What to Bring To Disneyland

Are you and your family heading to Disneyland? Looking for the best ways to save money and come prepared? I have compiled a list of what to bring to Disneyland that will keep you on budget and ensure that you have everything you need for a fun day at the parks!

When heading on a family vacation to anywhere, you always want to make sure you have everything you need. But you tend to always forget something along the way. When I was younger, you were kind of stuck when it came to that and you’d start stressing out. Nowadays, you can buy everything you need there, but it’s always nice to be prepared before you leave. For us, with our young kiddos, so we had to be prepared when we got to the parks. I’m always nervous when it comes to park prep because I don’t want to bring anything you can’t, and forget things. Today I am sharing what to bring to Disneyland, to make sure you are prepared for a magical trip.

When I was envisioning what to bring to Disneyland, I had three different categories. These were packed everyday, because there is nothing worse then realizing you don’t have diapers(flashback to our awful flight to Tucson):

1. Stroller
2. Backpack(s)
3. Personal Items

Stroller

Our kiddos are 6 and 3.5, so my oldest could walk BUT I know her and she will get whiny. It made way more sense to have them both in the stroller. Props to my honey who pushed that thing around 6 days straight. If you are wondering what to bring to Disneyland, the ONE thing would be to bring a stroller. It gives them a place to rest their little legs, and to make sure they don’t get trampled or lost. And an even better place to store all your junk!

Our double stroller, which I’ll link here, did not have a ton of underneath storage, but we made it work. And thankfully, it totally did! It made it through a week of climbing in and out and fights of who gets to sit where. Here is what we took in our stroller that made a world of difference:

• Water Bottles– Disney is great at letting you bring in drinks and food, which really helps with saving some money. We brought both the kiddos a water bottle and both Chris and I one as well. We were able to fill them back up at the drinking fountains so we never had to buy any. There are bottle refill stations at the parks, but we honestly didn’t need it. The drinking fountains worked perfectly fine.
• Mister– We should have bought these before the parks, but I didn’t even think about it. We got these ones in the park and they were a life saver in the lines and the heat. Plus, a great way to entertain the kiddos.
• Blanket + Sweaters– A couple of the days it got a bit chilly, especially for us Tucson-ions. When we went to see World of Color, the blanket came in handy because we were in the spray zone! Plus, when the kiddos got sleepy, it was a nice pillow.
• 2 Backpacks– I’ll share more in the next section.
• Sunscreen: 2 bottles of sunscreen is great for long lines, so lather them up regularly.

Backpacks

We took 2 backpacks and both for completely different reasons. I did end up pairing down to one on the last day to save some space. In the first backpack we had:

• Extra change of clothes: One pair for each kiddo (we utilized both so I’m glad we brought them). No matter how old they are, there will always be spills or something else you hadn’t thought would actually happen.
• Diapers + Wipes: The diapers we used for my youngest, and the wipes are perfect for any sticky situation. ALWAYS BRING WIPES
• Autograph Books + Pens: We snagged ours at the hotel gift shop for $4!!!! Not sure how much they are in the park, but we only used them for a hand full of characters. No reason to go out and drop $20 on one.
• Lanyard of pins: We started pin trading with my oldest this trip, and she LOVED it. But when she didn’t want to wear it, in they went.
• Extras: Maps and pieces of “important” papers to my kiddos. Also a good place to pack an extra charger for your phone or camera.

We also had our second backpack, and it had:

• Snacks
• Even more snacks
• So many snacks: We packed this bag full of granola bars, rice crispy treats, fruit strips and crackers (thanks, Target). Anytime the kiddos wanted a snack, they had them right at their fingertips. I also put it where they could reach it so I didn’t hear MOM I’M HUNGRY 8,000 times a day. Now, we did end up purchasing treats like Churro Toffee, Mickey Marshmallows and Dole Whip, but not because we had to. Disney Hungry is who I followed for tasty insight during our trip.

By the last day, we took a few of our favorites and crammed them into the first backpack for space. But it did help with the drive to and from as well. The last section would be:

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Personal Items

I bought a fanny pack from the gift shop (I highly recommend one for you moms), and this helped me keep track of everyone’s park passes and fast passes. MaxPass is amazing and well worth the money, but we ended up not using it like we thought, so we only did it one day. It keeps everything a hands reach away, and you don’t have to stop and whip your back pack around each time you need your phone out. Yes, your husband will think you look silly but IGNORE HIM and his sassy pants. In my FANNY PACK, I had:

• Park Passes + Wallet: I kept these hidden in the compartment against my belly, so no one could swipe it or have it fall out on accident. I also kept our fast passes and World of Color passes in there too.
• Autograph Books: Yes, these started in the backpack, but slowly migrated to my pack because we would see a character and quickly make the decision to stop and meet them. We only met a handful of them, but each encounter was pure Magic. I wasn’t even in the lines for my kiddo (secretly it was for me). I worked with the characters at Walt Disney World, so it was bringing back major memories.
• Sunglasses: I kept all three of our pairs in there for quick access.
• Sunscreen: I had a small roller ball of SS that I kept in there for a fast application.
• Phone: This is where it stayed unless I was using it 500 times a day. I did my best to live in the moment on this trip, but this is also my job so I had to make sure I was REALLY living each photo and soaking it in, and not just snapping away just to capture the shot. I have a dedicated blog post coming this month all about this.
• Buttons: We were able to get a first visit button and a couple celebrating ones as well, so I kept those stashed away in my pack. Head to Guest Services right when you enter the park and you can pick out a couple for free. It’s a fun keepsake!

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed my what to bring to Disneyland post. That’s a lot of goodies packed into one stroller. But trust me, we used them all. It was so nice not worrying if you forgot something, so take the time to pack up that stroller and/or backpack and enjoy your time at The Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland! If you want more Disney content, head on over to Disney Meals Part 1 and prepare to be hungry! Which food was your favorite?

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out Kelsey Farley! If you head to Disneyland and give these tips a try, I’d love to hear about it! Share your experience on Instagram with hashtag #kelseyfarleyblog and tag me @kelseycfarley so I can follow along and share your photos on my page/stories. Make sure you subscribe before you leave so you can snag your FREE Daily Plan Tracker. I hope it inspires you to take control of your day and make sure to tag me when you use it! I love you guys, and I’ll talk to you soon.