Am I the only one who has packing problems?? (long)

[kelscross]

We leave for the World on Friday and I started packing today. Every year we say we're not going to bring so much but every year we still do. I'm not into the laundry thing while I'm on vacation so I know that limits me in my resources.

We're going for 9 night/10 day stay. So I planned 8 daytime outfits (only eight because we'll be wearing one there and I'm sure we'll buy a tee shirt or something for the way home). I also planned 8 evening outfits mainly because we usually come back to the resort in the afternoon, swim and/or take naps and then change for dinner and the evening in the parks. I can't stand to be in the same sweaty clothes all day. I also have the girls' princess dresses for the Halloween Party along with the adult costumes we're taking for the party.

So..I think I'm all set to go because that is one suitcase for me, one suitcase for my girls (they're little so their stuff fits in one). I'm thinking...hey we're doing great.

THEN my Mom tells me that she is packing two suitcases for herself and then we have the garment bag for the costumes and the other princess dresses for the princess breakfast. So now I have to acquire the garment bag with our luggage as we can only have two checked pieces per passenger.

Okay...I'm still okay with that..we have three she has two. THEN she tells me that she bought matching coverups AND shoes with every bathing suit she bought them. Mind you they are absolutely adorable, but the years past we have taken several bathing suits for my girls (can't help it...little girls look so darn cute in bathing suits) but only one pair of sandals and one coverup. So now I'm adding 4 additional cover ups and 4 pairs of sandals.

So I was thinking of pairing down the bathing suits to just the four she bought them. However, the girls have some of their favorites that they wanted to bring. My girls have 15+ bathing suits each mind you...but I've whittled it down to 9 each (one for each day).

Here's another delimma...My mom bought my girls personalized luggage to take on the trip. However, I thought it would be silly to use two luggage credits for those little bitty suitcases (even though their stuff would fit) so I combined them into one like usual. They want to use them as carryons..which is okay they have wheels and they always carry one each so that they can take life jackets and suits in case they want to swim before our luggage arrives. BUT they also have matching small duffel bags they want to take as well with crayons/activities for the plane.

So the count is...6 checked bags and 6 carry ons. I was worried about my girls taking two carryons that it would be too much to handle. However, I will probably only take one..a LV bookbag I always take with camera/wallet..that kind of stuff. Maybe I'll throw my suit in one of theirs so that will eliminate a carry on if I needed to take two.

Mind you I have to leave room for an empty bag for the return trip and all of our goodies...

SIGH...I wish this were easier.

 

[theparsons]

Sounds like its time to ship some of your stuff on ahead. I'd suggest shipping the princess dresses and the other costumes....and all but one of the bathing suit sets (keep one so you have it to use before the box arrives).

Of course that means you'll have to ship it home too...but that time, you might just ship off the dirty clothes, lol...then when it arrives, dump into the washer and be done with that.

I don't know which airline you're flying, but it's obviously not Southwest, because they allow 3 bags per person......but anyway, you might check with your airline about carry on, because Southwest allows you to take on carry on and one "personal" item, which they define as a purse or laptop. So if your airline has similiar wording, the girls' little bag would be their carry on (assuming the dimensions are the right size, again you should be able to find this on your airline's website)....and their little duffle bags you could call "purses". I'd just be careful about filling them too full so they can't carry it easily.

 

[kelscross]

LOL..thanks for the reply. After calling my mom and having almost a breakdown about the number of suitcases we are taking. "Mom, I really appreciate it that you bought the girls such nice things...but think about it...two little girls taking 6 pairs of shoes each?? Isn't that a little over the top?"

Mom: "No..I bought them so they can look cute"

Me: "I know that..and they will, but they're taking more shoes than me and they're 6 and 7"

Mom: "They're taking them, don't worry about it"

Me: "What about our souviners? How are we getting those home?"

