19 Things You NEVER Thought You'd Need in Disney World...But You DO!

I’d throw in some bandaids because my child gets so clumsy when she’s excited, we are no stranger to scraped knees and hands and elbows.

AJ... Regarding pennies. Don't bring new shiny pennies! Bring pennies 1981 or earlier. Why you ask? in 1982 the US Mints greatly increased the zinc content in pennies (and lowered the copper to save cost). When you press a new penny there will be a silvery smear across the penny (the zinc) and make it harder to see the design. If you use a 1981 or older penny it will be (visually) all copper and a so much better finished product. Then you can polish them up at home. Coke works great for that. :)

If you forget to bring your children, then it really doesn’t matter if you forget to bring most of the items on this list. 🙂

Bring your favorite pain medication. If you are not used to walking 10+ miles a day, your going to be really stiff in the morning. Taking an ibuprofen or something similar helps me get going in the morning.

When my daughter was younger we froze Capri Sun and juice drinks the night before and brought them into the parks or we would bring these little individual kool-aid mix packs that we would add to a cold bottle of water. Kind of like crystal light. She loved it and it saved me a lot if money.

AJ's voice is so pleasant

OH! Bring hand sanitizer! I wash my hands a lot in general, but it's good to have back out. They always have portable ones at any drug store (or HEB for my fellow Texans lol).

When my family went to Disney we packed an extra suitcase filled with food and while we were on our trip we ate all the food, so then we had an extra bag to put all of our souvenirs and other things that we got at the parks.

As a former cast member I ask to please not bring gum, I’m thinking of the cast members who have to clean up the gum. If you have to please be aware where you spit out the gum. I’m just saying there is a reason why they don’t sale gum in the parks and it’s because there are people who have spit out gum on the floor and that gum got stuck on peoples shoes. There have been cases where gum has been found under and on benches. If you don’t need it please don’t bring it into the parks.

The things I'm always glad I take with me into the parks: 1. Load up your phone with a card, it can be a credit card or a gift card. But it sure does help going to the park with only your phone as a camera, your communication, your entertainment, your map and your wallet! Use it just about anywhere inside the Disney parks. Apple Pay and Android Pay works every time! In stores, at food locations,& most kiosks! 2. Pre Paid Visa Gift Cards for Shopping at Disney. It allows for everyone to second guess what souvenirs they want, and keeps you in a budget! Before the trip starts I make sure to give everyone in my party a $50 gift card along with a Disney style Hallmark card. "Congrats!" - "You're goin to Disney World, Here's hoping you find something to remember our trip by!" ~ Love Dad! 3. A Pack of Wet Wipes/ Hand-Sanitzer. Something sticky spills, or you didn't quite wash your hands right.. This feels self explanatory. 4. Portable USB Power Bank Charger, You might be surprised how much you need your phone while in the parks. Snapping pictures, using the "My Disney Experience App" Keeping in touch with people in your party and phone games. Trust me, you'll need to charge your phone. 5. Take a drawstring backpack for wet clothes or really anything you're gonna buy. Having a dedicated place for the things you are adding to your person is a must. Drawstring backpacks can be folded down when not in use and can accommodate just about anything. Find Official Disney gear for much less on amazon! 6. A pack of tissues, handkerchief, or a bandana. Some folks allergies are in for a real surprise in Florida! 7.ZipLock Bags with a zip top. Never under estimate how much you'll beed these. From storing those $14 snacks you didn't finish to keeping your earrings in a safe place. OF course even using it to splash proof something as well. WHEN IT COMES TO FIRST AID, Disney has got you covered. You don't have to pack headache meds or bandaids. every single park has a guests services area where you can sit down, cool off, get a cup of water, take some headache meds, or bandaids or allergy meds. They have a full first aid kit just in case anyone needs it. That being said, I still take a small amount of headache meds and allergy meds to take every morning before I go into the parks. I have visited the parks with only taking my MagicBand and my Phone. Everything else I could ever need is available in the parks. It makes getting into the parks a breeze and I never regret it. ONE LAST THING. I plan on $300 per person for four days every time we go. I know not everyone can do it, but I always recommend $300 worth of shopping allowance for extra snacks, souvenirs, experiences, etc. or any unplanned spending. I usually visit the parks for a minimum of 4 days and always end up using almost the full $300.

Lots of great tips. I purchased a large box of glow bracelets/necklaces. One late night on a very crowded bus I was able to hand several out to the other kids and it made everyone's return to the hotel just a little bit better.

Last trip to Disney we bought our 5 yr old and 7 yr old boys fanny packs. I know it sounds silly but it was great that they were able to carry their snacks and small toys in the park for the long wait in the lines. No getting out of line because “I’m hungry or I’m bored” for us. They were happy the whole time and occupied.

We also packed a pop up hamper- it made it really easy to keep our dirty clothes contained. Along the same lines, I packed Tide Pods because we had to do laundry halfway through our trip.

I always bring sunscreen, hand sanitizer or wipes, and if not a change of clothes, a change of socks. I can handle wet clothes in the heat but I can’t handle walking around in wet socks! And for all my allergy prone peeps, during the Epcot flower and garden I made sure I brought allergy pills because I’m a normally stuffy person with the stuff in the air 😂 and yes on Tylenol or ibuprofen!

I recommend getting from your local post office those "priority mail" boxes (the ones where regardless of weight, if it fits in the box, they'll ship it). If you're traveling from a good distance (and aren't driving) you can mail souvenirs home. This is especially great if you need to mail something like a snow globe which aren't always welcome on planes. But it frees up space in your bag and you don't have to worry about necessarily having an extra suitcase/duffel bag just for souvenirs.

A special scent to spray in your hotel room, so that you always have a smell to associate with that trip! I read this on a packing list somewhere and scoffed at first, but after my trip I regret not grabbing a small scent from Bath & Body Works and doing this! Scent memory is super powerful, and I'm for sure gonna try this next time!

I really like how you narrate your videos. Your voice is actually soothing. And every time I watch one of your videos I want to go to Disney.

Bring MINTS! Not Gum! don't have people messing up the perfect plan Disney has set with the "no gum" policy. And I completely agree with the Ziplock bags. My family thought I was crazy when I packed mine... Then they used all of mine.

could you do a video like this for people going WITHOUT kids? cause only 4 of these were really all that helpful for me

If you simply must have a stroller, bring it from home. It’s cheaper, more comfortable, and easier to spot. You can also outfit it with battery operated led strings, which makes it even easier to spot at night, as well as get many compliments. Anything that lights up at night is awesome. You know those light up shoes the kids wear? They have them in adult sizes. Every family member can easily spot us in a crowd. That also goes for ponchos. Bringing your own means that you can pick colors. While everyone is stuck wearing the same one Disney sells, my family is different, and can be easily found.