Ok All You Flying Experts!!!

[pumpkinfish]

DH and I are planning on flying for our first trip next month. We will be there for a week. I only want to take carry-on bags. We are limited to 1 bag, and 1 personal item a piece! Yikes!!! Need I say that DH and I are very accustomed to driving the 13 hours (have driven 3 times), and have no problem filling the car with all our personal items.
So can we do it? I have no problem packing light (thong underwear really doesn't take up too muchj space! ). It WILL be hard, but this trip is more about taking it easy. I am hoping the weather will be warmer than it is now, so I can rely on tank-tops, with my zip-up hoodie when it is cooler in the mornings/evenings. I also know they have a laundry area at POFQ as well if we need to use it.

At least I don't have to pack my hairdryer (I DO have my flat-iron AND curling iron though! ).

TIPS welcomed please!!!

 

[Blueberry]

Differnt airlines have differnt amounts of weight let onboard as carryons..so you need to check their website first before you do any packing or pick a carry on case (there are strict size limits for each airline too)

Carry ons are always at the descretion of the airline, if the flight is loaded with people and your bag is big they may ask you to check it last minute. Remember it must fit in the overhead compartment to be a carry on and there is very limited space up there.

I would pack very light if you really do not want to check luggage, just a couple of days of clothes in the bag for each of you, and plan on doing a lot of laundry there.

Unless there is some real reason you do not want to check baggage I would just check your luggage and take more of the things you are used to taking with you..normally a 40 or 50 pound limit for each bag with two bags per person is allowed (varies with each airline). Checking luggage and picking it up is not a real hassle at all.

Carry ons are subject to complete search same as checked luggage is, we have had our carry ons completely emptied and checked by airport security a couple of times.

Hope this helps a bit..but since I am used to driving too, I would check the luggage so I could take more of the things I want and not be worrying about picking and choosing to carry on all my things....

 

[safetymom]

Depending where your seats are on the airplane there may not be any overhead space left by the time you get on the plane.

Why not just check some luggage and usually by the time you walk to the baggage area the luggage is coming around?

Trying to pack commando style doesn't sound real relaxing to me.

 

[mommytutu]

You'll be doing laundry. If you wear one pair of short and two shirts on the the plane and then pack another pair of shorts and a couple of more shirts...you might be able to make it through half your trip before doing laundry...that means you would have to wear your shorts twice before washing them. And forget about taking an extra pair of shoes.... Remember, you'll come back with more stuff then you take because of souvenirs.

Call the airline and check the size of the personal item. Sometimes the personal item can be the same size as the bag.

 

[jjpenguin]

I'm an expert at packing light I hate waiting for my stuff and honestly, if I'm on holiday I don't need that much stuff! I find the carry on rules on American Airlines to be very generous...

My tips:
- try and get a lot of samples/travel sizes of shampoo, toothpaste etc. or get some of the travel bottles and decant your stuff. All those full size bottles take up mucho space and you only use a little. Or else if you've got almost empty bottles take them, then you can leave them behind.
- I take some old (not with holes, but ones that I won't miss) t-shirts, underwear, socks etc. Then I can throw them away and have room for souveniers on the way back. (you can also have your souveniers shipped home if you're in the US!)
- Shoes take up the most space, so stuff them with socks, underwear, swimsuit etc.
- If at all possible, wear your bulky clothes (fleece etc) t-shirts don't take up much room in the case.
- You always pack to much... so be ruthless. What do you need at WDW but shorts, t-shirts and one set of warm clothes (which you can wear on the plane and don't need to go in the case!)
- as you say, there's a laundry, but you can always quickly rinse out a tank top in the sink, all resorts have washinglines in the bathroom, so the stuff is dry in the morning.

Good luck and have fun!!

 

[pumpkinfish]

Thank you all for your answers! As I was falling asleep last night, I told DH we just might need to check at least ONE piece of luggage...I just know how I am. I am ALWAYS prepared...can't seem to pull myself to "pack light" as it were! I am still thinking about doing a test run and see how much I can truly fit...

 

[smoochie]

Thank you all for your answers! As I was falling asleep last night, I told DH we just might need to check at least ONE piece of luggage...I just know how I am. I am ALWAYS prepared...can't seem to pull myself to "pack light" as it were! I am still thinking about doing a test run and see how much I can truly fit...