Mom: "We still have two more bags we can bring..if we have to we buy bags to pack on the way home, or we'll ship our souviners home if we have to"

Me: "I just think it's too much"

Mom: "You know me..if I'm going to Disney, I'm going to do it way over the top..I'm going to enjoy it and I'm going to enjoy seeing my grandchildren in the most beautiful bathing suits I could find, I don't care if they're only in them for and hour, they're bringing them"

So I lost the discussion. I'm thinking that since I'm only taking one bag I should let her deal with packing and carrying their crap...LOL.

 

[yrdlyprincess]

Well, I really don't know what to say. We are going on Friday also me,DH, DD7,DS3 we have 3 suitcases & 3 check ons, along with a stroller for DS (maybe DD too) DD & DS will have their own carry-on, I am going for 10 nights/11 days-I am washing because I want to be able to take things home. i am shipping down things that I will not be bringing home (snacks, diapers, whatever) I wish that I could bring outfit for day & night, I think we are doing just different shirts everyday & wash shorts,underwear, socks, bathing suits. Don't forget the weigh limit on your suitcases!!

 

[theparsons]

If you're fairly sure you're going to need an extra suitcase to bring home stuff you buy AND you have an extra allowed suitcase, then I strongly suggest that you buy that extra suitcase at HOME and just pack your bags a little lighter to fit things in so the extra isn't empty (or a trick I've used, is to pack the smaller suitcase then put IT inside the larger suitcase, put things that don't matter if they're squished (think socks, undies, etc) in the space between the two suitcases. Then when you are ready to come home you have the large suitcase that was basically just an outer shell for the smaller one.

Buying a suitcase at WDW will be megaexpensive. Of course, if you have a car then a quick trip to one of the several Walmarts near WDW would be recommended...but then again, that's time away from the parks!

I think I misunderstood your first post....I thought you were already taking all the luggage your party was allowed and still had more. But if you aren't to the count (and remember the kids count the same number) then take along the extra space for the return trip. No worries then when you're out shopping "will this fit"...because you know you have an extra bag.

 

[kelscross]

If you're fairly sure you're going to need an extra suitcase to bring home stuff you buy AND you have an extra allowed suitcase, then I strongly suggest that you buy that extra suitcase at HOME and just pack your bags a little lighter to fit things in so the extra isn't empty (or a trick I've used, is to pack the smaller suitcase then put IT inside the larger suitcase, put things that don't matter if they're squished (think socks, undies, etc) in the space between the two suitcases. Then when you are ready to come home you have the large suitcase that was basically just an outer shell for the smaller one.

I like that idea...I might try that. Or what I usually do is take the largest suitcase I have and put a softsided bag in with it, that gives me an extra bag.

Even though I'm still under the number of allowed bags (and weight limit, I weighed them on my scale...lol) I was just getting frustrated because we will probably end up going with 8 checked bags (might get away with 7) and 6 carryons (purses included), and I think that is ridiculous. When we arrive it's like we're moving in or something...lol. However, I do not overpack things that we don't wear/use. Do my kids need 9 bathing suits, half of them with matching coverups/sandals? Absolutely not. Will they wear all 9? You betcha. I guess they like to make fashion statements even at the pool..lol.

I think that I'll go through my Mom's suitcase and see what all she's bringing. She packs so many clothes that she doesn't even wear half of them.

I also told my Mom that the kids were going to look like Amelda Marcos with all the shoes she's wanting them to bring...lol.

 

[badblackpug]

Maybe you need to "get on board" with the laundry thing. We saty 10 days, we pack 5 outfits each. @ bathing suits each. One to wear while the other is drying. 2 pairs of shoes each. 1 jacket each (for the evening) I don't wear shorts (capri's) so they go from day to evening well. 1/2 way through the trip, on a day whie he kids are playing at the pool we do laundry. I always bring lots of underwear, though

 

[theparsons]

I seriously doubt you'll be the first family to arrive looking like they're moving in, .....and if by some odd chance you are, well, realize that in January we'll follow your trend. I'm making outfits for the girls to wear and it's getting out of hand, plus they'll have to bring all the DIsney T-shirts they already have, etc etc. Of course we'll be staying in a house, not a little hotel room, so I'm not quite as worried about what to do with the bags while they're unpacked (we'll actually have a spare bedroom, lol). We're also going for a month, so I'll have to do laundry, but because it's a house I can do it at night so I won't lose out on any fun....plus the girls do the hanging/folding, so it won't be that much work for me.

