Post your best organizational, space saving and trip making secrets here!!

DJM, I like your tip better than mine. We are staying at OKW with washer dryer right in the room...I'll just pack some detergent and do laundry when we are winding down at night...thanks!!!
 
NatalieO said:
Okay maybe a silly question but I have 25 days to go :woohoo: and am packing and uppacking like 10x a day. What is bodyglide and what is is used for? Also water bottle holders, its just going to be myself and my 3 kids (5,7,8) and I cannot carry 4 bottles of water. Help? :confused3


This is regarding the multiple bottles of water. We are lucky to have a stroller with us for our 13 month old, so we will have storage underneath. I just bought a Coleman beverage jug at Wal-Mart that is zipped up inside an insulated sleeve. I think it 2 liters. Not quite sure on the size :teeth:. It also has a carrying strap, a spout, and a removable ice thingy to freeze and then insert to keep the bevy cold (hopefully y'all know what an "ice thingy" is :p ). We will fill it with water and ice every morning and bring to the parks. I also plan on throwing some small disposable cups in our daypack, so we can all enjoy! With summer here it is very tempting to fill it with a beverage of a different kind and bring it to the beach :smooth:.
 
We stop when necessary and get glasses of ice water. It's free, the ice lasts a while and most important, you don't have to pack it forever! I know some say Florida water tastes terrible but we don't think it tastes bad enough to pack the water bottle!
 

We always take a night lite that has 2-3 electrical plugs attached to it. They are good for little ones who need to find the bathroom at night and for the teens who need to charge those cell phones all the time. You can find thme at WalMart. :idea:
 
One of the best things we EVER did was get those Extra Jumbo one way valve bags from QVC or Bed Bath and Beyond. You can either roll the air out or use a vacuum to suck the air out. With the largest size I can put two changes of clothing per child (3 children, 7 YO twin girls and 5 YO girl) in ONE BAG for the 7 day stay at WDW!!! I've done it before and will do it again! The clothes are pretty wrinkle free. My DH and I will share two bags (he is about 6'3" and 280lbs, me 5' and 90 lbs) so we really need the extra bag for him! All 3 bags fit in ONE suitcase! We then take a smaller suitcase for things like breakfast foods, extra shoes etc. The kids will each have their own backpack filled with their little trinkets, things to do etc. DH and I each have a carry on with cameras, batteries, first aid kit and some snacks.

Hope this helps!!
 
Write up a notecard with your name and resort, info in case you lose your media card. Take a picture of this card :dumbo: on each media card you use. Slide the notecard into your camera case as extra insurance.

Enjoying this thread! Thanks for all the tips, Everyone! :banana:
 
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I just got this really great water bottle holder at Office Max last week-- it has a long adjustable strap (long enough I can wear it over neck and across chest, which I like to do with things) and fits a bottle that holds a liter (it comes with one.) The bottle is dishwasher safe (I have done it.) The holder is insulated and has a pocket on the front of it that would definitely hold ID, keycard, money, lip balm,-- maybe even a camera. I have used it at the beach and Busch Gardens and it was great, and not expensive.

Also-- I have a backpack I love that i got from Lillian Vernon. Its neoprene, and has four pockets on the outside as well as several inside, on the back etc. Its lightweight and stretchy-- perfect for Disney! Without being very big (the size of a typical "backpack purse") I could fit DD's extra underwear, a pull up, a sundress, travel sizes of all the essentials, ponchos, the camera and even the autograph books! The outside pockets hold the water bottles that they sell at the park-- I could usually carry two. This bag was about $20 and I have loved it! Mine is red but this year it comes in black or tan.

I keep it stocked and hanging in our coat closet ready for whatever adventure we find.
 
Great thread!
I don't usually mess with doing whole loads of laundry on vacation, I just don't take the time. But I do like those little packets of dry Woolite. If DD gets a little messy I can do a quick wash in the sink (I usually throw in some underwear as well) You can get the little travel packs at Amazon and they even come with a sink stoper and a cool clothesline. Just a tip :)
 
I am so excited :banana: just came back from the $1.00 store purchased almost everthing that was recommended on this thread most of it Disney style of course. I can't wait unit October :woohoo: My DH is wondering if we will need extra luggage just to bring all the stuff I bought tonight. :rotfl2:

Thanks for keepin the DW virgin on track.
 
there are some great ideas! it makes me want to start packing now for our upcoming trip :cool1:
 
Just finished packing...finally!!
I am headed to bed to see if I can actually sleep.....we are headed to the airport in a few hours!! :goodvibes
Anyway, one thing I have always done is put one of my address labels on my camera. I just bought a brand new camera for this trip and remembered at the last minute to stick one on in case it gets lost.

