Inside Our Disney Bag: What We Never Leave Home Without

The Non-Negotiables for Every Theme Park Day
Ryan and Julie kick off with the essentials that apply to everyone, regardless of age. Water (and a reusable bottle—skip the screw-top kind) is non-negotiable, along with easy-to-grab snacks that won't melt in the Florida heat. They also cover sun and weather protection: hats, sunglasses, cooling towels, sunscreen, and a poncho (disposable, in Julie's case) for surprise rain.

Tech & Practical Must-Haves
A portable charger and cord top the list—phones are essential for Lightning Lanes, mobile ordering, and park info, especially at Disneyland where nearly everything runs through the app. Other practical picks: hand sanitizer, Band-Aids (waterproof ones are hard to find in the parks), first aid wipes, Ziploc bags, a stain-removal pen, and a wet/dry bag for water park days or unexpected messes.

Kid-Specific Essentials
For families with little ones, Julie runs through her go-to list: a change of clothes (especially socks), diapers and a portable changing pad if needed, small toys or stickers to keep kids entertained at meals, and headphones or ear muffs for loud rides like Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. She also swears by mini fans for each kid (to avoid fights), an autograph book with a washable marker, and glow sticks or light-up necklaces to help spot kids after dark.

Where in the World? 🗺️
Julie shares a trip she just booked for a young family of four heading to Dreams Playa Mujeres in Cancun this August. The resort's gated, sargassum-protected location, multiple pools (including a waterpark and a toddler-friendly splash pad), and wide variety of included dining make it a standout all-inclusive pick for families with little kids.

The Big Takeaway
What goes in your park bag evolves with your family and your travel stage—but a dedicated "travel bin" of tried-and-true essentials makes packing for every trip easier.

Next week: the hosts cover items you should never pack for your next vacation. Plan your next trip at wonderandbeyondtravel.com.

Transcript

Julie 0:00

Hello, and welcome to All Things Travel. Packing for your family's trip is stressful, and packing for a park day can even be more challenging. On today's episode, we're sharing the essentials in our Disney park bag

Ryan 0:15

Listen in with travel advisors Ryan and Julie. I'm your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and she's a Disney-loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. And together, we're the co-owners of Wonder and Beyond Travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel So Julie, when you brought up this topic, I have to say, as my family life has changed from little kids to now teenagers to adult trips, you know, I remember those days, and luckily or thankfully maybe, you know, the size of the bag keeps getting smaller and smaller and smaller

Julie 1:05

Yeah, for sure. So as we go, I definitely want your input as we go about, what you do too. But some of it's gonna be the same

Ryan 1:16

sure, absolutely. And I will say there are times where I'm like, "Oh, I wish I had that. Oh, I wish I..." You know, it's very odd to go into a theme park, like at Walt Disney World or Disneyland or Universal, and not carry anything. There's been some times I've done that, and it's like I've got, my phone charger and a small water bottle, and I'm like, "This feels like I'm doing something wrong," but

Julie 1:37

Yeah.

Ryan 1:37

liberating.

Julie 1:39

You're like, "Where's all my belongings?" Um, yeah, I hear you

Ryan 1:43

is an expert at this, and so before we get into her must-takes and her ideas for what to pack, I wanna remind folks, if you did not listen to last week's episode, we talked all about some specialty river cruises that are gonna fit you or somebody you know for your next trip

Julie 2:04

when I am packing for my Disney trip, and I'm gonna say Disney because I haven't taken my whole family to Universal yet, but obviously this applies to that type of trip as well. When I'm packing for my Disney trip, I have, all my outfits, the pajamas, the bathing suits, all those necessities, our toiletries, and then I have a whole separate bag that I'm like, "Okay, but what am I going to take into the park? Because let's make sure we have all of that." And it's definitely stressful. I even have a separate section on my, packing list that I send to my clients so that they remember to think about preparing for that. first, I wanna talk about things that apply to everyone, so Ryan is definitely gonna help me with this part,

Ryan 2:49

Okay.

