How do you do it? (packing question)

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I'm just curious... those of you that have said you only take carryons to avoid checking your luggage and/or to avoid DME taking your luggage and instead taking it WITH you and all that.. how exactly do you do that? Even on a solo trip I'm not sure I could do that unless it was a really big (limits of size) carryon.. but probably not even then.

Do you just pack clothes and the bare essentials and if anything comes up you buy it there at really expensive prices? Maybe that's why I end up with lots of luggage. Even when I try to pack lightly so we won't have much luggage, I keep adding more and more stuff that we'll need/will use that I don't want to buy there and pay a lot for it! I really can't even see how to pare it down at this point- I really don't want to pay huge prices for stuff once we get there!

I mean we have clothes, underwear/socks, this trip costumes, toiletries, personal care items, swimsuits and suncare items, and our refillable cups (before you freak out- they are sports cups and we're staying at all star sports! LOL)- add to that little backpack for me to use while there, kids backpacks they carry on as carryons with stuff to eat/do on the plane, and mist fans... what exactly can we cut from this to make our luggage lighter? I just don't see how you do it. I'm not even bringing extra stuff this time (like light up toys, lanyards and pins, stuffed animals to put in the rooms, etc.- but we ARE taking pal mickey. He always goes. LOL)

Even paring down as lightly as I can- packing only a cpl days of clothes + what we are wearing and washing clothes once while there- I STILL am going to end up with:
1 big carryon with essentials, medication, 1 chg clothes and swimwear, and valuables
1 smaller soft-cooler that we use to carry stuff in then while there we use it as a cooler in the room (carryon- it's the Disney one that looks like a rolling carryon but is a soft-sided cooler that can also fold up and go into other luggage)
my purse
kids backpacks they'll carry on the plane with their stuff/snacks

and TWO medium size (not tiny, not huge) checked baggage. I can't fit it all in one big one, before you say that. But even if I could- that would still be one checked baggage so might as well be two managable ones instead of one huge one I'd have difficulty carrying with 2 carryons & purse also (even with the kids help I mean).

So how do you do it?????

 

[VSL]

I'd love to know too!

I had dreams of taking just carry-on.. then I realised that I'm travelling from the UK and I'll be there for 2wks+ So maybe it's not possible for me at all?

 

[Schmeck]

I'm assuming that the carryons people bring are those really huge ones - that are really 'drag ons', because they can barely lift them into the overhead compartments...

 

[goofy4tink]

I have done WDW several times now with just carry-on. But it has always been just me dd and myself traveling...dh hasn't been with ut!!! He has more stuff and packs more clothing than any woman I've ever seen!!! Dd and I can travel with a regular carry-on (pilots bag) and a large purse (tote size). We pack 4 changes of clothes each (maybe 5) extra undies, bare essentials for grooming. I have found that I never wear make-up in WDW...took me 5 trips to come to that conclusion. Also, now wear only my Croc's. I used to wear slip-ons to travel in, and pack sandals and sneakers. Not anymore..only Croc's. Also travel size shampoo and conditioner. I have a special bag that is always ready to go with all that stuff in it. Then I usually do one load of laundry each trip. If we stay DVC then it could be more often, while we're at the pool.
I have found that traveling with just carry-on can be a pain. I hate lugging the bags around everywhere. I tend to get to the airport about 2 hrs early, so if I need to eat or use the bathroom, we have to lug those bags with us.

I am traveling to WDW myself in Nov and I'll be checking my bag. I will have a tote size bag with me, with stuff I might need if my other 'big' bag gets delayed...but that's it.

The other thing I do now is if I need any food, I use one of the shopping servcices. I used to pack a lot of snackie type stuff...took up space. Now I use wegoshop.com and they deliver it right to the room. I don't buy nearly as much once I get to WDW so don't need that 'extra' space anymore.

 

[AJKMOM]

This is only a personal preference, but I take half of the clothing needed and do laundry. I would rather wash clothes than take 8 of everything for 5 people. That's still not just a carry-on, but it is one suitcase instead of 2. I would think someone taking just a carry on must be traveling alone or with just one other person. We have never been able to travel without at least one checked bag.

 

[Leota]

I have done long weekends at WDW with a carry-on, but I actually prefer to check luggage now. Like the above poster said, it's a pain to drag it around the airport with you, esp. if you have to change planes.

I do believe in co-ordinating my clothes so I can get multiple outfits out of one pair of slacks/skirt/shorts. I learned to do that very well when I traveled to DC for work with only a carry-on that I could easily transport on the Metro. I try to avoid laundry in WDW & only do that on 2 week trips.

