Travel Outfits: What I wore at Disney

The last time I visited Disney World was years ago, pre-kids, for a company event, and I couldn’t imagine returning for the foreseeable future. But here we are almost a decade later, and a 3 year old and a kindergartener swayed me to don mouse ears and get excited about princess meet ups. I have to admit, something about seeing it all through your little ones’ eyes did make it kind of magical.

I’m working on a post with our itinerary + tips that came in handy, but first a couple of travel-friendly pieces I packed. The temps ranged from low 50’s in the AM to mid 70s in the PM with rain, so layering was key! I decided to go minimal with carry-on bags for the family, but Nori had ideas of her own and packed her entire princess wardrobe. With limited space, here are my versatile pieces that made the cut for 4 nights:

Tops:

• Short jacket. My Steve Madden crop trench (sold here & here) layered well over every outfit! Some alternatives that are fully stocked:
  • H&M has a very affordable short trench stocked in xxs & up
  • Gap kids short trench with a hood – I’m usually kids 12
  • Ann Taylor short swing jacket in petites
  • ASOS shorter one with good reviews
• Basic tops in black and white
• Cardigan. I haven’t traveled anywhere without an Emilie sweater in tow. It’s on sale now for the best price I’ve seen yet, and goes easily from casual to professional. Nice quality, sturdy 100% cotton.
• Striped layer. I didn’t need my Sezane sweater since I already had the cardigan jacket. But when I stripped down to a tank top on warm afternoons, I liked a striped layer over my shoulders as an accent piece. For warm weather, I’d do my slouchy AYR stripe tee instead of a knit.
• Sweatshirt. I love the relaxed, slightly cropped fit on my A&F Sunday sweatshirt or Lulu half zip. I went with A&F since it’s a little lighter weight, tho wish I had the newer pocket version!

Many people in Orlando were in T-shirts in the 50’s temps, so depending on your tolerance, these layers and long pants won’t be necessary! For summer I’d go with something this traveler dress with built-in shorts.

Bottoms:

• Leggings. While I don’t usually go for leggings without a longer top covering the crotch, style rules went out the window here in favor of comfort and ease. A few pairs I like in 7/8 length with pockets:
  • Zella 7/8 pockets – I take xxs
  • Abercrombie 7/8 pockets – I take XS short
  • Lululemon pocket – I take size 2 with a 25″ inseam, sometimes 23″
• Jeans. I brought 1 cropped, 1 relaxed pair to wear with sneakers:
  • Full length relaxed: Levi’s ribcage in 26 inseam for a looser leg & higher rise, or Abercrombie 90’s relaxed in Extra Short length.
  • Ankle crop jeans: Levi’s wedgie straight in 26″ length (my favorite wash “space to think” was restocked!), or Abercrombie ankle straight in Short
• A little warmer, and I’d swap in a tailored short with elastic back waist instead of jeans.

Shoes & Accessories:

• Sneakers. You do miles of walking a day at Disney, so wear only your most supportive and comfortable sneakers. I saw tons of ppl in Hoka or On Cloud sneakers, which I need to try. Out of my limited sneaker collection I went with Adidas Sambas, which are comfy for me but NOT a truly supportive sneaker, so I added & tested out cushier insole inserts in advance. I also wore cotton crew socks with them most of the time as an added layer of foot protection.
• Lightweight hands-free bag. The popular lulu bag works well, and I also have this $14 Amazon one.

Things I Should’ve Brought

• Proper rain Gear. Don’t make my mistake by packing rain boots for a wet forecast. The chunky shoes took up valuable suitcase space, and didn’t make sense for on & off rain or when it got warm. Instead, others had these wet weather shoe covers (so smart!) and plenty of ponchos which we had bought on Amazon. I personally liked a small umbrella too instead of a poncho.
• Swimsuits. A big “miss” on my part! I thought 60s would be too cold for outdoor pool time, but the kids felt otherwise. The pool was heated and they enjoyed water time daily in their pajamas.

Best Kids Princess Dresses

My inner child who adored all things dress-up was living vicariously through my kids! Here’s some noteworthy dress up brands:

• Little Adventures is at the top of my list and is clearly made by moms who get it. No messy glitter, easy pull-on & off designs with stretch, and soft, non-itchy fabrics that wash well in the machine. This brand is worth spending more on IMO, and has sizes for age 1 to 13.
• You guys already know my love for the Gap Disney sweater dresses! Amazing value for comfy dresses in a 100% cotton knit and lining. We’ve washed ours dozens of times.
  • Linking the popular Walmart knit Disney dresses here too! Many options for under $15
• For a fancier option, the Janie & Jack princess dresses are nicely made in elegant fabrics and still machine washable.

I had wanted to buy the Little Adventures Belle dress for its easy-clean fabric and elastic stretchy waist, but it was unavailable at the time so I got this one. It’s actually quite pretty for the price and well made, esp compared to a few others I had checked out from Amazon.