Julie 2:50

The second section will focus more on, you know, if you're bringing little kids, some other things to consider. So the first couple things, water. You definitely need to bring water with you into the theme park. Personally, I like to order packs of 24 water bottles from, like, Amazon or Instacart, have it delivered, and then I toss a couple unopened bottles into my book bag or into the stroller, but I also have a reusable water, because getting a child to drink out of a water bottle that has a cap on it is, it, it, it's risky. It, it's risky. So you've gotta bring a water bottle. I have one of those, like, water bottles that has a little insulating sleeve and you can, like, wear it across your body 'cause I, you know, if I leave my stroller somewhere, that's, that's easy for me to bring with me. So water and a water bottle.

Ryan 3:39

I, I almost

Julie 3:40

Mm.

Ryan 3:40

have a water bottle of some sort with me. And I also bring some water flavorings, either like li-

Julie 3:45

Mm-hmm.

Ryan 3:45

Liquid IV or some flavoring, when we're thinking about going to Florida, that water is not the same water that I get at home. So some sort of flavoring that's easy to pack, I

Julie 3:56

Yeah.

Ryan 3:57

is a great thing to add to

Julie 3:58

Absolutely. Snacks, so many snacks. I also order these to the room, but, you know, snacks for me, snacks for the kids. you have to be aware. You don't wanna pack something like a granola bar that has chocolate chips because it's gonna melt and be super gross. So you've also gotta be aware of that kind of stuff. So, you know, we like to bring, like, Little Chomps or Chomp Link, you know, like the little, like, healthier version of, like, a beef jerky, like a Slim Jim. I love, like, little packs of almonds or cashews. apples are great. Oranges are great. For the kids, I always bring pouches. I bring Uncrustables. I bring, Pirate Booty, pretzels, that kind of stuff. it's easy for us to whip it out.

Ryan 4:38

it-- You're standing in line, you can pull out a protein bar, you can pull out a packet of cashews. it makes sense

Julie 4:44

And it is such a lifesaver throughout the day to kind of keep yourself from needing a snack, as silly as that sounds. You know, you can just kinda keep going. Ryan, take us through the next couple things

Ryan 4:56

So sunglasses and hats. I always wear a hat when I'm at the theme park. Sunglasses not so much just because of my prescription glasses, although I did order a pair of prescription sunglasses, so maybe that'll change that. I always like to have a cooling towel. that's how I prefer to cool down unless I'm going somewhere and I want to look nicer for dinner for some reason, but a cooling towel. A fan and mister is something that I used to have when the kids were smaller. In my mind, it's just bothersome more than

Julie 5:25

Mm-hmm.

Ryan 5:25

It's something for the kids to fight over, and it's a heavy thing that dad always has to carry. So those went away very quickly in my family, but I totally understand why people have them

Julie 5:36

Fun fact about the fan and Mister, we have like the blue and yellow Walt Disney World one, and I pack that thing every trip and I never have batteries. Never. I don't know what happens. I lose the batteries every single time we go. So I bring this thing every freaking time, and I never use it.

Ryan 5:57

The next thing have, and that is a portable charger and cord because I know no matter what theme park I'm in, I'm gonna be needing my phone for

Julie 6:07

Yeah

Ryan 6:07

at information, ordering food. So I actually have, when I travel, I have a big portable charger that is a Mac Daddy, and then I have a small one that actually fits in my pocket quite well. so even if I'm just going into the theme park, I may just have that in my pocket and nothing else

Julie 6:24

I do always forget the cord, so that's why I specifically wrote and cord.

Ryan 6:29

there are some newer versions that have the plug built into them,

Julie 6:33

Hmm.

Ryan 6:34

that, so I can't say anything about it, but that makes sense to me

Julie 6:37

Or like the MagSafe. I just got one that has like the magnet that you can just put your phone on it. it doesn't work as effectively I don't think, but it's better than nothing. When we were in Disneyland, so Disneyland relies so much more on your phone, like everything is... You scan your Lightning Lanes with your phone, like you don't even have a choice on any- something else really. And, my phone died so fast, I ended up buying a fuel rod. It is what it is. But now I have a fuel rod too. okay, so next couple things. You're in Florida, so make sure you've got a poncho or a small, compact raincoat. I prefer a poncho. I don't like the constriction of the raincoat, but everyone is different.

