One of the most frequent questions I see in Disneyland Paris social media groups is ‘What should I pack?’ That’s actually a hard question to answer! Because the needs of you and your travel group could be different from others. However, we’ve found some items essential for our Disneyland Paris trips so thought we’d share them here in a blog. As we’re differently-abled we’ve included what we use to support our needs.

Please note: this post contains affiliate links

The brands we’ve pictured are the ones that work for us and we’ve included links to them on Amazon, but go with what you prefer! We’re also not mentioning in this blog some of the everyday staples that we hope it’ll be obvious to pack – like toothpaste, deodorant and underwear. (Please pack toothpaste, deodorant and underwear!!) So this isn’t everything we take by any means, it’s just what we find helpful.

Charging for devices

When at Disneyland Paris you might be on your phone a lot. There’s the Disneyland Paris app which is your best friend for queue times, mobile order, premier pass and more. You might also be taking a lot of photos, and sharing these on social media to make your friends jealous. So it’s likely your phone’s battery will take a hammering! This can also go for other devices you might be using like smart watches (who will be recording those thousands of steps you’re doing) or cameras. So keeping these charged is a must.

For charging in the evenings we like to take a charging hub – this is something that can be plugged into one outlet but has several charging ports (USB and USB-C) so we can charge multiple devices at once. We also like to have a cable compatible with the France’s power, to save faffing with adaptors. While hotel rooms will have plug sockets and charging ports, in our experience there’s not enough! So a device like this can be really handy for getting lots of things charged at once. This one from Anker can be found on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4lVw5HB (we brought a compatible French cable separately.)

I’d also recommend taking a decent portable power bank into the park as well so you can charge your phone on the run! And of course have the cables you need to connect your phone to it. That way you’ll never need to worry about losing access to your phone. We really like this power bank from Anker: https://amzn.to/42JWDCI and they sell a variety of cables too. To avoid the cables you might be able to use a Magsafe charger like this one: https://amzn.to/3YkuSPL But remember to charge the power banks every evening too!

Sound machine

The walls in Disneyland Paris hotel rooms can be on the thin side. So if you’re a light sleeper, are popping back to your hotel for a nap during the day, or just don’t want to hear the people in the room next door flushing a toilet, we recommend a small portable sound machine.

This model can play just white noise as well as sounds like rain or ocean waves, and really helps us get to sleep without too much disturbance! We really like this one from Yogasleep: https://amzn.to/42LyUC7

Prescription medicines

If you have any form of prescription medicine, even if it’s something you only take occasionally, take it with you. Actually if you can, take more than you need. That way if you have any delays getting home you’ll have some medicines at hand!

I’d also recommend packing them in the original boxes with the labels attached and taking a copy of your prescription slip too. That way it’s clear who the medicines have been issued to, and should you mislay your pills for any reason you have a way of getting more from a pharmacy!

A final note on prescription meds, if you are flying put them in your carry on! Sadly cases do go AWOL, and you’re better keeping the medicines with you just in case the worse happens.

Painkillers

This one is a must! In France all medicines, even common ones like Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, have to be sold in a pharmacy. So you can’t pick up packets in your resort shop, or anywhere onsite at Disneyland Paris.

Even if you’re not prone to aches and pains you never know when a headache might strike, or a twisted ankle kick in. Making sure you pack some in advance means you don’t need to worry about heading offsite to get some. I’d recommend taking some with you and keeping them in your park bag! While the ones pictured are pharmacy only, you can get either paracetamol (https://amzn.to/4iDnLJn) or Ibruprofen (https://amzn.to/3Yh2q1e) on Amazon. If you are buying painkillers or any medicines online make sure you buy from a reputable seller and go for a recognised brand, as sadly some folks do sell dodgy medicines!

(In desperate measures you can get single doses of painkillers from First Aid in both parks, but we prefer to have our own on hand).

Creams for sore feet and muscles

When you’re in Disneyland Paris it’s likely you will be doing thousands of steps a day – and that’s typically thousands of steps more than we’re used too! Do it a few days on the trot and your feet might be begging you for mercy. And your legs. And back.

That’s why we recommend taking with you some pain-relieving creams you can use. You can get medication creams such as those that contain anti-inflammatory, or creams that can warm or cool down sore muscles – Deep Relief, pictured above, contains both an anti-inflammatory and cooling Levomenthol: https://amzn.to/4jRK53b. We’ve recently discovered Epsom Salt Rub – it’s like an Epsom Salt Bath without the bath part, you just rub it in! It’s not that easy to find in the UK but you can order it online – we like this brand: https://amzn.to/4cZSy1Z. And again, it’s worth reiterating that you won’t be able to buy this kind of thing onsite at Disneyland Paris so it’s worth taking with you! (Please do check any products you go for though are suitable for you and your family).

