Do you pack more or less as DVC members?

[MaryAnnDVC]

I figure we'll take less clothes with us now that we're DVC members since we'll have a washer and dryer. But we'll also have two bathrooms...so will have to take double the bathroom stuff...toothpaste, hair stuff (high maintenance 13 yr old DD ), etc. And although we don't plan on doing much cooking, we will bring some kitchen/cooking items.

What has changed about your packing habits now that you're a DVCer?

 

[rbuzzotta]

Less clothes for sure...I also have high maintenence DD's!!! Multiple shoes for the older one, toys for the little ones. Hopefully we won't need to bring kitchen stuff and I still consider myself on vacation. We will stop at the closest Publix and buy easy to fix foods, lots of water (my DD's don't really like soda!!YEAH) and of course munchies!!

 

[Luv2Dream]

I just got back from a 10 night adventure in WDW and I took half the clothes and still had too many. I could have easily taken only 4 pairs of shorts and 4 shirts and been fine. I took much too much kitchen stuff. Never again. I also had the good fortune of having my car, so I could pack it up. Usually we fly, so I definitely won't have the packing luxury that I had this time.

 

[KNWVIKING]

We are getting better at packing less and less each time. A big time saver for us was when we purchased a "hygene" bag,the kind that unzip and hang on a hook. We keep it stocked all the time with basically every toiletry item we use daily.We keep sun blocks,first aid kit, Dr schols pads for blisters we aquire from all the walking,sewing kit,etc... we never have to empty our bathroom and medine cabinet anymore. We also pack just one "dress up" outfit each in case we go to a classier resteraunt,(we did Emiral's in May). We've come to realize that when we're on vacation,we could wear the same outfit every day-but we don't- and the only people who would even notice or care would be us. For the most part every pair of shorts I take are also swim trunks,handfull of t-shirts and plenty of socks.Less is MUCH better.

 

[The4OfUs]

Yay for the washing machines! I definitely pack less now, and we do a load of wash in the middle of the week, and we're good to go. Last time I even did wash our last night there, so I had a much less stressful homecoming, straight from the luggage into the dresser. I'm trying to explain this to my sister-in-law who has never been in a "Home Away From Home" place before, to try to save my poor brother from hauling tons of baggage from MA to FL.

 

[Peggy Sue]

MUCH less! We bring 4 changes of clothes each, and do laundry..very easy. With today's fabrics, there is little or no ironing involved. We don't bring anything for the kitchen. It's great not to have to lug around so much stuff anymore! The washer/dryer is one of the reasons why we've decided never to stay in a studio..we just love the convenience!

I guess we're just not slaves to fashion when we travel, and don't mind repeating outfits during our trip! I also bring a limited amount of shoes...sneakers and one pair for going out in the evening!

 

[DREAMINOFWDW]

Our first DVC trip is 9/29-10/5 BWV 1BR, and it our INTENTION (haha) to pack lighter than previous trips because of being able to do laundry!! However, I am such an overpacker and go wild!! But, the upside to packing lighter is more room for the stuff that I just HAVE to buy down there lol!!!

Lisa

 

[ohiominnie]

We pack less....AND more....

clear as mud?

Well, we pack a lot LESS clothes. We each have 4 outfits (except 6 yo dd who can't decide between dresses to take--but those pack light) We then wash every 3 or 4 days right up until the end, thus bringing home all clean laundry!! The4ofUs is right, it's so much less stressful to unpack your bags if you aren't looking at HEAPS of laundry. Shoe wise everyone has one pair of sneakers and one pair of sandals for the pool. Dress up clothes? Forget it...if you have to dress up, we don't go. That's our motto. What's a motto? I don't know, what's the motto with you?

Now, for the MORE side of packing. Because of the kitchen and the coffee maker, my dh likes to bring along whole bean flavored coffee and his coffee grinder, and filters. We also bring along tide tablets and Cascade tablets (stuff we wouldn't bring if staying in a regular room) We also bring along games to play during down time in the evening or if the kids HAPPEN to nap. Our favorite is Rummikub and we love to take a snack out onto the balcony and play outside. We also have to pack all of our OLD WDW stuff--like the light up toys for while we wait for a parade (although we always forget them in the room that day) or the straw sippers to make drinking out of a pop bottle easier.