Ryan 7:17

I like the disposable ponchos. I get why people may not like those, but for me, that's always worked. It's easy to

Julie 7:23

Yeah

Ryan 7:24

easy to, take care of, either reuse or not reuse, depending on what you wanna do

Julie 7:30

And I really find the irony in making this list that I absolutely forget half of these things most of the time. Like last time, I forgot my ponchos and Ryan had to come run ponchos over to my family on his way out of the park. so yeah, don't forget those. The next thing is a park plan, and not, this might be not, you know, for everyone. I like to have a paper copy of my park plan. I don't like being on my phone constantly in the parks. I like to have my paper copies because that's who I am. also sanitizer. It used to be everywhere in the park. It's definitely not as available as it once was, but, you know, you go into the bathroom and the soap is out. Okay, well you've got your sanitizer. You come off a ride, you do the sanitizer. Band-Aids and first aid wipes. This is, more geared towards little kids. Like you can get these things fairly easily, but, if your kid falls and has a scrape, you know the, miserable experience you are having trying to get a Band-Aid quickly. and I recently found these like cool little first aid wipes and especially waterproof Band-Aids. I can never find waterproof Band-Aids in Disney World, and you know you're gonna put the Band-Aid on and later they're gonna get in the pool,

Ryan 8:38

Ziploc bags are a good thing to have, for a variety of reasons. maybe you get stickers from a cast member and you wanna keep them nice and dry because you're going, on water rides, or there's snacks that people didn't finish and you can distribute them into Ziploc bags. It's just one of those things you never know. I would say 9 times out of 10 you're not gonna use it, but that one time that you do use it, you're gonna be glad that they're in the backpack. Stain remover, maybe one of those pens, so if people, like me, who tends to not be able to eat into their mouth, get stuff all over you, those Tide sticks or something similar are a great thing. And then the last thing, sunscreen. always have sunscreen. I would say, like I said at the beginning of the show, my bag has changed over time, but sunscreen is always part of it. Something to deal with the wet and something to deal with the sun I always have no matter what

Julie 9:33

Yeah, and one last thing I'll mention is a wet/dry bag. If you go on a water park or someone has an accident, which happens, a little wet/dry bag is helpful because if things are wet, then you put them in there and they don't get other things wet. So that's like a newer popular thing that I always bring now

Ryan 9:53

All right, Julie, so we're gonna talk about some kid specific items, but first I wanna talk about where in the world is Wonder and Beyond Travel, and we're talking about the warm weather today with the theme parks, and you're taking us someplace warm later this summer

Julie 10:08

I wanna highlight a trip I just booked this week for travel in August. So if you have not booked, your summer trip, let's do it still, because this has been the theme the last month. So this is for a young family of four. Their kids will be six and one when they travel, and this is their first family trip to an all-inclusive, and they are heading to Cancun to Dreams Playa Mujeres, which is one of my favorite all-inclusive resorts for families. I was actually shocked that this was available and in their price range for August. the couple reasons that we love this resort, it is tucked inside a private gated community within Playa Mujeres, so sometimes that, is a little bit of a safety factor for clients. But it also faces Isla Mujeres, so it's a little bit protected from that sargassum in the summer, and that is a huge concern in August. If you're going to Cancun or the Dominican Republic or sometimes even other Caribbean islands in the summer, you've gotta know where that sargassum is more common to be. There's always a chance it's gonna be there, but this is less likely. It's about 40 minutes from the airport, so not far. just being in that gated community, it's a little bit quieter but you're still really close to the Cancun nightlife and, the shopping if you wanna do that. a couple other things that make this perfect for family. They have so many pool options, including a waterpark on-site, like bigger slides, but then also a smaller splash pad within their Explorers Club, which is the kids' area. And their kids... Like, you can still go into that little splash pad water playground with them. It doesn't have to be a drop-off situation. They also have on-site golf. They've got a spa. Obviously, meals, drinks, land activities, water activities are all included. And I've been to Dreams resorts. Dreams and Secrets resorts are one of our, trusted, resort brands that we like to recommend to clients, and I like their food. This resort specifically offers Japanese, Brazilian, French, seafood, Mediterranean, Mexican, so a lot of variety with food, a lot of great activities for kids. I can't wait to hear about their trip.

