Packing for 9 days, what to do?

[LovinRafiki]

Hello everyone. Our trip is just over a month from now and I am starting to focus on my packing lists. We are going for 9 days. When we went in April for 5 days I had issues with packing enough clothes and still getting my suitcase on the plane w/o paying extra fees. I like to pack a few extra clothes so I can shower/change in the middle of the day if I feel icky. By adding in all the extras needed like ponchos and first aid kit, etc, how do you get it all to Disney? Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[tam626]

We are going for 8 days & I want to do all carry ons. I plan to do laundry once & it will still be quite hot in September so we only need shorts & a light shirt. I say pack less & don laundry one afternoon while everyone is at the pool. You have way less dirty clothes to deal with when you get home too.

 

[JCTigger]

how about space bags... when I go camping i use space bags to pack things down it gets clothes and stuff down really small... how about using space bags and bringing down a battery operated air compressor (they work on the space bags) with the room you'll save with the space bag you can fit a small air compressor in a suitcase and if you dont have one they are like 5-6 bucks at walmart...

or

do laundry half way thru you'll lose like half a day in the parks and what not... ive never used the laundry machines at the hotels so i dont know how good they actually are and those all in one (dryer sheet, laundry detergent) pads from purex work really well i use those all the time and that could save u a little bit of space cause they are a lot smaller then a bottle laundry detergent

good luck and im really jealous im never stayed longer then 5 days before

have fun!

 

[2ndStar2theRT]

Some people actually mail themselves some of their items in advance to the resort. The resort will gladly accept the package as long as you have your name on it and arrival date - call the front desk direct fr directions.

My friend said that this worked for her family because they sent items that they were planning on using up and not returing home with (detergent, suntan lotion, ect..) But I guess you could ship them back too!

We stayed for 8 days recently (but drove) and we did laundry twice during the week - use the Purex drying sheets - Washers and dryers worked fine..each load was $2 to wash/$2 to dry - have change machines there or you can go to the the cafe's or gift shops.

Space bags are a must!!! Especially for returning with dirty laundry!

 

[Shenanigoat]

You can even get "vacum free" travel spacbags. You kind of roll them to get the air out (hard to explain- easy to use). I love those!

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

We did an 8 day cruise last year with 2 days first in Ft Lauderdale and there are no washers/dryers on Royal Caribbean. I have never packed so much underwear in my life b/c of those mid-day showers! Plus all the dining room outfits, a few sand toys, and I always bring more meds on a cruise ship (you never, ever go to a ships doctor asking for Pepto! )

For luggage I went lighter and as big as possible. DD and I both got LL Bean large rolling adventure duffels and we are about to replace DH's suitcase with one. I have been using it for two years and love it. It does not stand upright, but since it goes from the car to the ticket counter it doesn't matter. I am sure if I had to take public transportation like a subway to the airport it would be a pain. I also have an extra large duffel, but if full it exceeds Delta's size limit by a few inches.

My 26" suitcase weighed over 20 pounds! The duffel is 8.2. The duffel is also more cubic inches (5700 total).

To keep things organized in the duffel I bought packing cubes. They can get expensive so I also use 'homemade packing cubes'- I save clear zippered bags that sheet sets come in. Next trip I am going to try some of the travel space bags for things like swimsuts (I think I saw them at Dollar Tree-checking today)

The other benefit of using the duffel... we bought laundry bags at WalMart (they have cool colors right now for college). They zipper into their own pouch so compact for travel. We fill it all week with dirty clothes and when completely full it fits perfectly in the duffel. When we get home we roll it right into the laundry room.

 

[karliebug]

I always do laundry at least once while we are there,sometimes twice.It is so easy because all the resorts have their laundry next to the pools. so you can throw a load in, watch the kids swim(or swim yourself). Get the big fruity drink of your choice from the pool bar. and relax while your clothes spin. Just bring your own detergent (those new purex 3-in-1 sheets would be ideal) and a roll of quarters and your set. I often do another load right before we leave so that I am bringing home clean,folded clothes rather than a big,bag of stinky ones.

 

[eyor44]

We will also be traveling for a total of 9 days. (driving, not actually at Disney for 9 days)

I also do laundry half way through the trip. We just simply don't have enough clothes not to. The machines at the resorts work great and I just take a book (sewing last year) and just stay in the laundry room. WL laundry is down a hall way, not near the pools as the others are.

Space bags work great, especially the roll up kind for wet swimsuits.

 

[Hallowishes]

the best advice i can give is DO LAUNDRY! I know if kinda stinks doing it on vacation ... but it will really cut down on what you need to bring also ... bring items that you can get more than 1 wear out of.

 

[bratmomma]

We will be away from home for 8 days. I plan on doing laundry twice. Once at my BIL's in Ft Lauderdale before leaving for WDW and once while in the world on one of the days we plan to be back to the resort by 7ish. I am having my two DS's share a suitcase. We are rolling clothes and hoping to cram as much in there as possible without being over on weight. My DD will have a carryon and her car seat. I will probably need to check a bag as I don't think everything I need will fit in a carryon. I packed another carryon with all of our incidentals that are allowed in the cabin, like, rain ponchos, small sewing kit, glow sticks, swimmies for my DD, our fan misters, microwave popcorn, a small puzzle (to keep the kids busy when they are ready and I am trying to get everything organized for the morning), moleskin, bandaids (small kit from $tree), my planning binder, etc. Stuff I will need but don't want to waste room in my checked baggage (that I have to pay for) with.