I also discovered that using Packing cubes really helps pack more efficiently. I also stopped carrying an outfit in my carryon. If the worst happens, I can always buy a set of clothes whereever I am. My carryon is now just my wallet, prescriptions, a book, some gum & a bottle of water - that's MORE than enough to lug around for me.

 

[crisi]

If you do laundry its easy. Even if you don't do laundry, how much room does one swimsuit, four pairs of shorts, seven t shirts, seven pairs of underwear and seven pairs of socks take? Wear jeans on the plane for cool days and wear a sweatshirt or jacket. Wear tennis shoes. Throw in deorderant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. Use hotel shampoo.

And yes, when you do this without laundry, you can't be too afraid of wearing shorts a few days.

Now with kids, I doubt I'll ever see that efficiency again.

If you are really serious, go to REI or another camping store. Nylon is the worlds greatest boon to light packing and travel. Washes and dries in the hotel sink easily, packs really really small. I have a few pairs of nylon shorts and a pair of "convertible" pants that are standards in the "pack in a carryon" set. Camping stores will sell a ton of items designed for backpacking in for a week on your back - tiny and light.

 

[threeboysmom]

If it's just you traveling or you and your DH , you should very easily be able to pack without having to check bags. A toiletry bag and a small/medium suitcase for both of your clothes. Plus whatever personal bag you and DH carry (I carry a soft briefcase type bag).

BUT if your traveling with kids in tow, there is no way a whole family could travel without checking bags (in my opinion) - unless you were just going down for a weekend perhaps...

 

[can'twait]

Well, we are a family of 4, we are leaving Saturday and are 90% packed and it looks like we will be able to do all carry ons! Yay! I'm paranoid about losing checked bags, and don't want to waste time waiting for them at the carousel. I've measured and weighed all the bags to make sure they fit within the volume and weight limits. I've found out that you can actually bring 2 carry ons - one that maxes out the volume and weight limits, plus a smaller bag - a small backpack or purse or camera bag or laptop. DH will carry the laptop, I will carry a backpack.

The kids' clothes are little so 4 outfits plus one bathing suit and one set of pj's fit fine in their school backpacks, plus there is room for a few toys and snacks. That leaves them able to carry another bag each, technically, so one of them will carry the camera bag and one may carry a bag of snacks.

Everyone is limited to one pair of comfy walking shoes.

We will be wearing shorts and tees, and 4 outfits of those take up a LOT less room than you think. I would rather do laundry halfway through than lug big bags. We will be wearing sweats on the plane, which will be our only pairs of long pants, if we need them. I will wear a light jacket because I'm always cold, but I'm not planning on bringing jackets for anyone else. My bag and DH's bag still have room for kids' costumes, travel size toiletries, ponchos, the mister fan, etc. We plan to buy some stuff there, but mostly food for snacks and breakfast.

 

[egoldber]

I prefer to be a packing minimalist. I've personally never regretted packing light. I would rather spend a few extra $$ to buy something there rather than pack everything for just in case.

DH does all his own packing. But I can pack myself and DD into a 22" rolling suitcase that does fit into the overhead bin. For me thats 3 pair of shorts, 2 pair of pants and 6 or so shirts, 5 pair undies, 3 pair socks (I prefer to wear my shoes without socks), 1 bathing suit, 1 rain jacket and 2 pair of shoes. I wear one of those pants on the plane and the largest pair of shoes. For DD, I pack similarly, with maybe a couple more outfits. This time I plan to take a couple costumes for her too, but honestly they squish.

I use travel size toiletries and I don't wear make-up. I carry some children's Benadryl since both DD and I sometimes suffer from allergies when traveling and I like to have that handy. I take meds everyday, but I parcel those out ahead of time into a week long pill dispenser. I carry 1 or 2 very small travel-size tubes of sunscreen. I find I don't need very much in general, certainly not enough to bring a huge bottle.

In addition to this, I carry a messenger bag on the plane, and thats what we use in the parks and also for water parks (the bag is waterproof). DD carries a child size backpack with some coloring books, stickers, and crayons for the plane. I put some lightweight snacks for DD in her backpack (Cheerios, Goldfish, etc.). When we get to orlando, we stop at a grocery store and get water and non-perishable snacks for the room. But a grovery delivery service would work well too.

I only carry non-perishable snacks and bottles waters into the parks and have never felt the need for a cooler. When DD was smaller, I did sometimes bring a small cooler (the type designed to hold two bottles) and used that to carry snacks or baby food for her.

