So what do we REALLY need to pack?

[dudedisney]

It's down to a couple of days now and I've got a table full of stuff that I don't know if I should pack or not. I've collected all the lists I could find and made my own, now I don't know WHAT to pack?

Do I really need to pack children's tylenol and benadryl? Bug spray? Pop tarts, oreos, crackers and peanut butter (carry-on, of course!), suntan lotion? Some things we have to have like Rolaids and laundry stuff but what do we REALLY need to have?

I usually pack the kitchen sink (but they provide that, right ) but this time, I'll be without a car. Every other time I have ever visited anywhere, I usually end up at Walmart . All my souvenirs have come from there...Phoenix Walmart...North Carolina Walmart...Panama City Walmart...shoulda booked my trip with them!

It's two days until the plane, help!

 

[Evil Queen]

First thing on my list (I make a first aid bag to carry in my backpack in the parks):

Children's Tylenol
Allergy medicines
and Aspirin or Tylenol for myself.
Extra pair of socks for each person that I am in charge of.
Sunscreen
Bandaides
Glide cream (for chafing on the inner-upper thighs)
lip balm

Everything else is if I feel like it

Snacks
Bottled water (I have two bottles with that has insulated covers-I feel these with ice before leaving the hotel-melts by the time you are thirsty and is cold).
Mister fan (same thing-feel with ice only before leaving room)
tickets
ID

 

[dudedisney]

So I won't be considered crazy for carrying a small medicine chest (not literally ) around with me? I take Tylenol, kids have to have chewable, DH takes Advil and DD is allergic so have to keep Benadryl handy.

Someone posted that surely there is a first aid station in the park but I hate the feeling of not having all my 'stuff' and no way to get to it. Am I the only one like that?

 

[cherries]

Hi,

Bringing peanut butter on a plane is very dangerous. Alot of people have life threatening peanut allergies and a drop could kill them.

J.

 

[Beck's mom]

We didn't need bug spray at all - never even saw a bug. Sunscreen most definitely. Meds and extra socks for sure!

I liked have energy bars and those nutritional drinks in cans, especially the morning we had a breakfast ressie at 10 am and the kids needed something to keep them going until then. Other than that the snacks were untouched (but we were on the dining plan).

Extra batteries for your camera! I was so glad to have them!

 

[dudedisney]

Cherries: The peanut butter is a small jar that stays sealed till we get to our hotel room. I'm a peanut butter freak and here's the ewwww part....I like to eat it by itself with a spoon. I read somewhere on the boards that if you put it in the checked luggage, they think it's a bomb or something so that's why I'm putting it in with the carryon stuff.

Nobody in the family thinks that's weird. They all think I'm weird for packing the meds but I don't want to be the one hunting Walmart at 1 a.m. Am I overreacting?

Beck's mom: I forget the batteries! Thanks! I'll add it to the list.

Oh, another thing...is 14 rolls of film enough? Of course, I have six sitting on the bar that haven't been developed yet. I'm the one who manages to get TWO christmases on one roll

 

[Amyg]

Unless you plan to buy some at the parks, I'd recommend some sort of hat, ball cap.

 

[Evil Queen]

Cherries: The peanut butter is a small jar that stays sealed till we get to our hotel room. I'm a peanut butter freak and here's the ewwww part....I like to eat it by itself with a spoon. I read somewhere on the boards that if you put it in the checked luggage, they think it's a bomb or something so that's why I'm putting it in with the carryon stuff.

Nobody in the family thinks that's weird. They all think I'm weird for packing the meds but I don't want to be the one hunting Walmart at 1 a.m. Am I overreacting?

Beck's mom: I forget the batteries! Thanks! I'll add it to the list.

Oh, another thing...is 14 rolls of film enough? Of course, I have six sitting on the bar that haven't been developed yet. I'm the one who manages to get TWO christmases on one roll

My son took 14 rolls of film and used 13 of them over the 6 days. He found batteries cheaper at the park, go figure!!!!

 

[daisyduck123]

*Ziploc bags

Our last trip I packed pretty well & had enough of everything except...not enough Ziploc bags. I use them for everything...used rolls of film, keeping stuff dry in the parks, etc.


*GOGGLES for swimming

My kids have a ball finding coins at the bottom of the water in the water parks (and find quite a bit too)

I also plan to bring a few of those small, squishy, foam type balls for the POP pool next time. This past May we saw several kids having a great time with theirs & we didn't have ours.

