Packing for Orlando theme parks

Ok so you’ve booked your holiday to Florida. You’ve got your park tickets for the Universal & Disney parks (and more) but what should you take with you?

On our first trip to the sunny state of Florida we packed as if we were going on a standard holiday in the sun. T-shirts, shorts & some super strong sun tan lotion to protect my pale Scottish skin (being an IT guy and Scottish means that my skin burns as quickly as a bad vampire movie ).

A previous holiday was to Tunisia, so on our first visit to Orlando we decided to take similar items, including my Oakley sandals, trainers and all the usual stuff, but what we didn’t factor in is how different a holiday to the Disney and Universal theme parks are, so here are some ideas on what you should and shouldn’t pack when planning a trip to Orlando, for the parks.

Pack light

It may seam a bit strange to say to pack light, you are probably going for a few weeks, so you need stuff to wear whilst there.  Yes, but what you’re probably not considering is that you’er likely to be taking a lot more back than you left with.

Whilst on holiday in the theme parks, there are so many uniquely branded items, which you can not get elsewhere (although the Disney shop is stocking a lot more than in the past). Examples include T-shirts from Uniqlo [Disney Springs], Popcorn buckets (We have successfully brought back a Tie Fighter, Zero’s kennel [Nightmare before Christmas], Cindarella’s Castle [OK this was from Disneyland Paris, but it’s also available in Orlando – 2023]), Darth Vader’s head and many more ).  Many from the UK, depending on exchange rate, will go to the outlets and Malls to get great discounts on shoes and clothing most of which is not available in the UK [See Orlando Premium Outlets, Mall at Milllenia and Florida Mall], even Apple products (UK pricing is usually based on £=$, so an iPad at say £400 will be $400).

This leads me onto anther topic

Trainers

The typical Orlando theme park is not like Alton Towers.

If you don’t know how big they are, check out the multiple parks on Google Maps [Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando].

It is advisable to purchase a good quality, light, breathable pair of trainers, as you will be on your feet for the majority of the day.

Go for trainers that are lightweight, both to save weight in your suitcase and also you don’t want to drag heavy trainers around all day, especially when dragging your weary feet at the end of the day.

My personal recommendation is to try Sketchers.  This is because they are lightweight, they have memory foam soles (which both keep your feet cool and for comfort/impact) and the soles are “bouncy”. The ones I go for have a mesh outer to keep my feet cool in the Florida heat and where possible waterproof, as it will rain.  The only downside is that I don’t feel that the soles of some of the Sketchers are durable enough for prolonged wear, so I am conscious to check the soles before purchase (Which is why I go to the stores, rather than buying online).  Sketchers were not my original choice as I tend to wear trainers that are associated with skateboarding or extreme sports, such as Vans, Converse, DC, AirWalk, etc  but I soon found that my usual style of trainers were too heavy, did not have enough “bounce” in the soles and were not breathable enough for the Florida heat (even the canvas ones). [2023 – I do have one caveat, I have recently found a pair of Vans brand trainers [in the Livingstone Designer Outlet, which contain “Ortholite” and compare favourably with some Sketchers styles]

Whilst you could argue that this links in with my earlier point of buying when you are in Orlando, however I would advise against waiting until you are there, here are my thoughts on this.  There is a risk that you may not find something that you find suitable for your size, preferred style or tastes.  The price may not be that much cheeper, especially if you shop at the UK outlet stores (such as Livingstone Designer Outlet [Which just so happens to have a wide range of trainer stores including, Adidas, Vans, Sketchers and more]). Lastly, you may have to “Break in” the new trainers, something that you can easily do after purchasing in the UK (assuming you buy in advance of your trip) and at a time that is suitable (even going for walks round the local parks or to the shops… ).  I would not advise purchasing new trainers and walking around any of the Orlando theme parks until they are “broken in” as it will likely lead to sore feet and blisters, never mind an unhappy holiday experience.

Shorts

In the UK you are highly unlikely to find me wearing shorts, unless there’s a rare heatwave in Scotland, however in Orlando not only is this common place I would suggest that wearing trousers is not recommended.

I like to think ahead and consider not only what is comfortable, breathable, lightweight but also has sufficient [secure] storage.  Like most guys I keep what I need in my pockets and in Orlando I try to carry as little as I think I can, however I also consider I may be on rollercoasters that twist turn and may go upside down.  That is why I try to get shorts that have large pockets that either button down or have zips.

[Note: On a past trip to Universal Orlando, staff members were not allowing anyone to board certain coasters (I think The Hulk and the former Dueling Dragons/Dragon Challenge) if they had any items in pockets, instead they insisted that everything had to go into (free) lockers.]

