Packing and April trip advice...

[lolobug]

Hello fellow Dis-lovers!
I am planning a trip for mid-April with DH and DD1 (7 years old) and DD2 (4 years old). I am planning on packing clothes with wicking, a few long sleeve shirts/ sweatshirt for cooler nights and of course LOTS of sunscreen! However, I need help packing for FL weather (we're from MA).
What should I put the family in for footwear?
Do we need bug spray?
Rain jackets needed?
Any and ALL help would be appreciated!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We wear Keens and love them.

We always bring bug spray but have never had to use it.

We always bring ponchos, and we use them occasionally.

April is our favorite time to go!!

 

[lolobug]

We wear Keens and love them.

We always bring bug spray but have never had to use it.

We always bring ponchos, and we use them occasionally.

April is our favorite time to go!!

Thank you! What kind of keens? Sandals? Sneakers?
Thanks!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Thank you! What kind of keens? Sandals? Sneakers?
Thanks!

We always get Keens sandals, but we also bring sneakers and flip flops, just to switch off as needed.

 

[lolobug]

We always get Keens sandals, but we also bring sneakers and flip flops, just to switch off as needed.

Thank you!

 

[DH-2-mamaduck]

What should I put the family in for footwear?

- for my family, it is a must the kids wear tennis shoes to the parks. Too many miles of walking to wear flip-flops. Flip-flops/sandals/crocs are allowed around resort, etc. My Keen sandals are fine as they are full strap / "active sandal"

Do we need bug spray?

- I don't think we have ever brought it to FL. DW may pack it, but we have never used it in any of our 5 FL trips.

Rain jackets needed?

- we always buy the cheapy $1 pancho's from Target/Walmart to bring with. Rare chance we every have to use them on any trip. Times it did rain, the storm lasted <30 minutes and the other was all day. Not sure what April is like. Only been in FL in Feb x 3 , 1x March, 1x June and 1x October

I bring sun screen as I will burn in February in Florida.

 

[epsmith921]

Definitely sunscreen, comfortable shoes are a must - remember they must be broken in. I also want to state that more than one shoe is good for those walking most. I brought two of the same sneaker and it wasn't as good switching out even from sneaker to sneaker.

I am allergic to mosquitos and have never had any troubles in 10 years of Disney trips, most of which were adult trips, so later nights. (Allergy is just extra swelling, but still, Florida bugs are no joke.)

 

[lolobug]

Thank you, everyone!
What about evenings, do we need sweatshirts or are long sleeve shirts suitable?

 

[CruisingCamper]

We will be there in April as well My sons are 9 and 4! We go to Disney a few times per year. I always pack us a light jacket, at least one long sleeve shirt, a couple pairs of athletic pants that can be worn over the top of shorts. That way they can wear them over their shorts in the early mornings and then take them off when it gets warm. Then we have them with us for the evenings in case they need to put them back on. We have ASIcs tennis shoes that are the swim/run/bike kind. They can get wet and dry really fast.
We only use sunscreen if we swim. And we have bug spray bc we actually camp at Disney at Fort Wilderness.

 

[monorailsilver]

Hello fellow Dis-lovers!
I am planning a trip for mid-April with DH and DD1 (7 years old) and DD2 (4 years old). I am planning on packing clothes with wicking, a few long sleeve shirts/ sweatshirt for cooler nights and of course LOTS of sunscreen! However, I need help packing for FL weather (we're from MA).
What should I put the family in for footwear?
Do we need bug spray?
Rain jackets needed?
Any and ALL help would be appreciated!

Some pants for night time, a light coat. I can remember a few yrs ago driving back from ft. Myers and it was hot where we were and we stopped for dinner in Disney and it was cooler.

I can't recall if I bring bug spray, but I haven't been to Disney in April in quite a few years. Are the no see ums out then or are they called love bugs. We have needed bug spray in Ft. Myers the past few Aprils when we go walking this one trail.