Blister plasters

Speaking of aching feet… with all that walking and standing, even the most comfortable shoes and hardened feet can be prone to blisters and hot spots. Taking some blister plasters is a great idea; pop them in your park bag and you’ve got them if a blister strikes! Normal plasters tend to bunch up and stick so you really need the speciality ones. You can get multipacks of Compeed on Amazon: https://amzn.to/42MTe5Z

You can also get anti-blister sticks that you can apply to areas prone to blistering to prevent rubbing. This type of thing is actually good to apply anywhere on your body that might get rubbed or sore – important for us fluffier people. (The chub rub is real folks). Again, we like the Compeed one: https://amzn.to/3EIOWol

Of course preventing blisters is probably best if you can, so make sure you’re wearing comfortable and well broken in shoes and have decent, thick socks too!

Lip care

For some reason my lips always get badly chapped on a Disney trip. In Paris the cold air in the winter, probably coupled with less hydration than I should have, can lead to peeling and soreness. So we always take a selection of lip care items with us – including a general chap stick (we like the O’Keefe’s lip repair: https://amzn.to/3YJYfen), and a more intensive one for bad damage, like Bistex Intensive: https://amzn.to/3YNMnr .

If like me you’re prone to cold sores then take some cold sore cream too! It’s nothing you’ll find onsite and you probably don’t want a cold sore ruining your holiday pics. (Take it from the voice of experience folks). I like the Zovirax pumps because they stand up well to rattling around a park bag! https://amzn.to/4m6jSjt

Avoiding the Disney lurgy

Have you heard of the Disney lurgy? It’s essentially any bug that people pick up in the Disney parks! When you think about the thousands of people touching ride vehicles and bannisters, breathing in close proximity in a ride queue, or sitting in restaurants and on benches, then it’s not surprising that a lot of people come home from the parks a bit under the weather.

Hand sanitizer is really a must – if only to use before you eat (we find Purell really helpful: https://amzn.to/4jvfRTU). Anti-bacterial wipes are also great for cleaning hands, faces and also tables if you want if they’re looking a bit grubby. (You can get multipacks of travel size wipes on Amazon such as here: https://amzn.to/42JY3x2 and may be find individual travel packs in a supermarket or chemist). Are having these fool proof against germs? No, but it’s better to have some protection than none!

I’d also recommend boosting your immunity with a good multi-vitamin, I usually take a soluble vitamin each morning while there. (I like the Berocca Mango flavour: https://amzn.to/3RAOdIQ) Added bonus is that it forces me to drink water when I’m typically surviving on soft drinks otherwise! But you can have what you prefer. This is also helpful because people are generally speaking not eating the healthiest at Disney, so a quick boost won’t hurt!

Stomach medicine

Talking of not eating properly… Disneyland Paris dining can be lovely. It can also be rich, sugary and do a number on your digestive system if you’re not used to it! That’s why we recommend taking a good antacid with you just in case heartburn or indigestion strikes – I like the Gaviscon Double Action: https://amzn.to/3RAXDnx.

As folks with IBS too, we also always take some anti-spasmodic medicines that can help with stomach cramps- Buscopan is probably the best known: https://amzn.to/4lPnHJv. And some anti-diarrhoea pills such as Immodium can also be handy! (I know you don’t want to think about it, but hey it happens!) I like the Instant ones because it saves looking for a drink when you need to take it: https://amzn.to/4lTje8M. As we mentioned with the other medicines above, make sure that any medicines you order are suitable and safe for you and your family!

KT Tape and Supports

If you’re like me and have a joint condition, then you’ll want to think about taking some joint supports with you. If you occasionally need to wear a support for a bad knee or tricky ankle – pack it! It might flare up and you don’t want to be without the support you need (the same goes for mobility aids like walking sticks). I always pack a lower back support for trips, just in case!

Our other go to is KT tape or physio tape. This tape can be used to support joints pretty much everywhere on the body as needed. Think of it as a sort of Swiss Army Knife of supports – if you tweak or hurt any part of your body, the tape will be able to support it! We’ve found the PRO tape to be very good: https://amzn.to/44bnUQR Of course be wary if you have any sort of intolerance to latex or similar, or skin that’s very reactive.

If you don’t take KT tape then packing something like a cohesive bandage might be a good idea, so you can strap up a sprained ankle or similar if need be. There’s so many different iterations of these that we don’t want to recommend one, by all means have a browse and pick what’s best for you and your family!

Fidget toys and distractions

For people who are neuro-diverse or who have mental health conditions, the Disney parks can be a lot to handle. As such having some sort of distraction or fidget toy can be great to calm nerves and help people cope.

I wear a fidget ring that I play with when my anxiety gets too much and it really helps. What works for you and your group will be unique to you. Having distractions in lines is also a great idea – this could be something like a game on a phone, if it gives something else to focus on. The only thing we’d ask is that you be mindful of other folks around you – so it might be nice to avoid anything too noisy!

I hope that helps! As we said at the beginning this isn’t everything by any stretch (I mean passports and money are also handy, right?) But it’s things we think people might miss when packing that can really make a difference. Let us know if there’s anything you think we’ve missed, and subscribe to our blog to receive our next emails in your inbox!