What to Pack for Disneyland in March
Do you know exactly what to pack for Disneyland in March? I mean, sure, you’re aware of the basic essentials, like toothpaste and sunscreen. But what are some big things that you will need to pack for an upcoming Disneyland trip in March? Well, in the article, we’re going to cover this exact topic. So grab a nice beverage (and a pen and paper), and let’s run down all of the essential Disneyland items you need to pack!
Start With The Basic Essentials
Just as with any trip away from the comfort of your home, you always want to make sure that you include all of your basic and most essential items. If you happen to arrive at your destination and realize you forgot an important item such as sunscreen or toothpaste, you can always purchase a replacement at one of the several grocery stores near the park, however this will be a rather inconvenient expense that’s totally avoidable.
Necessities should include toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, hairbrush, deodorant etc.), any medications that members of your family use on a regular basis, charging cords for cell phones and other devices, flight and other travel information, and of course you can’t forget to pack your park tickets if they are not already linked to your Disneyland companion app. You’ll also want to make sure you include at least a small amount of cash (between $50-100 USD) to use in the event of a travel emergency, as well as your debit, credit and identification cards.
Sunscreen and SPF Chapstick
It has been said time and time again, but sunscreen and SPF protectant Chapstick is one of the most important things you can bring to the parks regardless of the time of the year. While the colder temperatures and dreary cloud cover may not feel as harmful to your skin as they do in those dreadful mid-summer months, UV rays can still travel through clouds and do some pretty serious damage to your skin if you find yourself out in the elements all day long!
As a general rule, you should not use any sunscreen that has a less than 50 SPF rating in the parks regardless of what time of year you are visiting, and the sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours regardless of the amount of physical exertion. If you are pushing small children in strollers, make sure they have adequate shade and sunscreen available also, and everyone should be wearing Chapstick with SPF shield to protect lips!
You may find it helpful to bring a bottle of after sun care to keep on hand in your hotel room for the duration of your park visit, as the soothing aloe will help provide comfort in the event of an accidental sunburn! You would be truly surprised just how badly you can suffer from a sunburn in mid March!
Pack Pre-Broken In Shoes
This is a lesson that I personally have learned the hard way on at least one occasion within the parks, and it is not a fun lesson to learn! As a general rule, when you are visiting the parks you should always bring at least two pairs of shoes. One pair should be sandals or water shoes that can get wet in case you decide to participate in rides such as Grizzly River Run, And the other pair should be a comfortable pair of jogging or tennis shoes that have been broken in prior to entering the parks.
As park goers, we spend nearly all day walking and putting pressure on our feet and not being able to walk around and truly experience the park ends up being a huge downer on the trip! Always bring footwear that you know fits you and your body properly, while a pair of new shoes can sure look great, they may not be the best choice for safety and comfort! Take time before you leave to make sure shoes are properly fitting and comfortable for everyone!
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Layers and Jackets
While the term ‘Spring Break’ leads you to believe that the weather should be getting nicer and the sun should be out all day long, this is not always the case. Anaheim doesn’t have a rainy season in the traditional sense, however it’s still very possible that you will encounter rain and colder temperatures while you are on your trip. You will want to pack enough clothes to make sure that every member of your party (especially those younger kiddos who may be in strollers and not walking around to keep the blood flowing) can layer up both in the morning and in the later evening.
There is a potential for rain and even the occasional thunderstorm in March, so make sure to bring either a rain jacket or a poncho for each member of your party and keep them with you in the parks. If the weight of these items is too much for you and your party to carry around all day, Disneyland does offer lockers for rent just outside of the park gates, although I would recommend keeping the ponchos on your person at the very least.
Based off of personal experience, I would recommend being prepared for temperatures ranging from the lower 40s to mid 70s during March, although every spring is different, so make sure you check the weather a few days before your trip to get the best idea of temperatures!
Pack Extra Clothes
If the weather is sitting towards the higher end of the temperature gauge and you find yourself wanting to engage in some of the water rides in the parks, you’ll find that you want to bring, at the very least, a change of socks and a pair of the water shoes that we mentioned earlier in the article. Wild temperatures can get pretty high in March, regardless of how warm it is you will have absolutely zero fun walking around in wet and soggy socks or shoes for the rest of the evening.
If you’re worried about your shoes and other clothing items being carried around in your bags all day, plan to participate in all of the water attractions in one afternoon and be sure to make use of those Disney lockers that we mentioned earlier! At the very least, however, I would advise leaving a spare shirt in your park bag at all times in the event of a spill or another accident.
You Still Need Water
I’ve been guilty on numerous occasions of the infamous ‘I don’t need water, it’s only 40° and pouring rain’ thought process even on those warmer March days! While you can’t necessarily pack this item in your suitcase if you’re flying, make sure to bring an empty water bottle with you to use so that you’re not having to pay off-the-wall prices for a small and unchilled bottle of water in the parks! There are water fountains scattered throughout both parks in designated areas for you to refill your personal bottles for free, and while they aren’t cold water stations they definitely help beat the dehydration!
It may not feel like you need to drink quite as much water with the cooler temperatures in the air, but you’d be surprised how dehydrated you can get even on those brisk winter days! If you’re picky about the flavor of your water, you can do what my family did on our last trip and buy a case of bottled water from any of the nearby grocery stores and bring those into the parks as well!
In case you were thinking about the same thing that I was on my first visit to the parks, the delicious beverages featured in many of the pop-up stands and sit down restaurants do not count as water, so make sure you are drinking plenty of water in addition to those delicious sugary beverages!
Collapsible Umbrellas
We already mentioned throwing a poncho into your park bag for each member of your family, but personal sized collapsible umbrellas are also a great way to keep dry if you don’t like the feeling of a poncho. There are several styles of umbrellas, and one of my favorites is the variety that lets you clip the umbrella to your backpack so that it’s not taking up that valuable storage space!
Even in the middle of summer, I always keep a clip on umbrella on the back of my wheelchair because you never know when you’re going to find yourself needing it, especially in the early spring when the weather is still a bit unpredictable!
Another added bonus to the umbrella is being able to use it for shade in the event that the weather turns beautifully sunny and warm, and this turned out to be a major bonus when traversing Avengers Campus (which is not only my favorite place in the entire day of the resort, but also notoriously open and exposed to the elements)!
You Know Your Family Best
At the end of the day, only you know exactly what your family will and will not use when on vacation, and the best advice I can offer is to listen to your gut when it comes to packing. Overall, the weather in Anaheim in March isn’t all that different from the weather in November or December, so if you’ve been to the parks within those months you can use that as a baseline to start packing.
If you have a toddler who, for example, is extremely sensitive to cold temperatures you will want to make sure that you bring enough extra layers to keep them comfortable throughout the temperature fluctuations of March days and you can find the temperatures changing by the hour on those extreme days. If you just know you’ll end up with blisters on your feet regardless of how broken in your shoes are, make sure to pack some extra Band-Aids in your Disneyland backpack to help protect those sore spots when they pop up.
Packing lists can and most definitely will vary tremendously from family to family, so getting out there and experiencing the parks is the best way to learn exactly what you need to bring for your family during the tricky springtime season!
Conclusion
Well, there you have it! We hope this list gave you some great ideas to help make your spring time Disneyland trip go as smoothly and comfortably as possible! After all, Disneyland is the happiest place on earth and who wouldn’t want to be comfortable on their vacation? We hope you enjoyed our comprehensive list what to pack for Disneyland in March!
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