Hi there, Sheena,
How exciting to be visiting
Walt Disney World Resort for the fourth time in just a few short months! I can certainly understand your concern. As a mom of four children myself, I remember being very apprehensive about leaving our stroller at home when our twins were six. Like you, I loved having the storage compartment for our bags and cup holders for drinks. We found it to be super convenient to store our belongings in the stroller rather than having to bring them with us onto the attractions. That being said, we also found it to be much easier to navigate the parks in crowded areas once we no longer brought a stroller.
Once our family went "stroller free," my husband and I decided to both bring a bag into the parks. He always brings a backpack for snacks, sunscreen, and other park touring essentials; whereas, I wear a small crossbody bag with medicine and smaller items. Although a few attractions have a designated storage compartment, we usually place our bags on our laps or the floor of the ride vehicle. To be honest, we don't tend to carry as many drinks throughout the day as we previously could transport, but we do have two sleeves on the exterior of our backpack that we sometimes use for water bottles. We usually find ourselves drinking more at mealtime and when enjoying a snack. I also wanted to mention that Guests can ask for a complimentary cup of ice water at Quick-Service restaurants or at snack carts where "fountain drinks" are sold.
Locker Rentals are also available at the theme parks if you would prefer to store your bags while you explore the park.
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to visit us again. Best wishes for a magical trip, Sheena!
Happy Travels,
Jodie