This time next week, I’ll be in Disneyland! My family is headed to the west coast to check out Disneyland and be a part of the Disney Social Media Moms conference next week. I’m over the moon. I attended the inaugural Disney Social Media Moms Conference when it started 5 years ago (in Disney World) and I haven’t been back since.
Look how little my monkeys were 5 years ago when we went to the conference:
We’ve been to Disney World many times since, but this will be a first for them at Disneyland and a first for the entire Wingerd family on the west coast. I’m beyond excited – just to get away to some warmer weather, to see Disneyland and to be a part of the Disney Social Media Moms Conference again!
So, we’ve done this park thing a few times. What to wear. I’m not talking about to the conference but to the parks themselves so this post applies to all of you! Some of these may be obvious but some might not – here’s a few times on what to wear for you (Mom) and the family when you are headed to Disney World or Disneyland.
Comfortable Walking Shoes. You would think this is an obvious one but I’m not even kidding, I once saw a Mom in heels at Magic Kindgom. She looked great, sure, but you can bet she had some mega-blisters and was totally miserable by the end of the day.
I pretty much give up on worrying too much about fashion when I know I’m going to be walking miles at a Disney park. I’m not dressing like a “hobo,” as my boys would say, but for once, my first feature is comfort. For shoes, we all go sneakers. It just is what it is.
My friend Kelly recently posted on Facebook about her trip to Disney World and she uses a fitness tracker to log her steps – she had something like an average of 6 miles walked EACH day she was at the park. Would you wear flip flops to walk six miles? If you don’t want to be totally miserable all day, make sure your feet are in your most comfortable walking shoes – sneakers or whatever it is you’d take out with you for a six mile walk.
If you don’t do sneakers, here’s a couple of sneaker-type, but not necessarily sneakers, cute options:
ECCO Criss Cross Mary Janes, $120
Allrounder by Mephiso Niro, $165
A sweatshirt or sweater. Unless you’re visiting in the dead of summer or you know it’s going to be 80 all day, I’ve found we ALWAYS need some sort of secondary layer. The reason for us? As my kids get older, we stay in the park longer. We used to hit the park from opening ’til 2 (nap time) but the last several times we have been to a park we have closed the place down. As the sun goes down, it can get cool, especially if you are staying to watch a fireworks or parade of some kind. Having a light cardy or sweatshirt is pretty nice at the end of the day.
I like having a really thin cardigan like this one from the Gap because it can roll up in my backpack during the day and then I can use it at night:
And speaking of backpacks, I’m a BIG fan of the backpack when I’m in Disney. I posted a list of cute backpacks in March called Desperately Seeking… A Cute Backpack and you can see a whole collection here of ideas.
I use a Vera Bradley backpack like this one. It’s the perfect size – small but big enough for my cardigan, a camera, my phone and wallet. I’ve had it for quite awhile and could use a new one and have been thinking of getting the black one ($99) too:
Vera Bradley Backpack, $89
For clothes, I usually go with a tank top or tee and then cropped shorts or capris:
And here’s a cute tee from Old Navy:
Striped V-Neck Tees, $9.50
Above all else, I will say it again – BE COMFORTABLE! Relaxing and being as comfortable you can be ensures the best time at the park for everyone! No one wants to have a bad day at Disney because they wore the wrong clothes or shoes.
Lastly, don’t forget sunscreen!
Great tips. Have SO MUCH FUN!