Only 2 Weeks To Go! Help!

[CareBearYN]

So...after my last trip to Disney, I always swore I would enjoy the planning process for my next trip...and when I originally booked it months and months ago, I started making lists of what I needed to do/buy before I leave. Well, the past couple months at work have been so busy that I haven't been able to prepare at ALL! Now I'm feeling overwhelmed with my vacation coming up so quickly!

So I need to hear from everyone (especially those going in August!)...what do I ABSOLUTELY need to prepare myself for my trip??? What do I need to buy/bring with me?!

Thanks!

 

[clonetothebone]

I'll start it off by saying bring poncho's! We were there in late June and I had bought the kids ponchos at Target for $1/each. DW and I ended up paying $7/each for ours inside the parks and then the one I was using got torn up so bad I had to buy another one. It rained a lot while we were there. The $1 ponchos from Target held up really good too.

 

[dixiedizfan]

Sunscreen, fan/misters ... the sun in August is brutal.

 

[ms.ojo]

Are you on the free dining plan? Have you made ADRs? Even if not on the plan, try to call and make a few ADRs ASAP!!!! W/ so many on the dining plan, it's hard to get into TS restaurants. And you'll want to go to the CS restaurants at off times too.

 

[Va-bear]

We're going end of August. They've got the three biggest ; sunscreen, mister, and ponco - and the ADR's are more important than ever witht the free dining (doing it or not...) - I looked at my HUGE list and hit the ones I think one would REALLY want:
sunglasses, chapstick (w/sunscreen), some sort of "pouch" to hold your tickets in the park (or a ziplock baggie...) (someone pointed out to me the benenfit of a pouch, besides the waterproof part, that you can pass it off quickly and easily to your DH so he can run ahead and get Fastpass' while you get sodas - or whatever ) , and then a bigger day bag for that and h2o bottle.

YOu know last year when they lost my Dh luggage he did fine for 3 days with a bathing suit (Fortuantly, I'd packed one each in our carryon...), and what he had on! (I didnt say he was happy...had to wash his underwear every night in the sink.) (The airline gave him a toothbrush!)

Have fun - you'll be fine!!

 

[CareBearYN]

Thanks for all the help! I will definitely bring sunscreen, ponchos, and a mister (I still need to buy that). We are on the free dining plan and have already made all our ADRs for the sit-down restaurants (so excited for all that good food!). We also recently bought a lightweight sling bag for DBf to wear at the parks, to hold the water and anything else we might want to bring along for the day...

Any more advice??

 

[faindrops27]

Carebear. This is so off topic. But, I had to post. My daughter, is 2 she is so obsessed, and in love with everything care bear!! She sleeps with all of them!!. I got a little giggle when I saw your name how cute!!

Anyway, I hope you will thoroughly enjoy your trip!!!

 

[Step]

These are just a couple items off my master list that popped out to me:

- consider a small umbrella that can hang off your belt. It doubles as a shader, and rain protector. In fact that's what umbrella's were originally designed for.

- a bag with all your toiletries, meds and first aid stuff, that you can take on the plane as a carry-on (moot point if you are driving). I think nail clippers and such need to be put in with the rest of the luggage though.

- Ziplock bags, useful for many purposes

 

[toocooltobeMom]

Hi Carebear: I noticed that both of you wear eye-glasses (me too). So here are some of the things I would bring:
1) eye-glasses cleaning wipes/lens cloth
2) travel size facial cleaning towelettes
3) small nail clipper
4) rolaids
5) lip balm w/SPF (DH needs one too)
Those are the basic you'll find in my 'SMALL" bag. (down-sizing every year from Backpack to a 9" x 10" bag is wonderful)

 

[CareBearYN]

Faindrops - I, obviously, approve of that obsession!

Ziploc bags do sound useful! I will have to add those to the list.

The facial cleaning wipes also sound great! I'm sure they will really help cool and clean us off during a long day at a park.

Thanks for all the help!!

If anyone has anything else to add, I'd love to hear it!!

 

[msinformation]

Someone sort of mentioned this above, but I think it bears repeating! Make sure you pack any prescription meds (probably in your carry on if you're flying). I always pack those first because I'm afraid of forgetting them some day. Over the counter stuff you can buy easily if you forget, but not prescription ones. Don't forget about meds you maybe don't take all the time but might need to take (like migraine meds, etc.).

I am always waiting until the last minute to prepare myself for a trip so I'm pretty good at rush packing. What I do is put my suitcase in the middle of the room, then start thinking through what I do in a normal day. As I think of something, I grab it and toss it into the suitcase. For instance, when I wake up the first thing I do is wash my face, brush my teeth, and take my vitamins, so I grab those things in that order. Once I'm done, I go back and properly pack things. By mentally walking through my day I'm able to pack the majority of the personal items I need, and for me having those together makes me feel so much better. I do the same for clothes, thinking about what activities I'll be doing during my trip day by day and what clothes I'll need for those activities.

For more major trips, I'll also sit down and make a list of extra items I think need, like sunscreen, lip balm, etc. Then I mark any of those things I don't already own and take the list to the store for shopping. Using these steps, I can usually pack and buy new items in one day, though it helps if I start at least one day before!

 

[DJ Disney Kid]

We're going end of August. They've got the three biggest ; sunscreen, mister, and ponco - and the ADR's are more important than ever witht the free dining (doing it or not...) - I looked at my HUGE list and hit the ones I think one would REALLY want:
sunglasses, chapstick (w/sunscreen), some sort of "pouch" to hold your tickets in the park (or a ziplock baggie...) (someone pointed out to me the benenfit of a pouch, besides the waterproof part, that you can pass it off quickly and easily to your DH so he can run ahead and get Fastpass' while you get sodas - or whatever ) , and then a bigger day bag for that and h2o bottle.

YOu know last year when they lost my Dh luggage he did fine for 3 days with a bathing suit (Fortuantly, I'd packed one each in our carryon...), and what he had on! (I didnt say he was happy...had to wash his underwear every night in the sink.) (The airline gave him a toothbrush!)

Have fun - you'll be fine!!

Did he wash his underwear with the free toothbrush?

 

[jetprincess]

One tip I picked up here was to take a plastic over the door shoe holder. Not for your shoes but for everything else that gunks up the counters and dressertop space in your hotel room. GREAT IDEA!! In fact I put it back up in the new house we moved into a month ago to keep things out of all of the moving craziness and IT IS STILL THERE!!

 

[Glendamax]

I have started to stress about having everything I need for my trip too. But you know what, I would just make sure that I had enough money to buy whatever I forgot once I was there. I have bought so much stuff already! So now it's time for me to chill out, and enjoy the time leading up to the trip. So make sure you have a credit card, and bank card ready for all those "oops I forgot" purchases, and call it a day. I know I will!