To Bag or Not to Bag?...at Disneyland
When heading into the parks for the day, whether you're waking up bright and early or sleeping in, you are most likely only thinking about all of the fun you'll soon be having and not thinking about whether you should have a bag or not?
For starters, taking a bag can be both a blessing and a curse. Here's a quick breakdown on my pros and cons for taking a bag into Disneyland.
Pros:
You'll have a central storage location for all of your belongings including your cell phone(s) and even wallet and keys, leaving your pockets empty and you free from worrying about items flying out while enjoying the rides.
Having the bag will also allow you to carry items with you that you otherwise would not,
such as water bottles, Additional items that we personally find useful to have with us are sun screen, phone chargers, portable battery packs, small tripods, light sweat shirt or jacket if you will be staying late or a change of clothes if you plan on getting wet on a water attraction.
Bringing your own snacks are allowed which can help save you money as well as ensure your family likes the food by bringing their favorite snacks in with you and storing them in your backpack.
Lastly, having a bag can be great to hold items that you might purchase or acquire during your visit. Recently Marzz and I participated in the Animation Academy in DCA and we stored our finished drawings inside our backpack where they were protected and conveniently stored leaving our hands free for the remainder of our visit.
Cons:
Carrying the bag. This was probably your first thought to begin with and I would agree this can be an issue both physically and from a convenience stand point. Carrying the bag can be tiring if you plan on staying all day. There are also some attractions where holding the bag is not an option and you will either have to store it in a locker, leave it at the loading/unloading platform or if available, leave it with another member of your party. It's worth mentioning that some attractions you can have the bag with you but you may not want to as it can be annoying and distracting to your enjoyment of the ride.
Security bag check. When entering Disney property you will have to pass through a security check whether you have a bag or not. If you do not have a bag, there is often a "no bags" line which is much faster for guests and we highly recommend that you use this option if you do not have a bag; even if only some of your group does not have a bag, but perhaps you need to purchase tickets or just use the restroom, this will save those people time and allow them through before those with bags; so split up and send the bag-less people through while the rest of your party wait in line.
For those with a bag, you will have to wait in the queue and once you get the to check point, open ALL zippers on your bag and any items inside your bag that have zippers such as wallets. This will save you time by opening them before reaching the check point. Generally the bag check is pretty quick, all things considered once it's your turn. But it will add additional time for you to get through the check point compared to those without a bag.
A quick note/story: do not argue with the security team, they are following their policy and if the situation escalates they can bar you from entry into the parks for that day, regardless of whether you've purchased a ticket already or have an annual pass; so it's just better to comply and save yourself the hassle. When I was a cast member I personally witnessed a guest making jokes about bringing in explosives because he was annoyed at the security team when they asked him to remove a sweatshirt and some other items in his bag so that the security guard could get a better look inside. After attempted instructions to stop, the man continued and the officer called for his lead which wasted no time in barring the man from entering the park for the remainder of the day. Unfortunately for the man, once this decision was made his hand and ticket were marked with a special stamp noting his restriction for that day. To add to this, the rest of his family had already gone through the security check and were now upset to find out their dad would not be able to join them for the day. This decision was final and that man was not allowed in. Just something to think about when the temptation to make a joke arises.
What's in Our Bag?:
Marzz and I take our backpack which we purchased in Walt Disney World. It is a standard backpack, black with colorful Mickey Mouse heads on it, I'm sure you've seen them in the parks. The backpack has thick shoulder straps which makes it comfortable to wear all day at the parks and has multiple pockets ranging from large to small which makes it great to carry a range of items.
When we are filming for our YouTube channel, nateandmarzz, we bring more items with us and having the backpack makes our day operate much smoother. We are able to fit my DJI Mobile 2 gimbal inside it's case into the backpack along with other accessories.
Recently we've headed to the parks with the intent on riding water attractions like Splash Mountain. In preparation for this, we brought a change of clothes or at least shoes. We packed sandals/flip flops and a change of socks and a small towel to dry off after getting soaked on the ride. At Grizzly River Run there are free lockers which we've used to store our backpack guaranteeing that our bag stayed dry. We also have learned to pack zip lock bags to place our phones or external batteries inside keeping them dry.
Another example was our trip to Walt Disney World in November 2017, we purchased a pack of disposable rain ponchos as we thought we may need them with the unpredictable Florida weather or just to stay dry on their water attractions. This worked out great as we were able to carry enough ponchos for the four people in our party, including extra so that when we finished using them we could simply throw them away rather than carry wet ponchos around all day. This is a good tip for any of the Disney parks and the ponchos were inexpensive, I made the purchase off of Amazon (see link)
I mentioned sun screen earlier, this is something we've been bringing recently and it has saved us from sun burns by allowing us to reapply all day long. We also tend to have some medication with us such as ibuprofen or aspirin, lip balm and baby wipes.
If we have the choice, we tend to choose taking a bag or backpack rather than not because it gives us options. This is not to say that it is not a hassle some times and there are times when we simply get tired of carrying it but we try to keep it light.
Another trick we do when going through the security check point is remove everything from our pockets and put them inside the backpack so when we go through the metal detectors it's less items to keep track of.
We see other guests who bring their bags or backpacks and decorate them with park pins or patches which is another fun way to display your pins.
Whether you choose to bag or not to bag is ultimately up to you but hopefully this article has given you some ideas and things to keep in mind. We'd love to hear from you regarding this subject, leave us a comment below and let us know what you bring to the parks.
This article is just our opinion and ideas, always be sure to check Disneyland's official website for an updated list of rules and regulations, including what items may or may not be permitted into the parks and for any questions, contact their guest relations department and lastly keep in mind Disney reserves the right to refuse entry of any item at their discretion.
Disneyland Park Rules Link:
Disneyland Guest Information Phone Number:
(714) 781-INFO or (714) 781-4636
We are/were not paid, compensated or persuaded in any way in writing this blog. The ideas, thoughts and discussion points in this blog were ours and ours alone.
