What is your not so normal item to pack, which is helpful while at WDW ?

[ImarriedGrumpy]

One of my "must bring" items is the stall stopper - it's a great little invention to keep a restroom stall door closed if the latch is broken. It was very handy on our last trip to Disneyland when one of the bathrooms had two stalls with broken latches and a line of people waiting - I was able to skip the line and use the stall stopper to secure the door, and got my then-3yr old DS on the toilet in time to prevent an accident.

It's great for also keeping the door securely closed if you have a small child who likes to fiddle with the latch while you're going to the bathroom. I use it for that more than I've needed it to fix a broken stall door, but I'm always thankful to have it when I do need it.

Here's the link if you're curious about it: http://www.restroomsurvivalkit.com/index.htm

 

[AllieV]

One of my "must bring" items is the stall stopper - it's a great little invention to keep a restroom stall door closed if the latch is broken.

Oh my goodness, I remember seeing this on an invention reality show several years ago and thinking, "wow that's a good idea, I hope someone picks that up." It didn't make it far in the show (some new-age baby seat won) but I've been looking for it ever since. Thanks for the link.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Oh my goodness, I remember seeing this on an invention reality show several years ago and thinking, "wow that's a good idea, I hope someone picks that up." It didn't make it far in the show (some new-age baby seat won) but I've been looking for it ever since. Thanks for the link.

Glad I could help! My friend saw that show and started hunting online for the stall stopper, and as soon as they were available she gave them to everyone for Christmas one year! I ended up buying another one so I'd have one in my purse and one in the diaper bag.

It's not something I need every day, but when I do need it, I'm always very thankful I have it!!

 

[ZoZo]

Why a leather man tool?

It's like a Swiss Army Knife on steroids. Some of these knives have 30 or 40 different tools on them. Pretty impressive!

 

[Mom24Princesses]

disneydeal = we do the same where ever we stay - the least amount of bathroom light in case someone needs to get up in the middle of the night.

Sometimes it is the ceiling light - other times the light above the mirror.
Then keep the bathroom door ajar...so a little light goes into the room.

I do not mean to waste electicity, but we need that bit of light at night.

I have bought nightlights at the dollar store and left them behind. Sometimes the bathroom light is too much.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

The nightlights reminded me of our "not so normal" item we bring with us now - a string of multi-colored LED christmas lights! Our son has a strand of these in his room that we use for a nightlight, and we bought an extra set that we bring with us when away from home. I like that they are LED so they don't use as much energy and don't get hot to the touch. They're also not as bright as some LED's we've seen, so they work well as a gentle, cheerful night light. Plus they add a festive touch to the room!

We usually just drape them up somewhere, although I've thought about packing a few of those 3M command adhesive hooks to use, too.

 

[IowaTater]

Whenever we go camping, we hit up a website that sells travel size products. It's called Minimus.biz. They have everything from toiletries to food items to pharmaceuticals. It's awesome.


Also, I'm not sure this is still recommended or not but when we were planning our trip a few years ago, we bought a clear backpack. We obviously won't keep valuables like my camera or room keys or anything like that in it but it's a lot easier to get through security with it.

An unusual thing I'm planning on taking with me are little packets of lemon juice. I get hiccups really bad so I just chug one real fast and they're gone! I also like lemon in my water so the packets have a dual purpose.

 

[disneylove1021]

Finally made it thru the whole thread. Whew. Lots of info. I've been copying and pasting ideas into my phone's notepad.

 

[BigPumba]

Why a leather man tool?

Why not

 

[lillyshelle]

Not sure if these tips have been mentioned i am trying to go through the thread right now.

i use a mommy clip for a stroller (we are renting one from applestrollers) it is a gigantic rock climbing clip that is great for hanging bags, etc on to the stroller. i always use it when i go shopping at outlets.

i also have a strap that i use to strap my 2yo dd's cup, toy etc onto the stroller with. it beats not having to realized she threw her item out the stroller.

this isnt something u bring exactly (depends on how u look at it)...... but i made a folder in my email account called disney reservations. i put all my reservations there that way i can pull up my confirmation # on my smart phone and not have to keep up with another piece of paper. i also put my cancel reservations in there until the trip is over just in case......

 

[PGHDisneyfan]

We always pack a small blinking light and a keychain flash light. The small blinker goes on our stroller and another goes on my 5 year old at night. I hate when they move my stroller for parades! Especially in adventure land since its so dark back there! The blinker shows up very easily on a dark moonless night and makes finding the stroller a snap. Same reason for peewee my 5 year old. You can get one at any target or Walmart in the outdoors section. Some people call them jogger safety strobes. The flash light, well you just never know when you will need one and it makes peewee feel better on dark rides!

 

[Dragontears]

Wow! This thread is great. Like everyone else I have started my list..for November

One thing I would like to add ( and scrapbookers will appreciate this) I take along a small notebook the a little bigger than a business card size, and when we get back to the room that day I write down highlights of the day, where we ate etc, because often I don't get to work on the scrapbook until much later and my memory isnt that good!

Since I have my iPod touch with me at all times, I usually record these sort of reminders as I go along. When we get home I just transfer the files to my computer (in the vacation folder right next to the photo folder) so I don't wast time trying to find where I put them. Most cell phones also have a record function.

I have gotten so many great ideas from here..Thanks to everyone who takes a moment out of their busy dayto share.

