How do we bring our babies around with us in the heat outdoors? Even with your little one lounging in a stroller while being pushed around the parks, they will get hot fast and one of the best ways to help them cool down is buying a stroller fan!
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Everyone keeps telling you what to bring on the boat, but no one ever mentions what to bring OFF the boat.
We don’t want to suggest you bring EVERYTHING off the boat with you, it’s a beach and it’s still fairly close to the ship. Yes, it’s a Disney private island beach and super packed with things to do, as seen in our Disney’s Castaway Cay Planning Guide, but at the end of the day, there is only so much you need to bring. Here are a few suggestions for packing your shore excursion bag for Castaway Cay.
First and foremost, the style of bag you use is an important consideration. Here we consider two types of bags that would look great on the beach and serve your needs; the solid side beach bag, or the mesh beach bag.
There are pros and cons for each type of bag; namely security and sand. With a solid bag, no one can see what is in your Castaway Cay excursion bag, and shouldn’t be tempted to take a peak. However, any and all sand or water that enters this bag, stays inside this bag, until thoroughly washed.
On the other hand, a mesh bag will allow for all liquids and sand to flow freely to the ground, leaving the rest of your items untouched. Because the sides are relatively see-through, everyone now knows how many beach toys, the size of your beach towel and how many cell phones/cameras you are hiding in there.
Go for some packing depth, think Inception. Keep your sand toys and wet clothes at the bottom of your larger mesh bag, and place other items like sunscreen, cell phones, towels, and glasses, inside of your smaller solid beach bag, or dry bag (a bag that keeps liquids on the inside or outside of the bag).
Hats. A good sun hat should have a wide brim so that it will keep both your face and your neck in shadow. This little bit of sun relief will also do wonders for protecting your eyes.
Sunglasses. There is a style out there for everyone. As a family of glasses-wearers, we purchase prescription sunglasses or wear contact lenses and a nice pair of inexpensive sunglasses. This way, it is easier and cheaper when lost or misplaced. Either way, sunglasses are a great way to protect your eyes from the suns rays, reflecting off the crystal clear water at Castaway Cay.
Water Bottle. Having an insulated, portable, constant source of drinking water is a great way to beat the heat. If your looking for a great article look here for the Best Water Bottles for Disney & Theme Parks we think it is an important piece of kit hence a dedicated article.
This is also a great way to stave off Dehydration and Heat Stroke on Your Disney Holiday, enjoy those hot summer days. While the refill stations demand you use a fresh paper cup to take water away, that doesn’t mean you need to drink from it. Empty your cup into your bottle and carry on.
It will also keep families with children from running back to the fountain every 30 minutes; we will just sit and enjoy or Konk Koolers.
Baby care. If you are a family with children too young for Scuttle’s Cove and don’t want to fork out $9(USD) per hour for daycare on the ship, then be prepared to for the epic architectural challenge of keeping baby from burning. Not only do little ones burn much quicker than the older children, they will also require a nap midday. Instead of returning to the ship (unless that’s the plan, then, by all means, have at ‘er), why not get yourself a small, collapsible beach tent.
If the umbrellas are taken, park your beach tent somewhere accessible and enjoy a forced relaxing afternoon on a beach chair or beach towel while the little one takes his midday siesta.
Sunscreen. You can never be too careful when it comes to sun safety. Be sure to apply sunscreen before leaving the boat, and reapply every few hours, especially after leaving the water. Don’t think because it’s a cloudy day or that you’ve spent the majority of your time underwater that the sun doesn’t reach you; plants grow just as green in rainy Germany, or under the water’s surface. Wear Sunscreen!
Waterbug repellent. There are waterbugs, like noseeums (sandflies), that lay in the water and bit legs. Keep them off with waterproof bug repellent that is rated for these specific intruders.
Water shoes. The sand on sunny beaches can get fairly hot and uncomfortable fairly quickly. The sand and rocks under the water also have a nasty habit of bitting back when you are least expecting. Protect your feet from anything else that you or may not see on the beach with a pair of water shoes.
There are times when owning and taking along supersede rental fees and the convenience of luggage space. While we believe in travelling with less, this is not always the cheapest way to travel or experience shore excursions. That being said, who is to say you won’t use these another day… or on your next Disney Cruise.
