My tips!

[Polly Juice]

This last trip I took Brita sports water bottles. Disney water is vile. This worked very well. I put Tide powder in a ziplock bag. Take 3-4 large 39 gallon garbage bags and some smaller ones, too. We sat on them at the parades, they hold wet rain ponchos, serve as emergency ponchos and lastly we put holes for head and arms and used them at Kali River Rapids then tossed them. Disney was selling a light weight nylon backpack which we bought there and we used it every day. We put our hats, gloves, scarfs, ponchos, windbreakers in there- that was a great souvenir. I found a foldable clothes rack that goes over a door, but I hung it over the wall-side rail of the bunk bed. I also found foldable hangers, which I took as they never have enough. I found a pump up room freshener spray which was nice and you can fly with it. I put the slimy bar of soap on a dry wash cloth. Housekeeping gives you fresh ones every day, so it doesn't get soaked and yucky. Also- you must have hand wipes and sanitizer. Take these to the parks. Think of the thousands of Disney famililes who have hung on to those restraints on Space Mtn. before you! Sanitize between rides. Use Zicam as soon as possible after flying. I brought my own oatmeal and tea bags(decaf.) I took a roll of quarters for the laundry, but W.Lodge had a coin changer in the Laundry room. Mainly- pack clothes to be layered. T shirt, sweat shirt/sweater, windbreaker, etc. Don't trust the weather guys more than 24 hours out. 60+ degrees and 5-10 mph winds sound mild unless they're blowing off the water and it's damp. Makes it downright cold. Take Immodium along and ask your DR. for a RX for antibiotic-just in case- and maybe for some Phenergan as well- it works for nause/vomiting and really nasty coughs. You're all set. Now make your priority seatings and have a great trip.

 

[Pink Flamingo]

I found a foldable clothes rack that goes over a door . . .

Now I'm curious - sounds interesting, what do you use that for & what exactly is it?

 

[jenr812]

WHat an awesome thread!! I am frantically taking notes and hope to learn more THanks!

 

[BabkaGal]

Hi!

I agree completely about bringing large garbage bags to MK and AK. I've used them for Kali and Splash mountain, and they were lifesavers! For Kali I wore one as a poncho, and for Splash mountain I wrapped my feet and tote in 2 garbage bags. There is nothing worse than a wet camera or soggy sneakers! And garbage bags don't take up much room at all to bring to the parks.

I also make sure to bring EXTRA sunblock to the parks! I re-apply at least once during the park trip, and it makes life so much better.

Also, bring at least one or two granola bars (I like Quaker Chewy)...a good snack when you need a pick-me-up and don't want to spend a fortune on park food!

--Babka Gal

 

[Queentoottoot]

What do you do with the backpack/camera bag while you are on rides like - roller coasters, etc??
These were great tips! I wrote lots of them down.

 

[Okiemom]

What is Zicam? You said you take it after you get off the plane, what is it?

 

[Polly Juice]

O.K. pink. The clothes rack folds flat, then imagine a 3 dimensional triagular shape with an outside bar that you can hang clothes hangars on. You can also use the shorter side bars. I don't put all my clothes through the dryer, some I hang to dry and so this comes in very handy. Now, Okie, Zicam is a product that is available over the counter. There are several forms, but the one I have tried and had success with is the swabs. These are homeopathic, I think they probably have some zinc which gives them their therapeutic benefit. Anyway, they are individually wrapped q-tip swabs, dipped in a viscous solution. You place the swap in each nostril for about 15 seconds. Don't blow afterward, but you may dab or wipe. Prophylactically, just use once, but if you feel like you are coming down with a cough or cold, use every 4 hours. They are quite small and easy to take with you. Look for them in the cough/cold section or ask your pharmacist. They are in an orange and white box.

 

[Polly Juice]

Sorry, I forgot you Queen toot toot. The back pack was so soft that I just left it on for most of the rides- kind of like a cushion. Mostly we had soft clothing stuff in there. If you put harder stuff in there you probably would need to leave it in the stroller area or rent a locker. Unless the stuff inside is real expensive, I would feel comfortable leaving it in the stroller parking area.

 

[bubba's mom]

hey everyone!!! FYI....I was at Dollar Tree this morning and I saw rain ponchos!!!! Check your local DT...they are starting to stock the rain ponchos 2/$1...an awesome price!! Get 'em while they last because I remember last year a LOT of people looking for them in June/July/August and they were sold out and not getting any more in till next year! So, get 'em while they're in!!! Just thought I'd let everyone know!!

 

[orlandomama]

One more tip. Use solid deodorant on your feet before you go to the parks and even if you are in socks and tennis shoes and they get wet, you won't get blisters! I tried this last time and did it every day and no one in my family got any all week.

 

[Pink Flamingo]

Thanks for the description Polly! Now I know exactly what you're talking about.

Queen - I do like Polly ~ carry my backpack on all the rides. I either wear it on my back on put it on the floor between my feet. Never had any problems doing this.

