I’ve only been to Disney World in Orlando once before several years ago and had only visited the Magic Kingdom Park. Recently, I was able to have the luxury to visit Disney World again – this time EPCOT and Hollywood Studios – since I happened to be in Orlando for a work trip. I had actually gone to Miami for a couple of days prior to arriving in Orlando and visited EPCOT before my work trip started and Hollywood Studios the day after it ended and extended my time in Orlando for a couple of days as well.
Since I was visiting during mid-May, I knew the weather was starting to get really hot and I wanted to make sure my outfit would be comfortable and that I didn’t need to carry a lot with me. I tend to have the largest purses with almost “everything I own” in it. My mom’s been asking me for years why my purse is always so heavy. And I knew that this habit of bringing everything I could possibly need with me on this particular trip would make it more difficult for me with the hot weather and the amount of walking I’m going to be doing. I went through all the bags I owned and tried to match them up with my outfit but couldn’t find the right one that was convenient for a theme park and also stylish enough. Well, this called for a shopping trip or two before I headed to Disney and determining my theme park bag essentials!
What Kind Of Bags To Use At A Theme Park
So when it comes to the kind of bag I’d possibly take to my Disney theme park visit, the first things that come to mind are style, comfort, ease of use and how it won’t get in the way on rides, but also keeping everything I absolutely need during a possibly hot and tiring day at the park. For these types of theme park visits, I like to cut down on the weight and amount of items I have with me since I know it’ll be a long day.
My top choices for the type of bags for my Disney theme park visits are: 1) Fanny Pack 2) Crossbody Bag 3) Mini Backpack
I think these are great options to keep your hands free when you’re trying to enjoy your time at Disney and only take with you the essentials you’ll absolutely need and use. You’ll also want to be able to hold your phone or camera for pictures or be able to take a swig from your water bottle or be able to eat a snack throughout the day without worrying about holding a heavy handbag. Also, the biggest thing for me is the fewer things I need to carry in my hands, the fewer chances I’ll lose something if I get distracted and become absent-minded about it (God knows how many times I can’t find my phone in my own house).
I actually ended up purchasing 2 new bags for my Disney trip to fit my essentials and which worked really well for what I needed them to hold: the Louis Vuitton Double Zip Pochette and the Gucci GG Guccissima Small Canvas Belt Bag. I used the Louis Vuitton bag at EPCOT and the Gucci bag at Hollywood Studios. I think they each matched my outfit well and were easy to work with during those hot days. The Gucci belt bag was actually larger and more spacious than the Louis Vuitton and ended up being the perfect size for my bag essentials at Disney. I also love that it allowed me to be completely hands-free and sat securely around my waist.
My Disney Theme Park Bag Essentials
As I mentioned above, I like to carry everything I will possibly need with me for those “just-in-case” moments so it took a lot of discipline to only bring what I knew I absolutely needed. Because EPCOT was more about eating and drinking around the world, I didn’t need to bring water or snacks with me to hold me over for the day. That alleviated some of what I needed to bring with me as a bag essential. Here are my bag essentials for Disney’s EPCOT and Hollywood Studios theme park visits.
EPCOT – Louis Vuitton Double Zip Pochette
- Hotel room key card
- Credit card
- Nexus card as my ID
- Cellphone
- Mini sunscreen (at the time I was using the Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 as I was testing it, but here is A Guide To Sunscreen Use And Choosing The Safest One For You)
- Lauren Conrad Beauty The Eyeliner in Onyx (in case I needed touch-ups since my eyeliners tend to smudge but here are The Best Eyeshadow Primers For Long-Lasting Eye Makeup)
- Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lipstick in Bare
- Tempo petit tissues
- Bath and Body Works sanitizer
Hollywood Studios – Gucci GG Guccissima Small Canvas Belt Bag
- Kate Spade Card Holder
- Quay – High Key Sunglasses (which I wore on and off throughout the day)
- Cellphone
- Cellphone charging cable
- Portable charger
- Mini sunscreen (this time I was using the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Lotion SPF30)
- Lauren Conrad Beauty The Eyeliner in Onyx
- Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lipstick in Bare
- Tempo petit tissues
- Bath and Body Works Sanitizer
- Field Trip Cracked Pepper All Natural Turkey Jerky (delicious and will definitely rebuy, which I purchased from the Hyatt Regency Orlando’s Market where I stayed during my work trip – amazing and gorgeous hotel by the way!)
