Maximizing your space in resort rooms

[dizfam4]

We're staying as CSR for 10 nights. We'll have lots of stuff for 10 nights...but are driving so we can put our empty suitcases back in the car to help free up some space. Any good or creative tips for storing toiletries, clothing, park goodies, etc. in the rooms? I like to unpack all of our clothing and not live out of a suitcase when we travel so any ideas on how to store all of our clothing would be welcomed:) I was thinking about stackble storage baskets for clothes and the over-the-door shoe storage for toiletry stuff....what else have you tried? :) princess:

[dizfam4]

Oh...and we have no strollers or cribs to make room for on this trip! Two kiddos (ages 9 and 5)...no more baby gear..hooray!!!

[HawkeyeMickey77]

You could try the collapsible closet shelves. They store pretty flat & usually velcro or snap about the bar of the closet & have about 5 'shelves' in them. Might be something to take a look at. I would imagine there might be other things similar to that in the closet organization section (near the hangers, laundry baskets, popup hampers) in Target or WalMart. HTH!

[Tink9721]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that in every Disney hotel there are two sinks in each room. Maybe you can have an adult sink and a kid sink? I'm not sure how many toiletries you have but there's usually a little shelf all the way across the bottom of the mirror, raised up from the sink area. Sorry if that's a bad description :sad2:

I like your stacking storage idea. There are a few drawers in all the rooms probably not enough space for 10 days worth of clothes for all of you.

A collapseable hamper for dirty stuff would be helpful.

Hope this was a little helpful. I usually just live out of my suitcase so I'm really not an expert on this :confused3

[PurpleSurfer]

http://images.smarter.com/product_image_s/39/36/3689736.jpg

Disclaimer: I do not sell Mary Kay

This has been the best solution for toiletry clutter I've found.

The 4 clear pouches are attached by velcro and can be removed and taken to the area you need to use them in.

They are really roomy compared to the pouches that have been in past kits I've had and because they are clear it's easy to find what I'm looking for.

Also one of the pop up hampers they sell just about everywhere so they dirty doesn't get mixed with the clean.

[redrosesix]

Since your driving, you could consider bringing at least some of your clothes in a rolling set of drawers. We travel a lot for sports, and more and more families are foregoing the suitcases and using these. We often use plastic bins now -- once they're unpacked they can be used for souvenirs, etc.

[Robin K]

This year we are using an over the door shoe holder to put all the stuff in. I read it somewhere and it seems to hold everything; sunscreen, toothbrushes, rubberbands, brushes, toothpaste, etc. The one we got was at Walmart it holds 12 pairs of shoes, so we have 12 sections to put stuff in. Of course, you can put similar items together to make more space. It fits over the top of the bathroom door.
We are leaving in 3 days so I will let you know how it works! Good LUCK

[Chelley00]

This year we are using an over the door shoe holder to put all the stuff in. I read it somewhere and it seems to hold everything; sunscreen, toothbrushes, rubberbands, brushes, toothpaste, etc. We are leaving in 3 days so I will let you know how it works! Good LUCK



We have 3 of these. One we keep inside the bathroom door with shower essentials (shampoo, soap, razor etc) Another near the bathroom sinks with makeup, toothpaste etc. The third we hang in the closet and keep ponytail holders, lanyards, extra park bag supplies (kleenex, sunscreen etc) We love them so much we use them everywhere we go, even on our cruise this summer. We pack them hanging up, then roll them from the bottom up and stick them in the suitcase.

[dizfam4]

Wonderful tips so far everyone! I knew DisBoarders would have good ideas!! Thanks:)

[jennysue]

We have 3 of these. One we keep inside the bathroom door with shower essentials (shampoo, soap, razor etc) Another near the bathroom sinks with makeup, toothpaste etc. The third we hang in the closet and keep ponytail holders, lanyards, extra park bag supplies (kleenex, sunscreen etc) We love them so much we use them everywhere we go, even on our cruise this summer. We pack them hanging up, then roll them from the bottom up and stick them in the suitcase.

OT-

Chelley, I just spent the last hour and a half reading your worst trip ever review! Although I'm sorry for what you went through, I couldn't stop reading. Great job, and I loved all your pics! I'm assuming the family has recoved by now;)

[Kim1964]

The value resorts only have one sink. I think (but I'm not 100% sure) that CSR is also a one sink hotel.

One of the best tips I found on this site was to bring clothespins with me. You can hang a lot more stuff to dry on the tub clothesline with them than you can if you're draping stuff over the line. I also bring a collapsible hamper now (from the Dollar Store) and that really is great.

[calzo]

I just bought a collapsible hamper from the Dollar Store last night. DH thinks I've lost it. I've never been so excited over a stupid hamper before. :rotfl:

[Libbyt]

We just stayed at CBR and were impressed with all the items already in the room that helped control clutter. There was a bench with a big drawer underneath, above that was a shelf with pegs (lanyards, hats, bags, etc.) There were plenty of drawers for us, there was space under the sinks for our toiletry bags. Also, I got a small hanging organizer sort of like the shoe organizer from Avon a couple years ago - it's perfect for hair accessories, sunscreen, lip balm, walkie talkies, etc.