Shoes-my kids like to get wet so they are not allowed to wear sneakers in Disney so they wear keens, slides or flip flops-basically shoes their feet are used to. But we go in the summer.

We bring ponchos and check the weather before we head out so we know if we have to bring them.

Mole skin and scissors.

We bring our water bottles and have shipped water because we all know that tap water is pretty nasty!

 

[mzsarah10]

We went at the end of April a few years ago. We did wear a light weight sweatshirt at night. It got chilly if the wind was blowing when the sun went down.

 

[lolobug]

What else? Please help! I'm a teacher so this weekend is the best time for me to pack. Thanks!

 

[lolobug]

Can anyone explain moleskin to me? Are frog toggs worth purchasing?

 

[LaurEm378]

Can anyone explain moleskin to me? Are frog toggs worth purchasing?

I go in late April/early May. Frog Toggs do cool you off but you have to re-wet them a lot, in my experience. If you plan on being in the parks from sunup to sundown, they're probably worth it. I cut mine in half lengthwise because they're really wide and you can get 2 towels out of one.

Highly recommend a blister preventive stick over moleskin. Johnson & Johnson makes one. It's like a small tube of clear deodorant that you rub on your feet before you put socks/shoes on, particularly the spots where blisters would develop. I always bring the moleskin but I've never had to use it, thanks to the blister stick!

I run cold and I do find it chilly in the early mornings/evenings. Last year we had our little kids in hoodies with their shorts after sundown, most nights. I bring 2 or 3 pairs of pants per person.

A couple other things I always pack and bring to the parks:
- Ziplocs. Someone always wants a snack, but wants to save half of it for later. Also comes in handy when one of our kids is too excited to finish their quick service meal at the table.
- A carabiner clip for attaching bags of souvenirs to my backpack. We have a stroller but I don't leave purchases in it when we get on a ride. Clipping the bags to my backpack keeps my hands free.
- If you'll have a stroller, a loud obnoxious scarf or something to tie around the handle, to make it easy to pick out of a crowd.
- Hand sanitizer and wet wipes. Some of those ride vehicles and handlebars are grimy. If you're a germaphobe like my sister and I, little packs of Clorox wipes to wipe down QS tables before eating (and for sanitizing parts of the hotel room before settling in) .

Happy packing and enjoy your vacation!!

 

[lolobug]

I go in late April/early May. Frog Toggs do cool you off but you have to re-wet them a lot, in my experience. If you plan on being in the parks from sunup to sundown, they're probably worth it. I cut mine in half lengthwise because they're really wide and you can get 2 towels out of one.

Highly recommend a blister preventive stick over moleskin. Johnson & Johnson makes one. It's like a small tube of clear deodorant that you rub on your feet before you put socks/shoes on, particularly the spots where blisters would develop. I always bring the moleskin but I've never had to use it, thanks to the blister stick!

I run cold and I do find it chilly in the early mornings/evenings. Last year we had our little kids in hoodies with their shorts after sundown, most nights. I bring 2 or 3 pairs of pants per person.

A couple other things I always pack and bring to the parks:
- Ziplocs. Someone always wants a snack, but wants to save half of it for later. Also comes in handy when one of our kids is too excited to finish their quick service meal at the table.
- A carabiner clip for attaching bags of souvenirs to my backpack. We have a stroller but I don't leave purchases in it when we get on a ride. Clipping the bags to my backpack keeps my hands free.
- If you'll have a stroller, a loud obnoxious scarf or something to tie around the handle, to make it easy to pick out of a crowd.
- Hand sanitizer and wet wipes. Some of those ride vehicles and handlebars are grimy. If you're a germaphobe like my sister and I, little packs of Clorox wipes to wipe down QS tables before eating (and for sanitizing parts of the hotel room before settling in) .

Happy packing and enjoy your vacation!!

Thank you! Anyone else have any input into April packing?