REALLY don't want to overpack! Need realistic packing advice for first WDW trip.

[Lucy6]

I have a great tendancy to overpack, bringing back more unused than used clothes when we go anywhere. My family and I (me, dh, ds8, dd5) are taking our first trip to WDW in Feb., and I would love to know what clothes everybody actually packs that they actually wear. I am assuming shorts and t-shirts for most days, probably sweatshirts, 2 pair of tennis shoes per person, jeans in case it is cold. What am I leaving out?? Could it be this simple?? We are splitting between POFQ and WL, and I believe I read that are laundry facilities at these hotels? Any and all advice greatly appreciated!

 

[Mortlives]

Depending on the forecast, you may want to skip the shorts, and just bring jeans. Last time we were in Florida in March, temps were in high 60's - low 70's, not really shorts weather unless you're desperate.
Don't forget bathing suits, though!

Kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[brady961]

usually Feb is good for jeans and t-shirts during the day. a lightweight jacket or sweatshirt at night. of course i would probably bring one or two pair shorts in case it turns out warmer.

i live near WDW, and as you probably are aware the weather here in Florida during winter months is unpredictable when comes to temps.

i know last year a few weeks in Jan and a little Feb it was cold here at least for us floridians. wind chills got down to 25 a few days.

So unfort one day can be t-shirt/shorts time but the next sweatshirt time or jeans.

color coordinate as well. if bring shorts, match t's with those, and jeans or other long pants. that way not bringing a shirt for shorts and then for pants.

layering is good here too. that way can put on or take off what is needed each day while at the park.

and don't forget you can rent lockers for storing extra items while at parks, then retrieve them as needed. i.e. jackets,

if get here and determine you need something didn't bring, if have a car you can drive over to a WalMart and pick that up which would be less expensive then at WDW. that also gives the option of not bringing extra clothing items for that "what if" situation.

i know i tend to pack for about every what if i can think of. hehehe. So overpacking is a major issue for me as well when traveling. LOL

see ya said staying at two resorts during your stay. if possible, of course don't know if flying or driving. another idea is to pack one or two suitcases with clothing items for one resort, then another suitcase for the other resort.

that way you only have to open and get into one suitcase, and then not having to repack everything that you brought to move over. using a separate bag for toiletries etc....

suncreen is still recommended even during winter months here, sunglasses and hat/cap.

guess in other words bring what you want, go buy what you forgot but most of all just come on and have a blast!!!!

 

[Lucy6]

We live in the chicago suburbs, so 60-70 degree weather in Feb/March sounds so good to me. Thanks for all the great advice! I am going to take your advice about packing a separate suitcase for the second hotel, what a great way to organize.
We are sooo excited about this trip! I just want to make sure I have everything we could need, but don't want to have too much luggage. Thanks again for the great input!

 

[NotUrsula]

A lot of the reason people overpack is that they can't really see what they have already chosen, so they double-up. You can beat this by never packing directly into your suitcases.

Use laundry baskets to gather up what you think you want to pack, then clear off your largest bed and lay EVERYTHING out. When you start counting up outfits on that basis, there are going to be things that are overflow--put those back in the closet or dresser; you don't need them. After you pare down based on what you can really see, THEN pack it all into the suitcases.

For a family that size, 2 large checked bags and a couple of small carryon satchels should be plenty of room, with space to spare. If you bring fleece, use a compression bag or straps to squash it down; it's too fluffy otherwise.

 

[merfsko]

We went in early January (three different years, all in Jan) and the weather can be very iffy... sometimes it'll be hot, hot and sometimes it was so cold we were all wearing gloves and hats! It also depends on what you're used to (where you live). When I went, The newscaster said they were in a 'deep freeze' meanwhile we're swimming in weather we thought was hot!

Basically, I'd suggest packing shorts, tees, sweaters, long pants, a little bit of each... will your place your stayign have laundry? That's another aspect to think about

Good Luck and Have loads of fun!

 

[lmhall2000]

This is how we have packed with three children (I'll shorten it to two! ) for over 4 trips to Disney from in the womb to 8 years of age.

