3 day countdown, massive packing has begun!

[italianfamilia]

We have 3 days till we leave for FL, then we drive to LBV for WDW on Sunday, just me and the kids!!!

I have begun the packing...OMG!!!

 

[DNSDisney]

I have 5 days and I just got my DH to bring the luggage up out of storage tonight! I am soooooooo behind I have at least 3 days of ironing to do as I pack (I am anal that way iron everything I pack).......I know I am going to forget something.. always do LOL

 

[italianfamilia]

I might iron too..do you think it helps on cutting downon the wrinkles? I have the downy wrinkle stuff packed...to help that out too...my kids are laughing at me because i have six suitcases out..(hey 6 of us, taking advantage..LOL) but hoping to get us in the 4 larger, and then have one for the food..LOL they are just rolling their eyes at me..so funny!

 

[hddanis]

I leave in 4 days and we started packing yesterday, my goal is to be completely packed by Friday afternoon so we won't be rushing around like crazy (Like we normally are) on Saturday morning. Even though we'll be gone for 10 days, I'm packing for 7 and bringing laundry detergent. I think we'll be able to get everything into 2 suitcases. With a 3rd for everybody's "blankies" (Me included). I used the ziplock baggie method of packing and it REALLY works (4 kids...7 days, 1 smallish suitcase!). I'll have a carryon for my laptop and the kids will each have their backpacks.

The only "just in case" items Im taking is a first aid kit of medicines. No jackets, no sweatshirts...It'll be June! If I must, I'll buy sweatshirts.

Good Luck packing!

 

[DNSDisney]

I might iron too..do you think it helps on cutting downon the wrinkles? I have the downy wrinkle stuff packed...to help that out too...my kids are laughing at me because i have six suitcases out..(hey 6 of us, taking advantage..LOL) but hoping to get us in the 4 larger, and then have one for the food..LOL they are just rolling their eyes at me..so funny!

I don't know what it is I just get this compulsion to iron when packing
I don't know if it helps with the wrinkles or not. My DH laughs at me because I even iron t-shirts when I pack I just can't help myself, something my mother ironed (pun intended) into me growing up i guess
I rarely iron at home though. I can't imagen packing six suit cases. There are three of us and I manage to get it all into 1 small roll suit case, 1 medium-large suit case, two small cosmetic type bags and one beach bag that my dd puts her things to do on the way stuff into. Good luck with the packing

 

[kileybeth]

please tell me how you do this (so little luggage)? I can't even fathom such a thing.

Maybe my family is just bigger (in more ways than one!)

DH and I (DH can get by with not much but I just seem to need everything but kitchen sink to feel secure and prepared?!) ,

DS14 and DD12 (definitely no sharing a suitcase there)

and DS4 and DD2 (no sharing there as I have to fit all the special blankies, wipes, diapers,swim diapers, and extra outfits for all those spills my little ones have)

and then there is a carry on for swim stuff the first day, carry on for laptop, kids backpack carryons or diaper bag,

then there is the snack/food bag unless I order from a service when I get there. . .(checked bag)

what can I cut back on? I hate laundry at home and just can't think of spending my vacation trying to fit that in.

length of trip? 7 nites and 8 full days (flying in early, leaving late w/ DME on participating airline)

oh and two maclaren strollers but no carseats this time (woo-hoo)

 

[italianfamilia]

Well, I don't use any abnormal sized luggage. I use everything that is regulation and won't cost me extra with the airline. I put me and the two little ones 6 and 4 in the biggest. I roll the clothes. I think rolling really helps free up space, roll tight!!! I use every section possible in the bags, all zippers. It is amazing how much you can get in a suitcase and still be under 50 pounds. All the stuff I need for WDW is in the zipper sections, pockets of the suitcase, including a collapsable cooler bag, all the stuff for my day bag at WDW and the day bag, not taking it on the plane as I needed the bigger bag for all the stuff I want handchecked.

I tried using the plastic bags, but it was frustrating me by the noise. I got irritated by the noise and thought oh yeah, this will sound so great in the morning, don't want to make older siblings 20 and 12 grumpy when 6 and 4 get up at the crack of dawn..lol.

I take capris for me, shorts for the kids, NO LEVI PANTS!! I put all their things together, underwear, socks, hair thing and outfit and roll up and squeeze it all in. I can get 8 outfits for me on one side of the suitcase, stack the beach towels on top of my clothes ( I had bigger beach towels, but they were taking too much room, so switched them with the skinner beach towels, then stack the other two and put their shoes on the bottom. My shoes and two other pair of shoes go in the lid of the suitcase zipper part. The little ones have 8-9 outfits with at least 2 extra outfits for mishaps.

20 and 12 are sharing a regular size suitcase. Each has 7-8 outfits, tanks, shorts, capris, rolled the same way and squeeze together. The big problem we have with them is SHOES!! They love a million shoes to go, but have it down to 3 pairs..lol

I have two bottles of the downy wrinkle stuff to use as soon as we get to the hotel. I usuaslly will immediately unpack to avoid extra wrinkles.

H gets his own suitcase, smaller of them, and he doesn't like to take much at all. He will rewear his clothes...(a typical man) and just bring extra shirts.