 

[Briarprincess]

The Crystal Lite on the Go is great. We first saw it last summer in Hershey Park. It's a life saver for someone who doesn't drink soda. All I can ever get is water or iced tea and that's pretty boring for a week stay in Disney. So we bought a few boxes and took them for our trip and it was great. You just get a bottle water (about 20oz I think) and pour the powder in. Shake it up and you've got a bottle of Crystal Lite.
They're coming out with new kinds other than just lemonade now too.

One thing my family does is buy tiny mist bottles. We found a set of two in Walmart that were only about three-four inches tall and no wider than a fat sharpie marker. They hold enough water to spray your face at least 5 times. Really great on those hot days and get stuck in a hot line.

 

[siennacrew]

I second the deoderant idea...the spray kind works too! I had a sore developing on my foot before we left for WDW and sprayed my feet daily and didn't get any blisters!!! My feet felt pretty good. I also took foot scrub and lotion just to pamper my feet!

I packed my autograph books & pen in a black zippered case....mistake! I had to unzip it everytime going through security! I changed to a ziploc bag pretty quickly. I would suggest see through ziplocs for anything you want to seperate for going to the parks. The more zippered sections your bag has...the more zipping & unzipping you will do! It does help to organize your stuff....but you will zip & unzip alot!

If you make a grocery stop...don't buy to much stuff! I think about on 2 ltr of pop, quart of milk, quart of choc. milk, and water would do it! I left a lot of stuff behind when we left.

I used a 3 ring binder to organize my planning. I had different tabs for MGM, MK, AK, Epcot, Restraunts, Reservations, Maps, Tips, Menus....etc. I thought this worked very well. I wish I would have done it earlier in the planning stages. Walmart has a three ring hole punch that works well and it can go right into the binder. I put my reservations in the order that I would need them....flight, rental car, hotel. It is nice to print out driving directions to and from the airport too. You will need exact change on some of the toll roads too.

If you forget your priority seating numbers at home (I forgot 2 of ours) the front desk of your hotel can print you an itinerary. We stayed at WL and this was very handy.

A small amount of laundry soap may be helpful at all hours of the night when your child gets sick!!!

If you are unsure of what bus, monorail, need directions to get to the grocery store....ASK! It saves so much time! I was new to Disney and this really helped us newbies!

Put your kids in sweats at night....no changing into pj's when you get back to the hotel. My DS fell asleep every night on the boat & this would have been great!

 

[cricket429]

Great tips Sienna! I told DH the post about the deodorant for feet and he like the spray on idea better than the solid. Maybe get a type with powder in it.

 

[MickeyFlirt]

These tips have been great. I went and bought an over the door shoe organizer to use for our trip. I used the pop up mesh hampers before. I have 3 of them 1 for whites, 1 for darks, and 1 smaller one for DD's toys better than them being scattered all over the place and I usually just put them in the closet. I also bring extra clothes hangers, clothes pins, and I have a travel clothes line(not sure what it is really called) that I carry so that I can hang up wet clothes.
Even though I am on vacation I still like everything to be neat and clean.

 

[bubba's mom]

Don't forget: nightlights, air fresheners and extension cords!

 

[siennacrew]

I used some scrap fabric to tie onto my stroller, the stroller we rented and the antenna of our rental! You could use fabric, bandana or the bright orange plastic bags your newspaper comes in. I found my strollers very quickly even if they were moved.

I brought disposable sippy cups. I divided those huge bottles of milk between my two kids. It worked out great!

Everyone in our family got haircuts just before our trip! It made getting ready a lot faster!

 

[Daisy'sMom]

BUMP!!! I need all the tips I can get.

 

[sandiegosusie]

I love these tips also...Here are a few to add; I pack all of our otc type meds and 1 of 3 first-aid kits in a see through cosmetic case that I found at Walmart. I keep everything in their original box/packaging so its easy to identify. I keep it stocked ready to go for trips only. I bought great travel first aid kits at Target made by Johnson and Johnson. One stays in the car and one in the room. A smaller version comes with us to the parks. I would highly reccomend taking one into the parks.

I always pack an all in one combo nightlight, extra outlet, room freshener made by Glade. It is very useful.

Purell for everyone in the group.

Shout wipes

Shout stick, travel Tide, Downey sheets, quarters in a M&M mini's case, Downey travel wrinkle free spray, and pop up mesh hamper all together in a large 2 gallon ziploc. Laundry stays organized and compact.

Tinkerbell gifts for my girls. (Fine glitter on the pillow) 1 gift for each day we are there. for our upcoming trip I found darling Disney jammies at Costco in a lovely Disney Tin. Tink will leave them on their pillow upon arrival back from the parks. It is one of my favorite parts of Disney vacations.

Hope someone finds this useful! Have a great trip!

 

[michaelsmom]

These are some great ideas. I can't wait to use these ideas.
Instead of using a mesh hamper I empty a suitcase and use that as a hamper.
At the end of our trip that is one less suitcase to pack.