You’ll find dozens of lists and posts telling you to bring this and bring that in your park bag. While it’s great to be prepared, do you really want to be lugging around a giant bag full of “stuff” all day every day? I know I don’t.
So, how do you choose the right bag?
Think rides
We’ve all gone to a “non-Disney” park and have thrown our bags to the side of the car, or placed them in a cubby. You won’t find guests doing that at Disney. Why? Disney is the master of efficiency. In order to keep rides moving and keep lines as short as they possibly can, guests must keep their bags with them at all times. On some rides, you’ll even exit some rides in a different place than you entered it. There is no backtracking to retrieve items you left behind. So make sure that whatever you ride, it fits in the car with you. This also includes Soarin’. Your feet may be dangling, but there is a mesh bag underneath your chair. Whatever you bring with you must fit into that mesh bag.
Save your back
You may think you need to bring a number of items, but think of how much weight will be pressing down on your neck and back all day. If you have to think about whether you’ll need something or not, leave it. Chances are, you won’t use it. Also remember that Disney gives guests free ice water, so think about bringing a bottle or two vs 5 or 6. If you don’t like the taste of Florida water, flavored packets are much lighter than carrying around multiple heavy water bottles all day.
Zippers and Pockets
Oh, those pockets… Before you enter any park, you will have to go through security checks. Be prepared to unzip every single compartment for the security guard to look through. On the bright side, some of those security guards have a great sense of humor.
Don’t worry about souvenirs
If you think you need a huge bag to carry all of your souvenirs, think again. Remember that you can have your packages sent to your hotel (if you stay on property), so you can keep your hands free all day long. It may take up to one day for your packages to arrive to your hotel, but once it does, just head to the lobby and pick up your souvenirs. Nothing could be simpler.
And remember…
If there’s any one reason to not bring a large bag to Disney, it’s this…even if you don’t have a lot of “stuff”, if you have a big bag, others will find an excuse to put theirs into it…trust me.