I considered sending a box down but what I would pay to ship it was pretty close to paying a luggage fee for a checked bag, so I figured why bother...

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

We are going for 14 nights, 15 days and we have quite a bit of signature dining to go to at WDW so we will need a lot of changes of clothing. We are planning on doing laundry about once every 4-5 days but we also like to bring double the amount of underwear and socks. Thos things are so little they don't take up too much room.

Also, it's September so you won't need anything big or heavy AT ALL. Every year I bring a hoodie and a pair of jeans but I never wear them because it's way too hot and they waste a ton of space.

 

[ZoZo]

I'd highly recommend doing laundry once, mid-trip. Totally worth the time it takes - you can do it later in the evening, or use it as a mid-afternoon break from the parks! (Even better - hang out by the pool while laundry is going!).

Some people refuse to do laundry on vacation, but to me it's totally worth it. You can pack half the clothes you normally would (and I'm a compulsive over-packer!). It only takes about 1.5 hours total, and is sooooo worth it.

 

[dopeynme]

I agree with all the PPs who suggest doing laundry. It really is no problem and lets you pack less. In the Aug heat, you really cannot wear even shorts more than once, so I didn't own enough shorts for a 10 day trip unless I wash them!

One tip that I saw on here is to pack a pop-up hamper. It folds flat for packing and opens so you can put all the dirty clothes in it. Then when ready to do laundry, just carry the clothes to the laundry and back in the hamper! I did this on our recent trip and people looked at me as if I were brilliant! Just another DIS tip!

BTW, the purex sheets work great and are very lightweight to pack.

 

[LovinRafiki]

Ok that settles it. I was tormented on doing laundry for my trip, even though I already have the tide travel size packs ready to go in the suitcase. But I think it is my only option without spending extra $ for overweight suitcases or shipping cost. I like the idea of grabbing a fruity drink and hanging by the pool! Thanks to everyone!

Does anyone know where stores like walmart or target keep their space bags? I've been looking for them for about 3 weeks in the luggage and storage areas and can't find them anywhere.

 

[gracie1]

We are going for 11 nights/12 days. This one is not doing laundry. Having to do laundry is no vacation to me! We hit up the sales at disney outlet and bought disney shirts for the trip ($3-$4 a piece!) and then we are taking our shorts and some capris. If you don't have enough clothes try hitting the seasonal sales at kmart, walmart or target. You can normally get shorts for $5-$10 a pair. And it's not like you can't use them next year!I think I have 6 pair of shorts and 5 pair of capris I am taking, plus my dress for signature dining.
Enjoy your vacation!

 

[MinnieLee]

Ok that settles it. I was tormented on doing laundry for my trip, even though I already have the tide travel size packs ready to go in the suitcase. But I think it is my only option without spending extra $ for overweight suitcases or shipping cost. I like the idea of grabbing a fruity drink and hanging by the pool! Thanks to everyone!

Does anyone know where stores like walmart or target keep their space bags? I've been looking for them for about 3 weeks in the luggage and storage areas and can't find them anywhere.

If you have a Bed, Bath & Beyond by you, they carry them. Make sure you get the "Travel" space bags. No vacumming needed - you just roll the air out (you can sit on it to get the last of the air out). They work great but just a word of warning - it will give you more space in the luggage but the weight is the same! You don't want to pay extra for over the weight limit luggage. We go for 10 days every October and I use the space bags. The first year, with all the extra space, I kept loading things I bought at WDW in the luggage - until I tried to pick it up! Had to do some reshuffling!

I don't like doing laundry on vacation but it is a great option. Relaxing at the pool with a drink while the laundry is going.

 

[billybobblockhead]

Haven't read the entire thread, but I can tell you what we do (forgive if this is a duplicate). We only pack clothes for half of the days that we are going. In other words, if we have an 8 day trip planned, we pack for 4 days. When we plan, we set one day aside, about half way in naturally, as a swim/laundry day. That covers us as far as clothes are concerned for the remainder of our trip. We have found that the kids tend to want a break about half way through and this is a perfect way to give it to them.

 

[momma2minnie]

I do laundry half way thru. I don't find the dryers dry quite as well as mine at home (maybe i'm just not as patient with laundry at WDW!) but I find if I throw in a towel or a dry pair of jeans with the wet stuff it helps!

Have a great trip!

 

[LovinRafiki]

Thank you MinnieLee! I checked Target again and found them, but they did not have the travel ones. So, I'm heading to Bed Bath & Beyond. I figure I will bring enough clothes for 4 or 5 days, showers and changes included. Then hopefully one load of wash should get us through to the end. I just have this go go go mentality when in the world, so I will just have to force myself to stop for a moment.

 

[Kae]

We also do laundry. But I wear my haevier/bulky items on the plane. That helps too.

Kae