 

[HappyGal]

I have PhotoPass+ this time and I'm so excited to get all the ride pics. I don't want our pics to get bent or wet in the backpack so I've fashioned a protective case by cutting the cover off an old binder (it has the clear plastic cover that you can insert paper in) and will put the pics in there.

 

[tjmj9801]

I have PhotoPass+ this time and I'm so excited to get all the ride pics. I don't want our pics to get bent or wet in the backpack so I've fashioned a protective case by cutting the cover off an old binder (it has the clear plastic cover that you can insert paper in) and will put the pics in there.

Unless I misunderstood your post, I think you're under the impression that with PhotoPass+ you'll get a physical copy of your ride photo upon exiting the ride. That's not the case. Your ride photo's will be included on the PhotoPass cd that you'll order. You'll receive a PhotoPass card in the mail before your trip, as with all prepaid PhotoPass cd's You'll just present that card at ride photo kiosks and they'll be in with all your other photos on the cd.

 

[Malakaiii]

Phew! I got through the whole thread! SO many great ideas! Thanks to all who shared.

I'm a really light packer, and we're coming all the way from Canada's west coast, so I'll only be bringing things that are extremely useful. I got a few great ideas for my list!

My 2 cents:
- No need to bring post-it notes for the toilet's auto-flushers. Just drape a piece of toilet paper over it. We do this all the time for our 2 year old who doesn't like the flushers.
- Pack all your toiletries in ziplock bags. I've had shampoo leak and ruin a whole bag full of stuff.
- Bring electrolyte powder to add to your water instead of just flavour crystals.
- Bring stuff to keep tummies on track (miralax, tums, gas pills, digestive enzymes)

 

[AudreyKThompson]

Wow! just finished the entire thread, and picked up some great new ideas-
A couple I didn't see-
we bring an Apple slicer/corer for quick snacks/breakfast etc.
We take canned cokes to the parks, but used to hate it if the kids don't finish it (goes flat/spills/etc) so I got these great can lids that snap open and closed so you can drink out of the can, they pump up to keep drinks fizzy, and they are color coded so we know who's drink is whose.
Happy Travels!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

That's what I figured. I need to get some lotion to rub on my feet after a long day. I think I would prefer soaking them though. I am sure there is something less expensive around. I'll check B&BW.

The Basin store and both DTD and GF sell the bombs for much less. No need to pack them with you

 

[pellsphish]

Gold Bond powder. Always slap some on in the grundle area before heading into the parks. Helps stop the chaffing and keeps the entire area cool for an hour or so.

 

[bagsmom]

So, I have a couple weird things that I bring... I'm a packing and gear nerd:

I love my Sitka over-the-shoulder sling bag from Maxpedition. It is designed so that when you go to sit down, or access the bag for that matter, that it slides to your front and sits across your abdomen-perfect for riding rides and great for getting at stuff without taking the bag off! It is not terrible large, but you can pack enough in there if you don't go too crazy. Besides, if you pack too much, it will be too heavy for one shoulder anyway. (Ladies, if you want to get your DH to carry stuff, this might be a great bribe-looks cool, works great, very manly... )

I keep a "dry sack" in my bag because Florida rains are notorious for popping up out of nowhere! My "dry sack" is big enough to hold my Sitka inside it, so when rain happens, I step inside somewhere dry, pull my dry sack out, and drop my whole backpack in there, and voila!, we keep going and ride those rides with short lines while everyone is hiding from a little rain!

I have a MSR Paktowel Original in my bag. These things are amazing. They hold almost 10x their weight in water. Wring it out, and it's almost completely dry again. Great for wiping down wet seats, drying off somewhat from rides or spray... Lots of uses...

I never leave my Unofficial Guide behind (or my iphone with my Lines app and My Disney Experience on it!)

I have a portable (battery-operated) charger so that we can recharge our phones while we eat lunch/dinner. It is great. It's about half the size of my UG, and will fully recharge my phone battery from 30% to full in about an hour.

I bring a Camelbak bladder that fits inside my Sitka (that also has a bladder compartment made for it). The low profile Omega fits perfectly (and holds 3L). Fill it up with ice and water/lemonade/crystal light, and it keeps your back cool and gets lighter the more that you drink!

I bring a surgical tube clothesline that I got from Amazon (It's braided with three tubes, so no need for clothespins). It has loops on either end. You can attach carabiners to them or loop them around shower heads. It's only 7 ft long, but great for what it does, and it stretches a bit longer.

I put luggage tags on all my bags, especially the one I bring into the park. Disney customer service is awesome, and they will return something if they can figure out who it belongs to!

I think that's all that may not have been said already (and sorry for anything that's already been posted!). Thanks for all the tips! I'm a huge fan already!

Love your post! I too am a HUGE fan of the folks at the UnOfficial Guide! LOVE their books and website. I'm going to look for the bag you mentioned right now!

 

[bagsmom]

I have to admit, this is THE strangest thing I have ever heard of someone bringing.

Not criticizing

Strange and BRILLIANT!

We are staying DVC this summer and I was just thinking of the vast quantities of STUFF we will need to carry. Food, both non-perishable and stuff in coolers, lots of clothes (don't want to do laundry at all while we're on vacation) -- just tons of stuff.

We have a handtruck and it may be coming with us!