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

[Disney Doll]

Thank you...can I just put it under the seat in front of me on the plane? also can I put the whole thing in a big ziplock bag? I dont like the idea of other people touching it. It did come in a black travel bag. ( its a resmed S9 autoset) I have only had it for 5 months so all still new to me. Would it be a good idea to take it all apart for travelling?

Under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin, same as any carryon. If the TSA needs to touch/swab it they'll be wearing gloves.[/QUOTE]

You can put it under the seat or in the overhead...wherever you put a carryon. We usually put it in the overhead as the travel bag that DH's came in is very well padded so unless it really got slammed around it seems to be pretty safe & well protected. DH has to detach the water reservoir from the motor part to pack it in his bag, based on the way the bag is set up. It has 2 compartments...one to hold the motor part and one to hold the reservoir then the tubing fits into the reservoir section too. The mask has its own separate little bag and we attach that to the handle of the bag with a clip thing (carabiner I think it's called) or sometimes we'll throw the mask into the backpack that we usually also carry on. You can put it into a ziploc but if they want to sawab it they will remove it from the ziploc as they want to swab the machine itself and not a plastic bag. As jenny said, they are wearing gloves when they do this.

As I said, TSA seems to be becoming more familiar with them now so they do not feel the need to hand examine & swab it every time we travel. It still happens occasionally....I guess they have to do it randomly...but 5 years ago when we first got it, they would to pull us out of line every time, look at it, swab it, call other agents over to look at it etc. That NEVER happens anymore.

Sleep apnea seems to have become a focus of healthcare these past few years so I think it is being diagnosed more so more people have CPAPs.

 

[RNMom1969]

My "not so normal" item is a collapsible funnel. We love our reusable mugs but would rather drink from our water bottles, but they are narrow mouthed. So to avoid spills, pop open the funnel and transfer with no spills

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I bring my body pillow from home. I have a very hard time sleeping without my body pillow. I have been using one since I was 14 and I am just so use to it. I toss and turn all night without it.

I fold it in half and stuff it into a big duffle bag and check it at the airport. If we drive (which I hope to never do again) we just put it in the backseat. Easy peasy.

I also travel with big 2 gallon ziplock bags so when it is time to go home I can repack all of our toiletries in them so there is no spills or leaks. On one trip I only use gallon size ziplock bags and one of my big bottles of shampoo busted open, the baggie popped open and shampoo got all over half my clothes and the inside of my suitcase. Now I pack them first ina gallon ziplock bag then into the 2 gallon ziplock bag. I have still had items bust open but they bust open inside the gallon ziplock and the mess stays contained. The baggage handlers are just so rough with luggage my stuff busts open almost every time. Last time they even pulled off the leather pull strap from the side of one of suitcases.

But I don't guess we travel with anything stranger than that.

 

[elaine amj]

Love this thread. I haven't got all the way through yet. I thought the packing cubes sound like a fab idea, but my DH just scoffed & said he isn't spending £££ (we r from UK) on bags to go in the bags! He just said I should wrap all the kids stuff in plastic bags if I want to keep it separate dde22. Oh well, more money to spend while we're there - although he has told me and DS that we can't buy loads of souvenirs that gather dust at home, but we'll ignore that. Lol!

Instead of using cubeS, I lay our clothes flat. I pack by the day... So day 1 wi have all 4 sets of clothing. The. Day 2 and so on. I get flustered when at Disney so to help me stay organized, I separate each day with. Sheet of paper marking day 1. Day 2, etc

 

[Dragontears]

Love this thread. I haven't got all the way through yet. I thought the packing cubes sound like a fab idea, but my DH just scoffed & said he isn't spending £££ (we r from UK) on bags to go in the bags! He just said I should wrap all the kids stuff in plastic bags if I want to keep it separate ��. Oh well, more money to spend while we're there - although he has told me and DS that we can't buy loads of souvenirs that gather dust at home, but we'll ignore that. Lol!

Packing cubes have a lot of uses. I pack my undergarments in them. Then I just unzip the top and put them in the drawers. No unpacking

MY DH used to make fun of me until I took a Lysol wipe to the inside of a drawer (in a delux hotel) and he saw how dirty it got. UCK!!! Now he wants his undies "cubed" too.

