Laundry at WDW?

[applechips]

I am reading more and more about people doing laundry at WDW. Can I be curious and ask why? I am asking in all honesty I've not even considered it. We are driving to WDW -- Does that matter? Do people do it to save space in their luggage when they are flying? Or does it make more sense to bring only a few clothes and then wash them?

I've never been to WDW, so forgive me for asking!

 

[It's A Happy Day]

When we went 6 years ago we brought enough clothing for the 2 of us - it was our honeymoon - so we didn't do laundry! This time around it was 2 adults and 2 kids (toddlers) so much more clothing and we were there for 11 nights. We (I) did laundry in the middle so that I wouldn't have a pile and be buried by the time we got home. It worked out great and facilities are located right by the pool so we swam/sat by the pool while the clothes were washing/drying. I would only do laundry while on vacation if it is either a long vacation - we drove and were gone for 2 weeks from home - or had a big disaster at a meal/park/etc.

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

Whenever we do an 8 day trip, we bring enough clothes for 5 days, but do laundry at the 4 or 5 day mark.

Less to pack.

 

[coliebird]

I did laundry at Disney for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The reason was this was my daughter's first trip and since she is only 3, I knew I needed to take extra clothes in case she spilled anything or had any accidents. I didn't want to pack her whole wardrobe so I decided that I would do laundry halfway through the trip (we went for a week). While she was napping with her father one afternoon, I did the laundry. It took an hour and a half and in between I just went back to the room. Also, I am pregnant and don't have that many maternity shorts and tanks, therefore I knew I would need to wear them more than once and I preferred to wear them clean.

 

[Paisleyjane]

We have always flown and have often done laundry so that we did not have to pack as much. When the kids were little, I liked getting the stains washed out before they had set in for 10 days (or even longer if I didn't get right on it when I got home).

 

[echodane99]

On our trip last September we were there for 14 days. I don't have enough underware to last that long and by doing laundry half way through the trip we didn't need to pack as much.

 

[LoveWDW]

I do a hand laundry every night and towel dry the clothes. They are ready for us by the second day. I've learned to do this on any trip where we fly so we keep the amount of luggage down. We pack two outfits each, so one is dry and one is drying but all are clean. We can pack in two small or one medium bags/bag. Something else I do when flying is to save underwear and shirts that are ready to be tossed, and wear them one last day on the trip then discard them.

 

[DisneyFans4]

I do laundry so I don't have to have as much luggage. There is me, my DH and my 2 teenage sons and we usually stay around 13 to 14 days and there is NO WAY I am going to pack for that many days, especially for my boys who seem to change constantly. I usually pack enough for 7 days and then do laundry twice maybe three times. I also try to account for enough luggage for whatever souveniers I buy which tends to be ALOT so I pack an empty carryon bag just in case.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We are DVC members and usually stay in a one bedroom villa. We have a washer and dryer in our villa, so we go home with clean clothes. I don't spend the rest of the day we get home, plus more time just washing clothes so we can go back to work.

 

[lovmy2girls]

When we went in July both times, they were for 10 nights. That is why we washed.

 

[dixiedizfan]

We are a family of four which includes two teens. I pack enough clothing for 4 or 5 days, then do laundry halfway thru our week-long stay. It doesn't take long and beats lugging home big bagfuls of dirty clothes.

 

[GPALANGE]

We were there for 7 days the beginning of October and I didn't plan on washing. We drove down had more then enough clothes, but with the heat and humidity we'd go back to the room and swim in the afternoon then want clean clothes to put back on. We were running out of our socks and underwear so I washed one day while we were swimming, it was no big deal. And like others have said less to do when you get back home. I'd rather wash while I'm on vacation in the middle of it.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

We always end up doing laundry. Mainly because I HATE coming home with stinky clothes and having to wash immediately after arriving!

On our July trips we can go through 3 outfits in a day, no problem! It is so hot and you get so sweaty. There are usually 6 of us and towards the end of the trip we do one load a day. I take empty diet coke bottles and fill them with detergent to take with us so we don't have to buy their expensive detergent (my girls are sensitive to some detergents as well).

On winter trips I don't do as much laundry, probably 2 loads.

 

[iluvcountry]

Laundry... not fun to wait for ! I would still bring the amount of clothes you think you need, then if you need to you can do the laundry.

 

[LoveWDW]

The not having to do piles of laundry when I get home is a good reason to keep down the amount of dirty clothes lugged home. I'm already tired from the trip and suffering post-vacation sadness, to have to do a vacation's worth of laundry adds insult to the injury.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Being a DVC member, and having easy access to the washer and dryer (right in my villa) is the main reason I do laundry on vacation.
It's also very convenient to get home and have less than a load left to wash and dry, it makes the post-vacation doldrums a little easier to bear.

 

[MrsNick]

Since we fly, it's less baggage to carry. And as other posters mentioned, it really beats coming home from vacation...to do laundry!

 

[DisneyFans4]

I don't mind doing the laundry because not only do I not want to pack for 13 days but I also don't want to do it when I get home! It's depressing enough coming home after having a great time at WDW but I just open the luggage and put everything away and that's great and it makes sitting there and waiting for the laundry worth it

 

[daisax]

I never understood all the laundry people either until this trip. It was so hot and humid that my "good" t-shirts and shorts looked like hell pretty quickly, and the only moderately heavier weight stuff just seemed like it would be hot and uncomfortable to wear. Once you're doing a load with 3-4 t-shirts and shorts and slacks, you throw in the underwear and soon you've got a load of laundry!

I don't know that I'd ever pack with that intention (unless it were for a 10-14 day trip) but as the laundry at CSR was right by the pool, we threw it in, went for a swim, and then checked on it occasionally. Other than toting it downstairs (in one of the bags we'd picked up along the way) and folding it, it didn't take more than 5-10 minutes "effort" to do, and made the rest of the week more pleasant as we could go back to wearing what had been most comfortable.

And less to do upon our return, too!

 

[MiknMinMouse]

We've done laundry simply because we can (at the DVC villas). However in Jan we're staying at the Poly and I'm sure I'll do some laundry because I have a 15 month old and if he has an accident or something I don't want to wait over a week because the clothes will really stink and get very sour.