I have a smaller bag that will hold the extra bath stuff, dryers, straightners, all the bags of toileteries (i give each person their own little travel sized crap so there is less arguing) plus we are splitting up two days after we get to florida, H has to work in Daytona, me and the kids are heading to WDW.

The other regular suitcase is the snack food which will then become the souvenior and dirty clothes bag. I do take advantage of each person gets a bag so if I have to use the last 6 one, then I can. I empty all the boxes and put in ziploc, boxes take up too much room. When we had one in diapers, I did undo the diaper bags and started stuffing the diapers in the zipper sections of the bags and just layering them ontop of all the clothes instead of keeping them in that bag.

Each kid and I have a carryon, all regulation. Not taking the laptop. I have a disney duffle that will hold all the items to be hand checked, dvd player, mp3 players, cell phones, charger( as we have a layover) tickets, park information, passes, itinerary, money, all goes in my carry on. Kids each have their backpacks from school full with their travel blanket (leaving at 6 am so hope they sleep some more) snacks, coloring stuff, pocket doodler and etch sketch, pocket game.

I hope that helps. I am an overpacker, but impressed that I'm keeping things to a minimum and under 6 suitcases.. And there is 6 of us...

 

[LSchrow]

We have 3 days till we leave for FL, then we drive to LBV for WDW on Sunday, just me and the kids!!!

I have begun the packing...OMG!!!

yup, i've started putting the "stacks" into the suitcases.......
see ya there!!
i'll (as always ) have a lime green mickey head luggage tag hanging off my baggallini ~ if you see it, say "hi"

 

[hddanis]

please tell me how you do this (so little luggage)? I can't even fathom such a thing.

Maybe my family is just bigger (in more ways than one!)

DH and I (DH can get by with not much but I just seem to need everything but kitchen sink to feel secure and prepared?!) ,

DS14 and DD12 (definitely no sharing a suitcase there)

and DS4 and DD2 (no sharing there as I have to fit all the special blankies, wipes, diapers,swim diapers, and extra outfits for all those spills my little ones have)

and then there is a carry on for swim stuff the first day, carry on for laptop, kids backpack carryons or diaper bag,

then there is the snack/food bag unless I order from a service when I get there. . .(checked bag)

what can I cut back on? I hate laundry at home and just can't think of spending my vacation trying to fit that in.

length of trip? 7 nites and 8 full days (flying in early, leaving late w/ DME on participating airline)

oh and two maclaren strollers but no carseats this time (woo-hoo)

Why can't your older 2 share a suitcase? Just unpack it at the room when you get there. If you use ziplock bags to pack, tell them there's no danger of cooties or anything like that

Putting the clothes into ziplock bags has really worked miracles for me. Before you zip it closed, just roll out the air..it saves tons of space. Each bag is one complete outfit. My 3 youngest kids, their clothes fit in the smaller quart size bags. DD12, hers are a mixture of big and little bags...I'm almost done packing their suitcase, I'll try to post a picture. I packed 7 outfits for each of them. I'm not packing any jeans (we'll wear those down on Saturday. DD12 is limited to 3 pairs of shoes (including those worn Saturday).

DH and I almost always share a suitcase on any of our trips and we use the largest one we have so that we can also get the extras into our bag (glowsticks, medicine kit, toiletries, collapsable cooler, beach towels (3 in ours, 3 in kids). The towels are on the top so that once we get them to the rental car, we can pull those out if we need them for the pool...sunscreen too. Maybe it helps that DH is a Marine and always had to pack so much stuff into his pack when he went out in the field. He's VERY good at making things fit!

It does seem to help that we're going in June. Pretty much shorts and tank tops/t-shirts for everybody. Not much need for big bulky sweaters and such.

As for snacks/breakfast..I mailed off a box to the hotel on Tuesday. No sense in carrying it down there when UPS can do it for me. It was a larger size box, and only $15 to ship..packed full!

I hate doing laundry too. Actually, I don't mind doing it, it's the folding and putting away part I have probems with. I packed mostly light clothes, similar colors, so I only plan on doing 2 loads (at the same time) so I won't be spending all my time doing laundry. I expect it will be during the afternoon while we're at the pool or resting.

All of DH and my electronics (camera, laptop, cell phone, etc..)will be going in my carry on). I'll also take all the travel paperwork. DH will carry on a small bag that we'll take with us to the hotel. (1 change of clothes for everybody, bathing suits, etc.) We have a 2.5 hour flight, non-stop, so there's not much need for lots of carry on for us. The kids each have their own backback or baggalini (yep, even the 4 year old) although the only thing going in those are some coloring books and crayons for the younger 2, cell phones, MP3 players, and gameboys for the older 2..although now that I think about it, they can each take their own darn change of clothes since the're not taking much.

I have a duffle bag thrown into one of the suitcases for souveniers, but since I have a box down there (from the snacks) I'll be able to throw anything that doesn't fit back into the suitcases in the box and mail it back home. (Or I could just throw all the dirty clothes in it and ship those home...delay doing laundry for a few more days!)

You do have to take a lot more with babies/toddlers, but their clothes are smaller. Just remember, there ARE grocery stores down there (ones that deliver even) so if you forget something, or just plaing don't pack it and then discover you DO need it, you can go to the store, or have it delivered.

Good luck packing!

If you want to see my packing list, email me at hddanis@msn.com I'm more than happy to send it!