It’s never too early to think about packing for Disney World, especially when you’re flying! You’re not only equipping yourself for Disney, but also for the modern airport experience. You’ve got your Disney Flying essentials – your phone with Disney case, Dooney wallet in Disney print, Mickey pen, favorite chewing gum, and Magic Band.
What else is in that fetching Disney bag or backpack you’ve got there?
The cardinal rule of air travel these days is “Arrive Early,” (the cardinal reality being “Expect Delays”). Wearing slip-on shoes with jewelry and belt preventatively stowed away, hopefully you won’t really need to devote all that extra time to standing in line waiting to get through security. Instead, you’ll be sitting comfortably at your gate, humming “Leavin’, on a jet plane,” contentedly sipping a latte, catching up with the latest Mouseketrips planning tip articles and playing Disney Emoji Blitz while you wait for your flight to Florida. 🙂
In any case, you’re going to be waiting, even if the flight is on time (fingers crossed!). So you’re going to need power. Your airport may have the latest innovations in traveler convenience, and you’ll find that charging ports are close to almost every seat. But that may not be the case. You’re going to want to travel with your own power generator and cables (a lightning cable for your iPhone or iPod and a micro USB cable for a Kindle). For less than $20, you can get a powerful yet compact 10000mAh charger bank. Amazon offers many choices, including a solar variety – with a seat in the sun, you can keep your phone going strong even if you’re playing Pokemon Go the whole time. (Airport gates have a lot of Pokemon.)
The Disney Shop Parks App has some very tempting TAG travel items – sleep eye masks in Disney prints, luggage tags, Disney transportation print umbrella, luggage straps, and suitcases. If you were planning to acquire a new Disney bag at the parks, you could enjoy the fun of having it sent to your home in advance. Be sure your AP is loaded onto your Shop Parks profile, and the discount should be automatically applied at checkout.
Some travelers experience ear pain due to changing pressure when a plane lands, but only when they have a bad head cold. Other people find that they experience “descent pain” more commonly. Travel experts are divided between the best over-the-counter way to prevent ear pain when the plane lands: either a pseudoephedrine tablet or a Benadryl about 90 minutes before landing. Note that on-the-shelf decongestant phenylephrine as a substitute for pseudoephedrine is not generally effective for ear pain due to changes in cabin pressure. Pseudoephedrine does not require a prescription, but must be requested from the pharmacist. Also note that Benadryl can cause drowsiness in some people, so don’t let your arrival in Orlando be the first time you try one of these products! And in any case, consult with your physician before trying something new.
In your wallet, along with your license, credit cards, insurance cards, WDW Annual Pass (you still need the card itself for discounts at park and resort merchandise locations – Magic Band is not enough), take along your AAA card, even if you’re not driving. If you’re not an AP holder, you’ll need the AAA card for a 10% discount at Earl of Sandwich. (Have you tried the potato salad and the brownies??) If you’ll be renting a car, don’t forget to put your Sunpass transponder in your carryon.
As well as items that typical passengers have in their bag, such as earbuds, travel-sized eye drops, nail clipper with file, travel pack of tissues, lip balm, travel sewing kit, travel pill box – you’ll also need specifically Disney travel items. You may want to bring along a small toy to trade with the Jawas in the Launch Bay, shiny pennies for fountain tosses, trading pins, and a small flashlight for checking under seats when leaving the airplane … or the Hall of Presidents. You wouldn’t believe how often people inadvertently leave things in there – the seat design must cause pockets to sag.
In a quart-sized Ziploc, you’ve got your lotion, mini hand sanitizer, and other 3-ounce or under liquids. An extra quart-sized Ziploc bag tucked in the outside pocket of your carryon (in case the first one breaks) is a good thought. (You could tuck a second copy of your boarding pass in there, too.) When flying, it’s a good idea to encase all liquids in their own Ziploc — gallon-size for larger items in checked luggage, snack-sized Ziplocs for small bottles. Ziploc bags are remarkably handy at Disney. Perhaps you’re too full for the last bite of that delicious chocolate croissant at Captain Cook’s – pop it in a Ziploc to enjoy later. Maybe your child can’t finish her Mickey waffle, but she’d love it in a couple of hours. At a table service restaurant, you might hate to waste the last roll in the bread basket. For small leftovers that aren’t worth asking for a to-go box, a Ziploc is your go-to!
If you like to fly, you’ll enjoy your “highway in the sky” in any case. If you don’t like to fly, you want to have some magic tricks in that travel bag to line your path with roses. You could start with a travel sized Evian Brumisateur Mineral Water Facial Spray (pricey at $7, but worth every penny to some travelers). The elegant little bottle fits comfortingly in your hand, and the fine mist spray refreshes and relaxes. They can be hard to find, though Bed, Bath, and Beyond generally carries them. Beauty suppliers on eBay are another good source.
A Disney Tsum Tsum can be a fun mascot to carry in your bag – or the perfect surprise for your child. You can take photos of your Tsum along your route and amuse your friends and family by sharing them on Snapchat. The Shop Parks app has Disney Parks Exclusive Tsums. Target carries Disney Tsum Tsums as well as the Disney Store.
A “real” postcard can be as much fun to send as it is for the recipient to receive. You can get yourself some fetching Disney postcards online before the trip. Address the cards at home and add stamps (regular first class postage for postcards larger than 4×6 – such as the artsy Shop Disney Parks post cards). Now you can enjoy writing it out on the plane with your Disney pen. You won’t find a mail box at MCO (though if you’re connecting in Chicago, they have one at O’Hare), but you can mail the postcard in the lobby of your resort. Take a photo of the beautiful design on the postcard and use it as the screen background on your phone during the trip. Good times.
Sunglasses, of course, you’ve got. And a travel-sized sunscreen – since you may be hitting a park before your luggage is delivered with the full size tube or bottle. You can obviously “make” your own travel sunscreen by purchasing a leak-proof three-ounce empty bottle and filling it. Amazon offers IKEA’s popular travel bottles as well as the silicone variety. If you wear a hat in the parks, you’ve got that in your bag, too. With your MagicBand on your wrist, you are Disney ready!
Have a magical flight!
Leave a Reply