Do I really need to bring all the extras?

[xipetotec]

i see sooo many posts about what to pack and people seem to bring lots of little extra things.

Are some of these things really necessary?

-will my kids know the difference if i dont have an autograph book for them?
-Do we really need glow sticks/necklaces? i dont even know where to get those
-Toys to play with while waiting line? really? (kids are 2 and 5)
-rain ponchos? (dec 3-5)
-a first aid kit?
-swimsuits?

we are first timers and are flying- i hate to carry things i dont really need
thanks
d

Autograph book, if you're first timers and you don't want to start this trend, you could try and not do it. Worst case, if the 5 year old spots other kids with them ( cause not EVERY kid has one! ) and really wants, there's gift shops and they're not that pricey for the basic ones.

We Never bring glow necklaces. We've gone ever two years since 2000 with kids ranging from 3 to 15 ( at varying ages ) and one time we bought one spinning buzz lightyear thingie. Other than that we haven't needed them.

We've also never needed toys to play with in line. But then again we usually travel in a fairly big gang, so they kinda entertain themselves...

Rain Ponchos would be good. Especially depending on the time of year. ( Which by the way, best time to stay in the parks is if it rains.... )

I don't know about a whole first aid kit, but just a few basics would be good.

 

[gt0163c]

As others have said.
- A small first aid kit is always a good idea. Nothing major, just a few band aids and some pain killers of choice should be enough.

- Some sort of rain gear is also almost required. It's Florida, it rains. Sometimes it rains a lot. You'll be happier if you can stay dry.

- My family has never done line toys. But I usually have a book of some sort with me (the Imagineering Field Guides are my favorites). I use those more when waiting for shows or parades than when waiting in lines. Also, I've been known to bring my little MP3 player to make long bus rides more enjoyable (especially the late night back to the hotel ones). But I'm also a geek of an introvert and sometimes just need to retreat into my own little world for a little bit. One year I tossed in a couple of little things of bubbles from some weddings into my pack. My nephews loved those while we were waiting for various parades and it made the little kids waiting near us smile too.

- Some kids love glowy things, others don't care. I keep a flashlight in my pack just out of habit and that can be fun for little kids to play with.

 

[carolmp]

You only need to bring the rain ponchos if you are willing to carry them around. We've been 5 times, and needed the rain ponchos only twice. The second time, we were at the park, and the rain ponchos were in the room. Not very helpful! So we ended up buying rain ponchos. It wasn't too bad of an investment, because my daughter had been looking for a Slink dog pin for her pin collection, and the CM in the gift shop had one and traded with her. So we saved the purchase price of the pin. Also, we camp some, and I love bringing out my Mickey rain poncho whenever I need one. It's way more fun than the plain old green one I have!

Regarding the light up toys, yes, we usually end up purchasing one each time we go. But in our eyes that is part of the fun. It's expensive, but that's the way it is. We don't buy a lot of souvenirs, so it's not too bad. One year we got Pooh and Mickey flashlights. The kids still use those.

 

[babybaja2]

-will my kids know the difference if i dont have an autograph book for them?
as little as they are, most likely not..
-Do we really need glow sticks/necklaces? i dont even know where to get those
dollar store, walmart.. we always take them, cheaper than the light up stuff at the parks, and makes it easy to spot your kids
-Toys to play with while waiting line? really? (kids are 2 and 5)
we don't do line toys,but I have always packed a bottle of bubbles in our day pack (new sealed one each day in a ziplock baggie, they come in like a six pack at walmart, cheap) the good thing about them is that in a long line where little people start whining about how much longer, yada yada, pull out the bubbles and start blowing.. they are like magic, it's not for your kid only, everyone around gets to share in watching them float, I take them even when I don't have my kids with me, makes the wait in line nicer for everyone..
-rain ponchos? (dec 3-5)
rain ponchos are a must, if you take nothing else, take these! you can get cheap ones at the dollar store, and they are not just for rain, we use them on the river rapids and spalsh mt., in Dec. it might be a little colder, so being wet in the park wouldn't be as fun as in July..
-a first aid kit?
the travel size one at walmart is good, and all the parks have first aid stations.. if you need something while in the parks, check your map first and see how far you are from the first aid station vs whichever shop you are heading to.. all the times we've needed first aid, they have patched us up at no charge! of course, it was just minor bumps and stuff...
-swimsuits?
we always pack swimsuits, they really don't take much room, and you might not use them, but the one time we did not take them, we wanted them and it was a real bummer when we did not have them!