Beach Toys. These highly sought-after items are very hard to find on the beach and depend on the previous guest abandoning them for others to use. There is also the option of buying beach toys on Castaway Cay unless you have successfully managed to secure your family a Cabanas, in which case, congratulations! Cabanas come with many freebies, including sand toys for the kids.
It doesn’t need to be much, you would be surprised how little the children need to be content, and they will manage to swap toys with their new found friends anyways so they will not be lacking. Rest assured.
Snorkelling gear. This one is slightly more expensive “it depends” item but could be useful in the end. Considering snorkel rentals at Castaway Cay cost $33 per person over the age of 10, there are a handful of options available for just that price. Pay once and now you own it. And the children will love playing with their new gear in their local pool, or local beach.
Waterproof phone pouch. A waterproof phone case would be preferable but a waterproof phone pouch is a great backup. Place your phone in the pouch and take it snorkelling, snap a few images of the hidden treasures underwater.
Pro tip – Travel sized Baby powder will help get the sand off your feet without all the scrapping.
If you forget something on the ship, don’t fret. The shops will have it, or just go back to the boat and get it. The boat is always available.
We love to plan our holidays maybe even more than the trip itself.
Please share your thoughts in the comments or reach out on social media...We would love to hear from you.
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My goodness, there are some many Disney pack lists out there with some great advice and some not so great advise. What Disney Cruise Line packing essentials do we really need? What items should we buy at a premium and which ones can stay on the cheap without affecting quality and reusability?
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It doesn’t matter where you live or when you have your holidays, everyone that has ever planned a Disney trip wants to avoid the crowds and beat the heat at all costs. If nothing else, many vacationers would prefer crowds over the hot summer heat, as these high temperatures tend to get guests in a crusty mood and slow everything down. With the right strategies, you can beat the heat in the Disney Parks. The absolute best way to stay cool AND save money is to bring along a water bottle from home, find in this article, Mouse Travel Matters, Best Water Bottles for Disney Parks.
When it comes to bringing drinks into Disney parks, one would naturally lean towards bringing their refillable mugs from breakfast, but will they prevent spillage, and fit with travel hygiene safety? The best way to keep cold liquids cold is to have them in dedicated, preferably insulated and spill proof, and possibly with a little handle or loop so they are easy to hold onto or secure to a Disney Park Bag.
Yeah sure, guests can easily purchase bottled water at each gift shop in order to hydrate but, along with cost, there are a handful of reasons why you may want to reconsider that particular touring strategy and opt for a reusable water bottle instead.
Cost Savings
A bottle of water at Walt Disney World costs about $2.50 per bottle for around 16oz (475ml) of water. In order to get your recommended 8 cups of water per day (that’s 2 litres), you will need to buy 4 water bottles per day. That’s $10 per person! Do you know how much popcorn one can buy with $10 per person? Or Turkey legs? Or Mickey Ice Cream Bars?
By having a refillable water bottle, you can get ice cold water for FREE! Just ask for a free cup of water and ice when purchasing snacks or meals. Yes – any Walt Disney World food stand will give you a cup of water (and usually ice) if you simply ask for it – and it’s free!!
Also, the average reusable bottle holds about 32 oz, whereas the average plastic water bottle can only hold 16 oz. That makes fewer trips to refill, and as we all know; Time is money.
Environmental Stewardship (AKA. Not leaving a mess)
Americans use more than 50 billion plastic water bottles a year. The average American uses 167 bottles. but recycles only 38 of those, this according to Ban the Bottle. How many plastic water bottles does one reusable bottle save? Since you, the average human, need to drink approx. 4 plastic bottles per day, you would be saving approx. 1,460 plastic bottles per year by using a reusable bottle.
And let’s be honest, if you leave a mess and others leave a mess, Disney Fans know. Finding a plastic water bottle in a toilet is just weird, your favorite Cast Member will appreciate you while they are somewhere cleaning up that ‘protein’ spill.
Heat Exhaustion
Having immediate access to water is a great way to beat heat exhaustion.
Many people claim that if we don’t stay hydrated throughout the day, our energy levels and brain function can start to suffer. There are actually plenty of studies to support this. In one study in women, a fluid loss of 1.36% after exercise did impair both mood and concentration, while increasing the frequency of headaches
Immune System
One of the benefits of drinking water is that adequate hydration has a huge impact on your immune system. Water helps all of your body’s systems function at optimum levels. Drinking plenty of water flushes toxins and ensures that your cells get all of the oxygen they need to function as they were meant to
Plastic Water Bottles Sweat Like Crazy!
