If you’re anything like me, you love to pre-plan for your vacation. And I’m talking VERY far in advance. Not only is it fun and exciting, but it’s also great to make sure you’re prepared for anything and everything! One of the most important things to plan is your park bag. It may not seem too important, but trust me, it is! This is because you want to make sure you’re adhering to Disney’s bag policy.
What is Disney’s bag policy? What’s allowed in your bag and what isn’t? Grab those backpacks, fanny packs, and diaper bags, and let’s go over the rules together.
In this article:
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What is Disney's Bag Policy?
Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World share the same rules and regulations within their bag policy. It is put in place to let guests know what items are acceptable to bring into the parks, and which are prohibited.
All bags are subject to being searched by park security. There are times where very small wallets or fanny packs are sent through just the metal detectors with the guest, but any bag can be looked through! When going through security, you will go into the ‘bag line’ of security, and hand your bag over after going through the metal detectors. All pockets should be open and accessible.
Any bags including suitcases, backpacks, purses, or coolers must be no larger than 24” long, by 15” wide, by 18” high. Bags with wheels are allowed if they are in that size range. Failure to stay in the range might get your bags taken (and held) until the end of the park day, or may get you turned away from park entry altogether.
Clear bags are not necessary, but can make the bag check process a lot quicker. If you have a clear bag, feel free to flaunt it in the parks!
Disney's Bag Policy: The Do's
There are a lot of items that can be brought into the parks. Some of these are actually lesser known to guests, and may surprise you!
Food:
Yes, you absolutely can bring outside food! This is great to save money, and can also help if your crew is particular to certain snacks. There are a few rules here though.
Anything needing refrigeration will require you carrying a cooler. This can get heavy, and you’ll need to buy or travel with ice packs. This is because Disney does not allow loose ice in any coolers.
If you have food that needs to be heated up, count that out as well. There are no places to reheat any meals in the parks! The only place you might be lucky to score a microwave is in the food court of your hotel, so it’s best to avoid this as a whole.
You also cannot bring glass containers into the parks, so consider this when preparing the food. Ziploc bags are permitted, and will be your best friend. These and aluminum foil are both great options for wrapping sandwiches, separating snack bags, and more. Ziploc bags are even great for keeping important items dry when riding attractions that may get you wet.
My personal recommendation would definitely be bringing small snack packs, granola bars, fruit, and sandwiches. These are all smaller and easily wrappable items that will not weigh down your bag, nor will it cause you to be stopped at security for extra time!
Beverages:
Another thing people do not realize is that some drinks are allowed in the park as well. This includes juice boxes, water bottles, and more. Alcohol is of course not permitted, so please don’t try and walk in with a can of beer or a bottle of liquor.
Again, if you need your drinks ice cold, you’re going to have to get a cooler with ice packs since loose ice is not allowed in the parks. However, you can go up to any Starbucks, Joffrey’s, or food kiosk and ask for ice cups at any time if you find your drinks to be getting warm. This goes for water cups as well, which is great for filling water bottles.
Speaking of bottles, you can also bring refillable water bottles into the parks! This is such a great must-have. When bringing your own water bottle, you’ll find yourself saving nearly $4 every time you need more water. Like earlier mentioned, you can go to Starbucks, Joffrey’s, or various snack kiosks and ask for cups of ice water, which are absolutely free. Not only that, but you’ll also find so many water fountain and bottle filling locations around each park.
One thing you cannot bring are glass bottles. If your favorite reusable water bottle happens to be glass, consider buying a new one for the parks. I love sports bottles and fold-up water bottles.
Cameras and Electronics:
You are able to bring small cameras, video cameras, DSLR cameras, Go-Pros, and more into the parks. These items must be put away on certain attractions or during certain shows, and there is no flash photography allowed in a lot of areas.
Please remember, professional photo shoots for guests and things of that nature are not allowed, but you can take nicer/professional pictures of permitted shows, attractions, and parades.
Tripods/monopods for cameras or phones are only allowed if they can fit inside of your bag, and they cannot extend over six feet.
Portable chargers, power banks, and phone cords are absolutely allowed in the parks. Consider buying a FuelRod for unlimited charging usages! If you do not have a portable charger and need to plug your phone into a wall, there are various spots in restaurants and shops that have availability.
Should you need to bring them, laptops, tablets, and smart watches are allowed in the parks. It would be best to put them in an obvious case or pouch, that way security knows what you are bringing in.
Medication and Health:
Any medicine is permitted, besides medical marijuana. Even if you have a medical card for it, this still does not count as an acceptable item to bring in. For any other medications that you need to bring, you are able to have them!
