(Part 2) Top products from r/WaltDisneyWorld

First... get this stroller. It was a life saver when getting on the buses and other transportation. And it fits in the overhead compartment on the plane.

We've been a few times on our own so we rode most of the rides already and weren't too worried if we didn't get to ride anything. We went for my daughter's first birthday in April and then went back for the 4th of July and we're going again for Labor day. The first trip was fun, but we had to fly with formula, which was a lot to carry around. Luckily we went with a cousin so she was a big help and made rider swap more fun since we weren't riding by ourselves. Our daughter got her first haircut in magic kingdom where she got a certificate with a lock of her hair to keep. She loved the frozen ride in Epcot. She loved all the princesses and people, but wasn't too keen on the characters in masks like Mickey and Goofy etc. When we went on July 4th she was off formula so that was a big help lol. We got to ride the Navi River journey and I think we had more fun watching her react to the ride than the actual ride. She loved it! We went to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue and she was clapping and dancing along with that. She still didn't like the characters in masks. She took naps in the stroller and we'd take breaks in secluded areas with AC and we tried walking through the shops in the parks to stay in the AC as much as possible. We never went back to the room until the end of the day. We had a couple of reservations at some resort restaurants so sometimes we get to the resort early so we could relax in the lobby. I can't wait for labor day as now she's started walking and talking a lot more and will probably react to the rides and characters differently. So that will be fun to watch.

I try to keep my bag as streamlined as possible but I like to be prepared.

Here are the things I always bring:

-cheap plastic poncho everyday / higher quality rain jacket when rain is expected

-refillable plastic water bottle (I carry a 12 oz nalgene) with bottle of mio flavoring

-small bottle of advil and another with dramamine ( I get motion sick easily)

- Locking pin backs for keeping trading pins secure.

-battery pack and phone charging cable

-snacks (I like to bring a bagel for a filling mid morning snack)

-small pack of baby wipes/hand wipes because I always end up eating something sticky.

** inflatable lightweight seat cushion for waiting on parades, fireworks, etc. (game changer!**)

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**If you get just one thing for the trip, I HIGHLY recommend the inflatable seat cushion if you intend to wait around for parades, fireworks, see any shows, etc. You'd be surprised after walking around for hours how much of a difference having a comfortable surface to sit on makes. It's by far my favorite park item.

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Have a great trip!

Check out Bob Gurr's Google Talk, particularly at the 12 minute mark when he hears his interviewer use the word "Process." It's pretty funny. Watch the whole video. It's great. I'd also recommend any of the D23 panels that include the Imagineering Legends (Sklar, Gurr, Tony Baxter, Alice Davis, Rolly Crump, Joe Rohde, and others).

I was fortunate enough to hear Bob speak and meet him. Very, very nice gentleman.

In terms of books, in addition to those already mentioned:

The Imagineering Way is a fun book about the way they go about things.

The Imagineering Workout is a fun companion book.

John Hench's Designing Disney is a fun, visual look at his time with Disney.

Building a Better Mouse is a very specific story about the engineers who built The American Adventure show. This might be something you'd find interesting as an engineering student.

Project Future discusses the land acquisition in Florida. Very interesting book.

Three Years in Wonderland covers the construction and development of Disneyland in detail, more regarding the business side of things (leases, sponsors and partnerships).

*Walt and the Promise of Progress City is another fun book on the acquisition and the original EPCOT concept.

The main Walt Disney Imagineering Book is a great start, and Marty's two books are good as well.

I've also found Creativity, Inc to be inspirational. It goes back to the storytelling roots, but you'll find that most of the Imagineering books, articles, and posts are all about storytelling.

Walt Disney's Disneyland is an incredibly comprehensive history of the original park. While it includes plenty of concept art it features many historical photos, planning documents, construction photos etc as well as taking the most detailed approach to the story of the park's construction and updates I've seen.

Walt Disney Imagineering is a good companion with a stronger focus on World, but this is more specific ride histories and designs than the overall park.

The Art of Walt Disney is a fantastic top to bottom look at the history of the studios and company, with plenty of amazing illustrations but is obviously art driven.

DisneyWar (already mentioned) is the seminal account of the Eisner era specifically and takes the word "comprehensive" to new heights.

The Walt Disney Studios (releasing this Sept) promises to be an excellent account of the film studios themselves and movies developed there.

As others have touched on there is a little bit of a vacuum for works that are just written histories, most have to get wrapped around "art" in some capacity to justify all of these books being $60+ 300 page hardcovers.