Even if the cost of bottled water doesn’t phase you, it’s hard to argue against the fact that the cold beverages that you buy in the middle of summer just don’t stay cold for very long – and then they sweat condensation.
Zak Designs is a 25-ounce water bottle with a leak-proof lid and built-in carrying loop. It features graphics from our favourite boss, Mickey Mouse. The easy-open flip top cap locks into place when open and is spill-proof when closed. The wide mouth easily accommodates ice cubes on those super hot days.
In between refills at the restaurants, ZeroWater’s portable filtered tumbler allows guests to refill their bottles at any drinkable water sources, like public fountains. The 5-stage filter transforms tap water into delicious, TDS-free drinking water. While every town and city have a slightly different taste to their water, this filtered tumbler gives you the peace of mind that nothing is left but “the good stuff”.
Space is a terrible thing to waste! Instead of walking into the park with a full bottle of hotel water, why not arrive and fill the bottle when first needed. Then drink and refill again later when required. There is no need to carry around an empty bottle, especially if you don’t have anywhere to put the bottle afterward (did you know there are people that actually go to the parks without a bag? Crazy eh! I discovered that when I walked right past the ‘no bags’ line at Disney Security). Just fold it up and tuck it away in your pockets until the time comes to fill ‘er up again.
With eye-catching colours like Very Berry, Cool Breeze, and Hot Lava, kids will want all three. The creative base design offers a label space to personalize the bottle with your child’s name, just in case it’s left behind in the Parks or in a restaurant. The bottle flattens down to just over an inch thick when fully collapsed. It can be easily stashed in a backpack, lunchbox, pocket or diaper bag. The HYDAWAY kids bottle is designed for ages 3-8 and keeps parents happy with nontoxic and food-grade materials.
Known as an anti-bottle, this little guy will stand when filled and rolled nearly flat when empty. Guests are able to freeze the Vapur Eclipse Water Bottle overnight for extra cold water in the morning. The Supercap allows for a tight seal when closed and an easy open spout for drinking and comes with an attached carabiner for easy carrying. It is dishwasher safe, BPA free and made in the USA.
With double-wall vacuum insulation, Climate Lock insulation keeps drinks Hot up to 14 Hours and Iced up to 48 Hours! (20oz size). The Klean Kanteen is lightweight and perfectly sized to fit in most cup holders and the leakproof Loop Cap clips onto just about anything.
Industry first FULL-LENGTH infuser rod ensures that your water is infused to the very last drop, providing the best flavour possible! Removable infuser and cap can be placed in your favourite water pitcher to make it a fruit infuser as well.
Dual hand grips on each side and the lid features auto alignment technology; this means that no matter where you start, your bottle will always secure in the perfect position for drinking.
There is an added security metal loop above the button on the lid. this way it can not be opened accidentally when not in use. Simply disengage the metal loop, press the button and you’re ready to go. A travel loop has been added to the back of the lid for extra convenience – simply attach your favourite carabiner and attach it to anything you would like.
Not sure where to start or how to get some of the most delicious water from the bottle? No problem, we got you covered! Every purchase comes with our recipe PDF which features 20 of our favourite recipes. A quick and simple guide to a healthier you that outlines the health benefits of each recipe.
Redesigned cap and Big Bite valve provide faster flow than previous versions; just bite and sip, and your beverage flows through the valve. Dishwasher-safe, durable, BPA-free & BPS-free. Carry the integrated handle in the crook of a finger, or connect it to a pack or waist belt with a small carabiner (found here).
Over the course of a year, if you drank a total of 4 bottles per day, at an average cost of $2 per bottle, you would spend almost $3,000 per year just on water. With a reusable bottle, even if you needed to buy a new one within a year, you would only be spending $20 per year at most. This would leave you with an extra approx. $2,980 in your Disney budget.
Please share your thoughts in the comments or reach out on social media...We would love to hear from you.
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One question we see quite a bit! What are the best shoes for Disney, or any other theme park for that matter? It depends a little on what time of year you visit, your overall plan and the parks you plan to visit.
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If you thought packing your Disney vacation suitcase was nerve-wracking, just wait until you start to pack your theme park bag. We present here some common items for your consideration.
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