just spent a small fortune on nothing much

[Marlea98]

that must hurt to spend that much before you go away but we are also in the minority our kids wont let us buy them anything new before we go away they hang out to be able to buy in the USA. We take toothbrushes and toothpaste 1 deodorant and buy everything else when we arrive we just use the hotel supplied shampoo for the first night.




I just wanted to let you know that if it is the Raddison your staying at it is a great hotel but we stayed there year and had a few issues with things going missing our breakfast tickets disappeared and some other speedway tickets the hotel were not good about this saying it was not housekeeping even though they were the only people who had come in the room.
Getawaytoday who we were booked through tried to get us another hotel but couldn't without putting us in 2 rooms because there were 6 of us and it was July and there was a basketball tournament on so they got them to give us more breakfast tickets and we had no housekeeping for the rest of the week without any further issues. My advice would be lock everything up or don't have house keeping for your stay.

THanks for the tip. I don't know the address but Trip Advisor said it's opposite Knotts and they have a free shuttle to Disney. I bought those US approved suitcase locks so I'll use those for sure while we are out of the room. We aren't taking any electronics other than camera and chargers and our phone and charger so we should be fine there.

Hubby travels a lot and I always make him bring home all of the hotel toiletries so we have a big basket of them in the bathroom. They come in handy for cyclone season or when the highways flood and close or if I run out of shampoo (as if), but they're also handy for school camps/sleepovers so the kids don't have to take a big bottle of stuff or big bar of soap. I've decided to take heaps of the miniature toiletries over and use them if we don't get enough supplied at hotels. We're staying with family over Christmas/New Years so I'm sure we'll use their stuff too.

 

[Marlea98]

Great idea - thanks for the tip.



We are the same, we take a sample size to last the first day and then buy up at the "Drug Store". We like to try different items - last year we ended up buying a lot of toothpaste to bring home because we all liked it so much.

I found on the last P&O cruise we did the washing powder wasn't that nice. I usually use grated Sunlight laundry soap for clothes washing but the samples of Aware or Biozet in the magazine goodie bags are very handy too in emergencies or travelling.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I kind of like some new things to take away. We generally have new socks and shoes (that have been broken in before the trip), a couple of new t-shirts each and that's about it. Everything else is existing. I don't buy myself clothes while we are away (I hate shopping with other people) but DH and the kids get SPOILT!!!!!!!!!!!

I love little toiletries, some might say I have an obsession

 

[Mum from oz]

I usually wear older/comfy clothes on the plane that don't matter if they need to be chucked to make room for new stuff. As for toiletries I just get the travel ones until I am over there and then buy the full size ones at Target/Walmart etc, even stuff like sunscreen was cheaper over there so it makes more sense to get it with the stock up grocery shop when we arrive.

 

[alicia1506]

we leave in less than 2 weeks and we are super excited about our upcoming DLR trip.

we didn't buy new clothes, but we did get new shoes/socks/underwear etc. nothing worse than having a bra strap break, or holes in your socks/shoes while on vacation

we also did a big shop a few weeks ago for the little things (like travel size bottles, ziplock bags for toiletries/dirty clothes, travel mirror, flashlight, sunscreen, bag for our days in the park, luggage tags & locks, travel adaptor etc.

it wasn't $400.00 worth, but it sure can add up, especially after pre-booking all of your flights, accomodation, insurance etc

 

[Andona]

I don't buy myself clothes while we are away (I hate shopping with other people)

I'm with you Shuttergirl. I find it impossible to shop for clothes for myself while Dh and DS are trailing around behind me.

I've several times gone to Outlet stores in Vegas, Orlando, New Hampshire ( no sales tax!!!) etc and have come away with nothing for myself. Often it's because the seasons are not right, I wish I could do the buy-now-for-next-year thing but if I'm coming back to summer in Australia I just can't get interested in buying winter clothes and that's all I can usually find over there. DH gets jeans and sunglasses etc and DS always gets new t-shirts but me? Nada! Very frustrating

I prefer to do like Jacs and buy up beforehand. In fact today I bought a pair of shorts for a trip that we are only tentatively planning for September 2012!
I like to be prepared

Andona

 

[jacs1234]

Ummmmm, am I missing something? What is with new airplane clothes? Perhaps I live a sheltered life but I have never heard of such a thing. Why do you buy new clothes for the plane, and are they just normal clothes, or do you have some sort of special kind of clothing you like to wear on the plane?

Wow, you really do learn something new everyday

Just new clothes to wear on the plane. Not for any particular reason I like to buy the boys some long softish pants (not jeans) to wear on the plane.

We aren't telling the kids until the day we leave and they're running low on undies so I had to buy some new ones because they'd have none left if I packed early.

But girls I promise not to disappoint as we will be spending up big time while we're there.

 

[Marlea98]

Just new clothes to wear on the plane. Not for any particular reason I like to buy the boys some long softish pants (not jeans) to wear on the plane.