No matter how clean the room is, the maids do not clean the inside of drawers on a regular basis. People put all kinds of things in them, including shoes and bags that have been on the ground or the floor. Many women stash their handbags in a drawer when they go to the pool or to eat. And I have seen many a hand bag on a public bathroom floor.

NOT with MY underwear thank you.

They (usually) keep TSA out of my undies too.

They are great for keeping clean clothes separate from the dirty clothes on the way home.

I use a small one to keep all the cords together in the luggage and in the room. Another one for "girl stuff" (have to keep those clean). It is so much easier to just have a cube unzipped in a drawer and just pull out what you need instead of fussing with a ziplock bag

When we flew to London for our DD's wedding, I put DH's dress shoes in a shoe cube along with his dress socks, cufflinks, the ring he wanted to wear and his tie (rolled up in a baggie and slipped inside a shoe. He was actually able to get dressed without me. (I was helping the bride)

When we go on a car trip, I pack enough clothes for in the morning in one and do not have to take in a big bag every night.

When we get home, I fill them with all the little things that you can never find the next time you take a trip. It's all in one place - that way I can find what I need - and it even keeps me from forgetting things.

I keep finding more uses for them.

You could even use them to pad some of those souvenirs for the trip home.

Hope you have a great time.

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

I use those plastic zipper bags that sheets or similar items come in as packing cubes. The ones from bedding sets (bed in a bag) are too big but I keep off season clothing in them (just an FYI). I have some thst seem bigger than sheets, smaller than bed in a bag but I don't remember what they're from. If you don't have enough yourself you can pick some up on Freecycle or the like. Of course, more companies are getting away from using them, thankfully, but I'll miss them when my zippers go.

 

[DizDragonfly]

The thing about packing cubes is that they are made of a super light fabric (rip stop nylon?) and mesh. You can really cram a lot of clothes in them. The mesh allows all the air to be compressed out while you push down on the lid and zip it up. I usually put two large, one or two mediums and a small in our suitcase. Toss in one or two pairs of shoes, our fold flat/spring open laundry baskets and it weighs about 47-49 pounds, just under the airlines 50 lb limit.

My hard-to-impress DH is always impressed by how much will fit in them. After my mother saw me using mine, she bought a set of her own. Actually, I don't know that I've ever read or heard anything negative about them from someone who has used them. Buy them when they are on sale on eBags and you won't be sorry!

 

[maxiesmom]

I use those plastic zipper bags that sheets or similar items come in as packing cubes. The ones from bedding sets (bed in a bag) are too big but I keep off season clothing in them (just an FYI). I have some thst seem bigger than sheets, smaller than bed in a bag but I don't remember what they're from. If you don't have enough yourself you can pick some up on Freecycle or the like. Of course, more companies are getting away from using them, thankfully, but I'll miss them when my zippers go.

I just purchased new curtains, and they had really nice bags, ones with the zipper top. I kept them, thinking maybe I could use them to pack something. Glad to see I wasn't being crazy!

 

[DizDragonfly]

I just purchased new curtains, and they had really nice bags, ones with the zipper top. I kept them, thinking maybe I could use them to pack something. Glad to see I wasn't being crazy!

I hold on to them too. Most recently, I've used one to throw my Grid-it in. I use the Grid-it to help tame all the electronics cords and chargers. Those always travel with me in my carryon. Usually that bag gets an extra looksie from TSA, but now I take out the clear plastic bag with its neatly organized cords and toss it in the bin with my shoes. It saves TSA, the people behind me in line and myself the extra time. The TSA guy who saw it last actually gave me a smile and a thumbs up. LOL

 

[SMWfamily]

I will be using a lot of tips from this board, I'll tell U that! Here's mine.

Sea-bands. You never know when motion sickness will rear it's ugly head and ruin your day. At least in my case. Dramamine puts me to sleep for the day, so I rely on these easy to use wrist bands.


Powder for "chafing". Do not... forget... your powder. My husband was sidelined one visit by shorts that just didn't want to be kind to his groin.

Disposable cameras for the kids. See Disney through their eyes.

If you are staying at CBeach, sand toys. Makes for a nice night watching Fireworks on a hammock, if your 3 year old is digging in the sand for hours.

Thermal totes filled with Wet Frog Togs for super hot weather.