Because we LOVE our home away from home we tend to stay longer....so we also pack all the what-ifs...what if someone gets a fever, a cold, a sinus infection, an ear infection, swimmer's ear, pneumonia, flesh eating bacteria, etc. My dh is a pediatrician, but with the amount of "what if" medication we bring you'd think he was a pharmacist! We also take a stethescope and an otoscope.....just in case. Praise God we've never needed any of it!

So for us, it evens out....less clothes, but more stuff.

ohiominnie

 

[The4OfUs]

Originally posted by ohiominnie
Now, for the MORE side of packing. Because of the kitchen and the coffee maker, my dh likes to bring along whole bean flavored coffee and his coffee grinder, and filters.

LOL! Ohiominnie, you made me laugh with that, my DH is a chef...so our kitchen is well stocked too, and it's a toss up between what we stuff into suitcases and what we buy there! I'm already squirrelling away packets of sugar and little things like that for our August trip.

 

[ohiominnie]

The4ofUs...
we don't cook much while were there. Maybe a dinner or two and a lunch. Breakfast is usually cereal, poptarts or nutrigrain bars or (ack) cookies! We usually have one really good PS sit down meal a day, and then eat lighter food the rest of the day.

When in August are you going to be there? We got back May 20th, and May 21st made reservations for an August "adult only" trip!!! We'll be there 8/25-9/1. What about you? And where are you staying? (oops, could have looked at your signature for that info!!)

ohiominnie

 

[The4OfUs]

Ohiominnie -

We'll be at OKW from Aug 17 - 24th. We usually go every 2 years, and tend to eat at least breakfast and 3/4 of our dinners in the room. DH being a chef, in restaurant every night...gets old for him. Besides, with younger kids it is just easier on us all. This trip, we're taking my brother, for his first trip since 1976, and my brother's family - my nephews are only 2 and 5, so eating in the room will save us lots of headaches and help the budget a bit.

That whole bit was just planned this Monday, when we discovered we did have enough points to get them their own 1 bedroom at OKW for 5 nights....now I can't stop thinking about the trip! It's the first time for them really, so I'm loading up on tips and tricks to help them, which is how I found this site!

 

[chris1gill]

I pack WAY less... 4 changes of clothes & pajamas... We bring along the normal toiletries that we would need regardless, and the only kitchen stuff I bring with me are coffee filters, tin foil, and spices in a bag... I have all the groceries delivered by Netgrocer & Omaha Steaks... All we get upon arrival is milk, cream & soda's along with charcoal for grilling.... As I said, we pack pretty light!!!

 

[wdwoldtimer]

OhioMin...you cracked me up. We're exactly like that! The washer/dryer at home is going non stop in the few days leading up to the trip. "I forgot I even HAD those shorts! Where'd you find those?!?" But we also tend to pack less clothes because of the washer/dryers at the resort. But like you, that is more than offset by all the other junk to "stock" the vacation home. LOL This past New Year's Eve we packed our old twirly light thingys we got the year before. Yep, put fresh batteries in them and everything! They never left the suitcase, let alone made it to the parks! And you forgot to mention the kids video tapes to watch on the VCR in case it's a rainy day. Umm, and the umbrellas and ponchos from earlier trips. (those never leave the room either and more than likely go home packed alongside the new ones we had to buy at the park this trip. ) Laptop computer and all kinds of power cords/chargers for all the electronic stuff I always drag along. And of course, a small toolkit, in case you need to fix something (I'm not exactly sure what that might be, but you never know!).
Oh and my parents! When they go, they bring enough groceries to feed Manhattan for a month and end up trucking most of it back home. And they still hit Goodings as soon as they arrive. But my favorite is my sister who brings more Pampers than she could possibly ever use. I once counted them and laughed so hard when I figured out her little one would have to need a diaper change more than 30 times/day to use them all.

LOL

 

[jcodespoti]

I guess we also bring less clothes but more "stuff". We travel as lite as possible sometimes it works put sometimes it does not.


Joe in CT

 

[ohiominnie]

No, wdwoldtimer...YOU cracked ME up!!! Toooooo funny!!! Unfortunately, you bring up some good points, and things now *I* am going to have to pack for next time!! The kids tapes is a good idea. This trip we had some downtime and ended up BUYING Emperor's New Groove on VHS. FORGET the fact that we have it on DVD already!!! But, three important things to remember....
#1, Our copy of Emperor's New Groove was in OHIO..we were in FLORIDA.
#2, There isn't a DVD player in the OKW rooms, so even if we DID bring a DVD the only use it would have had is as a coaster
#3, Hank's Rent and Return has free VHS tapes and they have literally EVERY Disney movie....but, hmmm...NOT the movie that is for sale in EVERY GIFT SHOP ON PROPERTY. Why do you think THAT is? It's to get suckers like US to BUY it!!

