10 Things You Don’t Need to Pack for Your Trip to Walt Disney World

We’ve written a lot about things you might need to pack for your Walt Disney World vacation. To simplify things even further, here are ten things that you might be tempted to pack, but can reliably be left at home. (More room for souvenirs, right?)

• Large amounts of cash: While you do want to have a small amount of cash on hand for tipping, there’s no need to bring large amounts of cash with you on your trip. Virtually every restaurant and food kiosk takes credit/debit cards, Disney gift cards, and/or MagicBands as payment. Unless you have a huge amount of luggage or you’re using the automobile valet service every day [currently on pause during the pandemic], it’s likely that $50 in cash will be more than enough.
• A hair dryer: There are hair dryers available in all Walt Disney World hotel rooms.
• An iron: Before you start with the “who the heck irons clothes on vacation” talk, remember that there are business events and conferences that take place in and around Walt Disney World. Additionally, some folks like to wear dressy clothes for meals at signature restaurants. Regardless of your reason for wanting to neaten up, there are irons and ironing boards available in all Disney World hotel rooms. If you’re not in the mood to iron yourself, there is a dry cleaning and pressing service available at the resorts.
• Shampoo and conditioner: H2O brand shampoo and conditioner are available in Disney World hotel rooms, as is bar-style hand soap. Body lotion is available in the moderate and deluxe resorts.
• Towels: There are towels in your hotel room and by the pool at your resort. You might want to buy a beach towel as a souvenir, but there’s no need to bring one to use while you sunbathe or swim.
• Adult costumes: Disney World prohibits costumes in the parks worn by guests over the age of 13. There are some exceptions to this, notably Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party, but the Halloween Party has been cancelled for 2020, so there’s no need for any adult costumes.
• Clothing with “adult” sayings or graphics: The Disney parks prohibit the wearing of clothing with obscene language or images.
• New shoes: I get the temptation to splurge on new outfits for vacation, but leave the new shoes for a different trip. A typical Disney vacation involves 7-10 miles of walking each day. Make sure that whatever you put on your feet for the trek is already vetted for comfort and fit.
• Marijuana and related substances: Disney prohibits all forms of marijuana at the parks and resorts, including medically prescribed marijuana and marijuana obtained in a state where it is legally sold. There have even been kerfuffles related to guests bringing CBD oil into the parks. Leave the pot at home.
• Drone-style cameras: All drones are prohibited at the Disney parks and resorts. We’d love to take aerial photos in the parks, but that’s a big no-no. And while we’re on the subject of photography, you can leave the selfie stick at home too. Those are also prohibited at Disney World.

Do you have any questions about packing for your Disney World vacation? Let us know!