Writing Tools

I had every intention of doing some writing. I brought my favorite notebook with a short story I was working on waiting for me inside and my favorite pens. Did I use them at all? No of course not. When we weren’t at the park I was laying in bed being old.

For the kids

Tablets/DVD Player

My sister and I traveled the 14 hours to Florida with a five-year-old in tow. We left at midnight and he slept most of the way. Unfortunately, when he woke up, he started the are we there yet game. The day before I cleaned up the 174 apps he downloaded onto my Samsung Galaxy tablet and downloaded some shows from Netflix for him to watch.

Gaming Devices

I forgot to pack the tablet. Halfway through the trip, I remembered I packed my iPad. It didn’t have any shows downloaded to it, but it did have Procreate so he had some fun drawing. He also had his Nintendo Switch to use—this however would prove a bad idea on the way back due to car sickness (so bring Motion Sickness pills).

Last year when we went to Florida, I made sure to download some games that would work offline on the tablet (and I remembered to bring it). I used my Mobile Hotspot to download another game and movie when he grew bored with those.

In your suitcase

Clothing

Tank tops and T-shirts. We went in June. It’s hot. Pack more than you think you’ll need—you will get sweaty and want to change. I packed enough tank tops and t-shirts to cover all the days I was there plus a couple extra. This was a good thing since I burned so badly on my shoulders the first day, I needed to wear a t-shirt the second day. Yes, I put on sunscreen, I just burn easily. I’d also recommend bringing something nicer to wear if you want to go out to a more upscale restaurant.

Underwear. You’ll probably want to change those twice a day as well so back a few extra—especially if you go on any of the water rides.

Socks & Shoes. Bring multiple and different kinds. I had thick ankles socks and thin ones and no-show footies to wear with my tennis shoes (I swear by Asics). And I brought two pairs of sandals. One was water-ready and both were JBU which I am obsessed with at the moment—I’ve found all the ones I’ve bought at discount retailers.

Shorts. I basically wear the same shorts at home every day, but I know from last year that this wouldn’t work and last year we went in October when it was cooler. So, I went on the hunt for comfortable shorts to wear. Walmart came in on top with some nice shorts that had stretchy bits on the sides in multiple colors. And I found some stretchy jean shorts and a new pair of capris at Ross Dress for Less.

Swimsuit. We only went to the pool once, but I’d recommend bringing a swimsuit if you stay at a hotel with a pool or if you plan on riding any of the water rides. We stayed at the Dockside Inn and Suites (one of the Universal Resort Value Hotels) and they had two pools that had plenty of lounge seating, a sand area so kids could play, and a splash pad.

Beach towel. Everyone knows those hotel towels are never big enough. I thought we might go to the pool, but the main reason I brought a beach towel was to use when I showered.

At the Park

Stroller

If you have young kids, bring a stroller—even if they are a little older and don’t tend to use one. We still had the ribbons from the balloons we bought at Disney last year on ours so that tells you how much the five-year-old had used it since that day.

Backpack

As of this writing, they don’t require a clear bag, so any backpack will do. I brought a small purse-type backpack to hold my poncho, sunglasses, and phone when I needed to put it up.

In your backpack

Health

Bandaids. Don’t forget Bandaid/bandages. We did and the five-year-old fell and (barely) cut his knee (it wasn’t bad, but he tends to be a bit dramatic, so it would have been helpful to have one).

Pain reliever. You’ll walk a lot so if you’re not used to that it might be a shock to your body. I took some Aleve/Naproxen Sodium tablets before we left for the parks each day and didn’t have a problem with my back hurting like I normally do.

Hydrocortisone. If you are not used to walking a lot (and especially if you are going to Disney), you may end up with Disney Rash (also known as Golfer’s Rash or Exercise-induced vasculitis). I only got a little on my left hand this time, so it wasn’t as bad, but the last two times we’ve been to Disney and when we went hiking in Colorado, my legs were covered.

Sunscreen. We started out with an SPF 50 sport kind, but it smelled so bad. I made a trip to Walmart and upgraded to SPF 70 with a tropical scent (spray and lotion) and everyone was happy to slather it on their faces and limbs.

Comfort

Poncho and/or Umbrella. It’s Florida and it will randomly rain while you’re at the park. It usually doesn’t last long so an umbrella or poncho can come in handy to keep you dry. Ponchos can also be handy if you don’t want to get soaked on the water rides.

Water Bottles. You can bring your own water bottles into the park so if you don’t want to fork out for an overpriced soda or the unlimited refills at the Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines (which I think actually are a good deal) bring one along. You can refill them at the Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines with water for free. And no, you can’t cheat the system and get soda. The refillable cups have sensors in the cups that let the system know if you have refills for that day or not.

Portable Power Bank. I had a small palm-sized one that I only had to use one day since my phone lasts pretty much all day on a charge anyway. But you’ll want to keep your phone charged to check the wait times on the park app or order food ahead.