Great unknown tips or secrets!

[Scrappingjen]

A small pop up hamper is great for doing laundry and a place for the whole family to put dirty clothing. I got mine a Target witht he BTS stuff its the size of a dinner plate all folded up

Shout color catch sheets mean you don't have to sort as specificly. I wash my whites with my lights/pinks. One less load of laundy always good

Put your kids outfits including underwear, socks, and accesories in a ziplock bag easier to unpach and the kids can dress quickly and match.

 

[acourtwdw]

I got a pop up hamper and an over the door organizer at Joanne's for less than $10 including tax for both. Very exciting!

 

[MightyMike]

1. Remember the airline limits on checked baggage: typically 62 inches (length + width + height) and 50 pounds. If you exceed either of those numbers, ask yourself if you are bringing too much.

2. If it is close to Christmas and you have a verandah, bring a string of battery-operated lights and magnetic clips (the kind that you can use to hold a stack of papers on your refrigerator). The magnetic clips stick to the ceiling of the verandah without damaging it. Run the wires through the clips to hold up the lights.

3. Double-check to make sure the belt you bring matches the shoes you bring.

4. Bring ear plugs. They are lightweight and don't take up any space, and might just come in handy during the trip.

5. Bring airline-style headphones if you have some from a previous trip.

6. Bring a mosquito bite stick in case you get bit.

7. Bring a thin, magnetic marker board and dry erase pen for your door.

8. Make a list of EVERYTHING you need to do the day you leave for your trip and check them off when they get completed. Make it so that on that day you are in auto-pilot mode and won't need to think about anything--just follow your own instructions.

9. If you can check in to your resort, cruise or flight online before the trip, DO IT! Every minute you spend now becomes an extra minute you can enjoy on your vacation.

10. Combine your airport parking with a stay at a hotel near the airport. Often you can park and stay for the same price (or less) than what you would pay to park at the airport--and you get peace of mind knowing that you will be at the airport on time.

 

[sgc1107]

We attended the DVC presentation on our 06/21/07 cruise. Won the $300 credit and a DVC cooler. We signed up for DVC at that point (not because of the giveaways, but because DVC is a good deal). There was only half a dozen couples in the presentation, so the odds were pretty good.

I'm new to cruising and this blog thing but there are so many awesome tips here!

What is the DVC presentation?

 

[jenseib]

Great info.

I bring on all my trips now, a spray and wash stain stick. It is great for pretreating stains and small, so doesn't take much room. I have also tried the oxyclean travle spray, and found it to be not very good.

On the life jacket note..do they allow kid life jackets in the ppols on board? And if so, do they provide child size ones? (not talking about the basic orange now) And then again at CC? Can you use thme there and if os do they have any provided or to rent?

 

[jenseib]

1. Remember the airline limits on checked baggage: typically 62 inches (length + width + height) and 50 pounds. If you exceed either of those numbers, ask yourself if you are bringing too much.

2. If it is close to Christmas and you have a verandah, bring a string of battery-operated lights and magnetic clips (the kind that you can use to hold a stack of papers on your refrigerator). The magnetic clips stick to the ceiling of the verandah without damaging it. Run the wires through the clips to hold up the lights.

3. Double-check to make sure the belt you bring matches the shoes you bring.

4. Bring ear plugs. They are lightweight and don't take up any space, and might just come in handy during the trip.

5. Bring airline-style headphones if you have some from a previous trip.

6. Bring a mosquito bite stick in case you get bit.

7. Bring a thin, magnetic marker board and dry erase pen for your door.

8. Make a list of EVERYTHING you need to do the day you leave for your trip and check them off when they get completed. Make it so that on that day you are in auto-pilot mode and won't need to think about anything--just follow your own instructions.

9. If you can check in to your resort, cruise or flight online before the trip, DO IT! Every minute you spend now becomes an extra minute you can enjoy on your vacation.

10. Combine your airport parking with a stay at a hotel near the airport. Often you can park and stay for the same price (or less) than what you would pay to park at the airport--and you get peace of mind knowing that you will be at the airport on time.

I could be wrong, but I think the wieght limit is 40 now for alot of airlines. I know the last couple of airlines we flew were only 40.

 

[MightyMike]

The airlines I checked say 40 pounds is the maximum for your carry-on and 50 pounds is the maximum for checked baggage.

 

[tinkerbell0611]

We leave on Saturday! And our cruise is on Sunday, 9/21. So please tell me quickly about the FE exchange.....

 

[tinkerbell0611]

We are taking 2 of my granddaughters -- ages 5 and 7 -- on our cruise next week! WOO HOO! We can't wait. And I'm a HUGE fan of ziploc bags. SO.... we put complete outfits including underwear and socks into ziploc bags. No more digging around for the other sock or shorts that match -- they are all together.

