There are about a million blogs out there on how to pack for Disney efficiently. How to only pack with a carry-on bag. How to pack for kids. This blog is for a 10-day trip to the Mouse in Florida, just adults. If you’re travelling with kids, we will discuss that on a completely different blog. Today it’s adults only! SO let’s get packing for Disney World!
Clothes
We are heading to Disney in July. The weather will be hot, humid, with daily rainfall. Lightweight, easy to dry clothes are the key here. Since we are heading to Disney, I am taking a series of Disney tanks and summer tops. I know folks who pack a lot of special Disney outfits and they are amazing. I’m not that talented, so random Disney clothing acquired from trips past is as close to Cosplay as I get.
I’m also taking a couple of lightweight, Columbia easy dry shirts with roll up sleeves for evenings. No matter how hot and miserable it is outside, the AC inside can be chilling. So I always like a couple options I can toss over a tank in the event the Pirates of the Caribbean has become an Arctic Adventure. I also always take 1 lightweight pull over sweater or sweatshirt for the same reasons.
In the pants and shorts department, I stick to a couple skorts and a couple pair of shorts. I do take 1 pair of long pants, but they are mainly for the transcontinental flight to and from Orlando.
I generally take 1 nice, easy to pack dress. We love Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge and it’s too nice a restaurant to show up in Mickey Gear.
In the underwear and socks category, I bring 1 more pair of undies than days I’m gone. Just insurance should the flight get delayed or other chaos ensues. Bring as many pairs of socks as days you think you’ll wear those tennis shoes. 4 days? 10 days? 1 day? You can always wash them out in the hotel sink or in-unit laundry should you have a washer in your suite.
Ladies – bring 1 more bra than you would normally wear for each week you’re gone. Again, the weather can be down right ghastly and you don’t want to plan a laundry night into your trip if you can avoid it.
Speaking of laundry, I always pack a quart size Ziploc freezer bag with 4-6 laundry pods. They pack easy, you can pop one into your washer or you can split it open and use it in the sink to soak clothes. They’re one of the best inventions ever for travel. Caution – when I say use a freezer bag, I mean it. They are less likely to leak or rip in your bag and you really don’t want laundry detergent to spill all over your clothes BEFORE you arrive.
The same is true for sunscreen, hairspray, shampoo ,etc. I once had one of those spray sunscreen bottles discharge all over my suitcase. The top got depressed somehow. But, it was inside a freezer bag so the entire sticky, nasty mess, went directly into the trash upon arrival at my destination and all I had to do was find a corner store for some new sunscreen. If that can had been open in my suitcase – yuck. I don’t even want to think about the carnage.
Finally, 2 bathing suits come along for the ride. They take up no room and one might not be dry when you decide to hit the pool a second time in a day.
Shoes
Now, let’s discuss footwear. Footwear takes up more space than anything else you will pack. You need to be militant about how many pairs of shoes will make the trip. There are also extenuating circumstances that make footwear choices at Disney critical. Here are the factors you need to consider:
- You will log over 15,000 steps in a short day. You’ll easily top 25,000 steps on several days. That’s a lot for time on your feet.
- It’s hot and miserable.
- Did I mention it rains? A lot? So any shoes you bring need to dry.
I generally recommend 1 pair of tennis shoes, 1 pair of strap-on teva-style sandals, and 1 pair of flip flops. Depending on how much dressing up you plan in the evenings, you might want 1 pair of comfortable walking black dressy sandals. Remember, you will have been on your feet all day prior to donning those dress sandals, so choose a pair that is comfortable, yet fashion forward. Please do your feet a favor and leave the stiletto heals at home.
When packing for any trip, the most bulky pair of shoes you are taking are your flight shoes. For this trip, it’s tennis shoes. If you were headed to a cold weather destination, it might be a pair of winter snow boots. We once flew to New Zealand to ski. I wore my snow boots on the flight and was summarily stared at in the Los Angeles Airport where it was 100 degrees outside. But packing those babies would’ve taken one-third of my checked bag space. So on my feet they went!
Back to Disney. Find the most comfortable walking sandals you can. If you don’t like sloshing around in wet tennis shoes and soaked socks, you will understand the need for sandals.
Weather Survival Gear
You know those $1.99 plastic ponchos you can buy at your local drugstore? By a bunch. At least 2 for each person in your family. Why? Because those same $1.99 ponchos from the hometown drugstore are $5.99 at Disney. And it rains. A lot. Trust me, going to the Canada Movie at EPCOT soaking wet will feel like you were dropped in the middle of Resolute Bay in January. Ponchos also double as a handy cover for the water rides. The best part? They don’t have to make the journey home. You can toss them as you head to the airport, freeing up just a tad more room in your luggage for one last pair of ears.
To battle the heat, we each bring one of those cooling towels. They are fantastic in hot weather just to take the edge off, and you can tuck them in the collar of your shirt or simply wrap them around your hand on those rides where they might otherwise go flying.
Don’t forget sun protection in the form of a hat and sunscreen. I really shouldn’t need to remind you of this, but I am forever amazed by the people I see walking through the parks resembling Sebastian from Little Mermaid.
Some Disney Fun
The final element of my Disney wardrobe are ears, Disney Socks (if I feel the desire in the weather), lanyards, and one of those adorable Disney backpacks.
On every trip, I recommend bringing a collapsible, closing bag you can use for the flight home because who doesn’t buy stuff while wandering around the parks? Over the years I’ve come home with Jack Skellington statues, clothes, framed character prints, and more Christmas Ornaments than I care to admit. So bring an extra bag for your new treasures. If you buy something that needs a little extra protection on the flight home, use those ponchos. They make great packing insulation.
It’s also smart to bring a clear bag you can take into the parks – one of those giveaway string bags you picked up at a sporting event works just fine. It speeds up your trip through the ever-present Disney Security Lines.
Finally, bring along some empty ziploc bags. Shampoo bottles leak, wet bathing suits need a ride home, and your phone needs protection from Splash Mountain. Not that I’ve ever had phone disasters at Disney, just not ones involving water. Gravity Testing a Phone on Space Mountain? That’s a whole different blog!
In Summary, here’s what I will take for my 10 Days in Disney in July:
11 pair of undies
3 bras
2 pairs of socks + 2 pair of Disney Socks
8 assorted Disney themed tops
2 Columbia button down tops with the roll up sleeves
1 light weight pullover (I like my Ron Jon one pictured in the photos)
2 bathing suits – 1 pair of board shorts for water parks, Kali River Rapids, etc
2 black skorts – they go with everything
3 pair of shorts – different neutral colors (no white!)
1 part long pants to wear on the flight
1 pair flip flops
1 pair teva sandals
1 pair of tennis shoes
My Disney stuff – ears, cooling towels, magic bands, lanyards
Ponchos
Clear string backpack for security
extra ziplocs for wet clothes, extra shampoo, or to protect your phone on Splash Mountain
All the random electronic gadgets we travel with today and we will discuss in a separate blog
A book (for the flight)
Toiletries
Laundry Pods
1 extra empty bag for all the latest treasures we find
When all is packed using packing cubes, you should have ample room for your toiletries, a book, and your camera.
Now, get packing. And remember…Have A Magical Day!
