Packing for Disney World in Just a Carry On

Our next trip to Disney World is going to be very out of the ordinary for us, and I could not be more excited about it. We are traveling kid-free and staying in a dream deluxe resort to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. We’re only staying three nights, and we will have two park days and one upscale celebratory dinner. So if you’re interested in seeing everything I’m packing for this type of trip, keep on reading, and I’m so glad you’re here! If you’re looking for a more comprehensive packing list for a week-long Disney World vacation, click here!

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Why Carry-On Only

I’ve never packed for this kind of Disney trip before! Nearly all of our Disney World trips have been week-long family adventures, and we aways check full-size suitcases. I also notoriously over-pack. We usually fly Southwest, which has a 50-pound weight limit for checked bags, and I’ve been known to flirt pretty closely with that limit on more than one occasion.

But for this trip, since we only have four days, I really want to be able to skip the time spent at baggage claim and just go once we get off the plane. With that in mind, I will be packing in just a carryon-size suitcase (along with one personal item). We also haven’t booked any transportation from MCO to WDW and are planning to use Uber or Lyft to get from the airport to our resort. (If you’re interested in the transportation options from the airport to Disney World, I reviewed both The Sunshine Flyer and Mears Connect, which are two coach bus options that you can book in advance.)

For this trip, I’ll be using the FUL Bags 21-inch Hardshell Carry-On. This will be my first time traveling with this bag, so I’ll report back with a review of how it holds up after our trip!

The Plans

Like I mentioned above, this trip includes two park days—one in Magic Kingdom and one in Epcot. We do have park-hopper tickets so we may hop to Hollywood Studios one of those nights. While we are there, Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival will be going on. Our last visit during this festival was in 2021, so I’m very excited to see it again! If you’ve never been to Disney World during this festival, I highly recommend it!

We also reserved a nice dinner for the night we arrive to celebrate our anniversary, so we’ll be dressing up a bit more than usual for that.

Packing List

I very strategically planned my outfits for this trip based on our plans. I hope this will help me cut down on how much I’m packing! It will, however, be pretty hot while we’re there since we’re traveling at the end of May. If you’ve read my How to Beat the Heat at Disney World post, you know how much I swear by changing clothes midday, so I also want to make sure I have enough to be comfortable!

Here’s what will go in my carry-on size suitcase:

• 2 pairs of shorts
• 4 t-shirts
• 2 dresses (one for our nice dinner and one more casual that I can wear to the park and/or as a bathing suit coverup)
• 5 pairs underwear, 5 pairs socks, 1 bra
• 1 bathing suit
• pajamas
• 1 sneakers
• 1 sandals
• 2 Minnie ear headbands
• rain jacket
• liquids bag
• non-liquids toiletry bag
• makeup bag
• jewelry
• handheld fan
• fuel rod
• sunscreen stick
• umbrella
• 1 loungefly mini-backpack (I will pack all of my undergarments, pajamas, and bathing suit inside to save space in my suitcase)
• 1 fanny pack (might put this inside the loungefly too, if it will fit)
• spare sunglasses
• snacks and liquid iv

For the Plane

For my personal item on the plane, I’ll be taking a second loungefly mini-backpack, and I’m hoping I can fit all of the following inside of it:

• wallet
• phone
• sunglasses
• kindle paperwhite
• headphones
• gum
• magic band
• wet wipes and tissues
• hand sanitizer
• refillable water bottle (empty until after we go through security, of course)
• snacks
• charging cables (for my phone, fitbit, magic band, kindle)

I use this backpack organizer that’s sized for a loungefly mini-backpack, and I love it! It helps me fit more in my loungefly and keeps everything organized and easily accessible. This will be my first time using a loungefly as my personal item (I usually bring a much bigger backpack), so we’ll see how it goes!

Packing Tips

My best tip when packing for Disney World, especially if you’re trying to save space, is to always use packing cubes. I have this set by Shacke, and I love them. They have been through MANY trips by now (I think I bought them in 2018) and are still in excellent condition—no tears, zippers still working perfectly, etc. And I can fit A LOT into one of these. I love packing cubes not only because they help me fit more in my suitcase, but also because they keep my suitcase organized. Everything stays neatly folded and just where I put it.

Another thing I did for this trip in particular is purchased this TSA-approved clear toiletry bag along with sample-size packets of a shampoo and conditioner that I know work for my hair. I use a lot of products for my curly hair (if you want more detail and tips on how I keep my hair frizz-free in the Florida humidity, check out this post), so these two things combined helped me to fit everything I need in a TSA-approved way! The toiletry bag in particular is really well made, and the shape of it allows me to fit more than a quart-size ziploc bag. And its material will be really easy to clean in case anything spills inside. Highly recommend!

If you have a trip coming up, don’t forget to pin this post for later!

Have you ever packed in a carry-on for a quick Disney trip? I had my doubts, but I think I managed just fine! And it was so nice to not have to wait on checked baggage once we landed at MCO!