We aren't telling the kids until the day we leave and they're running low on undies so I had to buy some new ones because they'd have none left if I packed early.

But girls I promise not to disappoint as we will be spending up big time while we're there.

I was thinking of having my kids wear jeans on the plane but I'm not sure what the weather will be like when we get to L.A on 30th November. We leave home at 4am to get to the airport for a 6am flight to Brisbane then we get to LAX around 6.15am (try explaining that to my kids!!!). So we'll be going from 30+ days with high humidity to L.A's winter which I'll assume will be low 20's.

Has anyone travelled on V Australia to L.A at this time of the year and if so, did they have blankets onboard if it got chilly or was the cabin temps nice?

 

[alicia1506]

we're flying VAustralia on 6 nov from BNE to LAX and return on 21st November, so I'm happy to give you an update once we've flown over for weather/blankets etc.

we were all planning on wearing loose fit, light weight pants on the way over with tshirts and taking cardis/hoodies with us for the flight, that way if it is a little colder over there, we can just rug up in our cardi/hoodies when we get there... we are essentially just getting off the plane and going straight to disneyland for a full day.

 

[aussietravellers]

I was thinking of having my kids wear jeans on the plane but I'm not sure what the weather will be like when we get to L.A on 30th November. We leave home at 4am to get to the airport for a 6am flight to Brisbane then we get to LAX around 6.15am (try explaining that to my kids!!!). So we'll be going from 30+ days with high humidity to L.A's winter which I'll assume will be low 20's.

Has anyone travelled on V Australia to L.A at this time of the year and if so, did they have blankets onboard if it got chilly or was the cabin temps nice?

We have travelled the first week of December from Bris to LAX with VAustralia. We wore jeans and a tshirt/polo shirt and took a jacket or a coat each. Thank goodness we did because when we arrived at LAX (about 5.30am, the flight was early), it was 4 degrees!!!!! FREEZING whilst we waited outside for the Disneyland Express bus to come. The coats also came in handy as we were there for two weeks and part of the trip it was freezing and part of the trip it was warm, so the freezing parts, sitting watching Fantasmic, we were in coats, scarves etc it was so cold, then parts during the day we were in jeans and tshirts.

We were not cold on the plane at all, it was kept at a really pleasant temperature, but we did have a blanket on the plane so I used that but my DS didn't, kids don't seem to feel the cold as much as adults do

 

[jacs1234]

Getting out of the plane at LA is like entering an airconditioned building. It is quite chilly. I'm looking forward to my "airconditioned" holiday. It's funny though be cause it can be really quite warm during the day but the nights can be scarf and beanie weather and it's so lovely because you just don't sweat.

 

[ame]

I was thinking of having my kids wear jeans on the plane but I'm not sure what the weather will be like when we get to L.A on 30th November. We leave home at 4am to get to the airport for a 6am flight to Brisbane then we get to LAX around 6.15am (try explaining that to my kids!!!). So we'll be going from 30+ days with high humidity to L.A's winter which I'll assume will be low 20's.

Has anyone travelled on V Australia to L.A at this time of the year and if so, did they have blankets onboard if it got chilly or was the cabin temps nice?

They have some plane sized polar fleece blankets which are quite cosy enough. It does get a little cooler at night, but nothing a warm jumper won't fix.

Double check those flight times. I was chasing up luggage issues with our December 17 flight and found that we have completely different flight times (both ways) and completely new connecting flights too. They hadn't called me, I called them.

 

[BigDisneyOE]

I wish I could do the buy-now-for-next-year thing but if I'm coming back to summer in Australia I just can't get interested in buying winter clothes and that's all I can usually find over there.

Last year I got a $250 RRP beautiful jersey in Colorado for $15, a great scarf and hat each $4 all while shopping in 32C in Surfers. I always shop off season if I can, great bargains! I'm so geared up for So.Cal shopping I'm mapping out a route as DH has promised me alone time to shop for everyone. I'm also craft shopping for fabric too as it's so expensive here and I can get heaps over there that I want and offset the cost by buying double and flicking off at a profit on TradeMe.

 

[Marlea98]

They have some plane sized polar fleece blankets which are quite cosy enough. It does get a little cooler at night, but nothing a warm jumper won't fix.

Double check those flight times. I was chasing up luggage issues with our December 17 flight and found that we have completely different flight times (both ways) and completely new connecting flights too. They hadn't called me, I called them.

Thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye on it, our travel agent is really good at letting us know of any change no matter how small. She even let us know about the change to Mazatlan on the cruise being replaced - we haven't even heard from Disney about it.

Thanks to everyone else about the plane/weather. I'll pack a quilted jacket and a polar fleece one to be on the safe side. We'll be driving from Vegas to the Grand Canyon etc then back to L.A and I've seen other threads where people have had snow at that time of year in the desert areas.