Ok I planned on a carry on for each person and 1 check in. There are 4 of us.

After really packing yesterday, I put enough stuff in 2 carry ons for each of us for 3 days, this way if the checked luggage gets lost we have clothes. Im checking the rest. The heck with it.

 

[we3disneygo]

Our last 2 trips we checked our luggage for the first time and it was way easier.....

 

[messick4]

If you can pack light, I'd carry on. Airlines are pretty liberal in definition of the second "personal" bag. Just be sure your second bag is small enough to fit under the seat in front of you, if necessary.

It's not just the time you'll save not waiting in baggage claim. If you have any problems with your flight, mechanical problems or missed connection, you have much less flexibility changing flights, because airlines are required to put you on the same plane as your bags.

If your seat row is in the back half of the plane, you shouldn't have any trouble getting space in the overhead bins (unless you're flying Southwest and their cattle chute treatment), because the airlines allow the back rows to board first (right behind wheelchairs, infants and first class). If your seat row is closer up front, say rows 6 - 13 on a 737, you might run out of space. Still worst case scenario is you'll have to let them check it. And by then, if there was a delay or plane switch, you're still ok.

Of course, it's a personal choice. There is less stress checking your bags, if there are no flight changes/problems.

I flew over 50 round trip flights last year and thought I'd add my opinion.

Best of luck!

 

[pumpkinfish]

Hey, thanks for that messick4. I am still up in the air about what to take, but I am off Friday and plan on doing some packing...MOCK packing that is!

 

[Donalds#1Fan]

Pack very light and remember that you can ALWAYS do laundry and that wearing shorts more than once in a row is not bad. Also, wear your sweatshirt and pants on the plane both ways as those take up a lot of room.

 

[pumpkinfish]

I am now convinced I can get down there with one carry-on and one personal. For the personal item, I was thinking about my mid-size mickey carpet bag I bought last year....do you all think that is too big? I don't intend on packing it full......

 

[NotUrsula]

The usual upper size limit on the "personal" item is the size of a briefcase, or the sort of backpack a kid might use for school.

You should be able to do it w/ no problems if you don't go overboard on shoes, etc. Thinner fabrics will be your best bet.

 

[lindsey]

If you pack light and decide to buy stuff there, you can always check the bags on your return flight home.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

While traveling with just a carry-on bag is theoretically possible for me, I can't ever see it happening. The few times I've attempted to travel "light," the weather or my itinerary has failed to accomodate. I've never had any problems with collecting my luggage quickly from baggage claims at MCO. Thank goodness. Dh and I were in such a hurry to get to the parks last fall that we took an entire suitcase full of snacks and drinks just to avoid stopping at the grocery.

 

[rachael95]

DH and I don't like to check bags. He also always must bring a laptop, so one of the 4 bags we can carry on is taken. I've gotten pretty good at stuffing underwear into his laptop bag. We try to use softsided bags, makes it easier to stuff in the bins. Also, if your flight is a small hopper plane like those that have only 2 seats, then the aisle then 2 seats, the bins are much smaller.

I never bring my purse, only my wallet. We make sure we put our wallets and cell phones in a plastic bag. That way, we can drop the whole bag through the x-ray and not have to worry about separating things out. We also put our shoes through x-ray before being asked.

 

[LindaBabe]

I can't imagine anything worse than schlepping my luggage.

One thing you might want to make sure of if you do, though, is that you don't have scissors, pointed nail files, clippers or any other forbidden item in your carry ons.

 

[poutytink]

I think I am checking 2 pieces of luggage and giving my DS,DBF and myself a backpack each for our carry-on. DBF needs to put his insulin and needles in his and I intend to carry my DS's portable DVD player,and DS his gameboy and such. Do you guys think this is a goood idea?

 

[CPer'sMom]

Checking a bag really is a good choice. I've never had to wait long for my luggage at MCO's baggage claim ~ they are quite efficient there.

Honestly, trying to carry everything onto the plane is usually more of a hassle than it's worth ~ especially if you're packing for a week long trip. Leave some room in your suitcase for new Disney items on the return trip
instead of trying to get everything into a smaller bag you want to carry onto the plane with you.

If you've ever had to sit and wait on the plane for everyone to get their "carry on" luggage stowed before take-off you will know why I think it's wise to check (at least) one bag!!