Wondering what bag to carry to Walt Disney World?
No one wants to carry a purse around Walt Disney World Orlando, especially if your purse is anything like mine- big, bulky, and liable to knock over any small child if you were to turn the wrong way. So here are a few bag options good to accommodate ALL your transporting needs at Walt Disney World.
The Famous Baggallini:
These bags come in many shapes and sizes. But in my opinion, they are a little on the pricey side. A small messenger bag runs about $50+. However, I do know many people rave about them. The fact that they are made of good quality materials and have oodles of different compartments makes it a smart bag. There are compartments for water, pouches for your phone, little inside pockets for your credit cards. There are larger compartments to store an extra shirt, or a poncho or two. It seems like a nice way to keep organized. However, for someone like me who only makes a yearly pilgrimage to Walt Disney World, it’s not worth the money. But, I think if you travel a lot, it may be a great investment.
Fanny Packs:
For the minimalist, a fanny pack is the way to go. Maybe you don’t have little ones and don’t need to carry around diapers or pacifiers. This may be the bag for you. If all you need is your credit cards, a camera, and some cash, a fanny pack may be a good idea. I have even seen people walking around with the clip attachments for their water bottles.
Finally, my bag of choice is….the Land’s End Classmate Backpack in size MEDUIM (pictured).
Although this backpack is something typically a preschool aged child would tote around, I have found it great for Walt Disney World. Its durable, the perfect size (not a HUGE back pack your middle schooler would carry around) and it does fit a lot in it, we were quite surprised. We were able to fit 3 waters, 2 adult and 1 child ponchos in it, a bag of small chips, a change of clothes for our daughter, and the usual- phone, wallet, epipen, Benadryl, autograph book, and camera. It was bursting at the seams, but it all fit, and it also stored nicely underneath our umbrella stroller in the bottom compartment. We used this backpack as a toy bag for our daughter for the 18+ hour drive down to Walt Disney World. She put coloring books, colored pencils, DVDs, DS, games, some little toys, etc. in the bag and kept pulling things out to do during our drive. Once we got to Disney it became our park bag. It worked out well. And the best part is it was only $19.99…and I am sure you could find a code (or wait til one is available) for free shipping for their website (landsend.com). What is your favorite bag to carry around Disney World?
Here is a list of 5 surprising items to include in your Walt Disney World Park Bag.
Learn more tips and tricks for your next Walt Disney World vacation. Destinations in Florida can also help you add tips and tricks to your next vacation.
(Thanks Jacklyn!)
They’re not checking your bags at Disney Parks anymore?.I know they checked my bag the last time I went there and I had to dispose of all my cans products. Are they still doing this?
Can you bring snacks into Disney World? And the water bottles- are they filled or do you fill once inside?
You can bring them :)
We use a clear vinyl backpack – we pick them up on clearance every other year for $5-$10 for the next years trip. They last a few trips. They make security a breeze. It’s easy to find stuff in the parks. They keep stuff dry on wet rides. It’s a win all the way around for us.
