What to take?

Originally Posted By wltyer

This will be our family's first trip to DL in March, including a seven-year-old and a four-year-old. I would love advice on what to take into the park. Also, are backpacks convenient to carry your stuff or do they get in the way? Thanks!

 

Originally Posted By oneyepete

Ponchos

 

Originally Posted By ABBY

I usually just take my fanny pack, but when we were there in December the weather was questionable one day so I packed our rain gear in a backpack. I found it annoying while getting on and off certain attractions, but it was worth it as we had to take our ponchos on and off that day.

 

Originally Posted By momofbuzzfan

We just went with a 4 and 6 1/2 year old. We brought one very little backpack (the little Jansport the size of a purse) and one huge backpack....which we stuffed into a locker on the way in. I would never want to carry around a bigger backpack for the whole day, but the small one didn't get in the way at all. Although I had to take it off while on most of the rides and hold it. We carried a couple of bottles of water in it, plus the camera and a couple granola bars, chapstick....small things like that.

In the big backpack (that we left in the locker) we took a bunch more water, and a complete change of clothes for both kids. They are both completely potty trained, but you never know. My son ended up changing his clothes after a couple of rides on Splash Mountain, and my toddler neice had to borrow my daughter's socks because she had a very messy diaper. We left our jackets in the locker as well.

You guys are going to have a BLAST!!!!!

 

Originally Posted By grammy954

I used to take a backpack, but now only a fanny pack - just big enough for the camera, phone, driver's license, etc. Depending on the weather forecast, we also take ponchos in a small backpack. We bring a change of clothes and a cooler full of water bottles, but leave them in the car.

Each of the kids has their own fanny pack. I get them Disney Dollars in the morning so they can buy their own sodas and snacks - they think that is great.

 

Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x

I bought the girls Tinkerbell backpacks on eBay. I won't give them their own money, but they will be carrying their own snacks, chapstick, and gum. Well, maybe not the gum.

I carry a small backback. I tried carrying a big one on my last trip, and the bags got smaller and smaller each day. I like the one I have from walmart, since it has the pouches on the side for water bottles, so they don't smash or leak (condensation) on anything in the bag.

I buy packages of Cheese Whales (similar to Goldfish, but they're cheaper and taste better) from Walmart, along with the packets of the water mix, so I can refill the water bottles at the water fountains, and we get something other than water for meals (just ask for cups of ice). I also like things like chewy granola bars and also, the 100 calorie packs of cookies for the girls. They're getting something sweet, but it's not too sugary, ya know?

Also, the small backpacks are great for carrying the autograph books, if you choose to use them.

 

Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x

bah..

not Tink backpacks...Tink fanny packs. great buy...99 cents each.

 

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

More and more people seem to be obsessed with preparing for every contingency by carrying whatever they think they might need. Look at old photos of DL... is anyone carrying anything? You see purses and cameras, of course, but no one is carrying backpacks or fannypacks. Even if it was a family with kids, no one back then had giant SUV strollers with pockets and baskets filled with stuff. I'm not condemning carrying a backpack or fannypack... I carry a CamelBak... just making an observation. I think next time I visit the 'land, I'm gonna try it with nothing but a small camera. I bet I won't miss having all the stuff.

 

Originally Posted By jonvn

I only bring what I can carry with me, which is a small suitcase filled with various items from the local drug store, such as atheletes foot medicine and cold sore medicine.

This does not, however, include the team of 20 sherpas and five elephants all loaded down with supplies and provisions that may be necessary during the 8 or 9 hour walk that is a day at Disneyland.

Some people say it is excessive. Some people may say i'm crazy. Some people even go so far as to suggest that 3 sherpas and two elephants would be enough. To that I say: When something happens and you need that third elephant worth of supplies, who'd be the crazy one then, eh?

Sure, it's costly to pay for the entrance fee for all these people. Sure, I have to empty out an entire grocery store or two in order to outfit us all, sure, in all the years I've done this I've never not once needed any of it at all, but it pays to be prepared. Even if it does cost me tens of thousands of dollars just to walk in the front gate, let alone the cost of churros for the sherpas, it is worth it to be prepared.

 

Originally Posted By StitchDude

What about the churros for the elephants?

 

Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains

They get the $2 pieces of fruit...

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

I usually bring a couple things in my pockets (I'm a fan of cargo pants...), and that's usually about it. Something that I've found to be a real life saver is a couple ziplock bags to put phones, cameras, and other things like that in while on Splash Mountain or Grizzly River Run. If you forget, you can usually get a bag from one of the stores, but I've had trouble trying to get them in Critter Country (they say official policy is that they can't give them out, but at the pin store in Frontierland, I had the CM try to give me several in each size). That's usually adequate in the warmer months, but I would definately recomend a larger bag (either bring your own or get it in the park) for sweatshirts, since there's nothing worse than a wet sweatshirt when you're cold.

 

Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x

usually bring a couple things in my pockets (I'm a fan of cargo pants...)

------------


What's amazing is how many people think they look good in Cargo Shorts!

--Benny from "George Lopez: George goes to Disneyland"

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

I don't think you understand. I don't think I look good in cargo shorts. I KNOW I look good in 'em! : )

 

Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x

 

Originally Posted By ogskud

When we went 4 years ago my DS (12) and DD (5) each had their own fanny pack. I brought a variety of single serve snacks and each morning they both filled their fanny packs with snacks of their choice before heading to the park. I'm sure it saved a ton of money at the park AND kept them from being bored while in lines.

My DS (now 15) is going in 2 months with his high school jazz band. I'll be sending him with lots of snacks. I'm surprising my DD (now 8) with a trip there at the same. I'll be taking her fanny pack again for her snacks. For me, I'll probably put snacks in the camera bag.

Hope that helps! Have a great trip!

 

Originally Posted By TinksBestFriend

ogskud,

Will your DS be performing in DL? If so, when and where?

 

Originally Posted By oredisneyfan

the less you take in the park the better. We started with everything but the kitchen sink on our first trip and found that at the end of the day I had lugged around full waterbottles, extra clothing and a bunch of now sqashed granola bars and bruised fruit, that didn't get used and then had to be thrown away.

on the next trip we took very little and didn't miss having the extra things. We found we could go back to our hotel to regroup (get panchos/snacks) It did rain on both march trips.

we have three kids 13, 11 and 4 and I got them each a small back pack (tinkerbell/wallmart) to carry autograph books/pen. This I would reccomend, the first year I kept them with me in the stroller (ie Wagon train) of course the kids always had me digging for them and sometimes we were separated and they would miss out on an autograph.

this trip I will have a fannypack, it is much better than carrying a purse and the kids will have thier small back packs. (DH of course has a man/purse/cameracase thing) last year we had a stroller but this time we will not take it. to much trouble, when the 4 year old is tired we will take a break

have a great trip!!!!!

 

Originally Posted By jonvn

"the less you take in the park the better."

I refuse to put my sherpas on the unemployment line.

 

Originally Posted By jonvn

Seriously.

This is what you bring:

Money. If you have a baby, change of diapers. Food for the tot, if the kid is not yet eating adult foods. Maybe a stroller to put the baby in when he gets tired.

That's it.

If you want something to drink, use a drinking fountain if you don't want soda. If you want food, buy something at a snack bar. If the weather is cold, bring a jacket, and tie it around your waist if it gets too warm to use it. If you want to buy souvenirs, do it at the end of your day, so you don't end up carrying the bag all day long.

That's really all there is to it. When I was a kid, and we went to Disney, we brought our clothes and cash. We ate one meal at the Plaza Inn, and drank out of water fountains. We bought no souvenirs.

We managed to live.