Packing for 8 people, 12 nights?

[TreeFalls]

We always plan to do laundry every 4 days or so. Partly to pack less, and partly because I hate getting home with 2 weeks worth of laundry. We are 2 adults and 3 kids, and we do one personal item for everyone, one carry on for everyone 5 or older, and 1-2 checked bags. The big kids have their own clothes in carry-ons, the adults take some of their own clothes + little kid's clothes in their carry ons, and the checked bag holds the rest of adult clothes, extra shoes, and any gear like lifejackets, toys, etc. that we need to bring.

Sometimes I manage not to have a carry-on because we have enough space; this helps me wrangle any little kids better. If we have free checked bags, we do more checked and fewer carry-ons.

Oh yeah, and we do not do the outfit thing, unless we need special event outfits. My kids pick their own tops/bottoms every day, and they don't match well and it's fine with me.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I disagree with the outfits thing. I go mix and match: Pick a color scheme white/khaki/navy is my summer go to; black is winter. Doesn't have to be the same for everyone unless they share clothes. Point is every top should go with every bottom. Three bottoms each (shorts, skirts, leggings, pants), one shirt per day mostly casual tees but maybe two nicer collared (for males) or nicer fabric (for females). One "nicer" dress for formal and semi-formal nights for ladies; the nicer collared shirt will work for men. One light sweater or jacket (dining rooms can be chilly and a third piece dresses up outfit a bit) Two swimsuits, one cover-up, 3 pair shoes: 1 dressier sandal, 1 flip flop, 1 walking shoes or sneaker. Workout clothes if you will truly do that. Remember you will wear one outfit on. We typically wear something the first time to dinner and then the next day for whatever activities we can't do in swimsuit.

I used to be a terrible packer... Now I can go anywhere with one roller bag or at most, one medium checked bag

I think that poster was using "outfits" as in items that go together, not individual items that only go with one thing. That's how I use it. So mix-and-match. Totally. My typical packing for any trip longer than 5 nights is (not including what I wear for travel) 2 pairs pants, 5 tops that go with both, one dressy item (usually a formal dress, but occasionally also a dress black pants with sparkly top when the trip is really long). 2 swimsuits. I do "splurge" a little on shoes, I take 2 pairs of walking shoes (so I can switch off wearing them), water shoes, dress shoes, and sandals.

 

[dlin2011]

Want would be your key word. Only pack what you truly NEED. As others have said - mix and match! Skirts and pants/shorts can be worn more than once for sure! Ditto tops you only put on for dinner and a show.

I’m thinking theater snacks, room organizing stuff. I have to bring my own toiletries. Not doing FE so that will help! May or may it be worth paying another baggage fee.

 

[Dug720]

I’m thinking theater snacks, room organizing stuff. I have to bring my own toiletries. Not doing FE so that will help! May or may it be worth paying another baggage fee.

I would still put those things in the “wants” category. We had 4 adults in a Stateroom without any “room organizing things” and had no issues. It’s all about keeping it simple.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We just did 12 days, 4 people WDW 5 days, DCL 7 night. I did do laundry on our last full day of WDW, we were just doing pool time in the late afternoon/evening so it wasn't terrible. We were also DVC so it was free. I also did laundry on one of our cruise days. There were issues here but all worked out in the end. One thing that was really nice was the app would tell me when the laundry was done so I wasn't wasting time going back and forth to check if it was done.

I usually just bring a few pods and dryer sheets with me so it doesn't take up much room.

I will say that as I do with each vacation, I over packed! EVERY SINGLE TIME! and I always tell myself I won't do it again. So, here's hoping next year I won't. Anyway, I found that I packed too many dressy clothes. Except for dinners, we spent most of our time in swim suits/tshirts and shorts.

I would just plan to pack light and do a bit of laundry.