What to Pack When Visiting a Disney Water Park
Cash and I love adding the Water and Sports option to our annual passes. For just $99 a year, it grants us unlimited access to both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. In addition to that, Disney recently introduced an amazing perk: all guests staying onsite at a Disney resort receive free admission to either water park on their check-in day. This makes enjoying the water parks accessible and affordable for everyone!
Since we’ve had so many fantastic trips to the water parks, I thought I’d share some tips, including what we always pack for a fun day!
What Food And Drinks Can I Bring?
Let's start with what you can’t bring in. The water park rules are similar to the theme parks: no full-sized ice chests or anything on wheels. While Cash and I have managed to get away with a small wheeled cooler—I usually have him carry it so it's not too obvious—for a safer bet, I highly recommend a cooler backpack. It’s perfect for carrying enough drinks and snacks for at least two people.
Like the theme parks, you can bring in virtually anything, but alcohol and glass containers are strictly prohibited. Just a heads-up: they do check your coolers when you walk in, and they tend to be much more thorough than at the main parks, so you’ve been warned!
Food and drinks that we love to bring:
Granola bars
Fruit (we love frozen grapes!)
Water bottles
Cans of soda
Pub Subs (For those who are not local: That’s a Publix grocery store sub sandwich- they are the best!)
I’ve also packed chips, but Cash turned down his nose at the Takis- when you’re out in the sun all day, cool refreshing food always sounds the best.
What Else Should I Bring?
Along with our cooler bag, we usually bring a dry bag and a waterproof fanny pack. We leave the bigger bags and towels at our chairs, and I bring our more valuable items (phone, money, car key) in the fanny pack that stays with us all day. I feel pretty safe leaving most things in our chairs, but even though it’s rare to have anything go missing, I still feel better if the important stuff stays with me.
Here’s what we pack:
Bandaids/Neosporin
Sunscreen
Beach Towels
Swim Goggles
Disney Popcorn Bucket (They have a stand where you can get discount refills, just like at the theme parks!)
Baseball Cap (I like wearing a hat to keep the sun off my face; this style stays on my head well, even on the rides. A lot of people wear bucket hats or hats with a strap. As much as I love my straw sun hat, it’s just not as practical for the slides.)
Sunglasses (Rumor is it’s easy to lose them, so maybe bring your least favorite pair, but I wear my prescription pair that fit pretty snugly, and they stay on no problem.)
Chapstick
Koozies (Because we bring soda cans, and I like to keep my hands warm and drink cold.)
Water Shoes (I like to wear them because the pavement gets HOT, but Cash prefers to go barefoot. Try and find a comfy fit because you’ll be doing a lot of walking.)
Go Pro or other waterproof camera (I used the wrist strap, and they let me bring it on every ride. We got some entertaining ride videos. It’s also fun to use underwater at the wave pool.)
That’s about it! You'll need more gear if you’ve got a little one. However, many areas are stroller friendly, so you can easily pack a diaper bag and have a place for your child to nap in the shade if needed!
Other Tips
I’ve mentioned my fanny pack; I bought this one, which is SUPER waterproof and fits well. However, most rides have rules posted that you can’t ride them if you wear any clothing with buckles, straps, etc. I solve this by wearing a tank top over my bathing suit (a cute Disney-themed one, of course), and I tuck the fanny pack under it. That way, I can ride the slides safely without worrying about anything getting caught. Besides that, I’ve worn sunglasses, a hat, and water shoes on the rides, and nobody minds.
If you’re a minimalist (a concept wholly unfamiliar to me) or your mom is visiting with you and can hold all the stuff, skip all this and wander around barefoot in your swimsuit all day- it sounds like heaven!
We usually skip the lockers, which seem like a hassle and a waste of money. Everyone leaves their stuff on their chairs.
If you want to grab lunch in the park at Blizzard Beach, Cash and I recommend the hot dogs at Avalunch. They come with a bag of chips, are very filling, and are super delicious. We ate for under $25 (bringing our drinks).
If you’re staying at a resort and don’t want to bring your drinks, they have a refillable cup you can purchase and refill all day at the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines (much like the cups at the resorts). There is also a souvenir beer cup that you can get that allows you discounted refills the same day.
There is a chair lift at Blizzard Beach that is super convenient, but the line can get long. That being said, the stairs are brutal, and there are many of them. We try and space it out and ride the chair lift about half the time, and take the stairs the other half, so we aren’t dead tired, but we still get some exercise in and keep our wait times lower.
If you have small children be super cautious of the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon- it is one of the strongest in the world, and will knock down a full grown adult (I know from experience), even surprisingly close to the shoreline.
That’s all for now! If you’ve enjoyed these tips and are planning a Disney World vacation, I’d be thrilled to help you book your trip. If you prefer to handle the planning yourself, be sure to download my "Essential Guide to Disney World" to make sure you catch everything!