 

[mommykds]

There are 5 of us (me , DH, & 3 kids) who will be arriving at Disney this Saturday! I pack everything. I bring the benedryl, tylonel, motrin, thermometer, extra clothes, extra shoes. One trip at WDW in 2002 it rained (&I mean poured) every day of our trip. We all had one pair of shoes each & they never had time to dry out which felt very icky. My kids (of course) got sick that trip & I needed to take my middle ds's temp but didn't bring the thermometer.I asked the desk at the Poly & they didn't have one..I had to buy this "tape" thingy they you put on the kids head for their temp but that wasn't accurate. I bring tylenol,benedryl, & motrin because I have had 3 kids there sick & all needed at least one of these items. I bring black garbage bags to cover the strollers when it pours so teh seats are not soaked (that happened 4 years ago & we had to use the hairdyrer in the room to dry the stroller.

Bottom line, I bring everything I think I will need...ME is carrying the bags this time around so that will be convenient. Not too many carryon's...just for the cameras, tickets/reservations, meds which we can't lose, & other toiletries. I would love to pack light & only take one suitcase don't get me wrong, but with three kids (1 with allergies & asthma) & me & DH there is just no way to pack lighter...I learned that the hard way.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Thanks for all the posts/tips- they are appreciated. But I'm still not getting how it can be done. I guess it's because I DO have kids? LOL

If you do laundry its easy. Even if you don't do laundry, how much room does one swimsuit, four pairs of shorts, seven t shirts, seven pairs of underwear and seven pairs of socks take? Wear jeans on the plane for cool days and wear a sweatshirt or jacket. Wear tennis shoes. Throw in deorderant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. Use hotel shampoo.

And yes, when you do this without laundry, you can't be too afraid of wearing shorts a few days.

Now with kids, I doubt I'll ever see that efficiency again.

Yep, I have kids.
I'm doing laundry. Maybe if I list what I'm taking you can tell me where I could pare down? Someone mentioned they'd rather take less and buy it there if they needed it- that may be where my problem is because I do NOT want to pay high prices for things while there. We're relying solely on DME and then Disney transportation while there- we'd have to pay whatever Disney charged for the items, and that's IF they have them available to purchase!

We're arriving late Wed night and leaving late Mon night- I'm taking what we'll be wearing plus 2 outfits (that includes shorts/tee)- I'll wash and we'll wear all 3 outfits again.
In addition to that I'm taking undies for all, bras for 2, socks for all.
Also:
costumes for the kids (and those are bulky- LOL *sigh*)
The only shoes we're taking are tennis shoes each, sandals/water shoes each .
Should we even bother taking 1pr jeans and 1 sweatshirt each? I was only taking those in case we get cooler in the evenings- but not sure that's going to happen this early in the year. Our sweatshirts are Disney ones personalized with our names on them and we've never worn them. I bought them last year and we have YET to have a chance to wear them- the kids are about to outgrow the darn things. LOL We live in Texas.. just never seems to be cold enough to warrant a sweatshirt- a light jacket works better because otherwise we'd sweat in sweatshirts (ironic eh?) once we got to wherever we're going. Heat is on high here (everywhere) if it gets slightly cold- everyone here is used to hot weather- not cold!

And:
caps each (they were very needed last time!)
mist fans (already purchased them there once, don't want to spend that much buying them again!)
refillable mugs (for that resort- we're on the dining plan but we mostly use the refillable mugs for hot chocolate in the mornings)
batteries and small battery charger (last time I just took nonrechargable batteries but they didn't last long and I won't do that again- ended up paying a fortune for batteries at WDW last time)
I do bring travel size shampoo and stuff (for myself and my unmanageable hair that requires certain shampoo plus medicated shampoo for dry scalp issues I have lately- but the kids usually use the shampoo that is provided there) but I also HAVE to bring things for my hair otherwise I will scare people with my hair while there. MY hairdryer, ceramic brush, ceramic straight iron, etc. Hair accessories for myself and my daughter's.
I also bring suncare items (suntan lotion spray, stick for faces, and aloe gel in case we get burned) as well as a small first aid kit (bandaids, etc.)

Oh and ofcourse I bring a tiny detergent bottle and a few bounce sheets for doing the laundry while there.

Pullups for my bedwetter at night
Disney tote bag to carry our stuff to the waterpark (but not bringing our own towels this time- just too bulky! Although I dread paying for their towels while there and then having them "taken" by other people... again... that happened our first trip. LOL)
Prescription medications (mostly the kids) plus over the counter meds that might be needed- tylenol for me, motrin for kids, and cough meds just in case...
feminine hygiene products (just in case 'something' happens while there LOL)
Pajamas (only packing one each because I figure we're clean from the shower when we put them on and shouldn't be sweating there at night- and will wash them with the clothes once while there too)


My tiny backpack to carry stuff while at the park.

