How come you all didn't tell me how much PITA packing is

[PaulaSue]

LOL, This is our first vacation in over 5 years. The last one was with only one DD (peggo with DD2) It is way more time consuming than I thought.

Only 9 days to go. How am I going to pare it down enough to fit in the airplane and some in Dad's truck? He and Mom are going for 2 weeks (other places too) so I can't take too much room from him.

Dh says I pack the kitchen sink and that was for just the 2 of us. Our Disney luggage/clothing piles are overwelming to say the least. This is a dream trip and we won't be coming back for at least 4-5 years so I want to pack in as much as the kids are willing.

How does everyone else do it? Especially for Jan weather.

 

[DisFlan]

lol! Well, the joy of "light" packing is something you have to learn for yourself. But honestly, it CAN be done. January is a problematic month - you won't know for sure how cool or warm it will be.

You're going to be limited by baggage weight per bag (usually 50 lb.) and how many bags the airline allows (usually 3 per person) plus your carry-on.

I don't know where you are staying or for how long, but you'll have access to laundry facilities at all resorts.

As a rule of thumb, I pack less than I think we'll need. I fill every available crevice and void. Shoes are good for this. Stuff 'em full. Don't take containers you don't really need. (I put rollers in shoes.) Pare down make-up and toiletries. Get sample size shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, medications etc. Pack things flat in the big (2 gal.) zip-loc bags. This makes the security checks easier if your case is opened. (Don't lock it.) If possible, buy things like diapers, food stuffs or bottled water after you get there.

Don't take more clothes than you'll need. I know this seems like a given, but most people overdo it. On our last trip, I managed with one carry-on bag and checked a medium suitcase for a week's trip. So did my husband, son and his wife. I take a rolled up nylon duffle or gym-type bag (with a name tag) in my suitcase to bring home the stuff we buy.

My best suggestion is to NOT bring things you really don't need (like six pairs of shoes or ten pairs of jeans). I'm sure others have lots of good tips. These are a few of mine.

Have a great trip!

DisFlan

 

[3princesses4us]

Hi PaulaSue, first what is PITA? I feel stupid for not knowing this...
Also, I checked your daughters' cute web page and just had to say that my middle daughter (I'm also the mother of 3 girls!) was born just 2 days after your oldest. Weird, huh?
Have a great trip!

OMG! Never mind! I just figured it out- Pain In The A**! I'm a smart one aren't I?...

 

[PaulaSue]

Also, I checked your daughters' cute web page and just had to say that my middle daughter (I'm also the mother of 3 girls!) was born just 2 days after your oldest. Weird, huh?
...

Thank you!

Are you talking about Jan 24th? That is my middle DD Emma Grace's Birthday. (Nicole is my oldest and in the middle of the pictures.) I have a 7, 4 (almost 5) and 2 year old.

It is a small world, Too funny.

 

[3princesses4us]

Oops, sorry I misread. Now it's even funnier. My oldest DD's middle name is Nicole and it is my middle daughter who will be five on Jan. 26th. My youngest is 1. Great taste...

 

[cwnhokie]

I'm a little concerned about packing for this trip as well. It will definately be more challenging then our trip last May. We are going in Feb, the weather will be unpredictable, we are staying a little longer, and last time my dad drove and we loaded his car up with all the stuff we didn't want to carry on the plane.

 

[Alysa]

I am having a baby in three weeks and leaving in seven weeks! I have started packing now because I have trouble with bringing too much luggage - twice I have had to redistribute bags at the airport for being over 50 pounds!

DH thinks I am crazy but I don't want to have to worry about finding everything and packing too much after the baby comes. Call me crazy but I think I could be a little busy those first few weeks (especially if HRH is late!!!). The real question is, if you bring three bags per person with a family of 4, who will carry the 12 bags while I am holding the toddler's hand and pushing the pram? After all, in the words of DD at dinner tonight "Daddy is a boy, our dog is a boy, Grandma is a girl, Aunty is a girl, I am a PRINCESS!"
Hi honey, can you take care of the bags? Love you!

 

[DisFlan]

The real question is, if you bring three bags per person with a family of 4, who will carry the 12 bags while I am holding the toddler's hand and pushing the pram?

Wow, you actually take three checked bags per person? We take ONE medium-size checked bag each. That's our rule, even when our son was small. If it doesn't fit in, it doesn't go. I take a small rolling carry-on with our toiletries, cameras, tickets and meds etc., and my husband checks his golf clubs in a rolling travel bag. That's it. On our last trip, my son needed my laptop for school work, so he carried it in a rolling laptop bag as his carry-on. This way, everyone can handle their own stuff - and someone else's if necessary. We load it all on a luggage cart when we get there and off we go to the car rental desk. (Plus, fewer bags means less chance of one going astray.) And honestly, we've never had less than we really needed.

DisFlan

 

[2tinkersmom]

We went in January last year and are going beginning of February this year. One thing that helped me a lot was to keep checking the extended weather forecasts online from home. There are a lot of sites that do this - yahooweather, accuweather - if you just type in Orlando you can pull up various extended forecasts. I was checking those right up until we left to know how much I would need for cooler nights, etc. That helped me tremendously because we turned out to have a fairly warm week and I didn't need to pack much in the way of heavier clothing.

We also now weigh our bags before we go. Learned our lesson last year when we went way over the limit with our largest suitcase. I think we had to pay $25-50 because we were over.

Now we take more bags to even it out. My two girls (11 and 7) get a duffle bag each and my husband and I both have a medium suitcase for a week. We just bought a good rolling duffle that we are going to use just for the bulky stuff like jeans, sweatshirts, shoes for all of us and I'll probably stuff our snack food in there too.

My girls also each carry on a backpack with things they want to do on the plane or in the room and DH and I usually both have a small carry on too with miscellaneous stuff.

I'm still an overpacker but I'm trying to get better!

 

[DisFlan]

I'm still an overpacker but I'm trying to get better!

Sounds like you're doing pretty well!


DisFlan

 

[cwnhokie]

I'm trying to convince DH that our biggest suitcase is too big and we need some medium ones, I think it's too big to go on the plane, he says it's not too big but could get to be too heavy, we have another month and a half to battle on this one. I will not overpack, I will not overpack. I will not overpack...