 

[K9pal]

So I won't be considered crazy for carrying a small medicine chest (not literally ) around with me? I take Tylenol, kids have to have chewable, DH takes Advil and DD is allergic so have to keep Benadryl handy.

Someone posted that surely there is a first aid station in the park but I hate the feeling of not having all my 'stuff' and no way to get to it. Am I the only one like that?

This stuff takes up so little space, and it's the sort of thing that when you need it, you need it NOW. So why depend on spending precious time (and inflated $$) trying to find it somewhere?

Bug spray? No
Suntan lotion? Probably a good idea for little ones and those with very fair skin, otherwise I wouldn't bother. I even buy trial size makeup.

I either buy trial size stuff (to save space), or put what I already have in smaller containers and label them.

Have fun!
aw:

 

[EthansMom]

So I won't be considered crazy for carrying a small medicine chest (not literally ) around with me? I take Tylenol, kids have to have chewable, DH takes Advil and DD is allergic so have to keep Benadryl handy.

Someone posted that surely there is a first aid station in the park but I hate the feeling of not having all my 'stuff' and no way to get to it. Am I the only one like that?

On our last trip, I took A LOT of OTC medecines. We ended up getting colds, pink eye, and DH had food poisoning one day. We probably used half of the medecines that I took, but I certainly didn't regret the overpacking! (I packed brand new, unopened bottles of the liquid medications so I didn't have to worry about spillage.)

I would pack the medecines and leave the snacks at home. If there are "MUST HAVE" snacks or foods/drinks, then for a $15 delivery charge, http://www.wegoshop.com will deliver $100 or less in food to your resort for you. Lots of people on the Budget board have given them good reviews.

I do take sun lotion, but during Fall/Winter, I would just leave it in the room and apply it when getting dressed. There's no reason to worry about reapplying sun lotion during the Fall unless it's particularly sunny or you've gone swimming. Likewise, you could carry one of those pill holders with a few of each person's medecines instead of taking each bottle to the parks. Refill as needed back at the room.

For souvenirs, try the stores at Downtown Disney -- the prices are the same as anywhere else at WDW, but you can spend a pretty leisurely evening going in the shops, having an icecream, buying some candy, etc...

Enjoy your trip!

 

[spotdog]

What is "glide cream" and where do you get it?

I am a pooh-shaped woman who got over my embarassment and went to first aid with raw upper inner thighs. The nurse was very understanding (and familiar with my problem) but the best they could offer was vaseline. It worked OK, but probably would has been best if I used it BEFORE my skin was nearly gone.

 

[jennymouse]

spotdog, I used Bodyglide. It comes in a dispenser like deoderant and I put it on my inner thighs & you can put it on your feet too to prevent blisters. I bought mine at the New Balance shoe store but they sell it at running shops too. I'm thinking a tube was around $9 but it's been a while since I bought it so I might not be remembering that right. It's wonderful stuff! I even carried it in my fanny pack and reapplied during the day when I started to feel a little friction. Especially needed during the hot months. I went the first week of February when it's much cooler so wore jeans/kahkis most of the time and didn't really need it.

 

[Julia M]

It's down to a couple of days now and I've got a table full of stuff that I don't know if I should pack or not. I've collected all the lists I could find and made my own, now I don't know WHAT to pack?

Do I really need to pack children's tylenol and benadryl? Bug spray? Pop tarts, oreos, crackers and peanut butter (carry-on, of course!), suntan lotion? Some things we have to have like Rolaids and laundry stuff but what do we REALLY need to have?

I usually pack the kitchen sink (but they provide that, right ) but this time, I'll be without a car. Every other time I have ever visited anywhere, I usually end up at Walmart . All my souvenirs have come from there...Phoenix Walmart...North Carolina Walmart...Panama City Walmart...shoulda booked my trip with them!

It's two days until the plane, help!

I always pack meds.......in fact, I keep our OTC meds in a mesh zipper bag, the kind for packing clothes in, even at home. It's in my vanity in the master bath. When we travel, I just grab it and pack it.

It's kind of big, but we have used it SO many times, it's been worth it for us. I've done this since 2001, when dh paid about $12 for some OTC medication at Port Orleans!