- Verb Energy Bar in Lemon Raspberry
- Bottle of water (which I actually held and was able to throw out and then get cold cups of water all around Disney!)
Other Bag Essentials You May Want To Include
Everything that was my theme park bag essentials at Disney would likely be different from what you may consider essentials, so here are a few ideas for your bag:
- Camera
- GoPro
- Sunscreen lip balm
- Refreshing face mist
- Mini towel or mini fan
- Hat
- Wet wipes
- A light cardigan for the cooler days or if you’re sensitive to air conditioning
- Umbrella for rain or shine
- More snacks
- Selfie stick
Disney World Theme Park Tips
I’ve been to Magic Kingdom Parks and EPCOT with other people, but I visited Hollywood Studios solo. Not only do you want to be prepared to visit a Disney park with what you bring, but here are some tips that helped make my visits a lot easier. To make the most out of your Disney World experience especially if you’re limited on time and money, the following tips may help make your visit a little easier.
- Check on Disney Theme Park Reservation Availability if the date you want to visit is available before purchasing your tickets.
- Visiting the Disney World parks during the middle of the week has fewer crowds.
- If you book your hotel stay with a Disney Resort, you can enter the parks about half an hour earlier than the rest of the crowds which allows you to line up faster for the rides you want.
- Download the My Disney Experience App to help you have easy access to park maps and the ability to book Genie+ Lightning Lane Reservations, track wait times, and much more.
- If you’re visiting during a festival or event, check the attractions and menus prior to visiting so it can help you decide what you want to see the most and not have to wander around wasting time.
- If you’re visiting Disney with a group, you can distribute essential items you can share among yourselves to reduce redundancy and lessen the weight being carried.
- If your Disney theme park bag essentials gets too heavy, there are lockers you can rent for the day to store your personal belongings.
- If you don’t want to bring your own water or purchase water, you can get free cups of ice-cold water from counter service restaurants.
- Although the parks may close between 10 to 11 PM, the attractions don’t close and you can still line up and be in the park past closing time.
- If you don’t mind riding on your own or splitting from your group, use the single rider lines to save a lot of time.
- The best Disney World hack of all: I learned this when visiting EPCOT with some friends from Miami who have annual passes and visits Disney every other month. Apply for the DAS Program at Guest Services or Guest Relations as soon as you enter the park. This gives you access to booking reservations for almost every single ride and attraction without having to wait. Anyone who travels with you can be added under your pass. Also, they are legally not allowed to ask you why under the rights of HIPAA, which governs the privacy of and security of personal health. When I visited Hollywood Studios on my own, this is what I did and I did not wait for a single ride the entire day and visited literally every attraction there. I entered the park at 8:30 AM and left by 5:30 PM.
Which Disney World Theme Park I Enjoyed The Most
Although I haven’t been to Animal Kingdom, I don’t really have the interest to do so since it just seems like a glorified zoo to visit with only 4 rides currently. Out of the other 3 Disney World theme parks, my favorite was definitely Hollywood Studios since it felt like you were living out your childhood memories in real life. The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was so realistic and they did a really good job on this. The rides and attractions were great and they had a good range between slow and fast rides. For me, Magic Kingdom was a little too slow and better suited for kids. EPCOT on the other hand is great for adults since you are basically eating, drinking, and shopping around the world. It is also slower-paced, but there are a couple of good rides as well.
In summary, it’ll definitely do you well if you go to Disney World prepared with not only your theme park bag essentials, but also do the research on which attractions and restaurants you want to visit prior to going so that you can avoid long waits and be able to see everything you want to see. Disney World isn’t cheap, especially if you are paying for your entire family which includes flights, accommodations, admission tickets, food, drinks, and souvenirs! Also, who wouldn’t want to avoid long lines and the hot sun?