Help! The dreaded packing to disembark

goofygal531

Always planning...
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
I'm a bit overwhelmed at the thought of packing up! We will be in WDW for 8 days then sailing the Dream for 5 days.

What's worrying me is flying home for the first time directly from the ship!
Usually, we cruise first THEN spend a few days in WDW. I literally throw all of our dirty clothes in the suitcases and wash everything as soon as we get to the resort while the family relaxes poolside. That way, I can repack in an orderly fashion and get the bags under 50lbs.

The thought of packing up a two week vacation then sending my luggage off to the airport the night before is giving me anxiety! I'll need to strategically plan my carry on bags with no liquids, etc...

Any tips from those who have done it? Anyone have any packing suggestions? Any way to make that dreaded pack up on the last night a bit easier? I've never done this before (and this is our 10th cruise!). I have one carry on bag that usually just holds our electronics, might need another bag to accommodate all four of us.
 
Hi there!

We had the same concerns with our Spring Break trip! We did a week at WDW and then a 5-night on the Wonder. OMG...what an amazing vacation!

We flew Southwest so all five of us got two bags for free. I packed an extra (empty) suitcase for any items we purchased at the World and on the ship. It made things much easier! Also, we did a few loads of laundry during our cruise. My biggest tip would be to avoid the laundry room after about 4pm on the final night of the cruise. We saw a long line of folks waiting to use the machines and one poor soul (who apparently left their clothes in the dryer unattended) came to the laundry room with all of their stuff on the ironing board and the floor. YIKES! It would take a lot for me to touch someone else's undergarments - if you know what I mean! ;-)

I also used large-sized ziplocks for "sets" of clothes. That seemed to help us cram more stuff in the suitcases. We used a bunch of those bags! So maybe you could bring a box along?

I hope you have a wonderful cruise. Don't stress too much about the packing, it will all work out!
 
Pack the dirty clothes as you go. I always fold even the dirty stuff because it's neater anyway, so instead of putting clothes in a hamper put them in a suitcase.

Work out what needs to go where *now* rather than on the fly. Write it all out, make copies, and out them in various places. You don't want the one copy to be lost or forgotten etc.

Write out what needs to be in carryon. Etc

You're thinking about it now, so organize it now. :)

Packing at the end has spurred some marital ******* for us in the past (stress plus exhaustion plus we're missing the festivities plus sadness = grrrr) so I do whatever I can to minimize the urgency, the time it takes, and the stress of it all.
 
I have never cruised but as someone who has gone on lengthy vacations with multiple stops I can't agree more with pp advice to pack dirty clothes as you go. in fact, if it is possible pack separate for wdw and cruise. then while on cruise you don't even have to touch all the wdw clothing. i use packing cubes and i know others use large ziploc or space bags to keep it organized. i don't do suitcases for each person, i do suitcases by dates. that way all formal clothing is together, all pirate costumes together, etc. good luck!
 


We use a combo of Ziploc bags and packing cubes (get them on Amazon...they're truly lifesavers!). My husband and I use packing cubes and I pack my son's clothing in baggies...one for each day. I label them "day" or "dinner" so we know what to grab each day. Sometimes the pants or shorts for dinner might go with the next day's outfit. Once worn (and not needed again), it gets folded and into a Ziploc bag. We did an 8 day trip to California including a trip to Disney in 1 large, 1 medium and 1 carry-on for the three of us. :) I also tend to unpack and utilize the closets and drawers on the ship. Makes things so much easier than digging through a suitcase a couple times a day!

Is it possible to do a couple quick loads of laundry at the resort before you board the ship? That way you don't have pack so many days worth of clothes?

My biggest concern is my makeup and other things I usually pack up the last morning that may not meet the travel size requirement for liquids. I'm hoping we can check one bag once we get to the airport. Or maybe we can just do self-assist and lug all our crap with us when we leave. Luckily we're only on a 4-night cruise, so it shouldn't be too bad!
 
We take a luggage scale with us, so when we redistribute the clothes we don't overload too many dirty clothes into one suitcase.

Make sure you save an outfit to wear going home. People have been known to pack everything and set it out in the hall on the last night, then have to disembark in their jammies.
 


My biggest concern is my makeup and other things I usually pack up the last morning that may not meet the travel size requirement for liquids. I'm hoping we can check one bag once we get to the airport.

Are you sure that your makeup is truly over 100ml each container? Can you snag one of the 311 baggies from another family member and put anything 100ml or less in there? What makeup are you concerned about? Sometimes people think things are restricted or too big, when they aren't.

And yes you can check more at the airport if it's needed. They'll have a record of what you already checked onboard.

Make sure you save an outfit to wear going home. People have been known to pack everything and set it out in the hall on the last night, then have to disembark in their jammies.

Yes. And SHOES. After much discussion after, we realized that I had organized our shoes in "what's getting packed vs what's being worn" and then our room steward had straightened them all up, and DH packed them. Which meant he packed my shoes. I got a cross country flight with no socks and just flipflops, in wintertime, with layovers and delays. So not happy.

We've found that if a bag starts getting to the 50lb range we can't lift it. It's a great way of knowing when we have hit that mark. And we are strong people, but I have no interest in carrying a 50lb piece of luggage any distance. :)
 
My biggest concern is my makeup and other things I usually pack up the last morning that may not meet the travel size requirement for liquids. I'm hoping we can check one bag once we get to the airport. Or maybe we can just do self-assist and lug all our crap with us when we leave. Luckily we're only on a 4-night cruise, so it shouldn't be too bad!

I think that's my biggest concern too, the morning of.