Julia

 

[Rella Bella]

What I haven't seen mentioned that I never go with out are the cheap ($1-2.00) rain poncho that you can pick up at Walmart or Target. We love them and have used them almost every trip. They are small and flat until used and we just keep them in our fanny pack (every family member wears one). After use we tuck them through our belts until they dry and then stuff them back in the fanny packs. They are much cheaper and more convient for carrying than the ones they sell in the Parks.

Also we always bring two pairs of broken in walking shoes for each walking family member... then trade off every other day. It really cuts down on blisters.

 

[annie1995]

We ended up using all of the stuff listed below. With the exception of the ear plugs, wish we had them though.
We also took benedryl, childrens advil, immodium AD ( nothing ruins a trip more than running to the bathroom every 10 minutes )
Ponchos
earplugs if your kids are sensitive to loud attractions
snacks and stuff for quick breakfasts in the room
suction cup hooks to hang up wet bathing suits in the shower
sunscreen
mini fans
batteries
laundry soap and dryer sheets

Hope that helps! Have fun on your trip. Ours seems like so long ago. (Really it's only been two weeks since we have been home )

 

[kgwoozle]

Duck Tape! I use it for preventing blisters, but you can use it for everything. Fixing luggage, clothes, marking h2o bottles on and on. I never travel w/out it.
I get the mall rolls at the Dollar Tree.

Baby powder or the like. I use it to prevent chafing and to fresh'n my shoes.

Although I'm going to take peoples advisee and try the body glide stuff.

 

[sandiegosusie]

I have an OTC travel case that we use all the time on our trips...I bought a clear travel shaving case at Walmart and filled it with the meds we use or may use. Pepto, Imodium, Benedryl, Advil, Tylenol, Children's Tylenol, cough drops, asthma inhaler, Dayquil and Tums. I keep a seperate first aid kit in the diaper bag. We bought our mini travel first aid kit for $1 at Target. We never travel without both of these items.

 

[gt0163c]

For me, here's what I generally take with me into the parks (in a smallish sized backpack.

Brita waterbottle with filter.
Ibuprophen and Aleve (pain killers of choice)
Bit of duct tape and some safety pins (for fixing things and the duct tape for preventing blisters)
Digital camera and 1 extra set of batteries in waterproof/shockproof case.
Fleece or long sleeve flannel shirt (my family goes at Thanksgiving, so it can be chilly at times)
If I'm pretty sure it's going to rain, lightweight rain coat. If I'm pretty sure it's going to rain a lot, lightweight rain pants (both are waterproof/breathable). If I don't think it's going to rain, $1 rain poncho.
Hat
small tube of sunscreen (I'm a red head)
Sunglasses and cleaning cloth
Snacks (powerbar, wheat thins, apple, chocolate (see note about going in November, so don't have to worry too much about melting) a sandwich if I'm not planning on buying lunch)
Leatherman micra (folding scissor and pocketknife. Keep this in my pocket at all times unless I'm on an airplane anyway. Never had a problem taking it into the parks, but I don't "advertise" that I've got it either).
Chap stick
Yo-yo (I'm a big kid)
Matchbox car (to help entertain me and my nephews)
Park maps
ID holder for passes

All that makes for a pack that weighs somewhere under 7lbs (less if I don't fill the water bottle up all the way or after I eat the food). Since I'm used to carrying a backpack with me just about everywhere I go, that's not a big deal for me.

In the past, I've taken my palm pilot (downloaded a couple of guide books, restaurant menus, show times, etc in advance. Also had a couple of books downloaded to read). I'm debating whether I want to do that again or possibly take my iPod. That would mostly be used while waiting for shows/parades or when I'm taking a break from the family (I love my family, but I'm not used to being around them (or anyone) 24/7. Sometimes I need to retreat from the world for bit). I've got a waterproof/shockproof case for my iPod (similiar to the one for my camera). Just not sure if I would really use it enough to justify having it. Anyone have any suggestions on that one?

 

[dandee00]

Duck Tape! I use it for preventing blisters, but you can use it for everything. Fixing luggage, clothes, marking h2o bottles on and on. I never travel w/out it.
I get the mall rolls at the Dollar Tree.

Hi
I laughed hysterically when I say this...because I use duck tape for everything!!!!
Red Green would be pleased with us. AHhh Red Green is a Canadian comedy show and he (Red Green) uses duck tape for everything. Even decorating a Xmas tree!!!