Over the years I have managed to find suitable shorts either in high street stores (Suitable ones currently [2023] available at Next) or in outdoor shops such as Mountain Warehouse or even Sports Direct (I think they were AirWalk brand).

It’s important to also think about how you will deal with security check points at the entrance to the parks, have a strategy on where you have everything organised so that you can put stuff in any trays before going through metal detectors etc. [This also happens in Disneyland Paris].

T-shirts / Shirts

Keep it light, keep it cool.

I would recommend sticking to light coloured t-shirts as this is what most people wear to the parks.  Cotton or other breathable material is a must in the Florida heat.  I would not wear anything so thin it’s see through, but I’m conscious that some UK T-shirts are quite thick and may not be suitable.

For children (and possibly adults) there are special T-shirts in some parks (I think Universal and their water parks) which have inbuilt UV protection, something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in the UK.

Most places in Orlando expect casual dress. Shorts, T-shirt and trainers are common place, however there are some exceptions, such as the “Signature Dining” restaurants in Disney’s deluxe hotels ( DFB have a good guide on this. ).

Underwear

Not something I would normally mention, but as with my above comments about clothing, make sure your underwear is breathable and fits well.

The last think you want when walking around the parks is chafing, either from tight fitting (or too loose) clothing or underwear.

Money

I think I’ll go a separate blog post on this, however I would recommend looking at the US dollar Exchange rate to get the best rate.

I would suggest carrying some cash as tipping is expected at restaurants (circa 10-20%), taxi’s / rideshare, some busses [eg Bus to parks if you are off property] (usually such staff are minimum wage / depend on the tips), but card is accepted most places.  It’s been a while since we last went and at that time contactless payment was not as common as the UK. Chip & Pin was still a novelty and it was more common to have to sign when paying via credit card.  I expect that this will have changed in recent years (as it has in the UK) due to Covid 19 and the increase in secure contactless payments.

VISA / ESTA

[IMPORTANT: Only apply for an ESTA via the US Goverment’s Department for Homeland Security website https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov    There are many “fake” sites that will take additional fee / rip you off / collect your personal data etc. Only use the official link (Either use the link above or use a reliable search engine and look for the .GOV domain) ]

Anyone traveling from the UK (UK Citizen) to the USA requires to have a ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). I may go into this in more detail on another Blog posting, but the basics are that you have to [as at 2023] upload an image of your passport (the page with your photo and passport number, nationality etc) and fill in the blanks where the system has not picked everything up.

You will probably have to repeat some of the details.

I found this particularly frustrating on an Apple MacBook and found that using Chrome browser worked better than Apple’s Safari (a common issue with poorly designed websites).

There is a processing fee [per person] that you can pay via credit card (payment is only in US dollars, so some card companies may add an additional exchange fee when you receive your statement).

I have used the option to Apply as “Group of Applications”, so that everything is under one reference number to make it easier to manage.

Travel chargers / Power Adapters

So this is a MUST Bring.

Look out for a decent US to UK adapter, possibly one that has connections for multiple countries so that you can use it again on another trip [ I’m not hinting at taking a trip to one of the other Disney or Orlando parks around the world 😉 ]. I would suggest getting one that includes USB ports as most people now days have multiple devices (watches, phones, cameras, etc) that usually charge from USB A or USB C cables.

Some places (such as Disney resorts ) [Unlike Disneyland Paris] usually have loads of power sockets (Which, unlike the UK, don’t have on/off switches) and USB ports on a main table and the bedside tables. I can’t remember from watching past YouTube channels how universal resorts are, but from past experience we have found that some of the hotels out with the parks are not as accommodating with their power / ports.

Recently I have seen a Youtube video from DFB that suggests to take a (UK) 4-way power extension for all your devices (and the required UK plugs). This is something I used to do on business trips to Spain a few years back and would recommend this if you are unsure.

Everything else

Everything else is as you would expect for any trip abroad.

There are plenty of other sites and YouTube channels that give good advice, which I may include in a blog posting at a later date.

I hope this helps someone going for the first time or returning and just want a quick refresher.

Fun in the Sun – Florida (part 1)

In 2011 and 2014 we were in the lucky position to be able to visit Florida in the US, to be more specific Orlando.

This posting will mostly deal with our first visit in 2011, with more posts to follow for those interested in taking a trip over the pond for a fun break in the sun.

Our 2011 trip started with a Thomson flight from Glasgow International Airport to Stanford Airport. We’d chosen the route because it was cheeper than the flight to Orlando International, however Stanford is considerably further out than Orlando International which meant that we had to prebook a limo from the airport to our apartment, which meant it wasn’t as much of a saving as it first appeared.

