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

[ReneeDisney]

Subscribing! This is a wonderful thread!
THANKS FOR ALL THE TIPS, IDEAS & SUGGESTIONS!

 

[hilaryjudsong]

Love it. Need all the help I can get for our first family trip to WDW in may. Thanks!

 

[neonurse]

COUCH007-- Baggallini messanger bag at shoebuy.com. Use coupon code "save10" to save $10. Enjoy I just ordered mine.

Thanks for all the great tips. I can't believe how long this post is...and I read them ALL!!!

 

[Nickybubs]

This is a great thread !

For those of us coming across the border, I always take a photocopy of all our passports ( x2 ), and put one copy in our suitcase, and give other to Mom and Dad at home to hold, in case of an emergency.

I also will be contacting our credit card company and advise them we are travelling. I've heard stories of cards being inactivated due to "different level of activity" !!! Don't want to show up at the gate to get tickets for Disney and have them say the credit card won't work !

We travel with a lot of small travel sized toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, hand sanitizer, deoderant...the list goes on and on. Our dentist gave us lots of travel size toothbrushes and toothpaste when we told them we were going, and my hairdresser threw in some travel stuff at my last apt before going. I LOVE FREE STUFF...and you don't get much of that at DISNEY !

 

[Michellez54]

This is a GREAT Thread! I'm kinda new to posting though. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has found any cheap cooling towels? I don't know what they are called, but I found some last summer at a sports supply store, but they were $10 each, and I think we lost it! They are kind of a thick foam towel that is stiff until it's wet, but it absorbs a lot of water, and stays cool to the touch. Great for hot days at the park. Hoping someone has seen some that are cheaper! thanks!!!

 

[AUDramaQueen]

One other use for Ziplocs that I don't think I saw on here, for those with little ones still eating baby food from jars. On our last trip I packed a ziploc bag for each meal in the park: jar of meat/meal (like "Apples & Chicken" or "Turkey & Sweet Potatoes"), jar of veggies, jar of fruit, disposable bib, disposable spoon (from "First Years"), 8oz can of formula, and handi wipes. Easy to pull out of the diaper bag for a meal anywhere, whether in a restaurant or sitting on a bench. After the meal, all the jars and disposable stuff goes back in the ziploc and in the next trash can we see. Made things easy for us!

We did this too and it worked great. Except we used the pre-packaged powder packets of formula. We carried a water bottle that had not been refridgerated and used it for the formula.

We also used this same idea for diaper changes. Diaper, wipes, disposable pad, etc in a ziploc bag. We didn't need an extra diaper bag this way. We just threw the zip-locs in our backpack.

I also program any Disney phone numbers (dining, resort, etc) in my cell phone so I'll have them just in case.

This trip our 2 year old will be too big for a pack-n-play so we're bringing his Thomas fold-up tent to sleep in. I'm hoping this will help him sleep better with all of us (we have DS6 and DD4) in one room!

Great Tips Everyone! I can't wait to use them in May!

 

[jpaxton1118]

Great Tips! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[neonurse]

For those of you from Canada looking for a pop up laundry hamper as suggested earlier I just got one from Giant tiger for $1.97.

 

[naner]

Excellent thread!

 

[neonurse]

bump

 

[frugaljen]

What a great thread! I'm subscribing for our trip in May!

 

[briarrose]

Our family went lst year in March. I bought my DH and DS zipoff cargo pants.
The pants worked real well for the cooler mornings and evenings. Plus the large pockets could hold snacks. Also the ziplocks work real well, I use them for all our vacations for my DS and DD.

 

[Mkrop]

this stuff is great

 

[poohbear229654]

What a great thread! I'm subscribing for our trip in May!

when in may are you going? we are going may11-16 .this is my first time ever going and and its a surprize for the kids.they will find out when we get to the airport(lol) this site is full of great ideas

 

[frugaljen]

when in may are you going? we are going may11-16 .this is my first time ever going and and its a surprize for the kids.they will find out when we get to the airport(lol) this site is full of great ideas

We are going May 20-27. We've had our trip booked since August 2006 and are not telling the kids until sometime after Easter. I love the anticipation and want to experience some of that with the kids, but not too much of it! I don't want to hear, "How many days til Disney?" 100 times a day!

 

[neonurse]

bump

 

[!HereWeCome!]

Bought my ponchos today - woo hoo!

 

[sully7]

We went to WDW last fall and I used so many of the tips I found on this thread! My trip was very enjoyable because of it!!!

Here is my own tip!!

We (Me, DH, DS10, DS8, DD6 and DD4) drove to Florida in a van. In the past our suitcases didn't fit that well in the back of the van. They would all fall when we opened the door. What a mess!! I decided to use "underbed storage boxes." I happen to have about a million of them. I packed the kids outfits in ziplock bags and then into the boxes. The girls had one box and the boys had one box. My DH had a box. I had a box all to myself!!! I had one full box just for shoes! And one full box for phone chargers, power strips and camera battery chargers and other misc goodies. They stacked so neatly in the van!!! I should have taken a picture! When we got to our Fort Wilderness cabin we simply carried the boxes into the cabin, very easy!

They fit under the bed in the cabin and the empties we just stacked together. No storage problem and no tripping over suitcases!!!

They may look odd this fall when we check into ASMu! But I bet nothing will fall off our cart! Hey, you have to do what works!!!

 

[Tommys Mommy]

When we went to WDW in May 2006, I knew I'd be sending postcards back to our many nieces & nephews. I made sure to buy ahead of time the postcard stamps (instead of trying to find them on property). Also, I made pre-addressed labels so I could just slap them onto the postcards. Saved a little bit of time for me and I didn't need to pack our address book!

 

[goofygirl71]

I love your idea about the toothbrush holder and hand soap. I'm with you!! I can't stand my toothbrush laying on the sink and the slimy bar soap.
Thanks !!!!!