Is there a such thing?

[Mickey Fliers]

Dont' pack food. Just grab some at the grocery store once you get into Orlando.

 

[emtmom0104]

We are driving and do have a one bedroom villa. I will be doing laundry mid week bc I HATE laundry laying around. I am bringing 3-4 days worth of clothing, in layers and then I will wash it all and then reuse what we have. I have to remember, which I did not know is that since I'm from the NE and it's COLD here, 30's for highs, that the weather down there will feel warmer to me than it really is. This helped with re-packing our bags. I have packed a bag of food simply because my family loves to eat. I need to have things available for the 15 1/2 hour car ride for easy access without having to stop everytime someone is hungry. I do not have a ton of extra money to buy EVERYTHING as we are going along. I am on a budget when we go down so I can't say if I don't have it I will just buy it bc that may not be the case. So I would rather overpack a LITTLE bit vs having to buy a bunch when I get down there and risk not being able to get it. I'm trying to keep my eye on the weather forcast down there so that I know if I need to readjust anything. I'm leaving in 5 days to start my drive so just trying to eliminate some stuff so that I'm not squishing my family and we have a fun comfortable ride.

When you get to the Villas do you carry all your bags up or do they have carts available to take your stuff up? What is the sales tax in FL? I'm sooo confused..lol.

 

[Wendy5055]

I know packing can be very intimidating, especially if you have never been.

I would suggest not packing food items and ordering through someplace like Garden Grocer (other posters may have other places too). THe food will be at your resort for when you arrive...makes your life easier.

I normally pack items like legging capris for my dd8 and t-shirts...they take up way less room!

 

[DaniB]

I don't think you need to bring towels, even if you decide to pack the swimsuits. Most hotels will have towels for you. Also, if you aren't too picky about toiletries, the hotel will provide soap and shampoo. I can understand if you are. I have to use my own shampoo, so I get that.

Really? I have been trying to figure that out. I know the resort provides towels in the bathroom, but what about visiting the resort's pool? Can I bring the towel from my room to the pool to use?

And I understand the waterparks rent towels for $2. If during the day, the towel gets too wet, can I exchange it for a dry one, or do I pay another $2?

Dani

 

[DaniB]

Also, are you prepared if one of the bags is lost ? (ie. do you spread stuff out among bags ?)

Ohh, good tip! It will be our first time flying and I'm sure I would not have thought of this.

Hey, can anyone tell me if we should have "dressier" clothing for TS, and HOW much dressier? We want to book dinner meals at Coral Reef, Spirit of Aloha, Boma, and another undecided place.

Dani

 

[Bugsmom73]

When we drove, the van was full. I would pack some snacks and stuff b/c it is a long drive and fast food can get really expensive.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I pack a lot. So much so that one time we were staying at the airport hotel the night before and when we were loading things onto the shuttle to go to the airport the drive asked DH if we were relocating to Florida!

Here's my justification. 5 people - two weeks - in July! Yes I do laundry on vacation but we also wear two outfits a day, plus swimsuits, plus pajamas and such. The first year we went I underpacked (and didn't even know the GF had a laundry room) and ended up spending a fortune on kids socks and underwear!

DH doesn't even say anything anymore because he knows I know what I'm doing. But in the beginning I would always say there would be a fight before we even left the house when DH saw all the suitcases!

 

[MariDisney]

Really? I have been trying to figure that out. I know the resort provides towels in the bathroom, but what about visiting the resort's pool? Can I bring the towel from my room to the pool to use?

And I understand the waterparks rent towels for $2. If during the day, the towel gets too wet, can I exchange it for a dry one, or do I pay another $2?

Dani

There are towels available in the resort pool areas.

Not sure about the waterparks. We just have taken towels from the resort pools and then returned them there when we were finished.

 

[MariDisney]

Ohh, good tip! It will be our first time flying and I'm sure I would not have thought of this.

Hey, can anyone tell me if we should have "dressier" clothing for TS, and HOW much dressier? We want to book dinner meals at Coral Reef, Spirit of Aloha, Boma, and another undecided place.

Dani

For the TS restaurants you mention you will see mostly park attire (shorts, tee shirts, jeans). When we eat at a resort TS we tend to dress up just a bit more than that (capri pants and a nice shirt, khakis and polo shirt for DH), but that is our preference and we certainly wouldn't be out of place in more casual clothing. For park TS you'll see nothing but park attire, even if the restuarant "feels" like it should be somewhat dressier.