 

[australiankaren]

hey...

i bought 2 cheap fleecy "blankey's" for the plane trip, they were great to compliment the v aust blankets.....cant have too many blanky's..

also take a pillow case to stuff 2 of the airline pillows in, I use a fluffy one that I normally have on the lounge...size is about 30cm x 30cm...great to sleep with, and better than using the airline dinky little one...and when you finish the flight, dump the pillows and it folds back neatly into your carry on.

also carry a change of undies and t shirt in case they lose your luggage for a day.......

 

[Marlea98]

hey...

i bought 2 cheap fleecy "blankey's" for the plane trip, they were great to compliment the v aust blankets.....cant have too many blanky's..

also take a pillow case to stuff 2 of the airline pillows in, I use a fluffy one that I normally have on the lounge...size is about 30cm x 30cm...great to sleep with, and better than using the airline dinky little one...and when you finish the flight, dump the pillows and it folds back neatly into your carry on.

also carry a change of undies and t shirt in case they lose your luggage for a day.......

I've got one of those memory foam neck cushions that are shaped like a horseshoe so I might take that. And I'll pack a spare pair of clothes for us for just in case, too. And roll on deodorant to mask any stinkiness...

 

[Marlea98]

I got a great fleecy lined parka with hood from Anaconda yesterday for $25 down from $80. It's really light but very warm (I was sweltering while trying it on inside). And got DS a short sleeved thermal for $5. And to think I only went to get fabric for the FE from Spotlight!


Hopefully that jacket will serve me well. We'll get the heavy jackets for the kids before we go to Montana I think. They've got polar fleece jackets that should keep them warm away from the snow.

 

[alicia1506]

we're going next week so hopefully it won't be too cold... when we head to NY it'll be from nov 9-12 and i'm hoping by then that our regular jeans/long sleeve shirts/hoodies will be enough...otherwise we might have to do some shopping while we're there...

actually, SO has some flanellette shirts & polar fleece vests & sweaters, it's just me stuck in jeans/hoodies as i find buying clothes in heavier materials really difficult... but i guess i can always double layer tops if it's too cold

i'm thinking for our DLR portion of the trip, and also orlando portion, light layers will be enough...

having said that, i'm taking 2 suitcases -- 1 partially packed & one empty so that i can bring home lots and lots of new clothes just for me... (that's if the new credit card arrives in the mail by the time we go!)

 

[Marlea98]

I was kind of thinking I didn't want to do much shopping over there when we get there, so I'd take pretty much all that we have from home and just buy the heavier stuff for the snow over there. BUT... my husband's aunt suggested Walmart for the ski stuff and now I've changed my mind.

I cannot believe how cheap clothes are over there! I tend to shop at Cotton On, Big W, Best and Less etc for the kids but we'll only be taking a few day's worth of clothes over now and shopping for the rest. As it's winter I'm sure all the summer stuff (that is more suitable to bring back home) will be on sale. I bought DD a Mickey Mouse t-shirt the other week at Target for a free dress day at school ($29 before the sale discount) and saw them at Walmart for $9!!! Hubby and DS wear Wrangler jeans that we get from the riding shops and they are less than $20 in Walmart . It's a waste of time me buying jeans over there because I have to chop off at least 1/4 of the length before I can wear them (then again, iron on hemming tape could come in handy...). The best part - Officeworks had 32gb Sandisk memory card the other week for about $100 and I saw them at Walmart for less than $30. Guess where we'll be headed for before stepping into Disney!

Thanks for the 'tips' about shopping over there.

 

[australiankaren]

I was kind of thinking I didn't want to do much shopping over there when we get there, so I'd take pretty much all that we have from home and just buy the heavier stuff for the snow over there. BUT... my husband's aunt suggested Walmart for the ski stuff and now I've changed my mind.

I cannot believe how cheap clothes are over there! I tend to shop at Cotton On, Big W, Best and Less etc for the kids but we'll only be taking a few day's worth of clothes over now and shopping for the rest. As it's winter I'm sure all the summer stuff (that is more suitable to bring back home) will be on sale. I bought DD a Mickey Mouse t-shirt the other week at Target for a free dress day at school ($29 before the sale discount) and saw them at Walmart for $9!!! Hubby and DS wear Wrangler jeans that we get from the riding shops and they are less than $20 in Walmart . It's a waste of time me buying jeans over there because I have to chop off at least 1/4 of the length before I can wear them (then again, iron on hemming tape could come in handy...). The best part - Officeworks had 32gb Sandisk memory card the other week for about $100 and I saw them at Walmart for less than $30. Guess where we'll be headed for before stepping into Disney!

Thanks for the 'tips' about shopping over there.

be prepared to sit and weep for a few minutes when you first walk into walmart...the prices are enough to make anyone cry

and then there are the outlet places......oh i miss you USA....