 

[TinkandAriel]

I'm the queen of lite packing, my hubs aunt is always amazed (she'd bring the entire house if possible). I get everything needed for the three of us in two carry ons. A backpack with stuff for the plane --coloring book, crayons, magazines, and such--and then the backpack gets used at the parks.
We've used notebooks for autographs, and brought glowsticks that never got used.
I ship down a box beforehand with bigger stuff than can be carried on (sunscreen, etc)...
Every year I get better at the lite packing

 

[WillCAD]

i see sooo many posts about what to pack and people seem to bring lots of little extra things.

Are some of these things really necessary?

-will my kids know the difference if i dont have an autograph book for them?
-Do we really need glow sticks/necklaces? i dont even know where to get those
-Toys to play with while waiting line? really? (kids are 2 and 5)
-rain ponchos? (dec 3-5)
-a first aid kit?
-swimsuits?

we are first timers and are flying- i hate to carry things i dont really need
thanks
d

Autograph books - Don't pack, just buy one for your 5yo at WDW. They're an inexpensive souvenir that you'll get a lot of mileage from if your kids wait in line for a lot of characters.

Glowies - if your kids love them, you can buy some at any Dollar Tree. But you could also get a pack of squeeze flashlights from DealExtreme ($4.47 for a pack of 10, free shipping). The lights will last longer than glow sticks or ropes, and you can turn them on or off throughout the day when your kids want to play with them. NOTE: Don't let the kids turn them on in dark rides - the light will ruin the ride for other Guests!
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1253

Line toys - probably not. However, if you have any games on your cell phone that your 5yo likes to play, you can use that as a distraction during long waits. You can also let them draw in the back of the autograph book, and you can try simply talking over the events of the trip thus far to keep their minds occupied.

Ponchos - YES! Even in early December, you can get a stray shower in central Florida. Dollar store ponchos take up little room and will keep you dry enough during a sudden sprinkle, and will help to keep you dry on Kali River Rapids and Splash Mountain. Disney ponchos are about $6 each.

First Aid Kit - I prefer to take a very small FAK with me on my trips, but I leave it in my room. I need it for blister care and for any small scrapes I might pick up along the way; just a few various size Band-Aids and some Neo To Go usually do the trick. I use a $1 Johnson and Johnson First Aid To Go kit from WalMart (found in the Trial and Travel size bins, not with the rest of the first aid supplies).

I pack OTC meds and any prescriptions I might be on at the time, and carry a small supply in a pocket pillbox during the day; Bennedryl pills in case of an allergic reaction, immodium AD in case the water doesn't agree with me, Ibuprofin in case I get a headache from rides or in case my trick knee acts up from the walking, and Prilosec because I take it every day.

Swimsuits - sure. Weather in early December varies wildly, but on most of my December trips there have been several days that were plenty warm enough to swim, and there are also fountains in several parks where the kids can play. But that's up to you; I never swim at WDW no matter what the weather is like, and I have no kids, so I leave my swimwear at home.

One other thing I pack whenever I travel - a repairt kit. Stuff breaks, and if something I need happens to break while I'm 900 miles from home, I want to be able to make some emergency repairs instead of spending Disney money on a new bag or camera strap or whatever. My repair kid is small and simple - a pair of small safety scissors, 2 needles (1 curved, 1 straight) and a small spool of thread, a few safety pins, 3' of wire, 3' of string or twine, and about 3' each of duct tape and vinyl electrical tape, wrapped around an old empty WalMart gift card. I also have a short Xacto knife in my kit, but you might want to leave that out since you have small kids. The whole kit is smaller enough to fit in an Altoids tin but has saved me a few times when luggage or clothing or other vacation gear has ripped or broken on a trip.

 

[dkbnyc]

I'm the queen of lite packing, my hubs aunt is always amazed (she'd bring the entire house if possible). I get everything needed for the three of us in two carry ons. A backpack with stuff for the plane --coloring book, crayons, magazines, and such--and then the backpack gets used at the parks.
We've used notebooks for autographs, and brought glowsticks that never got used.
I ship down a box beforehand with bigger stuff than can be carried on (sunscreen, etc)...
Every year I get better at the lite packing

becca-
how long are your stays? a week? and how much do you spend on shipping a box down there? I think we may considering shipping things if we spend at least a week there.