Just Back -- Reflections & Tips for Next Time

[BBBFamily]

We just returned from a land/sea package. In retrospect:

*PEPTO -- I wish I would have packed it as my son had an upset stomach and I had everything else but that!

*WATER BOTTLES -- We stopped prior to WDW and got some water bottles but I underestimated the amount of water that we would go through. I had to drive back to the store to get more. Next trip I will buy more than I think I need because it goes fast!

*OVER THE DOOR SHOE HOLDER -- In all honesty, I only bought it because I kept seeing it suggested on the boards and it was cheap. I didn't really think that I'd use it much and I almost didn't pack it! I was so wrong. We used it for EVERYTHING. DH thought I was a genious ... we hung it on the door that separated our connecting rooms...it held our snacks, water bottles, meds, sunscreen, playing cards, kids wallets, park maps...It was the best $5.96 I spent in preparing for our trip!

*FAST BREAK -- Fast Break @ Budget Rental saved us at least an hour of waiting @ the airport. I'm sure most companies have their own program - would highly recommend this as the lines @ the airport were VERY long.

*INDEX CARDS -- I wrote an index card for every day of our vacation which included that particular day's itinerary. For example, our first day included our flight info, car rental info, etc. I also included dining confirmation #s for each day & parks notes, etc. These cards were invaluable to us! I used different colors for different days - I wrote simple bullet points for easy reading & quick reference. I kept the cards in the over the door shoe holder and several times I saw the kids pulling the cards out to see where we were eating the next day. This avoided my having to say where we were eating 50 times! And, I took the current day's card w/us to the parks - it fit perfectly in the fanny pack & I tossed it at the end of the day.

*ZIPLOCK BAGS -- Took extra ones but never used them. I did use them for our sunscreen and meds but that was it (surprisingly).

Overall, I was pleased with my packing - I was very practical. I packed with the thought that I could do laundry if I got desperate. I did do one load but only because DS got sick and soiled more clothes than I had planned!

 

[slyjly]

Thank you for your summary. I also was wondering about the over the door show holder. I think I will get one the next time I go into town. I also liked your index card idea. I hope your DS felt better quickly and enjoyed the res of his trip! I bought the Peptp tablets to take with us, "just in case". Thank you agin for your review and ideas!

 

[Robindianne]

Mmm. I was going to take individual passporter pockets in the park each day for meal and itinerary. Notecards might be much better. Like you said, toss them at the end of the day! Good tip.

 

[G. Fite]

Thanks for the tips!

I also have index cards printed out with our itenary on them!

I love the idea of the shoe holder thing!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Robindianne]

When you use the index cards, in addition to meal adrs and such, do you list on them the order you will do rides, tour, etc? Like from UG or Passporter recommendations? Do you print them from your PC then?

 

[mickeymousemom]

We used the shoe holder last October and loved it! Don't spend $6 for it though...go to the Dollar Store and you can get them for $1! I pitched it in the trash at the end of our stay.
We also got a $1 laundry bag. It kept our dirty clothes all together and was easy to get the clothes to the laundry room.

Love the index card idea! Def. doing that next time, take an extra each day and write down notes for your trip report!

 

[imageid]

Thanks for the great ideas! I was trying to decide about how to keep track of ADR's etc. I LOVE the index card idea!!

 

[disneyjunkie]

I'm planning to take a shoe holder on our next trip.

I also purchased a mesh laundry pop up bag for our last trip. It was perfect for carry laundry and detergent to the laundry room. It was only $2.00 but it's very sturdy.

 

[BBBFamily]

When you use the index cards, in addition to meal adrs and such, do you list on them the order you will do rides, tour, etc? Like from UG or Passporter recommendations? Do you print them from your PC then?

I did not get that detailed on our index cards. My reasoning for using the cards was to give me just a quite snapshot of the day. I included only basic info such as park hours, choice counter service and dinner ADRs. I think I included the firework show times. But our kids are teens so they didn't care about the other parades or shows. We were not huge into "conquering" the parks and we didn't chose to plan that much detail for them this time.

With that being said, I did not read the UG or Passporter recommendations. However, you could definitely expand the index card idea to include those. I didn't print my cards on the computer but doing so would enable you to put more on the cards because the print would be smaller.

