Packing for 5 in April

[tinkerbell716]

Hi all! I need some help from all of you packing experts. Everytime I go on vacation my DH complains that I pack way too much. Can you guys help me? I need to pack for a 9 day trip to wonderful WDW for DH,DD age 11,DD age 9, DD age 2, and ME for the middle of April. Can you give me advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[ellenmiele]

I've had some cool weather in early April and some very hot weather in late April but in general .... shorts/tshirts during the day and long pants/maybe a sweater at night. I always bring 2 bathing suits for everyone because if they don't drip dry by the next day I hate the thought of putting on a damp suit (and once I left them out on the balcony to dry and they got wet from a quick thunderstorm). I do not bring 2 pairs of shoes - just 1 pair of sneakers for parks and 1 pair flipflops for pool. I make sure kids all have a lightweight jacket or a sweatshirt (which is easy because when we leave NJ it's usually still cold). I plan for 2 outfits per day for the kids so if we're staying more than 5 days I always do laundry and the halfway mark. And then there's just underwear, socks, jammies. And even though I can make a very reasonable looking list like this I somehow always end up with more than we need!!!

 

[tinkerbell716]

Thanks ellenmiele for the advice.

 

[HeatherC]

It also helps with space if you up everything and pack in ziploc bags. What I do for our family of 5 is pack each of the kids a bag per day. This has their shorts/shirt, undies and socks. That way they don't make a mess and can just grab a bag in the morning. Helps avoid looking for matching socks too. Sweatshirts just get packed separately.

Have fun.
HeatherC

 

[jtopp]

Don't overpack. Every resort has in room or on site laundry services, so you can pack half of what you need and wash one night after hours. For a family of five (like mine) that can save you one or two suitcases to pack in the car or lug around an airport.

 

[ANNFMUR]

I am already trying to pack for out March trip. Family of 5 three . I have matching shirts for five days. I also have two dressier outfits for each child, for dinner in the evening. I was wondering about having shorts do double duty. Maybe rinsing them out at night.
Does anyone know how much the Laundry service is? We will be staying at the Poly.

All help is very!!! welcomed.

 

[Princessbaby]

We went last year the week of April 4th (5 of us) and it was somewhat cool once the sun went down. My DD and I wore capris with lightweight sweaters and my 2 DS wore jackets or long sleeve shirts. Make sure you take good walking shoes that are broken in! My DH got so many blisters-make sure you take some things for blisters (Band-Aid makes some!). I packed 2 bathing suits each, so 1 was always wet and 1 dry. I way OVERPACKED this past trip! We did just fine with shorts for everyday and l Think everyone had 2-3 pairs of pants. Don't forget your sunscreen! I put it on everyone else but myself and suffered the whole week-I got a bad burn on my shoulders the first day there! CMs kept making comments about the Florida sun.
Good Luck! If I think of anything else I'll jump back on! I never used the laundry facilities, but others I know have used them and had no problems!

 

[MELSMICE]

I'm not a fan of doing laundry on vacation, but for 9 days, you'll probably have to. If you decide to do laundry, you'll really only have to pack clothes for 5 or 6 days.

I've found that it's pretty warm in April, a little cooler in the evenings sometimes. We usually bring shorts & capris of the same color with at 2-3 shirts for each color.

We wear a zippered sweatshirt or light jacket on the plane & that's our jacket for the week. If you wear jeans on the plane (although I always wear shorts or capris) those are your pants for the week.

I always overpack - never fails - regardless of how hard I try not to, although I'm getting better.

Don't bring too many pairs of shoes - sneakers (worn on plane), sandals & flip flops are more then enough.

Must haves - over the counter medications, band-aids, etc. They are pricey in Disney & something we always end up needing.