Ryan 12:23

All right. That sounds great. Well, let's talk about some specific kid-centric items to make sure that you have for the parks, Julie

Julie 12:33

Number one is a change of clothes, especially socks. This is so, so, so true in the summer because, you're just gonna sweat through stuff and it's gross. I always have at least a change of bottoms for the kids, and if it rains and the socks, gross. diapers and wipes if you're in a situation that you still need those, and along with that, A little changing pad, you know, like one of those little things that folds up. I cannot think of the name right now, but I know we had one where it folds all the way up with Velcros, and you unfold it and it holds your diapers, your wipes, and your changing pad. I still bring activities for meals. Most restaurants in Disney are gonna hand out some sort of kids menu and crayons, but I always bring, stickers and a couple, little figures, a couple extra things, 'cause they get bored with that kinda quickly. Headphones or ear muffs. I don't know if it's just my kids, but if things are loud, they are upset, they're overstimulated, it's not enjoyable. So even something like, obviously fireworks, but even some of the rides or the shows, they will ask for their headphones or ear muffs, especially Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. That ride is loud. I think it just kinda, it's such a big building.

Ryan 13:45

overload 'cause you're

Julie 13:46

Oh my gosh

Ryan 13:47

you're not moving in a straight line, there's so many colors going on. I get that

Julie 13:51

Yeah. And then after we went on that ride one year, my daughter still had her headphones on. She was probably like five, four or five, and we took her on Rise of the Resistance, and she wasn't scared because she didn't know what was going on. She didn't realize we were, like, under attack, basically. She just saw, like, the ride system. And so I was like, "Oh, like, she's fine 'cause she doesn't know what's going on." we mentioned snacks earlier, but specifically some sort of snack container that are kid friendly. So it's either, like, a smaller bag that's easier for them to handle if you're, like, serving individual snacks So just being aware that, like, it's something easy for them. Mini fans. Like Ryan said, the kids are gonna fight over whatever fan you bring, so I just get little fans for them to each have their own little fan so there is no arguing. An autograph book and their marker because the cast members, and the characters will not have markers available for you. So I always just bring, like, a big, you know, Crayola washable marker. Make sure it's a washable 'cause you know a child will get a hold of it at one point. and this is a fun one. I like to bring glow sticks or some sort of light-up necklace because just makes me feel a little better when it gets dark. When it gets dark in those parks, it's disorienting for me a little bit, and I like to just have my kids glowing a little bit so I can find them

Ryan 15:11

Well, this was a really good list today, Julie. I think, most people will find something on this list that they don't usually carry that might be a good idea. and like I said, it really does kinda change based on your situation. some of these are must-haves for your first couple times with little kids, and then things drop off, and other things are, I always pack this. as I get ready for my trip here in a couple weeks, not to a theme park, but, to the Southwest, I'm gonna be pulling out that, travel bin that I've got down in the basement, and of these things are in there because they're tried and true for vacations and specifically theme park vacations

Julie 15:48

I will say that's probably the best piece of advice Ryan has ever given me, to do a travel bin, because it is so much easier when it's time to pack.

Ryan 15:57

the world is full of wonder, and your next great adventure is waiting. At Wonder and Beyond Travel, we work with you to create a one-of-a-kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. If you're ready to start planning or you just wanna dream a little bigger, head on over to wonderandbeyondtravel.com. We'd love to help you get started. We look forward to talking to you next week on all things travel when we discuss items you should never pack your next vacation