For non-Disney trips you might be able to pack pretty simply — regular clothes, shoes, toothbrush, etc. But when it comes to Disney, sometimes all bets are off!

Even we can often find ourselves packing a LOT of items because we want to be prepared. We’ve already shared a packing list, a list of 12 essentials you need in your park bag, and a look at some of the things even the pros forget to bring to Disney World. But, today we’re focusing on some of the things we pack for our Disney trips that might be considered a bit…well, weird!

There are a few things that we pack that some might consider unusual. BUT we’ve found these items to be SO handy that we think you might want to consider packing them too! So, without further ado, let’s dive into 3 SUPER weird items we pack in our suitcases that you might want to add to your next Disney World packing list.

Glow Sticks

You know those Glow Sticks you can get at the dollar store or off of Amazon? Those of us on the team with kiddos will pack DOZENS of them. Why? Well, here’s the thing — when it hits nighttime in Disney World, all the vendors typically come out with the cool glowy merchandise.

You might not see as much of them now since fireworks are temporarily suspended, but you’ll still find some glowing items available in the stores and around the parks. Generally, that merchandise IS not cheap. And trust us when we say your kids (or you) WILL want it.

If your kid sees one of those glowing Mickey wands — just know that that’s going to set you back AT LEAST $20. They DO look cool — we won’t argue with that — but is that an expense you really want to budget for? That $20 could be spent on food, merchandise that they’ll use more frequently at home, or other things around the parks.

So, instead of dropping some serious $$ on some pricey glow items, you can get some relatively inexpensive glow wands at your local dollar store or Amazon and whip them out once it starts getting dark. 

You can even sometimes find Disney-related glow items at lower prices if you look for them (we’ve seen them at Walgreens!). This is a win/win situation. You save money, but your kids (and everyone else in your party) can still get in on the excitement of glow wands. Just because you’re trying to save money and budget for your trip, doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun!

Pro tip: if you place some glow sticks on your stroller at night, it’ll be SO much easier to find the stroller when it gets really dark. And the best part is these glow sticks usually don’t take up a lot of room and you can throw the glow sticks away at the end of the evening or once they’ve run out of glowing power, leaving more room in your luggage for other souvenirs.

Click Here to Get Your Own Glow Sticks Online!

Plastic Containers and Bags

Here at DFB, we’re all about the food (obviously, it’s in our name!!), and when it comes to leftovers, we do NOT like to throw them in the trash. Sometimes kids might not eat all of their food, or you and your adult friends will go a bit overboard when it comes to ordering one too many corn dog nuggets (we’ve all been there).

Let’s be real here, Disney food ain’t cheap! You do NOT want to be repeatedly paying $8, $9, $10, or more for snacks that only end up being a quarter eaten and then thrown in the trash. But you also don’t want to be forcing yourself to keep eating when you’re already full. Feeling uncomfortably full and then trying to ride Space Mountain is not really going to work out for you. That’s why we bring plastic/reusable containers and bags to Disney World!

Plastic bags are good for things you don’t mind getting smushed, but we prefer to use some plastic containers to keep our leftover snacks in pristine condition until we can get to them later. Didn’t finish your chips? Got some leftover candies? Kids didn’t finish a few snacks? You can just throw them in your container(s), put that in your backpack, and then you’ll have instant snacks ready for later! You can even get Disney’s new reusable plastic bags and containers if you want to make your leftovers extra magical.

We might not be able to eat all of that Carrot Cake Cookie because it’s pretty HUGE (okay, maybe we can eat it all, but let’s just run with this hypothetical for a second). There is NO WAY we’re going to let any of that yumminess go to waste on our watch. And there’s no way we’re going to spend lots of cash on Disney food and then have it go to waste.

Putting your leftovers in a plastic/reusable container or bag to save for later is great for so many reasons. You can still grab the snacks you want and not worry about having to finish them all in one sitting. You can enjoy the snacks over a longer period of time throughout the day. You can save some money by eating leftovers when you get hungry later instead of buying another snack. And you can make sure that the money you’re spending on this food and the food itself doesn’t go to waste. Wins all around!

Click Here to Buy Some Food Storage Containers from Amazon!

Sound Machine

At Disney World’s hotels, you can experience any number of things when it comes to sounds. Sometimes, it can be surprisingly quiet in your hotel room at night, especially during slower times of the year. Sometimes you’ll hear a bit more action going on, particularly if you’re close to a busy part of the hotel like the pool.

Going to sleep in a hotel can be tricky if you’re not used to either the quiet or the sounds (even if those sounds are something as small as the particular sound of the air conditioning unit or something).

There’s also the issue of mornings, which can get VERY BUSY at Disney World hotels. Many families will get up early to get breakfast and hit the parks right as they open, which means there could be a lot of noise in the hallways. If you’re the type of person who prefers to sleep in a bit and get to the parks later, you might need something to drown out all of those sounds.

It is for all these reasons that we like to bring a Sound Machine to add a little ambient white noise to our space so we can fall asleep easily and/or stay asleep longer.

There are quite a few inexpensive sound machines available now that make general white noise sounds, ocean sounds, rain sounds, etc. And if you don’t want to invest in an actual sound machine, you can find some decent smartphone apps that will do the same thing (although, in our experience, the sound machines just sound more realistic, particularly with nature sounds).

It’s certainly a unique thing to bring with you, but if you’ve ever had trouble sleeping in a Disney World hotel, you may find that this will help. And there’s nothing better than getting a good night’s sleep after a long day in the parks.

Click Here to Buy a Sound Machine Online!

So there you have it — these are three things that we bring to Disney World that might be considered unusual. But they’re also very useful! Who knows? Maybe you’ll pack one of these on a future trip and it’ll become a staple item you won’t be able to vacation without!

We’ll keep working on developing more tips and tricks to share with you and hopefully help you have some spectacular Disney trips in the future. Stay tuned for more updates from us here at DFB!

Traveling to Disney World During a Holiday? Click Here to See What to Expect!

What unusual item do you bring on your Disney World trips? Share them with us in the comments!