The day before you leave on your WDW vacation are you...

[Sparkly]

The night before it's chaos packing and checking we have everything, a takeaway and then driving to Gatwick to stay overnight in a hotel. Sometimes a Disney film if we remember. Then next morning, our flight awaits!

 

[NormaG]

I'm notorious for planning and packing WAY WAY WAY too early... lol... I'll be lucky if I can wait till a few weeks before we leave to pack our bags

This is me, too! I asked my kids at 45 days if it was too early to start packing...they looked at me like I was crazy!

This time we have an 8th grade baseball game a hour away from home on our "Disney Eve" so it will definitely be a panicky night for me! it is certainly worth the stress, though!

 

[rsimon]

in a panic running like crazy, packing, prepping and stressing to get out the door OR are you bored and relaxed watching the clock hoping time passes quickly?

Just a normal day of activity for us. I don't even start packing until right before I go to bed and a few things in the morning before we leave.

Of course, I am that way with all my trips..

 

[Amirah95]

We drive down from NJ so we pack quite early the day before. (we are already packing and we still have 16 days to go before we leave). By noon, I like to have the bags packed and sitting near the front door.

I take the Jeep out and gas it up and fill any other fluids that need filling and back it into the driveway. By 5 or 6 pm, I like to have the Jeep packed with everything but our drinks and snacks.

We leave at 4 am the next day and finish those few last minute items that include the tickets and money for the trip.

We are usually pretty relaxed because we have done this for several years this way. Only issue is trying to fall asleep at an early enough time to get some quality hours of sleep in before we leave.

What time do you make it down to FL?

 

[lisatx04]

I usually pack the day before. Went shopping yesterday for some new clothes, so I just have to put them in the suitcase. The kids are old enough to pack for themselves. Dogs will go to the kennel on Disney Eve, but earlier in the day so I can get some house cleaning done. DD will be working that night,, so DS and I will grab dinner out so there won't be any dishes to do. Sleep? For me, definitely not--too excited! For my kids, they can sleep through anything, they are teenagers!

We leave in 8 days!

 

[Indio]

We're usually done packing. We always leave on Saturday so we work all or most of the day on Friday. Get home, load the cars (we travel with our entire family - 10 of us in 3 cars), then go out for pizza (all 10 of us) - don't want to mess the house up again. The kids are always so giddy and silly - Pizza Hut is always a blast the night before we leave. Then it's back home and try to get to bed early enough to get at least a little sleep before we leave. We usually leave at 4 am. Fun Stuff! I love the day before vacation!

 

[tsme]

I am fully packed & driving to a hotel by the airport we will be flying out of. We stay the night before in a hotel close to the airport because we live about 3hrs from it & have to travel thru two large cities that are known for traffic jams. Don't want to chance missing our flight!

 

[LovesTimone]

The Day before, I check and recheck the list, go through the suitcases once or twice ... Make notes for my DD and Her DH or the Dog Sitter, make sure that out travel clothes are laid out, and run any last errands. I do get my hair trimmed up and nails done normally they day before we leave, or the day before. I have everything ready so when DH gets home we are on vacation time, we normally go out to dinner somewhere relaxing. Then try to get a good nights rest.

Now when we had DD at home it was a different scenario all the way around. Running around like crazy...

 

[Woodeeee]

Pretty much packed. I usually work the night before we leave.
This time we are staying at the Fort, so tomorrow we need to get to the grocery store and bring down what we can and just stop to buy cold stuff when we are almost there. Also, getting the oil changed in the car since we will be out and about.

Since I am working, the house cleaning is getting done as I type. LOL

Then its off we go!

 

[Networth]

Walk to the car. Drive away.

We pack before hand and I load the car the day/night before.

 

[andyman8]

Considering we usually leave in the evening for WDW, that day is full of excitement counting down and occasionally sneaking in WDW television specials throughout the week before. I'm a self-proclaimed last-minute packer packing about an hour before we leave. That said, we live 2.5 hours away, so we don't really have a flight to catch or anything. I do use a detailed list though and check and double-check quite a bit to make sure I have everything.

 

[klmall]

DH is much like the "12 pairs of underwear for 5 days" packing at last minute kind of guy while I have carefully made lists of exactly what outfits I want to wear and prepared them ahead. Then while I am re-checking my suitcase he holds everything up in front of me and wants me to evaluate everything he's packed....huh? You're an adult, you've been to Disney more than 10 times so just figure it out yourself

This year will be only the second time we have driven down to Disney as a family and DH just announced the other day that he wants to spend the two nights before we check into BLT relaxing at a DTD hotel. That means I will work on Friday until 6:00 pm or later and then have to come home and finish packing while the rest of the family will have packed earlier hopefully. We'll leave by 6:00 AM for Florida and I know I will not sleep the night before.....

But this Disney Eve is bound to be better than the one in 2007 when a big snow storm was heading our way and we drove to the airport with the car packed to use just in case our plane didn't make it into Baltimore to take us south. I packed the car for a car trip and us for a plane ride - almost double work but our plane did arrive and we got out on time for our MVMCP that night!

 

[Gilrond]

I make lists months in advance and pack everything but the clothes about 3 days before. Since I usually go in December, I make the final decision about the right clothes from the warm vs cold weather lists based on the latest weather report on the night before.

 

[jackieinJuneau]

I don't get stressed but so excited its almost the same thing! My husband and I work half days. Drop off the cats. Double check our packed bags and reservation details. Pack our carry on's, make sure electronics are charged. Clean a little, go out to dinner and try to sleep!

 

[JerseyTink]

Was reading through and thought I would add... this year will be a little more hectic because we are SURPRISING my DD7 with the trip! So I have to pack discreetly (thats really hard when you want to pack in June for a September trip ) Luckily, she has a whole new wardrobe to wear at Disney

On Disney Eve I will prob also be a nervous wreck because we are boarding our 1yr old puppy who has never been away from us before (more than a few hours in the day, etc). She's staying for eight nights and im worried she will stress out and not be able to handle it!

This year we are leaving on a wednesday in September, flight is at 7am... we are planning to wake DD7 up and tell her to get ready for school (wonder if she'll notice we're waking her three hours early ) and then have a big box of balloons and toys and a "im going to disney world" shirt for her to open in the living room... I cant wait to see her face when we tell her to put on the shirt so we can leave for the airport

Have you ever considered taking your puppy to the kennel for a couple of days and a night before you go? That way she will get to understand that somebody will take care of her and that she will be going home to her family after. Puppies usually have a great time in the kennel. They get to romp and play and nobody tells them no.It is their version of summer camp.

 

[JerseyTink]

The only somewhat stressful part of the night before any vacation is the inevitable argument I will have with DH about his insane need to overpack. It goes like this EVERY SINGLE YEAR:

Me: Why are you bringing 3 extra shirts?
DH: I might spill something on myself.
Me: You can bring 1 extra shirt. If you spill that much, we'll start putting a bib on you.

Me: Who needs 12 pair of underwear for a 5 day trip?
DH: Just in case.
Me: When was the last time you crapped your pants?
DH: <looks at me in defeat>
Me: You can bring 1 extra pair. If you have some weird pants crapping episode, we'll go to the store and buy you more.

This goes on and on with similar discussions over his shoes, pants and socks. It's really more comical than stressful. I just don't get the need to pack like he's going to be gone for a month when we will be gone for a week.

I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face. Thanks!!

 

[dfherrera]

What time do you make it down to FL?

Depending on how often we stop to pee, about 9:30pm the day we leave.

 

[lizzyb]

Doing last minute packing and waiting for time to pass.