Re: crowds - you won't ever regret arriving in time for rope drop. You can get a whole lot done in the first few hours of the day when the crowds are lower. Then leave the park when it's getting busier and it's the heat of the day. Return to your hotel for a nap or swim, then return again later in the day.

Re: heat.

• Stay hydrated! You can get a free cup of ice water at any counter service restaurant. No need to pay for bottled water unless you can't stand the taste of Florida tap water.
  
  
• Wear a hat! No exceptions!
  
  
• They sell battery powered mister fans at the parks but a) they're expensive and b) they're big. I mooched one of these off my nephews. It's about the size of a deck of cards and does a good job of providing a cool breeze and then stores easily.
  
  
• Sunscreen! Apply liberally before you leave your hotel. Most people don't put on enough. Re-apply every couple of hours. Here is some more info on sunscreen.
  
  
• If you're overheating at the Magic Kingdom and need to cool off, head to the Hall of Air Conditioning Presidents or Carousel of Air Conditioning Progress.
  
  
• When it's crazy hot outside and I'm all sweaty, I find that when I go into somewhere with the AC blasting I will then freeze. I always take a thin light weight, long sleeved hoodie with me to put on when I'm suddenly too cold. I leave it tied around my waist when I'm outside.
  
  
• Go easy on the alcohol since it dehydrates you. I find I like getting lemonade instead of pop/soda. Use the heat as an excuse to get ice cream! The All American Sundae at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor is my fave. I also never say no to a frozen Coke and cream cheese pretzel from the Lunching Pad.

Current bag is this backpack, although - full disclosure - I haven't used it yet! My go-to was an eBags crossbody (Piazza) which I highly recommend if anyone prefers crossbody, but after a full day at the parks and a fully loaded bag I would end up with ONE sore shoulder. I finally decided to get the same backpack my friend had when we went to DL. It's the perfect size and folds up into a pouch for easy packing!

The Epcot that was built is very far away from Walt's personal concept of Epcot -- other than to the extent there is a general emphasis on science / technology / progress, which, again, I think we've agreed is still relevant and not outdated. So when you're saying "Walt's personal concept" is outdated, you're saying that something which is purely hypothetical and never existed is outdated -- what Epcot emerged as is in 1982 is nothing like what Walt Disney intended it to be before he died. (And whether or not that's outdated is a whole 'nother discussion.) If you want to read more about Walt's original vision, check out this book which is great (although I hope in a second edition Gennawey can add more diagrams / pictures, which would help the narrative).

Portable phone charger is a must. Also like other said, cheap dollar store ponchos, temporary tattoos for the kids and if you have girls buy them a dress at Target for $20 instead of in the park for $60+

I'd also recommend one of these chill pad towels. You soak it in cold water, ring it out and it says cold for a few hours. Really helps keep the kids (and adults) cool. Just wrap it around your neck for 10 minutes.

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Chill-Pal-Cooling-Towel/dp/B00XKLYWFU/ref=pd_ybh_a_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A1PWXAEQJ195QSCXKH19

While you can get a cup of water for free from any quick service counter we usually bring an insulated water bottle which keeps drinks cold for 8 hours even in the Florida sun.

Two thoughts:
You need to listen to one of the disks on Disney's audio from the 1964 World's Fair. It includes drafts of that script as well.
http://smile.amazon.com/Walt-Disney-1964-Worlds-Fair/dp/B001EQUESC/

Martins Videos did a good background of it as well with some interesting facts.
http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=103

I highly recommend ordering some cheap ponchos from amazon! I’m going at the end of the week and grabbed these. We do this every time we go and it saves us so much money, and it’s also a nice peace of mind thing to just toss them in a park bag and have them in case.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/Piglet-Disney-Stuffed-Animal-Collectible/dp/B005NIL05S


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|




To help add charity links, please have a look at this thread.

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We found these at our local Target and they're great! Lightweight, pocket-size, and foam blades so I can give one to my daughter too. And I strongly believe a misting fan is a must, otherwise you're just blowing more hot air on your face! https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01BDTV5SM

Get disposable ones. They all technically work well enough and honestly, there's little point in trying to reuse them after your trip. If you save them without drying them correctly, they'll just end up getting moldy.

We usually just buy 3 packs of these and pull them for our trips as we need them, after we get done and go home, we just throw them out.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076JCKSQB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nhI3CbFRFXH1Y

If you bring your stroller spend the $30 on Amazon to get a travel bag for it. Then you’re not getting airplane grease and grime on your nice stroller.