Thanks for the wonderful tips.

 

[Tink rules]

FE exchange is usually set up by the people already signed up on the boards for your cruise date...

Here is the one for your cruise... go introduce yourself and make friends... you will love it!!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1695934

 

[Sherimoe]

Hi! I don't know if this has been discussed, so if it has... SORRY! I wondered if beach towels are provided on the ship AND on the excursions. Or do we need to pack our own.

 

[Tink rules]

Beach towels are avail for both... they aren't the biggest towels but you can take a few...

When you come back to the ship, they will have a bin that they will collect them in.

 

[pskorf]

Since everyone has the same black or blue suitcases we go to the dollar store and get gift ribbons ( the ones that are stringy and curled). Then I take out the staple from the midddle and tie the whole thing around the suitcase handle. Usually I get the same colors and it makes for finding our suitcases so much easier.

I went to Home Depot and got some of the sample paint Mickey's and laminated them, punched a hole in them and then tied them on our luggae with ribbon. Makes our luggage easy to find and puts us in the Disney mood!!

 

[pskorf]

Just got back Thursday night..............bring your own hair dryer if your hair is thick or holds water! I spent way tooooo long trying to dry mine and DD!!

Do I need to bring my own hairdryer? There isn't one in the stateroom?

 

[kath1210]

Do I need to bring my own hairdryer? There isn't one in the stateroom?

The one in the stateroom ihas very weak air flow and not much heat. It's also sort of weird, more like a vacuum hose than a hair dryer.

It would probably be OK if your hair is fine or thin, but it would take forever to dry thick hair.

 

[outahere]

What is the DVC presentation?

DVC is Disney Vacation Club - Disney's version of timeshare properties. The presentation is very low key and no pressure to buy, just basically an information session. However..... they will be more than happy to take your money if you do want to buy.

 

[jenseib]

Beach towels are avail for both... they aren't the biggest towels but you can take a few...

When you come back to the ship, they will have a bin that they will collect them in.

Where do you get them then? Do you sign them out?

I went to Home Depot and got some of the sample paint Mickey's and laminated them, punched a hole in them and then tied them on our luggae with ribbon. Makes our luggage easy to find and puts us in the Disney mood!!

I do that too! (I never thought to laminate them though)

 

[westjones]

I loved my shoe holder - my entire family thought it was so easy to find things. I did not need the duct tape - should have done the extension cord. Wish I had more places to hang wet swimsuits - did not find enough room to hang wet / damp things - since there were 4 of us in the room - the one spot in bathroom was always packed with swimsuits!@

I haven't gone through this whole thread yet, but wanted to add this tip that we use. We bought some suction cup hooks at the Dollar Tree, but I think you can get them other places and put them on the shower walls and we hung up swim suits there. Here is a link to a picture I found on a random site that shows what I am talking about:

http://annkroeker.wordpress.com/2008/03/12/where-to-hang-washcloths/

This may have been mentioned already, but I just thought of this when I saw this comment as I am going through this very long but VERY helpful thread!

DJ

 

[ksloane]

I haven't gone through this whole thread yet, but wanted to add this tip that we use. We bought some suction cup hooks at the Dollar Tree, but I think you can get them other places and put them on the shower walls and we hung up swim suits there. Here is a link to a picture I found on a random site that shows what I am talking about:

http://annkroeker.wordpress.com/2008/03/12/where-to-hang-washcloths/

This may have been mentioned already, but I just thought of this when I saw this comment as I am going through this very long but VERY helpful thread!

DJ

That's a really good idea for the bath spongie things too (like in the picture). We have that problem at our house.

I've not cruised, but at WDW bathrooms I've always had that string you can pull across the bathtub and I just bring clothespins and we use that for our swimsuits. Is that not available on the cruises?

 

[westjones]

That's a really good idea for the bath spongie things too (like in the picture). We have that problem at our house.

I've not cruised, but at WDW bathrooms I've always had that string you can pull across the bathtub and I just bring clothespins and we use that for our swimsuits. Is that not available on the cruises?

Yes, there is a clothesline in the tub, but there was never enough room for all of our stuff when the kids were young. We have 4 swimsuits and 2 goggles. NOW my kids are teens and DH and I don't like swimming (only went with the kids when they were young--we have been cruising DCL for the last 9 years and our kids were 5 when we went on our first, and they will be 15 on our next so times have changed). I don't think we will need the hooks on our next cruise because as my girls have gotten older they don't wear goggles and their swim suits have gotten smaller (they used to have one pieces with swim shorts over them--now they wear a bikini like most teenage girls seem to now days) and DH and I won't be swimming, so the clothesline will probably be enough for us on our next cruise.

DJ