22| Rain Essentials
So on the opposite side, number 22, we have to prepare for rain, so bringing your rain gear essentials is necessary. I know a lot of people like ponchos. Ponchos are not my favorite. I would rather get soaking wet than put a sweaty poncho on myself, so what I have in my park bag is a travel raincoat, and also a travel umbrella. And these are both small enough to fit in my park bag. They don’t take up too much space, and then I don’t have to deal with that sticky poncho.
#23| Comfy Shoes
First of all, I wanna say don’t bring new shoes that you’re breaking into Disney World. That is just going to be a horrific event for you and your feet, so don’t do that. Make sure you break in your shoes before you ever get to Disney World. Number two, I know that a lot of people really love and swear by wearing Crocs. Crocs are just not my thing, so here are the shoes that I use for Disney World. I use Under Armour Running shoes, and I do recommend that you alternate shoes, if you’re staying a little bit longer. So I also have a pair of Birkenstocks that I like to alternate with when my feet need a little bit of extra breathing, which I find is the perfect combo for me.
If you’re interested in working with our team here at Enchanted Vacations, contact us today! Your Enchanted Vacation Awaits!