Feel free to keep medicine and pills in small travel-size containers, but for anything legally prescribed to you or your family, keeping it in its designated (and labeled) bottle will prevent any issues through security.
First aid kits are also great ideas to bring for the parks. They’re absolutely allowed, and will hold all of your medication and injury needs. You can definitely DIY your own kit, or even buy one already made! I like to buy the premade kits and then reorganize and add my own things into it as well.
Fans, Umbrellas, and Bubble Wands; Oh My!
Fans are permitted under certain circ*mstances. You definitely cannot bring a huge fan into the park, but feel free to get a handheld one! My favorite go-to fan is a small one that plugs into my phone. I always have it in my bag! You can also find handheld misting fans or the fans that sit around your neck.
There does not seem to be a size requirement on umbrellas, so feel free to bring whichever one you’ve got lying at home! You’ll definitely want one in your park bag for those unexpected Florida storms. I would suggest bringing a compact umbrella for the sake of being able to fit it in almost any bag, as it can be quite annoying to carry all day. Also, you definitely want to take it out of your bag when approaching security; It just makes things easier.
Bubble wands are allowed into the park, and you can even bring ones from past trips! These are super fun for the kids. However, make sure that the bubble wand is appropriate for the parks. Disney does not allow anything (toy or not) that resembles a weapon, so just be mindful of the bubble wand that you buy.
Make-up and Toiletries:
I get it, Florida is hot. Therefore, you’ll find yourself needing to reapply your makeup, your body spray, or even your deodorant! Lucky for you, this is all allowed into Disney parks.
With makeup and deodorant, I’d suggest putting it in one bag or one Ziploc bag. Make sure to leave the bag open so that they can quickly peek in. In this instance, glass foundation bottles are fine, as long as they are small.
As above, the same goes with body spray. I would not suggest bringing a full-size bottle into the parks. Bath and Body Works makes great travel-size perfumes and colognes. You can also find smaller sized body sprays at drugstores, makeup stores, and even department stores.
My tip would definitely be to have a small pouch or pocket in your bag dedicated to all of these things, just to make it easier on both you and security! You can even put your products in travel-size containers and then zip them up into one clear bag for easy access.
Strollers:
Strollers in the parks may not exceed 31” in height and 52” in length. Be sure to measure your strollers before your trip. If you’ve got double strollers, they are allowed if they’re in the size range above!
Unlike they once were, stroller wagons are no longer permitted. This has been a rule for a while now, but guests who remember being able to have them tend to forget that they aren’t allowed. There aren’t even ranges of measurements for these types of strollers, they are just completely prohibited.
Cigarettes, eCigarettes, Vapes:
These items are permitted into the parks, but you will not find a smoking section in the parks once you get through security and into the gates.
That being said, if you are a smoker, the worth of bringing your products with you to the park probably isn’t much. This is due to the fact that you must exit in order to find the smoking sections. However, if that is something that you do not mind doing, you can bring them in your bag. But failure to adhere to the rules of where you are allowed to smoke will get you and your party kicked from the parks immediately.
Disney's Bag Policy: The Don'ts
And now for the most important part…What not to bring. All of the items below are absolutely prohibited with no acceptions. These items are not allowed for a reason, so please do not make anyone (including you and your party) have a harder day by attempting to bring them in.
Tall Tripods, Monopods, and Selfie Sticks:
If it has a large pole and extends over six feet, please keep it at home.
As earlier stated, tripods and monopods are allowed, but when kept in the size range. However, selfie sticks are not allowed at any point in time. This is a more recent rule that was put in place when guests started bringing (and extending) them on attractions. If cast members find a selfie stick in your bag, it will be confiscated.
Weapons, Weapon Lookalikes, and Explosives:
It’s sad that this has to be said, but please do not bring weapons into the park.
Neither firearms nor their ammunition are allowed in the parks. This is something extremely obvious and should not be messed with. Even if you are allowed to legally carry with a gun license, you may not bring your firearm into the parks.
This also goes for knives, axes, tasers, baseball bats, and any other thing you would classify as a weapon. Even if you carry pepper spray, you may not bring this in. Please leave any potential weapons at home or in your vehicle.
Following this, do not attempt to bring in explosives. There are firework shows at every park, and it is certainly not a ‘bring-your-own’ establishment. Bringing in any weapon or explosive will not just get it confiscated, but you most likely will be denied entry to the park at all. Trying to bring in a serious weapon could even get you arrested.
