Walt Disney World is huge. Anyone who has ever been there can tell you that the prospect of wandering WDW's 25,000+ acres of theme parks, hotels, entertainment and shopping districts can be intimidating, particularly to those who have never been there, and to those who have never been to Florida.
Well, to some folks, there is no big deal. A day at WDW is like a day in any other vacation spot; they will grab a camera and some cash, make sure they have their hotel room key, and take off for the day. After all, anything you might need can be bought along the way.
But some folks like to be prepared for any contingency, but don't wish to pay the exorbitant WDW prices for them, so they stuff a backpack full of every conceivable convenience, including a change of clothes and shoes, every accessory for both still and video cameras, lots of snacks, extra bottles of water, and even full-size guidebooks like the Unofficial Guide or Passporter. Laden thus, they trudge to the parks from their hotels each day in the blazing Florida sun, confident in the knowledge that since they have 2 gallons of water and a full bottle of sunblock in their bags, the sun is powerless against them.
And then there are those of us in the middle. I pack a few things each day, but I shy away from backpacks because of the size and weight, and in recent years I have even stopped wearing a waist pack so that I can avoid the long lines at the baggage check security stations. After 14 trips to WDW since 1990, I have gotten a pretty good idea of what I need and what I don't need on a WDW trip, so when I gear up for a day at the parks, I can take only those items that I really need and leave the rest behind.
DISCLAIMER: My theme park gear is configured for me, just me, only me, and nobody else but me. Other WDW travelers whose habits are similar to mine may find my list of stuff and its configuration useful, but those whose habits are radically different than mine may look at this page and shake their heads in woeful disdain, muttering, "What the heck was he thinkin'?" Your mileage may vary!
The gear I carry around the WDW parks falls into three categories:
Yup, I wear stuff around my neck (but not jewelry). I wear my camera, first and foremost. I have a nice, wide, comfy cotton camera strap that doesn't chafe; this is important if you're going to carry a camera around the parks all day!
I also have a neck cord for my sunglasses that allows me to take them off wear them when I'm indoors. I find this much easier than having some sort of case for them. Since one tends to take sunglasses off and put them on 50 times a day at WDW, a neck cord is the simplest and easiest solution.
And the third piece of gear I have around my neck is a small plastic pouch for carrying ID, park pass, room key, and fastpass slips. I originally got this pouch for the purpose of carrying an ID badge to identify myself to others who are members of my favorite web community, but it's far more useful than that, giving me instant, easy access to my park pass and those other small items.
In my pockets I carry the normal stuff like money, wallet, and car keys, but the demands of touring a theme park require a few extra comfort items, particularly for a lazy, convenience couch potato like me. So in addition to the normal stuff I keep a few goodies in my pockets, starting with drugs! No, not those kind of drugs; I am one of those people who takes various medications for minor ailments like back pain and allergies, so I have a small plastic container with three compartments in which I carry those drugs. I usually carry Zantac, Tylenol, and something for allergies. I also have a plastic tube in which I carry a supply of Roll-Aids; after all, one of the biggest draws of a Walt Disney World vacation is eating!
And since I eat a lot when at WDW, I also carry some disposable hand wipes.
I love taking pictures. And I take an awful lot of pictures, so I need to carry some accessories for my camera. When I carry a film camera, I keep 3 extra rolls of film in my pocket. But when I carry a digital camera, I carry an extra memory card and a spare set of batteries, in a small wallet that I found at Radio Shack.
And I also love to document my trips with more than just photos, so I carry a small notebook. This is also useful for recording my flight numbers, confirmation numbers for my rental car and hotel reservations, priority seating times and numbers, and most importantly, the section and row of the parking lot where I park each morning! I lost my car in the lot at Animal Kingdom once; I have no desire to ever repeat that experience.
The final item I carry is not in my pockets, but slipped onto my belt: a digital pedometer. I started carrying one at Disney World some years ago out of sheer curiosity, and now I take it with me on every trip. I record how many miles I walk each day in my notebook.
My final category of theme park gear is perhaps the most visible when you meet me: my utility belt.
My utility belt started as a means to carry a water bottle. On my first solo trip to WDW in 1999, I picked up a water bottle in a belt carrier at Walgreens and found that carrying my own refillable bottle was much more convenient than constantly searching for drinking fountains, and much cheaper than buying 2 or 3 bottles of Dasani or Coke every day.
Later I upgraded to a Brita Fill and Go sports bottle, which has a filter in it that takes away the unpleasant metallic taste of WDW water and the awful sulfurous taste of water outside WDW. But when I bought that bottle, I found that my previous carrier was slightly too small to hold it, so I bought a new one which could fit any belt, and used a small web belt to carry it. But that belt, too, was inadequate to the task, so I bought a new shotgun shell belt, made of stiff, 2" wide nylon webbing. Much stronger, and more comfortable than the old belt, this one became the basis for my current utility belt; I simply added a few extra items to it as I found that I needed them, and eventually wound up with the Batman-like creation I have today.
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Aside from the Brita bottle in its carrier, I also carry my cell phone, as so many others do. But unlike others, I carry a pencil on my belt for making those all important trip notes, and a mini-tripod to stabilize my camera during long exposure night shots. |  |
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One of the most useful pieces of gear anyone can carry at WDW is a rain poncho. These ubiquitous disposable yellow slickers, commonly called 'Mickey ponchos' because of the image of Mickey Mouse they bear on the back, cost about $6 and can be found at every shop of any kind throughout WDW. Since buying poncho after poncho when it rains and stops can add up to a lot of money on a week-long trip, most folks buy one and keep it for the duration; but carrying a Mickey poncho can be slightly inconvenient, so I came up with a simple and novel approach to the problem. Mickey ponchos can be rolled up into a shape about the same size as a can of Pringles, so I attached a couple of Velcro strips to the back of my belt that allow me to carry my poncho in plain sight, without the need for a bag of any kind, and easily accessible. |
I'll always carry a smile.
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Last Revision: 2005-10-08
