Today I want to share with you something that I've seen discussed over and over again, and that's what we take into the parks. Some are minimalists, others carry everything but the kitchen sink. We've fallen into the carry a lot group, but it's not as bad as it sounds, promise!
I was told years ago that the Baggalini messenger bag is awesome, and it is. I absolutely love it for WDW! It comes in a lot of colors, but I chose basic black. The straps are comfy, it holds a lot, it keeps things organized!
There is a zippered part on the back, too. I keep the most valuable stuff in there since it stays close to my body! My cell phone fits great in the section on the strap, keeping it handy for staying in touch, looking up something, etc. The picture is a link to Amazon for this bag.FYI - You have to have your bags checked at every park entrance. I try to help the guards out by opening the zippers and zippered pouches while I am waiting in line for bag check.
So, what's in here?
*** mini first aid kit. There are first aid stations everywhere, but I keep one of these little numbers by Johnson and Johnson so I don't have to try to find one if necessary. It has everything I need for a basic boo-boo. I also put in a few pieces of moleskin in case a blister starts cropping up, and a few various sizes of safety pins, mostly in case of wardrobe malfunctions! :) I love that this little box will keep it all organized
**** Medicine kit. This is a small zippered pouch that I keep in my bag. I have a tiny box in it with a few adult ibuprofen and another with chewable tylenol for Little Princess. I also keep a roll of tums and a few peppermints in here. Sometimes, the food/ride combination leaves us feeling yucky. These two will head it off pretty quickly. I wear contacts that sometimes dry out on the faster outdoor rides, so I have a small bottle of drops in here. Also keep a dose of immodium. Finally, I have a small eyeglass repair kit for DH, like the one shown below. He's blind as a bat without his glasses! All this can be found in the parks, but much faster and handier just to have it with me. Honestly, this zipper pouch is only 2 inches wide by 4 inches long.
***Gum - not sold on property! Take it with you if you like it! Again, great for upset tummies if you get mint flavored.
***Chapstick - no burned lips allowed!
***Our Keys to the World. These are your park tickets, room card, dining plan, and charge card all in one if you are staying on property. We keep ours on lanyards. Hubby keeps his attached to his belt loop, but I keep mine and Little Princess'. We rely on this totally for money, with the exception of sometimes taking $10 or so for an incidental expense that might not go on the card, but most do. (If you are going to Harmony Barber Shop in the Magic Kingdom, you can pay for the haircuts via room card, but not tips to the barber, FYI!)
***Camera, camcorder. If you have a small point and shoot, I read a great tip to put it in a travel soap box. Ours wouldn't fit in one, but thought that was an awesome idea, especially for those water rides.
****Ziploc bags I put in a gallon and sandwich. These are to protect items on water rides.
If we are going to Animal Kingdom, sometimes I add a grocery bag to put my whole bag in. You will get soaked on Kali River Rapids. There is a storage compartment, but it's not totally waterproof.
***Travel size hand sanitizer
***Travel sized pack of wet wipes - sticky hands, dirty tables, Mickey Ice Cream Bar covered faces. I usually buy enough at the Dollar Tree to have a pack a day.
***Pennies and quarters for pressed penny machines. Our daughters collect these, they are a relatively inexpensive souvenir. We keep them in a M&M's mini container. Note: this can get heavy!!!
****Little Princess Autograph book and Sharpie.
***Ipod touch - the games and videos have been life savers in lines for Little Princess. That's about all we take to occupy her. I also keep our ADR confirmation times and numbers on here and my phone, and I air share our touring plans excel sheet to my ipod.
***Health insurance cards and driver's licenses. My theory is if something happened bad enough for us to go to hospital, I wouldn't want to take the time to go back to the room for the cards. I have a small card pouch that I keep buried in one of the zipper pouches for this.
*Big Princess has a Vera Bradley mini messenger. She keeps her key, camera, phone, gum, hand sanitizer, ipod touch, and autograph book.
We also carry a "stroller bag".
This will probably be our last year with the stroller, so we'll have to pick and choose what of this to take in the baggalini next year. We take a canvas shopping bag to keep under the stroller with other items.
To get on the buses or trains at WDW, you have to fold your stroller. I recommend that everyone take a small bag to be able to throw things that accumulate in the bottom of the stroller so you can just put the bag on your shoulder rather than holding the stuff. I've had to stand on a moving bus and hold a tired preschooler in my arms, while hubby stood and held on to the stroller and baggalini and Big Princess held the stroller bag. Note: you can have all your park purchases sent back to your room if you are staying on property at no cost. We like to take advantage of this when possible, just keep your check out date (and how badly your child might want to play with something purchased) in mind. It usually takes 24-36 hours to get there.
In here, we have:
*Ponchos I buy several at the Dollar Tree and take these daily. Quick storms pop up almost every day in the summer. They also help at Kali to keep you a little more dry. We have nicer, heavy duty ones that we take with us WDW and only take them to the parks if they are calling for RAIN, not just chances of pop up storms and showers.
****Shower curtain liner and clothespins. I loved this tip from the minute I read it. If we park the stroller to ride or eat, and the sky looks ominous, we wrap the shower liner around it and clothespin it together in the back. It's saved Little Princess from having to ride in a soaked stroller more than once! I take a couple of dollar store ones every year, and they really don't take up much room in the stroller bag.
***Sunscreen
***Glow sticks, light up spinners, etc. if we are going at night.
****Water bottle - We always get the free ice water at counter service places. We put it into a bottle immediately. We got some years back at WDW that the screw on top is held on by a strap, perfect for hanging over the stroller handles.
****Spray Misting Fan - If you read my post on beating the summer heat at WDW, you know I advocate budgeting the extra $15-$20 on the WDW misting fans. They just work so much better. We do still take personal ones, but that one is truly the best. We use the neck hoop to hook over the stroller handles.
***Chamois cloth, sometimes called camp towels or swimmers towels. These are great to wipe off benches or rides after a rainstorm.
Honestly, I know it sounds like a lot. But these little things have come in very handy to make our trips more magical. I know people that head off with their keys and camera and go! I pack the baggalini before we go, and take a ziploc bag of the extra wipes, batteries for fans, gum, etc. in my suitcase. I also pack the stroller bag with the basics before we go, and put the ponchos and night stuff in the suitcase.
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