But, we justified it by saying it'll be nice to have it on VHS so the kids can watch it in the van. :/

Now, the ponchos...we all have Mickey ponchos, but never pack them...you know that is the ONE thing I've always thought was underpriced at WDW. So if we HAD to get new ones, it wouldn't break the bank.

We bought more groceries than we needed (thinking we'd eat more than we actually did.) We ended up using up most of it, but left TWO FULL 12 packs of pop (one coke, one sprite) ...As we were packing up I walked around our building looking for ppl who might be staying longer and would want some free pop...Ya know, I offered it to one couple, and they looked at me like I was INSANE and was trying to POISON them or something. They both looked at me wide eyed and shook their heads and one blurted out "WE DON'T WANT YOUR POP!" Yikes. So we left it for the maids. I hope they drank it!

I totally understand your sister and the pampers...I mean, "what if" the baby got a stomach virus and went THROUGH 30 or more diapers a day....and she (gasp) ran out.....she'd have to actually BUY DISNEY DIAPERS at $14 each (don't quote me on the price, but I'm sure they aren't cheap)

The one thing we DO pack from prior years that we actually use is our water mister/fan. Except this year, on the first day of it's use, I sat down at the Little Mermaid show at MGM and after I left the theater I looked down at the little battery door flapping around. When I sat down it must have bumped the door and my BRAND NEW batteries must have fallen out and rolled away. Oh well, hope the cleaning man found them and used them!

ok, I've blabbed enough! This thread is cracking me up though!

ohiominnie

 

[Bennet]

Wat less clothing - the washer is great. More camera stuff and some music.

 

[Lil]

We have cut down our packing to two carry on suitcases , and a cosmetic bag(QVC Freedom bag) when we fly. Inside one of the suitcases is an lg. duffle bag-empty of course. One of the carry on bags is an expandable bag - that must be checked on way back. We are members of National Emerald Isle...so we walk from plane to car and are at OKW in about 35-40 minutes top.

We take the minimum amount of clothing but do pack two swim suits apiece.

In the summer when we drive I tend to take way too much...and usually don't need it. This Oct. we are taking the my son, wife and two kids. They will have tons of luggage.....we keep telling them not to pack too much as there is a washer and dryer.

Oh yes.....when the kids were smaller.......we took the battery recharger.....all their gadgets had rechargeable batteries.....each kid had his own recharger.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

It's those "what ifs" that get me every time. "What if" it rains, snows, hails, or we get a heat wave. "What if" I sit on something and my clothes get dirty...I have an unnatural fear of sitting on "something". I can "what if" just about everything.

I'm going to Disneyland in 3 weeks, for ONE night (first night at my sister's house, then one night at Disneyland, then back to my sister's)...and I thought...good, I'll bring one suitcase for the 4 of us. How much could we possibly need for one night? Then it hits me..."what if" (fill in the blank).

Oh, how I hate to pack. You should see when I send the kids off to camp for a week. They roll their eyes while I tell them "just bring it...make your mother happy."

 

[wdwoldtimer]

LOL

I think some of us should join Packaholics Anonymous...too funny. Ahh, now you see if I packed for ya OM, your mister/fan (is that by the folks that made Mister Coffee?) would have a spare set of batteries! I always bring an extra pack of AA's and a 9v....cuz.....you never know, what if?

And despite packing all this stuff, there's ALWAYS something you forget that you really need!

Oh yeah, another thing I always seem to do is go to the post office and buy stamps for post cards...you know, in case Disney has figured out a way to make a profit on them too. Usually we'll pick out a few postcards early in the trip, but I'll be damned...I don't think I've EVER sent a one.

 

[ohiominnie]

Oh, but wdwoldtimer, you under-estimate me....we DID have extra AA batteries....TWENTY to be exact!! But they were back in the room.

I looked for www.packaholicsanonymous.com but there was no site. :/

Oh...and another thing we pack...our sound machine. Because that way we can white noise away either noise from outside, or that deafening silence. And of course, we have extra batteries for THAT!)

ohiominnie