[dizfam4]

I, too, know the joy of getting a new "trip" item...haha. I only have 7 months to prepare...better head to the Dollar Store...haha :)

[coolbeans]

we drove and we stayed at Riverside for 10 nites last summer and I'm a tad compulsive when it comes to organization..
we took a medium rubbermaid clear tote for all of our bathroom stuff and stored it under the sink in the bathroom area. with the most used stuff left on the shelf above the sinks.
the large shelf in the bathroom area was storage for souvies!!! (I kinda collected stuff, extra napkins, brochures, park maps, cups, straws... ) we kept a dirty laundry bag in that corner too.. (and I did laundry twice on this trip)
we had a shelf over the bench in the bed area that I put some of our pics on, I bought a couple frames on the trip and set them up there, plus the shelf had pegs on it so we hung our misters and pin lanyards on those at nite..
under the bench we had all the shoes. before bed at nite I set out the next day's clothes on the bench to make the morning smoother.
the table was used to set all our stuff for the next day, we knew the table had to be empty to leave.. we were odd and when we ate in the room we sat on the beds.. yuck!!
DH used the dresser, he likes to unpack on vacation anyway.
DD, DS and I left our clothes in the duffel bags and had them in the corner behind the door.
we kept a bucket of snacks on the fridge (gotta love Rubbermaid!!)
the empty snack container held fragile souvies on the way home.. the car was slammed and it kept them intact for the 10 hour drive.

[The Hendies]

You could try the collapsible closet shelves. They store pretty flat & usually velcro or snap about the bar of the closet & have about 5 'shelves' in them. Might be something to take a look at. I would imagine there might be other things similar to that in the closet organization section (near the hangers, laundry baskets, popup hampers) in Target or WalMart. HTH


We had one of these in canvas. I let DH use the dresser and I used the hanging shelf closet thing. I put one days outfit on each shelf so all I had to do is grab a stack and go shower.

I also read a great idea for a value, and not sure if you need it, but some one suggested bringing a tension shower rod and curtain to give the vanity area some privacy.

[scooby9932]

One thing we've done to cut down on packing space/room space is use ziploc bags for outfits. This works especially well for kids.

What we do:
For each day, choose your outfit (shorts, shirt, underthings, socks) and put into a ziplock bag, squeeze the air out, and then label with park/day info. Pack ziplocks into suitcases - saves TONS of room. If adult clothes do not fit into the ziplocks, then the small space bags work well, too - they're just more expensive.

There a several benefits to this system:

clothes take up less space in suitcases
clothes don't get as wrinkled
having pre-chosen outfits reduces time deciding on outfits to wear each day = more time in parks
you can easily place 2 kids' ziploc bags into drawers without mixing up clothes
you have left over ziplocks to use to store still wet bathing suits, leaky items, use as padding for breakable souvies, etc. on your way home


The over the door organizer works well in the bathrooms. Also, as many have said, the collapsible hamper is a Must!:thumbsup2

On trips where I've need to hang clothes, I've brought along a space expander double hang closet rod & skinny hangers. You can find the closet rod at stacksandstacks.com or I have seen them in some Targets.

Starting with my last extended trip, I brought along a charging station for everyone's iPods, cell phones, etc., so we could keep them corralled on the table & it helped everyone remember to charge up their devices each day. I also brought a power strip for the bathroom - with girls all getting dressed at once, we needed the extra outlets!:rolleyes:

One place to look for ideas is Target's online college/dorm section - I think in Bed & Bath? There are a lot of cool products for small spaces.

Hope you have a Wonderful time on your trip!:cheer2:

[dizfam4]

You guys are fabulous! I have an entire page full of ideas! I will def. get a fold-up hamper, collapsible shelves that hang, a double closet rod (I haven't heard of this tip!), bring a powerstrip, do the ziploc outfit idea, bring a clear storage tub for snacks and toileties, clothespins..
I love the DisBoarders! Thanks for the tips!!! :)

[frostymom]

Blue Ikea bag. We used to carry our beach towels on our drive and then for our dirty clothes during our trip. Carried the dirty clothes to the laundry room, washed and then packed the clothes back into bag to go back to the room before packing and checkout.

I have a hanging toiletry bag that I take everywhere and has everything.

[familyfirsttimer]

Just wanted to mention 3 small things:
1. Call for hangers: As soon as we get in the room, we call down for 10-15 hangars and have never had a problem getting them in WDW. this lets up hang up a lot more clothers, even for a family of 4.
2. Command hooks. We bring a few of those, great for hanging up the show organizer or bathing suits, etc. or by the door for sweatshirts. The adhesive comes right off you can find many uses for them
3. A spin on the ziplocs, we dont do outfits but I do do all undies in a bag, sockes, pjs, etc. It really helps to keep the drawers a lot more organized and it seems you can fit more in.

Good luck!

