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Reading Time: 5 minThere's no sugarcoating it — a trip to a Disney park can be stressful. From snagging the best Lighting Lane rides to booking character dinners, there's a million tasks to think through.
But you also want to ensure that you enter the park with some essentials. Fortunately, with many Disney trips under our belts — including one just last week — we can suggest the 9 best and most useful items to add to your Disney packing list.
A backpack is a must-have when spending a day in the park to carry all your stuff. But having the right backpack is just as important. You want one that's comfortable and allows your back to breathe.
On our recent trip to Disney, we sported the Osprey Hikelite 18L Backpack, which was the perfect size. It offers a removable hipbelt, mesh side pockets that are perfect for holding water bottles, and an external access zip pocket.
But our favorite feature was the included rain cover, which came in handy on water rides when your bag has to sit on an already-wet floor.
In addition to a backpack, a belt bag (or fanny pack) is also helpful. On our recent trip, my spouse usually carried the backpack, while my belt bag was affixed to my body.
For a trip to Disney, I personally use the ODODOS Mini Belt Bag. It's incredibly inexpensive yet well made, and comes in a few dozen colors. It allows easy access to my phone, power bank, hand sanitizer, tissues, and our park tickets.
AirTags are all the rage these days, especially when it comes to tracking your luggage. But they also come in handy when bringing little ones to Disney. That's because you can purchase an AirTag bracelet. The AirTag fits right into the top — perfect for a child — so if you get separated in a large amusement park, it's significantly easier to locate them.
Although my kids are old enough to not need an AirTag, we saw many children running around Disney with these bracelets.
A Disney headband with "mouse" ears is a staple to wear during every trip to Disney. Of course, you can purchase them inside the park, but you're looking at paying about $30 per headband.
Instead, you can do what I do and purchase the ears ahead of time for less than a third of the price. I personally went with the traditional Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears for my family, but you can find many other options at Amazon, such as Olaf, Belle and the Little Mermaid.
I will admit that the ears I purchased from Amazon showed their wear after the weekend. But for our needs, they worked perfectly — and at a fraction of the price.
Disney has water fountains throughout its parks so you can refill your water bottle whenever you need. And to reduce space — and not weigh down your backpack — we love collapsible water bottles.
This two-pack of YCTMALL Collapsible Water Bottles can easily fit in your backpack's pockets and comes in a variety of colors. They are also leakproof and the perfect size, since you can refill them multiple times throughout the day.
Disney makes it nearly impossible to enjoy its parks without being on your phone for the bulk of the day. Between taking pictures, securing your next Lightning Lane, and determining ride wait times, your phone battery will drain quickly.
Luckily, you can easily keep your phone charged with an external power bank. Power banks comes in all shapes and sizes, but the Anker Power Core Slim 10000 is my go-to due to its thin design. With the Anker, my spouse and I were both able to get a full charge on our respective phones during our days in the park.
If you're going to Disney with a kid — or a kid at heart — there's nothing more special than getting the autographs of your favorite characters. Like everything else, Disney sells autograph books at most stores throughout the parks. But to save time and money, I suggest bringing an autograph book with you instead.
While there are many different options, this classic Mickey and Friends Autograph Book comes with 50 blank pages and its own Mickey pen.
My kids are admittedly more into the rides than meeting the characters, but when the opportunity presented itself, they still thoroughly enjoyed getting any signatures they could.
The weather is always unpredictable, especially if you're heading to see the mouse in the middle of Central Florida. There are also plenty of rides where you might get wet, and having an extra layer of protection might make all the difference in not being soaked for several hours afterwards.
If you purchase a poncho in the park, a rain jacket runs about $10 to $12 each. But you can snag a 10-pack of disposable ponchos in advance for less than $15 total. And with a drawstring hood and cuff, this poncho will ensure that less water seeps in, keeping you dry throughout your trip.
If you're heading to the parks over the summer, a portable fan is imperative (and we'd suggest cooling towels as well). People have their own personal preference between neck fans and handheld fans, but you might find both to be a necessity depending on the temperature and humidity for the day.
I actually stay far away from Disney during the summer and have never used a fan. But even during our trip in November, we saw many fans of both types being used.