Theme Park Must-Haves!

 I did a lot of research before our trip to Orlando on what to bring to make our long days in the parks as enjoyable as possible. I wanted to share some of our favorites so they might help you like they did us!

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I read all about these cooling towels and everyone claimed they were a life saver. I ordered them on a whim and thought we might use them out of desperation but couldn't really imagine walking around with one. Well let me tell you right now - they saved my life! 

One day in particular was uncomfortably hot and we were stuck in line (outside) while they shut down and worked on the ride. My husband pulled out the towel and soaked it in water from his water bottle and wrapped it around my neck. It was instant relief! The rest of it goes under your shirt and it's not bulky at all. It felt amazing. 

They come in a pack of 4 so we each got our own towel and remembered which was whose based on the color! They also come with their own bag to store it in between each use. We saw so many people in the parks with these. 

Cooling Towels

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Next in the same category of keeping cool are two different portable fans. My mom got these for us and sent us with two fans each. Levi doubled up on fans one day and brought both of his. Not gonna lie - we were all fighting to use one of his all day as the rest of us forgot ours in the room. We didn't make that mistake again ... Levi wouldn't let us!

This fan was my personal favorite. It discreetly clips onto your pants and it's lightweight. Levi kept his clipped to his shorts and had it blowing up his shirt all day. Smart! It has 3 different speeds and this was an absolute life-saver standing in lines. I recommend this to everyone! 

Waist Clip Fan

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The next fan was one that wraps around your neck and has two fans blowing. The kids loved this one and the hands-free aspect was certainly a plus! Both fans were allowed on all of the Disney rides, however they were not allowed on most of the Universal rides. 

Portable Neck Fan

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You WILL need ponchos if you're heading to Orlando, especially in the summer. Almost every evening there was at least some rain. Save yourself some money and purchase them before you go. The Disney ones are super cute, but very expensive for a poncho. We preferred the lightweight disposable ones as they were easy to carry around.

I linked a family pack below that comes with adult and child size.

Family Pack Disposable Ponchos

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Inevitably someone is going to rub a blister from the 9,000 miles you're going to walk every day, so definitely throw some of these in your backpack!

Moleskin Tape

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Even though it's the Happiest Place on Earth, there are still thieves, unfortunately. If you don't want to worry about losing your wallet or it falling out during a ride, I recommend one of these neck travel wallets. They go under your shirt and your important documents, cards and cash are on your person at all times.

Neck Wallet

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If your phone has a sorry battery life like mine, you're going to need a portable charger. I bought this one and loved it because you can charge two phones at once! I wasn't on my phone much so I only had to use it once at the parks, but it was so nice to have available and I keep it with me now all the time.

Portable Charger

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Here is a money saving hack: Ice water is free at any restaurant, quick service or snack stand at all of the parks, so bring your own water bottle to fill up as needed! We saved so much money doing this rather than buying 4 bottles of water every other hour and it stayed cold for hours since there was ice! I always prefer ice water to bottled.

I recommend bringing an insulated bottle over plastic so your water can stay nice and cold. 

Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle

And here is a list of other things to bring that I'm not going to link since you probably have most of these things on hand:

Sunscreen

Sunglasses

First Aid Kit / bandaids

Kleenex

Chafing balm or powder 

Baby Wipes - these come in handy for after eating ice cream, etc.

I hope this information helps in planning your future trip. I appreciate the people who posted their own favorite must-haves as it helped me tremendously. It's better to be prepared than winging it and having to spend unexpectedly (and exorbitantly) once you're in the parks!