With my second (and last) child we bought a really nice umbrella stroller. It’s the GB Qbit....I think. But it folds up to the size of a briefcase. Super easy for going through airport security and gate checking.

Not the same but similar: stroller

I've used those packable/folding style backpacks before. They work well enough but found that after walking around all day it starts to become a pain. I've switched over to the Sug Ninja Day Pack.

I've been using the SUG Ninja Pack as my dad bag (or carry on when flying) in the parks and love the thing; I could wear it all day without an issue. I need to carry enough for a family of four; we often go in the early months of the year where it can often get a bit colder in the morning/night and end up with hoodies. Trying to carry a few hoodies in the folding backpack was always a pain. I can also use the molle system to add on shock cord or D-Rings; I love doing D-Rings to hold water bottles. As an added bonus I get to add on a few patches to the rear to sport someimperial pride when in HS.

Had this as my dad bag for years and don't see it changing anytime soon.

Cooling towels are one of the best inventions ever. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XKLYWFU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I used baby oil for chafing. It worked pretty well, and I use it before swimming/getting wet so I don't need a shower afterwards.

And as far as a light back pack, I used this one it worked fairly decently at keeping the contents relatively dry during a rain storm. And it dried quickly afterward.

Anker all day, every day. I love my 20K mAh beast.

Amen. These are my old reliables:

Lip Stick

Brick

You pay for what you get and I love the quality.

We use these backs and never have an issue

They're easy to take on and off (no key needed) but stay locked on tight until ready to remove

I used this one when I went down with my daughter this past spring. It worked great.

http://www.amazon.com/Piglet-Disney-Stuffed-Animal-Collectible/dp/B005NIL05S

This guy is on amazon for 30.00 and he is 30".

Hope this helps!

We were there the last week of August and the heat and humidity, especially with the hurricane coming in, was pretty brutal.

For the kids we got these small water spray bottles which were way cheaper than the bottles in the park and much smaller. I clipped them to a cheap carabiner on the stroller and they worked well. I had extra batteries and didn't need them. We got an extra and used it since my daughter decided to throw hers 'for fun' and broke it.

We rented a stroller and it helped a lot to prevent the kids from getting exhausted.

At one point my daughter was about to have a meltdown and I took her to the baby area. even though she is four they didn't have any issue letting her sit and watch the show playing on the TV and just cool off / calm down.

This is why I always bring ear plugs to Disney parks. And if I forget, my first stop is always the medical office to pick up a pair of disposable ones. It really does make most rides more enjoyable (I'm constantly amazed at how ear-piercingly loud most rides are, especially given that so many children ride them).

Not just you. It tasted like alligator balls. We used these and didn't have any problems: https://www.amazon.com/Brita-Sport-Filter-Bottle-Turquoise/dp/B004GN8RDY

BOOM

That was easy.

you can get filtered water bottles to help with that too

Just curious do you mean this boxset? I've been thinking about picking it up for awhile now.

Don't buy the ones with the wrench. I bought spring loaded fastener ones, kind of like these. You don't have to worry about a tiny tool and I've never had an issue with them.

I use locking pin backs. https://www.amazon.com/SUBANG-Pieces-Locking-Keepers-Storage/dp/B01LYS7N9J

Haven't lost a pin yet! (i have a lot of pins on my denim vest i wear to punk rock shows :3)

Mancro Business Water Resistant Polyester Laptop Backpack with USB Charging Port and Lock Fits Under 17-Inch Laptop and Notebook, Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY3QXGP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_q3Oxzb7B8H9HK

How about this one with usb built in? I'm bringing go pro and have the fuel rod.

https://www.amazon.com/Disney-DCM-1-Classic-Brushed-Stainless/dp/B005PO9UUC/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1484272934&sr=1-3&keywords=disney
not quite the same but it'll do in a pinch

Here is the mobile version of your link

amazon mexico

As an audio engineer (live sound) I don't go to loud places without these: https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Fidelity-Earplugs-ETY-Plugs-Standard/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=etymotic+earplugs+er20&qid=1570123403&sr=8-1
Hearing loss isnt anything to mess with.

The real fools are the ones who created these monstrosities!

You might dig Disney War: DisneyWar https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743267095/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mNauDbRRQ04TZ

Where are you? $440 on Amazon

I still can't pay that (and now I'll be looking for the plans online), but your post scared me!