I was stressing about my make-up until I realized I've ALWAYS flown with my make-up case in my carry on and it has never been questioned while going thru TSA. I'm hoping to put the luggage out the door as late as possible the night before in order to get our clothing from that evening packed away. Keeping the carry ons free for souvenirs and electronics.

We fly JetBlue and will have three checked bags for the four of us. I like the idea of taking an extra suitcase, although my husband will think I'm nuts!lol The suitcases always cause a problem getting a taxi from the airport home. We always need the large van taxis, which are not as easy to come by as the standard sedans.

I will be doing a load of laundry in WDW before the cruise. And I WILL pack the dirties as we go, great suggestion!

Thank you for all your wonderful suggestions!
 
Are you sure that your makeup is truly over 100ml each container? Can you snag one of the 311 baggies from another family member and put anything 100ml or less in there? What makeup are you concerned about? Sometimes people think things are restricted or too big, when they aren't.

I have a quart bag. For me, it's actually remembering to move the liquids to the baggie! And what is considered a liquid? Mascara? Foundation? Usually I just throw my makeup bag in my carry-on and hope for the best! :)
 
This is what I meant...since each person gets a baggie, and not all family members necessarily use one or use all of it, if it's the sheer amount of stuff you have with you, take over the less used baggies. :) I am one female with two males; they use almost nothing from the 311 bags; it's generally mostly my stuff. :)

I put mascara into the baggie. If it's liquid foundation, yes, into the baggie. Make sure it's 100ml or less. If it's powder, it doesn't have to go in the baggie. Lipstick, not a liquid. Lipgloss, yes a liquid. Chapstick, not a liquid.

I just pack my makeup (what little there generally is) in the 311 bag so there's no remembering to move it. Well actually I take it out of the bag and put it on one of the shelves in one of the bathroom areas, and put the 311 bag behind it so it's right there for me to see.
 
I agree that you will need to do laundry at some point. I like to fly home from the cruise on one of the airlines that participates in the Onboard Airline Checkin program (where you put your luggage in the hall on the last night and don't see it again until you land at home). My secret is to wear comfortable clothes to dinner the final night so I can then fly home in them the next morning.

I also use the Space Bags travel size bag to isolate stinky things like socks. Just roll it up to squeeze the air out. And I roll my dirty clothes going home because it won't matter what they look like when I arrive.
 
I never wait until the last night to pack. We go on at least 7-night cruises. Morning 3 I take all the dirty clothes from the hamper and put them in a trash bag, tie it up and put it in one of the suitcases under the bed. Night 5/morning 6 [usually CC day] I empty the hamper again. I also take out just what we will need to wear for the last two days. I pack up everything else into a separate suitcase. When we get back onto the ship I rinse out and wring out the swimsuits in towels, then put them in large ziplock bags before putting them into one of the the dirty laundry suitcases. Put all the full bags out in the hallway after we dress for dinner.

We then have just our dinner clothes, an outfit to change into after the show that night if doing last minute shopping & Til We Meet Again [also worn the next morning we leave the ship], PJs, & our HBA stuff. That all fits into two carry on bags the next morning. MUCH less stressful than our first cruise where everything was done the last night, everyone was grumpy and it was a horrible way to end our cruise.
 
The afternoon before disembarkation, I empty out all the drawers, closets, etc and put it all on the bed. From there I remove any clothing or other items that I will be wearing or using that night or the next day and put them back in the drawer/closet. This way I can be sure that I'm not going to walk off the ship in my pajamas or swimsuit. Then I pack my (flight) carry-on bag and put it back in the closet. What's left gets packed up and put outside the door. I bring a travel scale so I can make sure no bag is over the weight limit. Next morning, I put on my travel clothes, stuff my pajamas, etc in my carry-on and I'm on my way.

I like packing cubes as they help keep everything organized. About mid-week, I usually pre-pack anything I'm not going to wear the remainder of the cruise (like Pirate stuff). I don't worry too much about dirty vs clean on the way home as everything goes into the wash when I get there. And, I've managed to to keep my excess clothing to a minimum (the last two cruises I've returned home with only one shirt I've not worn).

Oh yeah, and I usually enjoy an adult beverage while I'm packing. Might as well have some fun while doing a disagreeable job!
 
Since Disney has room for the luggage to go under the bed and it can easily come in and out, I never unpack my clothes in the first place. I just live out of the suitcase and keep a pile or bag for dirty laundry, then pack that at the end of the cruise (preferably in a different bag than the still clean stuff.) Then I just quickly pack all the toiletries. I know that wouldn't work for some people because they feel they have to unpack, but I just wanted to throw the idea out there.
 
I pack the dirty clothes up as we go along each night so there isn't one big night of folding, rolling, and stuffing. Then the last night I redistribute to make room for all the souvenirs, toiletries and clothes we are wearing that night.
 
I put dirty or clothes we won't be wearing again back in the suitcase every night. The last night when we change after dinner and before the luggage goes out we change into the clothes we will be wearing the next morning to fly home. That means sandals , etc and everyone needs to get back into there jeans. If they want to keep there shorts etc it better fit in their backpack for the trip home with their p.j's. If you get your luggage again this is no problem you can stuff that stuff in before you hand it over at the airport but if they take it for you that won't work.

We take a few ziplock bags too to throw all the papers and crafts the kids collect so that too is easy to put in a front pocket of a suitcase.

I also take our suitcase scale with us so I am not moving stuff in the suitcases at the airport. Been there done that. It also came in handy last trip when our neighbours down the all were really worried about how much each weighted because they wouldn't see them again until they got home and didn't want a charge. I helped them out.
 
Packing to go home is easy. I throw the dirty clothes in one suitcase and the clean in another. I don't worry about organizing anything because I'm going home. I can do laundry and sort it all out at home.
 

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