Packing questions???

[2littleprincesses]

Hi! I have several packing questions---hoping someone can help me. We leave in 5 days.

1. We are a family of 4 (2 dds). I was thinking of having everyone carry on a rolling suitcase 21" or smaller, 1 backpack and 1 checked bag. Will this work? Can we have a backpack and a rolling suitcase?

2. Can we bring food in our carry ons? Prepackaged food?

3. I have an outfit for every day we are there? How many more outfits should I bring?

4. Should I bring a sweatshirt for anyone?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[tnkr mom]

All 5 of us go with a rolling carryon and maybe a backpack/tote each. You didnt say how long your trip is though. DEFINATELY a sweatshirt/jacket and maybe 1 capri or long pants for the girls. You never know what the weather will be, even summer AC gets really cold in Disney sometimes!

 

[2littleprincesses]

We will be in disney for 1 week. Just wondering if all the rolling carry ons and backpacks fit in the overhead compartments. thanks again for any help.

 

[LovinRafiki]

You can put the carry on rolling bags in the over head compartments. Believe me, you will not be the only one! The backpacks can either go in the overhead compartments, if there is room, or under the seat in front of you. We tend to put our backpacks under the seat for take off & landing because we put our stuff to do on the plane in them. Not so much getting up and down then. You should be fine on the airplane. Have Fun! And report when you get back!

 

[debbiedana]

It will be 90. You won't need a sweatshirt.

Some people like to have something when they go into air conditioned buildings. If you do, I'd say only a thin sweater or zipper hoodie. Unless you are a very 'chilly' person, I think you'd be awful warm in a sweatshirt.

 

[cuches]

To lighten your weight on the luggage and avoid extra charges for heavy bags (most have a 50lb likit but check your airline) we are packing enough for a few days and plan on doing laundry mid week (we are going for 7 days)

a small roller and nap sac are fine for carry on's. I keep mine under the seat in front of us because that is where all the magic is for my DD10 we have snacks, dvd player, games (she loves the memory game so we got a bunch of disney ones) mp3 player and other various small toys.

pre-packaged snacks/food is a great idea just make sure no liquids more then 4oz. This includes things like yogurt and puddings<----learned the hard way. I put a pack of pudding (the non-refrigerated kind) in the checked in bag instead.

A sweat shirt might be too heavy, we always bring a light jacket or a light fleece zip up for night time just to be safe. Last year we went in October and it was warm everyday then BAM down to 55 degrees but I think Sept will not be like that (I hope).

Bring rain poncho's or at least small umbrella's, many times thunderstorms break out at any time.

HAVE FUN!!!!!

 

[babybaja2]

Walmart sells rain poncho's in their camping section for like 89cents, they are small and easy to tuck in a pocket of your day bag, and I always take a small travel umbrella, not just for the rain, I use it all day to keep the sun off.. some times if the crowds are pack I fold it up to keep from poking someone, but have not really had a problem with it.

 

[SilverL]

You can bring both a carry on sized suitcase and a backpack. Your backpack would be your personal item. So you can't have a backpack, a purse, and a suitcase, because a purse is also a personal item and you only get 1 personal item and 1 carry on.

Remember that you have to pay for each checked bag. I couldn't tell if you were saying that your entire family was checking 1 bag, or that each person was checking 1 bag. The latter would get spendy!

 

[marymac123]

Don't you get 1 personal, 1 carry on & 1 checked per person?

 

[WillCAD]

1. Luggage
Luggage restrictions and carry-on rules vary from airline to airline. A 21" rolling suitcase may look small in your home, but it'll look huge when you have to put it into an airplane overhead. My own carry-on (for laptop and camera gear) is 19"x13"x9" and I consider it to be the max; any bigger than 19" and you have to turn it sideways to fit in the overhead. Besides, those 21" monsters will get HEAVY - and you will have to pick them up many times as you board and deplane, and you will have to lift them into the overhead.

I say, check the rollers and carry on only your backpacks. If you fly Southwest, checked bags are free anyway, but if you're flying an airline that charges for checked bags, it will be worth the extra fees to not deal with two large carry-on items per person, especially if your kids are small and you have to wrestle that stuff yourself.

2. Snacks
Solid, pre-packaged snacks are okay in a carry on - granola bars or pretzels are the best. But forget any liquids - no juice boxes, no water bottles, etc - because of TSA security regs. Any liquids you want to take aboard with you will have to be purchased in the airport AFTER you go through security; I typically buy a bottle of water for my flight at Hudson News; you can also get sodas and juices. You might also consider eating a meal at the airport food court before bording; this way you won't be hungry during the flight.

3. I guess I have a typical guy's view of clothing; I don't pack "outfits", I pack two pair of pants (1 long, 1 short in December, 2 short during hot months); one shirt for each day of the trip (no extras because I always buy a few Disney t-shirts while there), 1 set of underwear and socks for each day plus one extra, and if I'm going in December I pack 1 sweatshirt. No spare shoes - they're just dead weight. That's in addition to the clothes I wear on the plane, which are typically long pants and a polo shirt; I like to dress nicer when I fly, it makes them think I'm a business traveller, and I seem to get a little better treatment because of that (so long as I treat the airline and airport and TSA folks nice, that is!)

4. The countdown in your signature currently says 11 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days, meaning that you'll be going in mid-August. FORGET THE COLD WEATHER GEAR! WDW is hot in August, and unbelievably humid. It's also a bit wet; take rain ponchos, but forget the sweatshirts and jackets. They'll be dead weight.

 

[ZoZo]

Don't you get 1 personal, 1 carry on & 1 checked per person?

Most airlines (even my beloved Alaska Airlines!) are charging even for the first checked bag. So my advice is to pack light, and plan to do laundry mid-week.