I recently found that Home Goods (at least the one in KC) carries Baggallini, I purchased one for under $30. It holds everything I need for any vacation (even Disney). I get to test it at Disney in just over 2 weeks but already feel like it was a good purchase :)
We just got back from a 5-day trip to disney and universal. I carried a backpack on our previous trip and found it to be a hassle. This time I used a smallish nylon cross body purse with tons of organizational pockets including a water bottle holder. Worked great! I wrote about it here:
My husband and I went to Disney this past February for our 30th anniversary. Being a recent new grandmother, I had bought a very cool diaper bag (that so doesn’t come close to looking like a diaper bag) that has both padded backstraps and a regular messenger strap and a handle. It’s the JuJuBe BFF. Very pricey, but I had tons of stuff in it: flip flops for the water rides, ponchos, small umbrella, first aid kit, extra hoodie, water bottle, camera, phone, lipstick, KTTW, ziplock bags, tissues, money, etc. This doubled as my carryon for the flight down, with all of the needed travel information right at hand. Even fully loaded, you don’t even notice you are carrying this bag due to the padded backstraps. Still fits in all the compartments on the rides. Comes in a bunch of fabrics and colors. We are going again to Disney in 2016…this time with our daughter, son-in-law and our granddaughter who will be 3-1/2 then. I’m looking right now for a pre-owned BFF so my daughter will have her own. Can’t say enough good things about this versatile bag
I use a Kavu Rope bag! They are a sling style that goes around the back, but the strap is designed to be able to scootch it around to the front (going under your arm) and get into the zipper without even taking the bag off. For quick access to a ringing phone, camera, or wallet, that’s super convenient!! The Kavu bags are also very durable, although they are a bit pricey. I’m a college student, so I get plenty of use of mine outside of Disney though, as they’re pretty popular where I go to school. The bag also has 2 front pockets, then 2 separate zippered compartments that fit a ton of stuff! The sling style also distributes the weight comfortably, and the bag is small enough to fit in storage compartments on rides, or sometimes even just scoot around and be worn on your front. I love it!
We use the 31 cinch sac. All 3 of us have one and they are the perfect size for my girls ages 7 and 4. They hold just enough stuff and the best part is they are water proof.
One thing I did not see you mention are the hiker back packs or “camel backs”. They come in toddler sizes up to adults. I have found new ones on e bay for $10. A Camel Back allows you to have access to COLD water or any fluid at all time since it has a pocket for your drinks. (You drink out of a tube whenever you are thirsty). You can also store your lunches here too and know it will be cold.
That’s a good idea!
For several years, we carried a large Jansport backpack and a fanny pack. This year my husband found a cheap mid-sized backpack before we left. It was much easier to carry around and fit in compartments(i.e. Soarin’, Kali River Rapids). Last year, I switched from a fanny pack to a small canvas Coach bag with a long strap. I wear it across my body. Believe it or not, it’s lighter than the fanny pack and easier to remove for photos. It’s also easy to stuff into my carry-on at the airport. I’m able to carry a small change wallet, my iPhone in a Mophie pack, my digital camera, a pack of tissue, park maps, an Excedrin bottle and a small folded brush in this purse. I’ve seen many other women wearing the same purse around the parks as well so good to see I’m in plesant company:)
Ooh, I <3 Coach! Could you tell me what style of bag you have? (If Disney contracted with Coach instead of Dooney, I'd be over the moon lol. D&B's bags are just heavy IMO.)
What's a Mophie pack?
I actually had never ridden Kali River Rapids until this past August, and I have no idea what I was waiting for! Riding that on a hot day was amazing :). But Idk if I'd trust anything in that center part, to not get wet, at least a little bit, you know? (Especially one of my Coach bags!) But that's just me lol. Dh took his camera and kept it out to take on-ride shots, but I would never take mine out unless I had a waterproof cover on it.
I actually bought one of the XL Ziplock bags just so I could put my backpack/bag in to make sure it didn’t get wet and then after I could fold it up and put it back into my backpack/bag. I also put my camera in there so it stayed dry since it wasn’t one that can take splashing! LOL
thanks for the scoop!
Just an FYI to you all (and NO, I am NOT a Lands End employee, I’m just a frugal Disney lover who likes to get the most for my money) – Lands End products have a virtually lifetime guarantee (as do most of their products).
Also while we’re talking frugality in Disney World, you know those rain-ponchos that the parks whip out to display at the first hint of rain? The ones that cost about 5 times what you can pay at an off-site store? They are also lifetime-warrantied. Yup, they really are. I find that a better value than other ones. I use a scooter most of the time in the parks, and all the electrics/electronics that operate the thing are in the tiller – the tiller HAS to stay dry! The tiller of my scooter has it’s own DW poncho along with a few rubber bands so it doesn’t flap in the breeze. Should it rip, which has happened, I just take it to the nearest kiosk or store, and trade it in for a new one :).
Also, Disney retailers will do this for just about any product that they sell that breaks or malfunctions. We had a little keychain-sized Duffy, when we absent-mindedly left somewhere in Epcot. We were just mentioning it to a CM at a kiosk, who turned around, and then presented us with a new one!
That’s Disney customer service. Sorry to go off-topic a bit, but that Disney customer service is a lot of what makes me keep going back!
I have not personally used a Baggallini, but my friend has one and swears by it when traveling. They are a bit pricey but hold up great and can carry a lot. Also, I can not say enough great things about the Lands End backpacks. My son who is in 5th grade still uses his from Kindergarten. They last forever and the straps are very comfortable. Great ideas!
For our trip in June, I used my Land’s End backpack from my college days (20 years ago!). I filled it with everything the 5 of us needed: ponchos, water bottles, first aid supplies, drink mixes, a Shammy cloth, autograph book, two cameras, and snacks. I put everything into clear Ziploc bags to make it easier for security to see everythig, as well as added protection against water damage…which was smart, because we traipsed through WDW during Tropical Storm Debby. It worked beautifully. On the first few days I threw in a couple of empty drawstring-style backpacks for the kids to carry some things, but I discovered that keeping it all in one backpack was the wisest decision.
In the past I had used a backpack, but this year I used one of those cinch sack backpacks (mine was from Thirty One if that helps). It seemed much lighter to me than my regular backpack. I probably pack a little lighter than some though – I carry some packs of fruit snacks or single serving cookies, wipes, my kids autograph books and sharpies, a small bottle of Mio water enhancer to make lemonade, extra camera batteries, and my phone. I have a little travel document folder that I got at Target, and I put our park tickets and photo passes in that and put it in the front pocket so it’s handy. We don’t carry water bottles or anything like that into the park, we just get free ice water from the counter services places when we want it – and then we have cupholders in the stroller for that. I also pack a few ziploc bags in my backpack. I have a gallon size one that I can put my camera and phone in when it rains or if I go on a water ride, and then smaller ones in case we have leftover sides at lunch or dinner.
Just wanted to thank you sooooooo much for this post! We leave in 15 days for Disneyland and I have been searching for the perfect bag without breaking the bank! We have used a stroller the last few times, but will be stroller-less part of the time this visit, so a good backpack for me has become SUPER important!!
I’m heading to Sears tomorrow to see if they happen to have anything left, otherwise I’ll be ordering online tomorrow night!!
I use a free backpack that I got in a back-to-school promo at Office Depot a few years ago and it’s stuffed to the brim. Much to my family’s chagrin, I also use a fanny pack to carry around the really important stuff like keys, money, and park tickets.
We went in July and I knew a traditional back pack would be too hot and sweaty on my back so I took a mesh backpack. The holes allowed my back to breathe and it made going through security a snap because you could easily see everything in my bag without opening it. Needles to say security loved my bag!! :-)
I found an amazing messenger bag at Goodwill, of all places, and the most amazingly wonderful thing about it was that it was a Disney bag and featured a picture of the Snow White’s Evil Stepmother on the outside, holding out the heart box she gave to the huntsman. The zipper pull was missing, so I replaced it with a keychain of a pink rhinestone heart. How perfect is that!? Anyway, it was small enough to be easily managed, but large enough to hold all our keycards, some cash, my phone, a few snacks, and — most important — diapers and a change of clothes for my 18-month-old. One of the best $1.99’s I have ever spent!!
We used the biggest Land’s End back pack, but our kids were 5 and 15 months when we went, so we needed diapers and extra clothes, snacks, etc. We also brought in a small soft sided cooler with drinks and left it in the bottom of the stroller.
One thing we found important for going in July was a light colored back pack (cooler) and a washable bag (the bag was quite sweaty by the end of the day each day).