Get ponchos at CVS or Walgreens. Have the kids ( or you) sharpie the Ponchos with their names, hearts, mickey ears, etc. Infact, I found a Lime Green Poncho once and was SO TEMPED to put a big fat Mickey head on it with the words DIS under it..... That would be a good tradition to start for Dis'ers!

 

[aimeeinohio]

I just walked thru one of our Walmart's last weekend and body glide was in an aisle in a fairly good size bin near the health and beauty aid section...

Monistat anti chafing gel works well, too.

 

[refinnej]

Monistat anti chafing gel works well, too.

Completely OT, but I read in a magazine that the ministry anti chafing gel has the same ingredients (silicone, etc.) as Smashbox's photo finish primer. I have not tried it yet, but did compare the ingredients and they are nearly identical.

 

[refinnej]

Completely OT, but I read in a magazine that the ministry anti chafing gel has the same ingredients (silicone, etc.) as Smashbox's photo finish primer. I have not tried it yet, but did compare the ingredients and they are nearly identical.

That'd be Monistat. NOT ministry. Lol.

 

[Wild about Walt]

I will be using a lot of tips from this board, I'll tell U that! Here's mine.

Disposable cameras for the kids. See Disney through their eyes.

This is a brilliant idea....its a memory they can have forever from their perspective.
We gave our DD (then)11 our old digital camera on our last trip and she took some fantastic pics of the SpectroMagic light parade.

I will be looking for some disposables for my boys now too for the next trip (hope hope)

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

Powder for "chafing". Do not... forget... your powder. My husband was sidelined one visit by shorts that just didn't want to be kind to his groin.
!

Bwah ha ha. I made a cute video on year of DD at age 2 1/2 interacting with a ladybug at a water park bus stop. She was talking to it and so sweet. I showed it to a friend who's immediate response was "what is your husband DOING?" Oops. I failed to notice that he was sitting behind her adjusting himself constantly because a day at the water park made his existing walking in the park issues worse.
One cute moment of my daughters life- deleted.

 

[SMWfamily]

One cute moment of my daughters life- deleted.

You just cracked me up SO BAD! Yes we had a similar situation. I swear my husband, who is not over weight ( like me!) has skin made of celophane. He was utterly miserable for two days on our ten day vacay. It looked ferocious. Getting a rash from walking, sweating swimming 12 hours a day is NO laughing matter... but video taping the evidence of it? Priceless. LOL!

Who ever posted the hint about individual bins for bathroom stuff/clothes, thanks, I am doing that one. We're staying off-site in a condo with zero house keeping, so we are going to need serious organization help.

 

[TayvorMommy]

In my early planning stages I was trying to come up with a way to have all the great info I wanted to remember at my fingertips once I was at the parks. And that's when I thought, NOTECARDS! But I didn't want to be fumbling around with notecards at Disney so I thought of putting them in a photo album for easy access and durability! I just got a pack of 4x6 note cards and one of those cheap softcover photo albums they sell everywhere. Then I just gave every card a subject and went from there! So now I have 4 notecards for every park. One for attractions or rides we definitely want to do. One listing all the best snacks in the park and there locations(we are on DDP and wanted to make the most of our snack credits )and one for all the best counter service restaurants and there location! I also threw a couple more in there where needed to add any additional tips or tricks I've learned from the DIS! Looking forward to using it!

 

[DizDragonfly]

In my early planning stages I was trying to come up with a way to have all the great info I wanted to remember at my fingertips once I was at the parks. And that's when I thought, NOTECARDS! But I didn't want to be fumbling around with notecards at Disney so I thought of putting them in a photo album for easy access and durability! I just got a pack of 4x6 note cards and one of those cheap softcover photo albums they sell everywhere. Then I just gave every card a subject and went from there! So now I have 4 notecards for every park. One for attractions or rides we definitely want to do. One listing all the best snacks in the park and there locations(we are on DDP and wanted to make the most of our snack credits )and one for all the best counter service restaurants and there location! I also threw a couple more in there where needed to add any additional tips or tricks I've learned from the DIS! Looking forward to using it!

I had something similar years ago, it has since evolved into notes on my iPhone. I'm now putting all the info into notebooks in Evernote. One notebook for each park for easy access.

 

[nickorbecca]

OMG so glad I found this thread. I am going to take notes!

 

[themama0710]

Newbie to DVD all of these tips are absolutely great! I have been to Disney world a few times bit it has been 7 years need a refresher course in packing