Is it possible to pack light for a trip to Disney?

[housetomouse]

I was thinking about trying to have us take one rolling carry-on per person, then check a bag or two with other stuff. Maybe I am just kidding myself, I am not known to be a light packer, but I wish I were.

Have any of you successfully packed light for Disney, and do you have any tips for doing it?

I should add that I won't have a washer/dryer in our room and would prefer not to do laundry for the week's trip.

Thanks!

[Tonka's Skipper]

We are DVC members so we have a washer and dryer and always keep the bags down to 1 per person and that is often a carry on size!

AKK

[lizabu]

I'm one of those people who will wear a pair of jeans at least 3 times before washing them provided I haven't smeared anything on myself so for a week I would need 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, a bathing suit and a couple T-shirts (I will probably buy more as souviners). Clean undies are a must. Throw in a stick of deoderant and a baggie with some makeup items and I'm good to go. The outfit I'm wearing counts as one outfit and I wear one pair of comfy shoes everywhere. The hotel provides the hair dryer, soap, shampoo, towels etc so you don't have to worry about any of that. Definitely do-able.

ETA- even if you forgot to bring your toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant don't worry, most hotels will give you some for free as a courtesy. Don't stress.

[lucyem]

There are lots of youtube videos on packing as much as you can into a small bag without everything getting crushed.

[housetomouse]

Originally Posted by Tonka's Skipper

We are DVC members so we have a washer and dryer and always keep the bags down to 1 per person and that is often a carry on size!

AKK

I definitely won't have a W/D in the room, and I hate to go to the laundry on vacation, but on the other hand I hate hauling (and paying for) a lot of luggage. Thanks!

[housetomouse]

Originally Posted by lucyem

There are lots of youtube videos on packing as much as you can into a small bag without everything getting crushed.

That sounds interesting! I will look for them, thank you!

[housetomouse]

Originally Posted by lizabu

I'm one of those people who will wear a pair of jeans at least 3 times before washing them provided I haven't smeared anything on myself so for a week I would need 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, a bathing suit and a couple T-shirts (I will probably buy more as souviners). Clean undies are a must. Throw in a stick of deoderant and a baggie with some makeup items and I'm good to go. The outfit I'm wearing counts as one outfit and I wear one pair of comfy shoes everywhere. The hotel provides the hair dryer, soap, shampoo, towels etc so you don't have to worry about any of that. Definitely do-able.

ETA- even if you forgot to bring your toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant don't worry, most hotels will give you some for free as a courtesy. Don't stress.

I am impressed! I need to get into this mindset, it must feel great to travel so light. Thank you!

[ZoZo]

I think some of it depends on what time of year you go. Wintertime? Long-sleeve shirts and long pants take up more room than shorts and t-shirts. But in the warmer months, you get much more hot and sweaty, so you might need to change clothes more often (I hate wearing sweaty clothes!).

I know you said you don't want to do laundry, but for me, it's worth it to take a two-hour break mid-trip and pack half as many clothes. I'm an over-packer by nature (and OP, it sound like you are, too!) and love the convenience of doing laundry mid-trip. Totally worth it to me.

[JenSop]

Length of stay and time of year make all the difference.

For example, I usually go in the summer and it is HOT! My outfit pieces are very small (I wear a very small size), BUT I have to bring two outfits per day because I completely sweat through my clothing.

My last trip down was this past October - I got by with my wheeled carry-on, and a back pack as my "personal item." It was only a five day trip, so it totally worked. Didn't need heavy clothes, but it wasn't so hot that I had to worry about two outfits per day. It was perfect!

I haven't traveled to Disney in the winter, but I went to Vienna for almost two weeks last winter and got by on just a suitcase and carry-on. That's with full winter clothes, a few pairs of shoes, some nice clothing, and my music. (I was there to work on music at the opera house.) I made sure to re-wear my two pairs of jeans over and over and I wore my heaviest items on my body when I was on the plane.

[aubriee]

Packing folders and packing cubes are a packers best friend. May 2008 I decided to see if I coud do carryon only for 8 nights/nine days. I was able to squeeze 8 pairs of shorts and 8 thin blouses into one 18" packing folder which easily fit into one side of my Hey's 20" carry on. The other side of my carry on held a pair of flip flops, a pair of sandals, two sundresses (and a swimsuit) rolled into a med packing cube, 8 pairs of underwear and 8 bras in two slim packing cubes, along with a small packing cube that held makeup remover wipes, sunscreen towelettes and a few other odds and ends like a small solid lip balm, stick deodorant, small hairbrush, small comb, etc. My personal item was a small barrel shaped duffel bag which held my camera, cell phone, folder with itinerary and tips, chargers in a small Vera Bradley makeup bag, another small Vera Bradley makeup bag that had a few brushes and tiny screw together jars of mineral makeup, and my 3-1-1 bag. I had travel size bottles of my own shower gel, lotions, body sprays, etc in my 3-1-1 bag. My 3-1-1 bag also held three small screw together jars that I had put moisturizer, night cream and eye cream in, a tiny travel size mascara, and a couple of tiny travel size lip glosses. I carried makeup remover wipes and sunscreen towlettes so I didn't have to waste space in my 3-1-1 bag. It was tight but doable.

[HappyontheLake]

DH can do a two week trip to China with only carry-on luggage, but then again he is expensing laundry and dry-cleaning service.

[ccgirl]

I am able to go with 2 suitcases for a family of 4 (2adults, 2children) and 1 carryon. Shorts get worn multiple times.

[VanessasMom]

We have a family of three and use three carryons for Disney. For dh & I, we pack two pair of shorts, four tshirts, eight pair of undies and socks, one pair pj's and a bathing suit. For dd, we pack the same but increase shorts and shirts to eight pair because she always goes thru more outfits per day than one and I make custom ones for her. I usually do a load of laundry halfway thru and find it quite relaxing. I use space bags for our clothes. We also pack the minimum size toiletries and get double use out of some things--like we share a razor and dh uses hair conditioner as shaving cream (he says it actually works better as a moisturizer). We use one carryon for gifts from tink, toys, and snacks.

[mytripsandraces]

I usually go for a long weekend, so packing light to get there isn't a problem. My problem is not buying so much stuff that I can't get it all back!

[CandyHead09]

Originally Posted by housetomouse

I was thinking about trying to have us take one rolling carry-on per person, then check a bag or two with other stuff. Maybe I am just kidding myself, I am not known to be a light packer, but I wish I were.

Have any of you successfully packed light for Disney, and do you have any tips for doing it?

I should add that I won't have a washer/dryer in our room and would prefer not to do laundry for the week's trip.

Thanks!

It is but the trick is to not stress out!!! Make a list of essentials dont over analyze and just bring the basics! Clothes, shoes, phone, phone charger, camera, money, makeup, bandaids, papers for check in or magical express.