[princessmom29]

someone said to call for hangers. I pack extra plastic hangers in my empty on the way down laundry bag, and my empty on the way back suitcase. I make a lot of customs for DD for the trip that need to hang, and this way they can come right out of the suitcase and onto hangers.

[familyfirsttimer]

someone said to call for hangers. I pack extra plastic hangers in my empty on the way down laundry bag, and my empty on the way back suitcase. I make a lot of customs for DD for the trip that need to hang, and this way they can come right out of the suitcase and onto hangers.

oops! Forgot they are driving...you can just bring them. We fly so we need all the space and wegith we can use to not have to pay bag fees!!! Thanks for pointing that out.

[MapleGirl]

A collapseable hamper for dirty stuff would be helpful.

This is key for us! We've also used those gigantic ziplock bags (the storage ones that are big enough to fit a small child!) for dirty clothes.

[Mufasa&Simba]

I don't believe that anyone has mentioned this yet on the thread, but you can use the ironing board to store stuff on. Mostly for extra toiletries. There may not be enough room on the sink, so set up the ironing board and there you go! I used it when I went a year ago and stayed at CSR. It helped a lot with having extra room. Of course, then if you need to iron....

[dizfam4]

I, too, am a hanger packer...I just take my kiddos outfits (still on hangers) and place them in the suitcase. Makes unpacking at the hotel easy to...haha. I am fortunate that we are driving and we don't have a space/weight limit w/ regards to our luggage. :) I love the ironing board idea!!! That is like great big counter top! :) You guys are awesome!!!!!!

[Tinkerbellie16]

Oh, I love the ironing board suggestion!!!

I know you have the luxury of packing 'more' but one of my packing tips is to bring 'old' clothing and such. I save up all the old underwear & socks (you know, the stuff that won't make it through one more wash) and we use these and throw them away. I'll do this for clothes that maybe the kids have stained really badly or the 'holey' items my husband has. Yes, I like to look nice at Disney but typically these outfits are fine, especially for the daytime. As the year goes on, I just pull things out of the clean laundry that are good candidates. It helps for us that are flying to have more room in the suitcase for souvenirs. (I apply this same theory to toiletries and bring all the stuff that we will use up rather than have anything leftover to take home.)

I also recommend bringing lots of extra trash bags. I usually have grocery bags that I put all our shoes and clothes in or to separate things in the suitcase and then I use them as trash bags while we are there. There never seems to be a big enough trash can for us!

For space, we completely utilize the dresser drawers. The lower ones are for the kids. Each gets a drawer for clothes and one drawer for their toys/light up sticks/pins/hats/sunglasses/etc. My husband and I hang everything we can (and ask for extra hangers) and then we take the suitcases and pack them inside of each other and put them somewhere out of the way. I actually like getting a connecting room because I put the luggage rack in front of that door (since we won't use it anyway) and put a suitcase on it that we can use as an extra storage space, then put our shoes underneath it. There is usually enough room to store the big suitcases on the side of it too.

And I agree about the hanging toiletrie kits. Whatever works for you is great (shoe hanger, toiletrie kit, etc) just hang it up so it is out of the way!

[Al and Kate's Mom]

Great tips everyone - thanks!!!:thumbsup2

[mavdav]

Great ideas! I can't tell you how much we love using the over the door shoe holder. Its been quite handy for us. We have used it at WDW and DCL and other non disney vacation (gasp - we cheated on WDW).

Can't wait

[rosiep]

I don't believe that anyone has mentioned this yet on the thread, but you can use the ironing board to store stuff on. Mostly for extra toiletries. There may not be enough room on the sink, so set up the ironing board and there you go! I used it when I went a year ago and stayed at CSR. It helped a lot with having extra room. Of course, then if you need to iron....

Yup! That's what I do! :thumbsup2

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'm trying to remember CSR. I believe it only had one sink because I remember thinking how odd that was.

Everyone else has already passed along the tips that I use.

[boettj]

Ok. prepare yourself for an unpopular solution, but this works for us. We only bring half the amount of clothes we need. Halfway through we wash them. For a family of 5 (my family), this saves a great deal of space.

Another solution is try those vacuum pack bags. They are suppose to collapse your clothes.

A locking roof top for your car?


That is all I got.

[churchpilot]

We unpack completely and put our suitcases away--this means we have to have a space for everything. 1) Over the door shoe holder for all bathroom items and anything else that will fit in there. Both boys have a hanging 5 partition shelf for their clothing (packed in ziplock bags). They share a drawer for underwear, socks, jammies, etc. We have one large collapsible basket for laundry and another one to corral everyone's shoes in so we don't spend valuable time looking for shoes. These both go against the wall by one of the beds. We also use the collapsible "basket" to keep all of our small items in--keys, wallet, cell phones, KTTW cards, etc. When we leave the room, this should be empty so we know we didn't forget anything. We bought a large toothbrush/soap holder from the Dollar Tree that suction cups to the mirror. This makes us feel better about our toothbrushes being up and out of the way when housekeeping is cleaning.:yay: