Thursday's Tip

This morning I've been thinking about the things we pack for a WDW vacation that are somewhat unique--things we might not need on a "regular" vacation to the beach or somewhere else. And that led me to thinking about what we actually take into the Parks. If you're a long-time reader, you know of my fondness for the clear backpack we take into the Parks. But what do we put in it? The list has evolved over the years--partly due to the age of our children and their needs, but also based on things we've learned that we do/don't really need.

So...today's Thursday's Tip is really more of a list...but I hope you'll find it helpful nonetheless. Besides the normal/expected items (camera--duh!), here's what goes into our big clear backpack:

• Ponchos for the whole family. (If there's no rain in the forecast, we pack the super cheap kind you get at the dollar store. If the chance of rain is high, we take our heavy-duty ponchos. They take up more space, but they're much more effective and comfy.)


• Several shiny pennies and a roll of quarters. We enjoy collecting pressed pennies around the World, and these cost 50 a pop. It's a cheap souvenir!


• Shout Wipes or a Tide to Go pen...'cause we eat a lot of Mickey ice cream bars and someone inevitably ends up wearing theirs.


• Autograph books and pens. We love character meet-n-greets!


• A few Ziplock bags of various sizes. We put everything--cameras, autograph books, etc.--in these, but we keep a few extra in case we buy a souvenir or have a leftover snack we want to save for later.


• Glow bracelets. We buy a pack at the dollar store and crack 'em open when it's parade time.


• A princess costume or two. My girls like to dress up for character meals, but they don't necessarily want to wear their costumes all day.Believe it or not, the Disney Store costumes will squish into a gallon-size Ziplock with ease. Take 'em out and shake, and you're good to go.


• Water bottle. We've typically done the disposable bottles in the past, but this year I'm looking into using a filtered reusable. We can share one or two, and not have to carry so many extra bottles. The water quality at Disney has greatly improved  over the years (no more sulfer smell!), so we typically drink tap water at most restaurants. We've been known to bring single drink mixes too (Crystal Light or Kool-Aid), but we don't end up using many of them.


• Hand sanitizer...but that's a given, right? Am I the only germaphobe out there?


• Mini can of Lysol. See the previous bullet point. Great for sanitizing table tops!


• Purel wipes. Do you see a pattern here? I really am normal. Really.


• Small bottle of sunscreen.


• Snacks--peanuts, peanut butter crackers, goldfish...you name it.

Those are the highlights...I'm sure I'll think of more