We were staying at Mystic Dunes resort, which is close to Celebration and not far from Orlando. The resort hosts a large selection of villa apartments large enough to accommodate a family or a group of friends staying in the area.  There are a lot of facilities such as multiple swimming pools, a golf club and loads of other sporting areas dotted around the grounds. Our stay at Mystic Dunes was decent, but it was a bit far away for our first visit to Florida, especially considering our plan was to visit the Disney and Universal Parks (with a bit of retail therapy on the side).

Mystic Dunes had done a deal with the PlatinumTransportation Inc to supply all the transportation which meant that we were pretty much stuck with using them, which I believe may have cost us quite a bit to get around.  Despite the reviews on Yelp, we found the drivers of the cars and the busses to the parks to be polite and helpful, unlike the people that queues for the busses in the parks (that’s something for later).  The busses to the parks (Seaword, Disney’s Epcot and Animal Kingdom as well as Universal) started off at Mystic Dunes, which meant that you were guaranteed a seat on the long journey out but on the journey back Mystic Dunes was the last stop off, meaning if you didn’t get a seat you were standing until seats eventually freed up.  Some of the busses had screens which showed movies such as Despicable Me or Disney (usually Mickey Mouse shorts or Lion King), although sometimes the screens didn’t work or had problems, but it was occasionally a happy distraction.

Our lack of knowledge and lack of belief in our ability to drive in the US meant that we made some rookie mistakes, but we had done a bit of planning before we left so we weren’t completely naive.  There is a wealth of information on-line about Florida, the parks (Walt Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld, Bush gardens, etc), malls, and so much more, so I won’t go into it here, maybe in another posting…

Our plan to get to all the parks that we wanted, at times that weren’t so restrictive, was to use the Transportation and Ticket Centre at Magic Kingdom. The TTC allows you to use Disney busses, boats and monorail to get to and from all the Disney parks and resort hotels whilst still being able to access public busses such as Lynx to get out with Disney’s Kingdom, allowing you to get to the malls and Universal’s parks.  The only Disney location that you can’t get to from the TTC is Downtown Disney.  The secret to getting to Downtown Disney is to get a Disney Bus or Monorail to a Disney hotel and then get a Disney bus from there to Downtown.

As this was our fist visit to the area, we had decided not to take a gamble, hire a car and try driving on the other side of the road, something that I don’t regret despite the number of times we made mistakes with the Lynx bus system and had to call for the Limo to pick us up. In 2014 we did take the leap and get behind the wheel as it appears that most people drive in Orlando, but more of that in later posts.

Our original reason for going over to Florida was to have some fun and ride some of the more extreme rides in the area.  We had ridden all the rides in Alton Towers at the time and felt that it was time for me to up my game and try the bigger, faster rides in the states.  What happened once we reached the parks changed all that and our view on Disney changed forever and I suspect it will never be the same again.

We visited Universal‘s two parks and loved the big rides, atmosphere there and the more adult feel was great.  The big rides were amazing and the City Walk area was where we fell in love with the laid back Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. Margaritaville was a more subdued taste of Florida, good drinks, good food and a relaxed atmosphere which is a great break from the push and shove of parks.  For those of you with a fear of big rides then a few sips or a big gulp (if you really need it) of one of their tasty cocktails will soon sort out those nerves.  On one visit the barman was concerned that we had had a few drinks but had not yet eaten anything, after a quick discussion and realisation we were from Scotland, he realised that there was nothing to be concerned about.  On one trip we did try the Volcano Nacho’s which we were warned was a monster… we should have listened.. after the large plate, stacked high with “Tortilla chips layered with chili, cheese, pico de gallo, fresh guacamole, sour cream and jalapeños”  it was clear that the picture on the menu did not do it justice and we had really under estimated this monolith, after a brave struggle we had to eventually admit defeat.

When we went into Disney’s Magic Kingdom the feel was completely different and we almost instantly became Disney fans.  My better half joked that they must put something in the air conditioning system on Main St because after the Main street parade our view of Disney changed and something just clicked with us.  We realised that there is more to the Disney parks than just the rides, a feeling that you only get at Disney park and something that becomes electric within Magic Kingdom.

Our trip to the Florida Mall showed that UK Shopping centres are nothing compared to the US and being a Apple fan I had to check out the Apple store ( Hello, I’m FreakOut and I’m an Apple addict ). I can’t remember much about the rest of the stores, but I do remember there was loads for everyone and there is a big ass M&M’s store (which is far better than the only UK store in London and has a massive range of varieties of M&Ms that you just don’t get over here [except possibly CyberCandy in London’s Covent Garden]). My better half started a long distance retail affair with the Bath and Bodyworks, something that I have to admit that even I have started to love, which is yet another reason we keep going back to Florida…

Our one and great disappointment was that we never held back at the Disney parks for any of the night time fireworks at either Magic Kingdom or Epcot, something we would make up for in our next visit…