Stuff you wish you had packed/did ahead of time last time you went to WDW

[Amber Leigh]

Batteries. Batteries. BATTERIES. If you have to end up buying batteries you are SO gonna regreat it for they cost and arm and a leg and maybe even the other leg in the parks.

Sunblock, extra clothing, toys, copies of any kind of conformation number you have gotten until this point. Never know when you will need it. Umm... any comfort items your children may have. The basics.

We found these GREAT things at walmart for washing clothing. I don't know the name of them but they are a detergent AND a dryer sheet in one. It's not a liquid, but in the form of the sheets. VERY useful and easy to use if you are required to wash anything in your hotel room for any reason. And much lighter/takes up less space then bringing liquid detergent.

And this is not anything you can bring with you, but if you have ANY plans to eat out at any location, ESPECIALLY character dining, the moment you read this call (407) WDW-DINE and make your reservations now. Even if you are not sure, just considering, still call and make a reservation. You can always cancel it later, but if you wait until you get there, you're choices will be very limited.

 

[mom of princess]

For my daughters 1st trip (she was 3 1/2) we made sure to take sandwich sized ziploc bags since she never finished eating everything at any of the meals but amazingly was hungry 10 minutes later. They are also handy for carrying a wet washcloth to wipe hot, sweaty faces that are whining at mom & dad.
We also took one of those folding toilet seats since she was afraid of falling into the toilet in the park (and they are slightly gross and germy). And with those we also had the wet flushable wipes with us. Those were good for hands, seats, faces, getting food off of clothing, etc.
We did have to get a local pharmacy to deliver stool-softener tablets since she has a problem going to the bathroom while on vacation. I had to ask at the front-desk of our hotel and they put it on our room charge. It ended up being less than if we would have bought them at walmart before our trip - and it included a delivery charge!!

At our last trip she was 5 and we brought my ipod & speakers to play some bedtime music. It calmed us all down and helped to relax us to sleep. We did forget to bring a nightlight this time so we just had the curtains open a little bit to allow some light into the room.
Hope you enjoy your trip!! Wish it was us again!

 

[jacksmom]

Small packs of laundry detergent (or those new laundry sheets) and quarters in case you need to do a load or two of laundry (you can pack less if so), Batteries (even more than you think!) (I filled a whole film card and started on another), Large plastic bags (for camera, etc on wet rides), baggies for kids snacks to take in backpack, extra outlet plug for room if you have lots of phones or other electronics to plug in, hand sanitizer for backpack (to use often to keep away germs), small first aid kit with plenty of bandaids for those small accidents, small flashlight for dark rides (for small kids), small air spray for bathroom, quarters and pennies (if you have kids that want to do penny presses)! A copy of your ADR's for your backpack, Hidden Mickey book (if your into finding hidden mickeys), small packs of drink mixes for water bottles, and lots of ponchos!

 

[RitaFaye94]

Small packs of bubbles (like the ones from weddings or birthday parties) to keep the kiddos occupied while waiting in line.

Ziploc bags - I didn't take a full diaper bag in with me - I put supplies & a change of clothes in gallon bags and left in the bottom of the stroller. No bag check for them, plus no fear of the bag being stolen by someone looking for valuables.

 

[HMJ15]

I skimmed through here, so my apologies if it was mentioned... Aloe. I learned that one the hard way. lol. We found that ponchos from Wal-Mart were better quality than ones we've bought at Disney. We always have our sneakers for walking and sandals/flip-flops to change into in case it rains. So pretty much every afternoon. At least 2 of us have backpacks to keep the change of footwear (and ponchos) available at the parks. Always have a sweatshirt/pants even if it's supposed to be warmer, because the nights can get chilly! Chapstick, gum/mints, snacks, tissues, bug spray, and extra contact lenses and solution (if applicable) are all important items, too. Also, we have a folding/collapsible suitcase so we can pack our clothes in that and the souvenirs in the sturdier one that held the clothes on the trip down. Oh, and moleskin is amazing!

 

[mvansear]

Have a great trip!!! My cannot forget items are a multipurpose tool, buy them at hardware store, has screwdriver scizzors, ect. MOLESKIN, saved our lives at disney!! Fun favorite thing is a roll of quarters and new pennies (you can ask for them at the bank). There are pressed coin machines all over the parks that take 2 quarters and 1 penny fun cheap and great souvineer.

 

[minniebeth]

We send out a lot of postcards, so one of the best tips I've gotten here is to: write out address labels ahead of time to who we are sending the postcards to and then just place them on the postcards when mailing. Not only does it save time, but having to bring all my contacts (addresses) with me too. And to go along with it, bring postcards stamps with you too if you plan on mailing any.

 

[SarahinNO]

I never seem to have:

Mole skin
Scissors
safety pin or 2
Lip balm with spf

Also do a trial run of the bag/pack you will be using in the parks. In theory something sounds perfect, but if half way through day 1 a strap is bothering you, it won't get any better!

 

[SarahinNO]

Have a great trip!!! My cannot forget items are a multipurpose tool, buy them at hardware store, has screwdriver scizzors, ect. MOLESKIN, saved our lives at disney!! Fun favorite thing is a roll of quarters and new pennies (you can ask for them at the bank). There are pressed coin machines all over the parks that take 2 quarters and 1 penny fun cheap and great souvineer.

If you like doing the pressed coin souvenirs, the concierge can give you a list of all the machines all over the world