Shoes:
One walking pair for everyone
Water shoes for trips to the pool/and/or water parks (the last thing you want is raw feet from the bottoms of those pools)

Socks:
2 more pairs than the days we're staying there

Underwear:
Pair for each day

Shorts/knit pants/jeans:
split evenly 2/2/2...(for a 6 night stay) at that time of year...my kids would wear their sweat pants/knits over their shorts in the early mornings (can be nippy) and then we'd pack them in our backpack when it warmed up.

1 Hooded sweater with zipper/1 sweatshirt
Only use them in the early am/late at night watching fireworks...don't need more than that because they rarely wear them when eating or getting dirty.

Bathing suits...
brought 2 for everyone...just in case they didn't dry from the day before.

Shirts....
half/half short and long sleeve as long as the long sleeve is light weight.

Pajamas
4 pair per child...we have a 2 night rule...reuse them for 2 nights.

I also have my children bring their own backpack with all their first day goodies in it (gives me more time to unpack later)....so in each of their backpacks they have 1 stuffed animal, pajamas, bathing suit, wet sandles, toothpaste/toothbrush and one change of clothes (this was important to us because we fly and if they lost our luggage we'd still manage some fun)...we also give them a few snacks in there for munchies.

Having their own backpack is great because if we do buy something for them at the park they remember to put them in their backpack and it serves as extra storage for mementos. Plus it makes them "feel" like they're really going on a vacation carrying their own luggage.

Also I usually bring an empty fold-up bag in my suitcase and store bigger items in there (gifts for family etc.)....I used to bring much more....I still bring baby wipes (get the grime off your hands quickly)....and a small first aid kit (very small)...but I've found minimal packing is the way to go....it lets you focus more on the vacation! Some folks will put a days clothing selection (complete outfit with socks) in zip lock bags so the children just pull a bag out for the day..it's all pre-matched and at the end of the day they go back in the zip lock bag to be washed when you get home. I haven't done that...we usually use the laundry bag in the room for storing our old clothes and if we need to wash them we can.

Enjoy!!!!

Tara

 

[lmhall2000]

We learned the last trip to pack rain slickers for everyone....we were caught in an awful downpour one year and one year it just drizzled constantly but the rides were still open....they're small and the last trip we used them and were soooo happy we brought them...we were running through the parks to ride the next rides while most were scrambling to shelter. Granted, we're not commandos---no lightning just rain...but those $3 slickers from Wal-Mart were great!
Tara

 

[Tabetha]

Is it just me, or is the idea of bringing TWO suitcases as a preventative for "overpacking", kind of funny?

 

[Lucy6]

Thanks to everyone for all the great input! Thank you lmhall2000 for all the great specifics, that's what I need. I love the idea of the kids having their own backpacks, my kids(ds8 and dd5) will love this. Kids seem to really get something out of having their own responsibilities. And I have started buying up cheap rain ponchos, I found some at a dollar store for 2/$1.00. What a great deal, and with them being so cheap, I won't feel bad just throwing them away after using them. Keep the ideas coming, I'm taking notes.

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, I wouldn't bring that many myself, but I'm going on the basis of the avg. "overpacker" who posts here. Most of them tend to bring 2 checked bags per person, plus 2 carryons each. If this poster was one of them, my recommendation of a max. of 2 checked bags and two carryons would mean a reduction from 12 pieces to 4.

 

[lovewdwdvc]

There are washers and dryers very close to the pools at most of the resorts. The kids and hubby take a dip in the pool and I do a load of laundry. That way I don't get stuck with too many smelly or wet clothes. Have lots of fun.

 

[HenDuck]

My formula for packing for Disney is:

for me (30-something yr young woman):

1) # of days divided by two = # of tops (if cold weather, this means long sleeves, if warm weather short sleeves)
2) 2 opposite sleeved tops (if cold weather, this means short sleeves, etc.)
3) 1 (and only one please) "matching-with-the-rest-of-family" Disney shirt
4) 2-3 pairs of pants (could include jeans)
5) 2-3 pairs of shorts (unless cold weather, in which case, fugettaboutit!)
6) 1 jacket suited to weather conditions
7) 1 reversible vest
8) # of days divided by two plus two more = # undies and socks
9) 2 bras
10) 1 pjs set
11) 1 fleece or sweater
12) running shoes
13) casual sandals
14) optional - gloves and/or scarf and thermals

For DS: pretty simple, add one of everything above to his list (except #9 and #10 - usually use sweat outfits (about 4) for pjs and cold temp. wear)

We usually do laundry mid-way through the trip.