That's what is going to be packed. I guess it's just so many bags because we're so many "people"? I have gone solo before and ONE time I went with just a carryon- it was only for 5 days, I washed clothes while there and I "risked" possibly needing stuff while there that I hadn't brought. I just can't seem to bring myself to take that risk when it comes to travelling with kids- seems the "risk" is higher when it's more of us- plus the fact they are kids. Don't know if I'm right to think that way or not but I think that's how my mindset is. LOL

They'll have their things to do, snacks and such packed in their backpacks they'll carry on the plane.

Thoughts on this?

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Oh I forgot to mention that part of the reason I wanted to ATTEMPT to do carryons only is because I don't want to deal with the resort knocking on my door at 4:30am with my luggage that has arrived- after I told them to call first to make sure we're still awake before bringing it when it arrived. LOL

I think I may have figured out a way to do this. Been working on it. LOL

See my carryons are the little kind with pull out handle and wheels. Great to lug around- but small and hard... so not much fits in them. So I decided to try one carryon as mentioned in previous sentence and 2 mickey duffle bags as the other carryons. I'll have to lug the 2 duffle bags myself and my oldest can pull the other carryon on wheels... but it shouldn't be too bad because since I don't have to split up everything (worrying about making sure I have enough with me on carryon in case luggage gets lost or delayed and then splitting up clothes/etc. in the other checked luggage in case ONE bag gets lost or delayed- that sort of thing is stuff I worry about. I keep thinking my time will come... the more we fly the bigger chance one of these days our luggage is going to be lost or delayed LOL)- so the duffle bags packed with light things and the rolling carryon with the heavier things should work okay. I'm not going to take the other carryon that is a soft-sided cooler. I decided we won't really need it- we'll be on the dining plan and probably won't be bringing or buying snacks while there that need to be kept cool anyway.

I think it is all going to fit! The only things I haven't packed yet are some toiletries we'll still be using until we leave Wed (like razors, hair stuff, etc.) and hopefully they will all fit. This should be great! No checking luggage, no worrying about luggage lost or delayed, no knock on the door with luggage at 4am or later... I'll carry 2 duffle bags (clothes/costumes/light stuff) and my purse... kids carry backpacks with oldest pulling the other heavier carryon with wheels and handle. Should work! Thanks for the motivation to give it a try. LOL

 

[threeboysmom]

Glad to hear that it's working out for you! I was going to suggest that your kids' clothes/swimsuit/pj's and costumes go in one small suitcase, and your clothes and DH's clothes/swimsuits/pj's along with the pull-ups and mugs go into another small suitcase. All your toiletry items should fit into one small bag. Anything extra can squeeze into the kids backpacks, I'm sure. So you should be able to do it!! And it looks like you are on the right track!!

 

[Cara]

Have you tried the Spacesaver bags? They really work well!!

 

[webprinter]

I also discovered that using Packing cubes really helps pack more efficiently. I also stopped carrying an outfit in my carryon. If the worst happens, I can always buy a set of clothes whereever I am. My carryon is now just my wallet, prescriptions, a book, some gum & a bottle of water - that's MORE than enough to lug around for me.

What are packing cubes and where do you get them? Thanks. Debby

 

[Harambe]

Another carry-on family here. Each of us has one carry-on suitcase (airline measurements, and they all fit neatly into the overhead), then DH, DD, and myself have small bags (including the small one shoulder backpack we use in the parks). DS doesn't have a second bag, and is usually in charge of the one Disney plastic bag we put our souvies in for the return trip.

Another thing we do (besides packing light and doing laundry) is to have a lot of our purchases (if they are heavy or bulky) shipped home to Boston. This isn't cheap, but in my eyes - it's priceless!!!! Just about every shop will do it for you.

 

[Nini]

I used to use ONLY carry-on luggage. Now that I have ddturning4atWDW, I can't see doing that anymore. Like I posted on an earlier "packing" thread, I have to bring 4 princess dresses (one for each dinner!) plus the items that "go with" them such as crowns and wands !

Simply cannot do WDW without the princess dresses and crowns!!!!

We DO cross pack our bags though and that helps. We only bring approx. 4-5 outfits each and throw in a couple of interchangeable tops. Since we are travelling from cold New England weather, we will wear our warmer clothing there and back!

 

[Nini]

I DID cut my hair!!! It was VERY long and now it is just above my shoulders...I feel like I am travelling lighter already!!!!

 

[All Aboard]

Lot's of good and lengthy advice in this thread. But, my formula is quite simple.

1) Minimize
2) Roll

I travel with my daughter (age 7) quite frequently. We do 4 nights easily with one carryon suitcase (21" Skyway) and a backpack. Given that there are two of us, we really could take an extra suitcase, but don't need to.

Rolling clothes allows me to fit an enormous amount in the suitcase. When you open it, it's rather funny, multi-stories of rolled shorts, shirts, etc. Of course, on the return trip, you have to roll all of your dirty stuff. But, hey, no checked bags.