Along with actual weapons, keep the weapon lookalikes at home. There are definitely cute foam swords and innocent things available for purchase in the parks, so there’s no need to bring them with you. This does not apply to lightsabers, which are allowed and also available for purchase in the parks.
Alcohol and Marijuana (Or Any Other Illegal Substances!):
Any alcohol or illegal substances found in your bag will be confiscated and will leave you with a risk of being denied entry. Alcohol is available for purchase all around the parks, so there is no need to bring your own in. Illegal substances are not permitted anywhere on property, and while the best case scenario is a slap on the wrist and something being confiscated, the worst is you being arrested…Which no one wants.
However, you are permitted to bring alcohol to various hotels and restaurants in Disney Springs that offer BYOB privileges. If you are interested in this, please check with your resort or your reserved restaurant to find out what you can bring.
Horns, Whistles, and Megaphones:
Really, any artificial noise maker is just a no-no.
There is no reason to bring any of these in, so be sure to leave them unpacked. They can be disruptive to other guests, to parades and shows, and just to the environment of the parks as a whole. There are special marching bands and performances that will go on at the parks, and you do not want to risk ruining their hardworking performance with a silly noise maker.
Skate Accessories and Remote-Control Toys:
This is for obvious reasons.
No one wants to be navigating through a giant crowd with fear that they will be hit with a remote-control car, run into with a skateboard, or even clocked in the head with a drone. On the other hand, you definitely don’t want to be the guest that brought one of those in, and now you’re responsible for injuring a random stranger trying to enjoy their vacation! These items will most certainly be confiscated if you are found trying to bring them in.
Disney's Policy on Masks and Costumes:
Masks are prohibited for anyone over fourteen years old. The masks that are allowed cannot be fully covering a child’s face, and must be half-masks or less.
As well as this, costumes for adults are not allowed, nor are completely stage-accurate costumes for children. For example, dressing your four year old in a Belle dress is acceptable. Dressing them like a cast member with the identical costume and name tag is not.
There are opportunities for dressing up. like Dapper day or the Halloween parties, but even these have their own set of rules. Be sure to research what the do’s and don'ts are for your specific event.
Balloons and Plastic Straws [Disney's Animal Kingdom Bag Policy Only]:
Although Disney tends to be doing less with straws and cup lids, you can still find them in almost all of the parks. However, you will not find any in Animal Kingdom. This means that you also cannot bring them into the park.
You also will not find balloons for sale in Animal Kingdom, and they are prohibited from the park as a whole.
Disney has this rule in place for quite a simple reason; To keep the animals safe and healthy. A lot of the animals have free reign in their giant enclosures, and you do not want the wrong thing ending up in their homes. Risking a straw or deflated balloon falling into their enclosure can be detrimental to the entire species that Disney works incredibly hard to care for.
Some birds will even fly around the park during certain times of the day. Imagine how unfortunate it would be if a balloon caught the foot or wing of a bird during their flight? This could cause serious injury to them, and if the bird is caught off guard and panics, it can cause possible injury to guests.
Please, please, PLEASE, for the love and care of animals, keep these items at home.
Any Other ‘Risky’ Items:
If you have to second-guess packing it; Don’t.
Things like pliers, rope, multi-tools, scissors, and more are all things that can be left at home. I completely understand wanting to be prepared, but there are some things that you just definitely won’t need or find appropriate at the parks.
Plan Your Next Disney Vacation!
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For more Disney parks guides, check out our other articles here:
- Disneyland Packing List
- 2024 Disney World Packing List
- What's in my Disney Bag
- Everything New at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 2024
Disney Bag Policy: FAQ's
Can you bring any bag into Disney?
Any bag is allowed into the parks as long as it meets the size requirements. Bags must be a maximum of 24″ long, 15″ wide, and 18″ high. If you do not want to carry your bag all day, lockers are available!
Does Disney have a clear bag policy?
Disney does not require clear bags or have a policy for them, but you are welcome to use one if that's your preference! Any type of bag that fits into the size requirements is allowed to be used during your trip.
What is Disney's bag policy?
Disney's bag policy requires that bags must fit within the 24″ long, 15″ wide, and 18″ high size range. There are many rules that fit into Disney's bag policy, which will tell you what can and cannot be brought into the parks. See above for our full list of the do's and don'ts!
Can I bring Ziploc bags to Disneyland?
Yes, you can certainly bring Ziploc bags to Disneyland. They come in handy not only for storing food and snacks, but also for keeping important objects dry during storms or on water rides! Make sure the Ziploc bags are in the sizing limits.