Wow! It sure looks like a lot. And I've cut this list down!

Anyhoo, hope this helps someone (or makes someone laugh).

 

[CaipiraBob]

On our last trip, we brought everything but the kitchen sink. There was one in the garage however, and there was some discussion over that, but in the end it stayed.

Perhaps you should plan on a wash day, and then bring enough clothes to go one day over that chosen day? If you set that day mid-way through your trip you could bring just half the clothes.

 

[WillCAD]

The idea of doing laundry on vacation is antithetical to me!

My packing guidelines are thus:

*1 shirt per day - 2 (I usually buy some while I'm there so why pack enough for the whole trip?)
*2 pair shorts (I wear them multiple days)
*1 set underwear and sock per day, plus 1 extra set
*1 Mickey poncho
*1 set heavy rain gear (pants and jacket)
*1 sweatshirt (only in colder parts of the year)

I do not pack extra shoes; in 14 years of Disney trips I've never needed to change shoes due to water rides or rain.

I never bother with long sleeve shirts or extra long pants. It's hot in Orlando; if I travel in the cooler parts of the year, I add a sweatshirt and just wear that on colder days.

I wear a pair of long pants and a button down shirt on the plane. I find that dressing like a business traveller gets me slightly better treatment at the airport. In colder weather, I also wear my suit jacket, reinforcing again the notion that I'm a business traveller. My laptop and camera bag also reinforce the image.

I don't swim at WDW so I leave the swimsuits at home. But if I did, I'd bring one suit and just hang it up to dry in the bathroom after use.

Non-clothing items:

*Meds bag with every concievable medication I might need. I normally remove them from the big bottles to save space and just bring enough for a week.
*Mini sewing kit the size of a credit card (I have needed this in the past!)
*Hygene kit - toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, razor, shaving cream, contact lens saline, 2 pair spare contacts, glasses, and disposable hand wipes
*Electronics suite - mini travel alarm clock, mini flashlight, cell phone charger
*Laptop computer bag - Laptop, power cord, phone cord, Compact Flash card reader, security cable, emergency recovery discs
*Digital camera bag - Camera, strap, spare memory card, spare set of batteries, battery charger, pocket tripod, lens cleaner, camera manual, gallon-size Ziploc to cover the camera in the rain
*35mm camera bag - Camera body, 28-200mm lens, strap, external flash, pocket tripod, remote shutter release, lens cleaner, camera manual, plenty of film, gallon-size Ziploc to cover the camera in the rain

I don't normally take both camera bags, I take one or the other.

*Travel documents (carried in my laptop bag)- Air, car, hotel reservations, confirmation numbers for any tickets or tours I'm picking up when I arrive, photocopies of any passes I already have, photocopies of my credit/debit cards and ID
*Stuff I wear on the plane - sunglasses w/ neck cord, neck lanyard with a plastic pouch for my ID, cell phone pre-programmed with numbers of anybody I'm meeting at WDW and anybody I might call at home while there, hat, wristwatch, notebook and pencil for trip notes (also has my flight #s and times, conf #s for car/room/passes/tours, mini-meet schedules, and phone #s written in it as a backup), and metal dogtags just in case the plane goes down and they need to identify my body

 

[swilshire]

I strongly disagree with the posters who say they only take one pair of shoes or sneakers. Particularly if you're wearing leather sneakers, you should alternate two pairs. I do this even at home and it's even more important when you're doing all that walking.

My son learned his lesson when he only took one pair the last time and lived to regret it.

I understand that shoes take up valuable space, but take an extra pair. Your feet will thank you.

Sheila

 

[HenDuck]

Wow WillCad, I'm impressed. I like to see other people's packing strategies.

As for the extra walking shoes, I've never done it. I usually take my well-worn runners. If I needed to throw them in the dryer, I'd do it, but haven't had to yet. However, if I was going during rainy season, I think I might consider it. But I'd probably take one really worn pair and dump it before departure.

Great tips!

 

[Lucy6]

Thank you all for the input, you have really made my packing seem less intimidating. I like the idea of bringing less and doing maybe a load or two mid-trip. Keep the advice coming.

 

[Tink@40]

Another tip is to wear your oldest socks & underwear. When you're done for the day, throw them away!

 

[***tink386]

Thanks all for the great tips!!