That's the great thing about these boards - one idea can really spring board into something more for someone else! It's awesome!

 

[Robindianne]

BBBfamily,

Thanks for explaining. I sure love these boards!

 

[DeterminedOne]

I'd never heard the over the door hanger tip. Great idea!

 

[HappyCamperToo]

Thanks for the great ideas! I was trying to decide about how to keep track of ADR's etc. I LOVE the index card idea!!

As an alternative, someone else once posted that a safe place to keep ADR confirmation numbers is in one's cell phone. I thought that was a good alternative, too.

 

[Canbarker]

I am considering purchasing the Passporter from their site. What are your recommendations? If I do purchase should I buy one for each of us? With my DD only being 5 I am afraid that she will lose hers.

Oh...one more question. Yesteray at the mall she couldn't make it an hour before her feet, legs, back am I missing anything were tired. I now am considering a stroller. Should I just rent one? A double to hold the camera and water etc? Or bing my own pop up that I can pitch at the end of the trip.

 

[Iluvtgr]

I am considering purchasing the Passporter from their site. What are your recommendations? If I do purchase should I buy one for each of us? With my DD only being 5 I am afraid that she will lose hers.

I have just recently purchased the Passporter and I have to say it is my favorite wdw book I have purchased. I love the pockets and spaces for journaling. As for buying one for everyone....well, I don't think you need to, but whatever works for you.

 

[U Guys Made Me Ink]

I am considering purchasing the Passporter from their site. What are your recommendations? If I do purchase should I buy one for each of us? With my DD only being 5 I am afraid that she will lose hers.

Oh...one more question. Yesteray at the mall she couldn't make it an hour before her feet, legs, back am I missing anything were tired. I now am considering a stroller. Should I just rent one? A double to hold the camera and water etc? Or bing my own pop up that I can pitch at the end of the trip.

As far as the stroller goes I would recommend renting one at the park. I admit that I have used one for my DD at age 8 so she can take a break from walking and we don't have to stop what we're doing just to avoid wearing her out too soon. Also I like being able to quickly dash from one part of the park to the other as I am a "fast-walker" and sometimes it's just easier to push the silly thing than drag her along behind me. She has always been tall for her age and the rentals fit her without being too cramped, unlike an inexpensive pop-up. She hasn't used a regular stroller since about 2 1/2 because she was as big as some 4 yr olds! You might be surprised at how many "big kids" are in these things by the end of the day and you might find your DD5 feeling a little self-conscious about sitting in a "baby" stroller. There also are large mesh pockets attached to the back to put all of your stuff in - the doubles can be difficult to maneuver in large crowds because of how big they are so unless you really need the seat, I wouldn't suggest it.
Hope that helps!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Oh...one more question. Yesteray at the mall she couldn't make it an hour before her feet, legs, back am I missing anything were tired. I now am considering a stroller.

That's alarming that she couldn't walk in a mall for one hour.

 

[HappyCamperToo]

That's alarming that she couldn't walk in a mall for one hour.

oh, I'll bet that some of that was just boredom at not wanting to be in the mall. WDW will alleviate a good deal of that. But I'd definitely use a stroller.

 

[Tiffer]

What is a passporter?

 

[Iluvtgr]

What is a passporter?

It's a guidebook sort of like the "Unofficial Guide to WDW" except it is more interactive. It has fold out maps of the park, pockets to keep receipts, memorabilia, spaces to write for journaling (ex: favorite attractions).

 

[zookeeper]

Large ziploc bags were my saving grace when we went last Sept. With 5 kids it really helped organize clothing. Before we left I organized their clothes into complete outfits (shorts,shirt,socks,underwear) and put the whole outfit into a ziploc bag. My suitcase was filled with ziploc bags, but once we were there it made our mornings go by so much quicker. Also, for each child I threw in a bag of extra clothes in case they got too dirty/too wet. You can squeeze the extra room out of the bags and they become pretty compact so they don't take up too much room in your backpack. I also used them to store our autograph books, maps and anything else I didn't want to worry about getting wet on some of the water rides.

I didn't use a shoe-holder, but now you've got me thinking for our next trip. Honestly, is there anything more fun to do besides plan a trip to WDW (except, of course, being in WDW) ??