Have a great trip all!
 
Just a couple of suggestions:
*Pack a permanent marker - one important use of such is to put contact info on the photo pass card.
*When trying to keep track of rides/experiences of each day, I kind of cheat. I use the individual park maps - date each immediately, while mapping out the day's plans I put a star on the "must do/sees" and then circle when we complete each. This way, when we are exhausted at the end of each day, there is no pressure to "document" for future journaling/scrap booking.
*You might wish to use the maps to let the kids cut out images for their own scrap booking.
*For tipping - ask at your bank if you might buy $2 bills. These are great for tipping. Many say they will save them for their children, grandchildren - because they are unique.
*Dec 05 trip was winding down and we had shipped home a couple of boxes of Christmas gifts. On our final day, one of the CM's at Pop made me upset by telling me that IF we shipped that day, our items were not guaranteed to arrive before Christmas. (This was Dec 11) I expressed my fear having shipped two large boxes of gifts just the day before. She shrugged and said we should have been informed and to not be surprised if they didn't arrive until after the holidays. (This was NOT a customary CM attitude that we were dealing with) :guilty: After pacing the store frantically wondering if our Christmas gifts would not arrive in time - and how on earth would I fit the new purchases in our overpacked luggage - and thinking of the cost of shipping (not cheap!) - I purchased a great Mickey duffel bag (about $50) to "check" on the plane. Shipping would have cost approximately the same and now I have this great Mickey bag to use. So - consider buying a less expensive piece of luggage/or bag and "check" it before you ship. You might be surprised at the cost effectiveness. P.S. The two other boxes arrived in plenty of time. :hourglass
*BEWARE of losing cell phones on rides! DH on our last day decided to ride Space Mountain - one more time. I waited for he and DS for what seemed like forever. I kept calling his cell/blackberry - which went straight to voice mail. When I finally spotted them and saw my DH's face, I knew something was wrong. He motioned to his hip where the clip to his blackberry still held securely. We went to lost and found and made a report. There were tons of broken cell phones and a number of shattered blackberries - found in Space Mountain alone! Okay - so not so smart a move but obviously we weren't the only ones who didn't question the clip's ability to secure the dang thing. :blush:
 
mytwinklestar said:
Just a couple of suggestions:
*You might wish to use the maps to let the kids cut out images for their own scrap booking.

Did this last time - great idea for info on pics you take!

*For tipping - ask at your bank if you might buy $2 bills. These are great for tipping. Many say they will save them for their children, grandchildren - because they are unique.
Thanks!

*Dec 05 trip was winding down and we had shipped home a couple of boxes of Christmas gifts. On our final day, one of the CM's at Pop made me upset by telling me that IF we shipped that day, our items were not guaranteed to arrive before Christmas.

Thank you ever so much for this info, as we fly out Dec 12th this year and had planned on shipping gifts home. :woohoo:
 
*This may be a no brainer for som and for others, an Ah-ha! Moment. lol. As I buy little things for our trip, no matter how far in advance, I store them in my suitcase. When I think of things that I don't want to forget, I add them too.
 
I am headed to the world in three weeks for the first time with kids! The tips here are the BEST and my shopping list grows with each entry - LOL!!! Any suggestions for keeping checked luggage at 50lbs or less? This has become my biggest fear!
 
Can we get this post made into a sticky? It seems there are so many good ideas here that will benefit travelers in the future too! Just a thought...not sure how to do this...
 
sconnell said:
*This may be a no brainer for som and for others, an Ah-ha! Moment. lol. As I buy little things for our trip, no matter how far in advance, I store them in my suitcase. When I think of things that I don't want to forget, I add them too.

AHA!!!!!!!!! So obvious, yet it definitely escaped me (I've got no less than 4 shopping bags on the floor of my closet with Disney supplies).

Brilliant!:thumbsup2
 













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