Packing for the parks and other?

[YourMajesty]

My kids are older this trip (5 and 8) and I'm really wanting to cut back on what we take to the parks. I'm so used to taking everything that I can't decide what to leave out. What are some of the items you guys have discovered you really DO NOT need at the parks and what can you NOT live without??

Also, for all you guys(or should I say girls? ) that iron your clothes prior to packing...what are your tips for keeping the clothes from wrinkling??

 

[goodferry]

With those ages, you can start to really cut back, I think. I bring sunblock, a towel, autograph books, handi-wipes, moleskin, sunglasses and a camera. You can give them each a fanny pack and really cut down on what you have to lug around. I think it really depends on how you tour. I bring very little with me because we usually only stay in the parks 4-5 hours at a time before we head back for a rest. I don't carry snacks or extra clothes or any of that with me. One trip we only did character autographs one day, so we didn't have to carry the books around the entire time, that worked out pretty well too!

 

[goodferry]

By the way, cursing is not allowed on the Dis, so take your discussion of iron*** elsewhere.
Seriously, the best tip I ever got on the dis was to put each kid's outfit in a separate ziplock baggy and smoosh all the air out of it, that seemed to help with packing and wrinkles.

 

[surfer_ed]

This is what I take into the park and find usuful but of course that might change now that we have a child (DD,1 year first trip in October). I find it works for us.

A couple of frozen water bottles or ones filled with ice
Penlight
Pen
Small hand towel (splash mountian etc)
Digital Camera, batteries
Sunscreen
A few small snacks
Minimal clothes..maybe a sweater
Baby Wipes and or hand sanitizer
Minimal cash if I am staying on site, charge to the room.

I like to over pack so I really have to fight the urge to take too much stuff with us. I used to take lots of extra clothes, food etc and found that I was just lugging them around and not using 1/2 of the thinks in my back-pack.

We try not to take too much food with us but usually take a few small items. I like to keep costs down but also have more interesting things to do at WDW than lug too much food.

Another tip if you are staying on-site is to have your packages delivered to your resort. we have done this a few times and it works very well.

 

[YourMajesty]

By the way, cursing is not allowed on the Dis, so take your discussion of iron*** elsewhere.
Seriously, the best tip I ever got on the dis was to put each kid's outfit in a separate ziplock baggy and smoosh all the air out of it, that seemed to help with packing and wrinkles.

My mom would crack up at me asking the iron*** question as she is always hounding me to press the kids clothes (more often). I takes them out of the dryer and smooth them and call it quits usually. I will try the ziplock trick.... thanks.

 

[YourMajesty]

I like to over pack so I really have to fight the urge to take too much stuff with us. I used to take lots of extra clothes, food etc and found that I was just lugging them around and not using 1/2 of the thinks in my back-pack.

We try not to take too much food with us but usually take a few small items. I like to keep costs down but also have more interesting things to do at WDW than lug too much food.

Another tip if you are staying on-site is to have your packages delivered to your resort. we have done this a few times and it works very well.

Thanks for tips. I know what you mean when you say fight the urge...we have always loaded up! We will look into sending a box ahead if that is possible. We are on-site but at SOG which is not Disney operated. I know it's not a big deal to stop at the store but it always seems like a hassle once we get there...you know those itineraries!

 

[YourMajesty]

Thought I would give this a bump so I don't miss any good tips!