We’re going to Disney World every single week, so we’re always looking out for the best potential essentials to bring to the parks and putting them to the test!
Shark Chill Pill
When it comes to essential items to bring to Disney World, there are a few things that come to mind. Backpacks, water bottles, chargers — they’re all important to have. Another thing we think can completely change your Disney day is a fan! Whether it’s the summer or the winter, the Florida heat can really get to you. Fans make spending time in the hot sun at Disney World so much easier. The question is, which fan should you get?
Option 1: Shark ChillPill Fan
Shark ChillPill Fan
Let’s take a look at the Shark ChillPill 3-in-1 Fan! This item is a fan, a mister, and has a cooling plate. There are two mechanisms you need to use in order to turn it on: a slide switch, which is sort of the main power, and then you press the dial at the end of one of the tubular pieces to activate the device. The basic feature is called the high-speed fan, but we did find that it was weaker than other fans we’ve used. We tested it at its highest setting of 10, but it just did not bring the power as a fan.
Here it is!
The dry touch mist claims to have ultra-fine droplets for indoors and outdoors. It comes with a cumbersome wick that you have to apply and switch out yourself. You just have to fill the vessel up with water and replace the wick every 30 days. It comes loaded with one and three extras on the side, which means you will need to purchase new wicks. When we put it up to our face, we didn’t really feel much. This gives you a lot to do with your time and produces very little relief.
Shark ChillPill
Then came the InstaChill cooling plate, which claims to cool on contact to lower skin temp by up to 16°F. This actually rocked our world. It’s not quite freezing cold, but it is shockingly cold. At times when people start dropping like flies around Walt Disney World because they’re fainting from heat exhaustion, they usually tell you to run and get a bottle of water and pour it on yourself. But any kind of very cool surface that you can press on your forehead or the back of your neck will save a person from falling ill due to the heat, and this is something you can carry with you that will produce that effect instantly.
Shark ChillPill
When we used the ChillPill, the battery seemed to last a very long time. Overall, we think they packed an ambitious amount of ideas into this product. Two of them fell short for us, and one of them sort of blew our mind. Out of the four fans, this one is our loser just based on price and disappointment because of the price. It’s still a good find, but there are cheaper ones that get the job done!
Option 2: AMKEN Waist Fan
AMKEN Waist Fan
The AMKEN Waist Fan is for someone who carries a lot of torso heat and overheats in their trunk or midsection. It’s for the person who doesn’t mind carrying a little extra weight in exchange for a serious cooling effect, and who can tolerate the noise of a fan running constantly if it means staying cool. We’ve used it indoors, in a quick-service restaurant, where we leaned it back on the little pull-out tab of the belt clip so the airflow hit our face. It amplified the air conditioning beautifully…almost too much. At one point, it made one spot on our stomach so cold we had to keep shifting it around. If you’re the type who overheats easily, even in indoor spaces at Disney, this is a great enhancement.
It worked great for us!
For $25 on Amazon, this is an amazingly effective product. Honestly, it feels like it’s worth much more than that. The primary feature is the fan itself. There are three speed settings, but we don’t think it’s worth carrying this around unless you’re going to use it on high. It’s simply too heavy for a light breeze when smaller, lighter fans could give you that. This is a product built for the hottest days in Disney World. Beyond the fan, it has a very bright LED light with multiple modes: press once for a steady flashlight, again for a flashing hazard effect, and again to turn it off.
How it can prop up on tables!
We like that we have this cooling option with us when we start to overheat, or even if our phone overheats (little hack). It cools both us and our device when needed. It also came with a belt, so we had the option if our clothing didn’t support the weight. It also comes with a lanyard-style strap for wearing it around your neck. The biggest pro is the sheer strength of the fan and how much cooling power it provides.
AMKEN Waist Fan
If there were a way to make it a little quieter, we’d change that. It’s impressively quiet for how powerful it is, but after a while it starts to make us a little crazy. That’s the trade-off: you get this incredible cooling power, but you have to accept sounding like you’re walking around with a vacuum cleaner in your shirt. It’s not deafening, but it’s definitely not silent either. It never claimed to be silent — it claimed to be a powerful, wearable cooling fan, and that’s exactly what it is. It even ended up lasting about 4 hours during our test.
AMKEN Waist Fan
We’d give this a solid four out of five stars. We almost gave it five, but the sound keeps us from doing that. The cooling power and versatility are incredible, but the constant noise does wear on you. This would be an amazing gift for anyone planning a Disney World trip, but also for people who deal with heat flashes, hot sweats, or just hate the heat.
Option 3: Mouse Misting Fan
LACOVIA Cute Mouse Misting Mini Fan
Now, if you’re looking for a little bit of a Disney touch with your fan, you might want to grab the Mouse Misting Fan! The fan has 3 speeds, and who can resist the charms of a fan with Mickey ears that practically fits in your palm/pocket?! It also has nubs that we’ll refer to as “feet”, which can be used to put it on a desk or table while you’re seated to keep the fan upright without tipping over. It also has a plastic cage around the actual fan part so you don’t have to worry about a little one sticking their fingers in it.
Mickey Fan
It’s rechargeable with a USB-C charging cord that comes with it, and it lights up red while it’s being charged to let you know that it’s actively charging. It’s fairly easy to use, and the back stick folds/rotates down so you can have a longer handle. The package also comes with a dropper for the water reservoir, so you have an easier time filling it for the mister. It’s small enough to take with you if you need to.
This is a great fan!
The misting feature is cool in theory, but not practical. When we first heard it was a “misting” fan, we figured it was one like Disney where you squirt a jet of water in spurts that gets displaced by the fan blades. Nope, this one is a legitimate misting fan. It creates a small stream of mist from the center ring just under the fan, but it’s not very strong. In order to feel it, you have to have your face very close to the fan, and hope that the wind’s direction doesn’t steer it away from your face. Otherwise, you’re turning your hand. The water reservoir is small, and it seems to be sufficient.
Accessories
Overall, this made our trip easier, and we would 100% recommend it!
Option 4: JISULIFE 3-in-1 Fan
JISULIFE 3 IN 1 Handheld Mini Fan
You just can’t go wrong with the JISULIFE 3-in-1 Handheld Fan! We find that this is absolutely worth the money. It’s multifunctional, so not only is it a rechargeable handheld fan with multiple settings, but it also doubles as a flashlight and charger.
The JISULIFE Fan
It’s so compact! Most fans are larger and bulky to carry around, but this one folds nicely to take up as little space in your bag as possible. We honestly have nothing that we’d want changed about this fan. You definitely need this for your trip! Especially if you’re not used to the Florida humidity and want to decrease the number of things in your bag since you can use it as a charger too.
We’re always on the hunt for the latest and greatest Disney souvenirs and essentials, so don’t forget to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for more!