I do personally think the 9 swimsuits thing is a bit over the top, but hey, kids' suits are pretty dern small to pack, so I'd say if you have the strength and manpower to move all that luggage, don't deny them the chance at being fashionistas. Of course, this is coming from someone who doesn't even own a swimsuit, so what do I know!

I'd make sure that Mom knows she's on her own with her luggage...you'll already have two luggage carts full to pull/push.....she's gonna have to lug her own unused clothing around!

 

[dis-happy]

9 swimsuits for each child??? It's hopeless, some people are light packers and other are not----connect with your inner child and don't try to fight it. If you are definitely going over your baggage allowance than ship some stuff down ahead of time. Personally, I would pack half as much stuff (for me, it would actually be a fourth as much stuff--or less) and do laundry one afternoon while the kids are swimming. A couple of ziplock bags of laundry detergent take up a lot less room those all those clothes. Have a great trip!!!

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

Wow, that's a lot of stuff!!

If you're thinking of packing less, I would definitely go with each girl having one carry-on. Let them choose between the small suitcases and the duffel bags. They might try to convince you that they can bring both, but do you really want to be at the airport worrying about all of those bags? If each person has only one, chances are lower that things will be left behind...especially in the excitement of arriving in Orlando and going to Disney!

I also agree...9 bathing suits??? Wow, that is a lot! It is true that they are small and easy to pack. But maybe what is happening is that with everything being so small and easy to pack, it's easier to add more and more...until there are 8 suitcases full of small and easy to pack things! Definitely think about doing laundry, or shipping some boxes ahead! Bring the princess dresses, and the favorite clothes and bathing suits...but if you leave some outfits the girls like behind, do you think they will miss them once they get there? No way! They will be way too excited to even think about anything back home!

I guess I mean that if the packing is getting to the point where you just think it is too much, don't feel like you have to give in! Your girls won't miss a certain shirt or flip flops, and if they do...hit up some stores! Have a great time!

 

[Princess Roo]

I agree with keeping the girls to one carryon on the plane. It's a lot to deal with going through the airport and just that many more bags to make sure you don't lose.
Also, are you all staying in one hotel room? Remember you need to find space for all the stuff when you get there, too! Good luck!

 

[Lilo312]

Pack Light is my motto.
We go for 10 days in April and I pack 5-6 outfits max for each of us.
Last year we had one carry on and two check ins going and three check ins
coming back. We did laundry twice (two loads each) and survived. If you pack too much, you'll likely not wear everything and if you do, imagine all the laundry you're faced with upon your return.

 

[Nicolepa]

The thought that keeps going thru my mind is what are you going to do when these girls are teenagers, their clothes are no longer small and you've taught them that they should take 9 bathing suits and matching shoes?

It's only going to get worse as they get older!

That being said my kids are allowed 2 suits each, one to wear one to dry. We pack for 3-5 days and then one or two days while the kids are swimming or napping one of us does laundry. We take a large and medium suitcase for 4 people w/room for purchases.

 

[Katy Belle]

Packing is certainly a tricky thing. I think the thing that finally broke me of overpacking was Paris. We were taking subways to get to our destination and the elevator and escalator were broken. We had to carry many suitcases up several flights of stairs, all without losing our 3 little boys and one of them had a fever! It was a painful experience.

Fast forward two years we went to Italy for 10 days. Each boy had a 20" rolling suitcase. DH had his garment bag thing. I had a medium sized suitcase and we had two backpacks, a briefcase and a purse to carry on. AND it was winter! We did have to wear jeans/pants twice.

Really, going to WDW is easy as far as transportation, etc. goes. Take what you want to take!

Katy