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Packing for Walt Disney World as part of a Land and Sea trip can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. In my last post Packing for a Disney Cruise Land & Sea Trip Pt. I, I shared specific things to pack that will be helpful on the Disney Cruise part of your trip.
Also, don’t forget to sign up for my emails to get your FREE copy of my Disney Cruise Packing List!
This time I’m sharing super helpful tips for packing for Walt Disney World as part of a cruise and theme parks vacation.
Even if you are not traveling with kids this next section will still be helpful for packing for Walt Disney World, for the parks and the journey there.
Useful for Traveling with Kids
Best Kids Headphones
My all time favorite headphones for kids are these Snug headphones. I have used them for my kiddos for a while and not just for traveling. They have built-in volume control that doesn’t allow them to go to loud and damage little ones hearing. But they are still loud enough to hear through the white noise of an airplane. The headset is adjustable and super soft for little ears. I have one in blue and one in pink for each of my kiddos. One uses them for the iPad on the plane the other plugs right in to the plane’s system for TV or movie watching. A life saver, for sure. Love them!
No Mess Coloring Fun
My favorite thing to give my kiddos for a little screen time break on an airplane trip are these Imagine Ink Activity books. They a little books that come with their own marker that can only work inside that book! It won’t mark walls, clothes, airplane seats, etc. Genius!
My daughter likes these Imagine Ink Disney Princess ones and my son likes these Imagine Ink Disney Incredibles 2 ones. But they have lots of others:
White Noise Sound Machine
So, if you are a light sleeper like me, or your kids wake up for any little sound a sound machine may be the very thing you need. Our kids sleep better with white noise. So when traveling we found it difficult to put them to sleep and keep them that way. Especially if we were sleeping in the same room at a relatives house or hotel room. But purchasing the Marpac Rohm white noise sound machine was a game changer for us. I was able to get ready and move around at night or early morning with out waking my kids… or husband. 🙂
This machine looks little but is fantastic:
- 3 sound options
- rechargeable battery
- super portable
- powerful sound
And if you want to protect it while you travel here’s the Hermitshell hard carrying case that fits it perfectly.
Night Lights
Another great traveling tool for those traveling with little ones or if you have an inside stateroom are night lights!
With little ones the extra little light might comfort them. But if you are traveling without little ones but have an inside stateroom the extra light can help you navigate your stateroom in the middle of the night. Inside staterooms can get super dark with the lights out.
My family and I got these eufy Lumi Plin-in Night Lights that are activated when you turn the lights off. Genius! Just turn the lights of and they automatically turn on. They worked perfectly for us when we recently when to a family “camp” called Sandy Cove. We used one by the bathroom and to in the main room where we all slept. It worked perfectly.
Packing in General
Packing Cubes
Ok, this item isn’t necessarily on my FREE Disney Cruise Packing List. But it made it to this list for two reasons:
- I did a poll on Instagram stories and many folks either didn’t know what packing cubes were or did but still didn’t use them. What?! Packing cubes are flipping amazing! The best thing ever, no matter what kind of traveler you are (solo, family, carry-on only, etc).
- I’m not really packing them, I’m using them to pack. And they are the best thing that happened to packing. Period.
I recommend using these Shacke Pak – Set of 4 Packing Cubes for packing for a Disney Cruise. They have great sizes, are strong, come with a laundry bag and come in fantastic colors.
I love that you can take these straight out of your luggage and place them right in a drawer for a super quick, easy and no fuss way of unpacking for your trip. Love them!
Packing for Walt Disney World
Now there are some things that will be surer helpful to you in the “land” part of your trip. These are my go to’s for Walt Disney World.
Cooling Towels
Cooling towels are a must for my family and I when Packing for Disney. You won’t need them for the Disney Cruise, but if you plan on hitting the parks in Orlando Florida before or after your cruise during any of the summer months (even a bit of September) you’ll NEED it. Trust me. It’s going to be H-O-T! My tips for a trip like this are:
- Drink lots of water.
- Visit the parks super early in the morning, take a break at your resort pool midday and then head back to the parks in the afternoon/evening.
- Keep cool with a cooling towel!
My favorite cooling towels that I use for every trip are from this one fro Chill Pal and this one from Frogg Toggs.
How to Use Them
You can either prep them in the hotel before you head to the park or do it in the park when needed. We do the latter. Simply pack them in your park backpack. When you are ready, take them to the restroom sink and get them soaked with water. It doesn’t even need to be super cold water. Once they are fully soaked through, wring them out fully and then viola! They are ready to use. Wrap them around your neck, place them on your head to cool down etc. They don’t make you feel wet and soaked all day. Although it’s so hot you wouldn’t mind that. They cool you down without keeping you soaking wet in the parks. If they are no longer cooling you all you need to do is repeat the soaking and wringing process and you are all set to go!
We like to use the Chill Pal one for individual use. Usually, I have one, my husband has one, my daughter and my son each have their own as well. It get’s ugly when folks are hot and have to share one or two cooling towels.
Now, the Frogg Toggs one was perfect for use in the stroller. It is long enough to lay across the stroller seat. We just wet it and wring it as per usual and my son would sit on it and it would instantly cool him off. No wet clothing!
Personal Fan
Speaking of staying cool and dry… Another option to keep from meting in to a puddle on hot summer park day at Walt Disney (Which honestly is better than a hot summer non-park day not in Disney… Just sayin’) is carrying a personal fan! I haven’t used this in the past, but I have found that a lot of Annual Pass holders who visit the parks regularly find these super helpful. This year I have decided to use one and I purchased this one from EasyAcc.
This particular item saved my sanity. It was crazy hot when we visited Walt Disney World this past August and this made it so much more bearable.
Ponchos
Rainy season in Orlando is pretty much summer time. Not to say it doesn’t rain any other time at Disney. But it rains pretty much every day during the summer. So you can either pay the $20 per poncho (adult or child size) at the parks or you can bring your own that will cost you about $1.50 per poncho.
I got these disposable, super compact one-time use ones from Clear Harbor (10 pack). It’s the best bang for your buck and you will definitely use them. Trust me. 😉
If you want to go more Disney with your ponchos try this Disney Men’s Mickey Mouse Body Poncho. It’s a bit pricier than the above but still much less than in the parks.
Have you ever used any of the items above? Is there anything that is your “go to” item for travel? Share it in the comments below!
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