I love to travel and especially love visiting Disney. However, I hate packing. Thankfully after packing for dozens of Disney World trips over the last 10 years, I have finally perfected my Disney World packing list. Use this packing list, plus matching free printable Disney World checklist, to make packing for your Disney World vacation easy.
I normally advise against over-packing. It can make your suitcase messy and heavy, and you may never need the item. However, when I stay on-property at Disney World I always over-pack, just a little.
I usually pack 2 extra shirts and an extra bottom, for example jeans or shorts, for each person. When the weather is borderline it’s worth packing an extra pair of jeans, shorts, or a sweatshirt.
We once had a trip where forecasted highs were in the mid-70’s so I didn’t pack any shorts. The weather ended up being much hotter than expected and I regretted not over-packing a little by adding a pair of shorts.
It’s also nice to have a spare shirt or pair of pants just in case one you intended to reuse gets soiled.
Packing clothes in coordinating colors makes it easy to mix and match your pieces. A simple color scheme provides the greatest flexibility in outfit combinations while on vacation.
Several days before leaving, I begin packing for our Disney World trips. Our spare bedroom acts as a staging area where I work on packing one set of items at a time.
My goal is to be completely packed at least 3 days before leaving. This has saved me many times because I always seem to remember something random between “final packing” and leaving for the airport.
I was way late to this packing trend because I figured packing cubes couldn’t be that great. Wrong, wrong, wrong!
Packing cubes make it incredibly easy to unpack (just throw your cube inside a drawer) and then repack (throw cube back into suitcase). Packing cubes also help keep everything organized.
For example, I usually have pajamas in one cube, undergarments in another, and then one large cube for each person’s clothing.
I have purchased these packing cubes twice (affiliate link: buy it on Amazon) and am still very happy with them. We’ve used our packing cubes constantly over the last few years and even after washing on delicate multiple times they have held up great.
I pack our swim gear in reusable, washable, and waterproof bags from The Sweat Mate (affiliate link: buy it on Amazon). These bags keep damp swimsuits from damaging our other clothes when packing to go home.
Depending on the season, or sometimes just the day, Disney World can have a large range in weather. We have been at Disney World in every weather scenario: pouring rain for days, unbearable heat and humidity, record breaking cold, and perfect sunny 70 degree days.
Each type of weather requires slight packing modifications. For example, in spring or summer pack light layers which are perfect during cool mornings or nights and when the bus air conditioning is frigid.
During the rainy season, which is much of the year, bring extra shoes and socks. Fresh socks and dry shoes are a treat after walking in squishy shoes all day.
If visiting Disney World during winter, pack warmer items like gloves and coats in case the temperatures start to dip.
At the end of Disney World days I find myself searching for electrical outlets. While the number of charging stations has improved at Disney World resorts, the demand for outlets outpaces these improvements.
I’ve started packing charging blocks that require one electrical outlet, but then provide charging to multiple devices simultaneously. This Anker 4-Port USB Wall Charger (Affiliate Link: Buy on Amazon) perfectly charges our Magic Band+ each night and only requires one outlet.
My daughter’s Apple watch and iPhone easily charge with this dual port Anker USB-C charger (Affiliate Link: Buy on Amazon). And when she’s not using it, my phone and laptop can use the same block.
Being sick is terrible, but even worse when on vacation and without easy access to medicine.
After a trip where Elizabeth spiked a high fever in the middle of the night, I always pack a small number of emergency medications in a Disney World first aid kit.
Pack children’s and adult acetaminophen or ibuprofen, cough and cold medication, Band-aids, and Sea-Bands or other anti-motion sickness medicines.
I use a small pouch as my first aid kit and always pack it in my carry-on, not checked, luggage.
I was not good at packing for Disney World on our first couple of trips. In fact, during our first trip we somehow managed to use items for an outfit that I had not planned on going together.
The first outfit looked fine, but the two leftover items left much to be desired as far as matching was concerned. Thankfully that time we just threw a costume over the questionable outfit.
For many trips after that I would pack my daughter’s full outfit (top, bottom, undergarments, and socks) into a zip-top bag. This made getting ready in the morning much easier with a toddler.
I always have a checklist of last-minute items, like teddy bears, makeup, and phone chargers, that I use the day we leave. This keeps me from forgetting an item that I cannot pack ahead of time.
Although we often do carry-on only trips, here I’m referring to using a carry-on as an emergency back up for lost or delayed checked luggage.
I always have one or two outfits per person, spare socks/undergarments, all prescription medications, pajamas, brush/combs, and any essential toiletries in my emergency carry-on bag. Hopefully you never need these supplies, but you’ll be very glad you have them if the worst happens.
If we are arriving early and heading straight to Disney World theme parks, I pack my park bag and use it as my personal item on the plane.
Find our very comprehensive packing list below. Those who prefer Disney World vacations with a carry-on only should use this pared down packing list instead.
When packing clothing I plan for enough clothing to last me the number of days we are at Disney World. Then I add 2 tops and 1 extra bottom to reach my final number of clothing items. I always make sure to pack extra socks and undergarments, too.
There are the usual items you expect to see on a packing list, but I have a couple that are a little strange. The first is nightlights. No matter the age of your travel party, having a nightlight in a hotel bathroom is amazing.
Some newly renovated Disney World resorts have built in nightlights, but I still always pack one just in case.
You may also notice gum is on my packing list. Although it seems odd, pack your own gum since it is not sold anywhere on Disney World property.
Packing for a Disney World trip can feel overwhelming, but doesn’t have to be hard. Use our Disney World packing tips and printable packing list to get your packing done quickly so you can get back to planning the fun parts of Disney World vacations.
Pin it for later:
Hi, I'm Cristin and I started Smart Mouse Travel in 2016 as an honest but encouraging resource for families planning vacations. I only write articles based on our personal travel experiences. This means you can always trust our travel reviews, tips, and tricks knowing we've actually been there. Our family is usually at Disney, Universal, US National Parks, on our family 50 US state challenge, or cruising with Disney Cruise Line.
