What did you take that you shouldn't have

becca011906

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Mar 23, 2005
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Ok we are trying to save up some space and i need to know what we should leave at home. I know a few years ago on our first trip w/ kids we took a bag full of toys from home... that was dumb! LOL they never played with them b/c we just bough new stuff the played with more or were gone so much they weren't there to play with it, ect. what eles is suff you can not take.... i'm starting to compile dried food we can take along vs buying it all down there, like cerel, juice, muffin mixes, ect. i'd like to be able to go into the store get only like milk, eggs, ect. and then get out, so need some space, we are taking our car (intrepid) and the trunk is all we have for space since 3 car seats will take up the whole back seat!
 
I agree about the toys! We are also planning to pack much less in the way of clothing this time around since we have a washer/dryer in the house that we are renting.
 
Do you have a lugagge carrier on top? We will be driving our Montana from MI in June. Most of the "stuff" is going up top. You can purchase carriers for cars that don't have a rack. It's a great space saver.
 
I was going to tell you not to bring food or snacks if you'll be on the Dining Plan, but after reading thru your post, I don't think you're doing the DP.

If you're going during school....schoolbooks were a waste for us.
We always take the kids out of school & only one time brought DD11's Algebra book.....it was a big book & an even bigger waste of space - she didn't touch it.

For our last trip, I also told the kids they couldn't bring any more stuffed animals...because they always choose new ones when we're down there.
 

We way over packed last summer.

1st off is the toys. We are cutting ours down to just a couple. My son watches movies as we drive there. The toys we brought for the timeshare was a waste.

2nd for us is food. We are staying at our timeshare agian, but there a super Wal-Mart not far down the road. Very affordable.

Do you have a washer and dryer? Cutting back on the clothes really pays off. And you know you will buy some while at Disney.

I would say we are planning about half the stuff from last year.
 
What did I take that I shouldn't have? My FIL...just joking, he was a total grouch the whole trip. Other than that- I wouldn't take so many clothes, just wash partway through the trip. Ditto on the toys, dd4 didn't touch most of the ones we brought with us and the grandparents kept buying new toys whenever we turned around.
 
Even if you don't have your own washer/dryer in your unit, I would recommend cutting way down on the clothes you bring and doing laundry mid-trip. I brought twice as many clothes as I needed last trip, and plan to cut way back next time.

Also, if you have a car, I wouldn't bring any food with you. As another poster said, you can buy food when you get there (as long as you have a car to get to the store). Will save you tons of room.
 
From the first trip we made 9 years ago to now we have cut out bunches of stuff. We don't take beach towels, fewer cloths (we would rather sit around the pool while doing doing laundry), fewer shoes. Wo do take a suit case of food then use the suit case to bring home souvineers. We found that we did not use so much of what we took the first time and each time take a little less.
 
We will also be traveling with my mom and step dad and they have an S10 pick up truck that they are driving, so we do have the back of it, if need be, but ya never know what weatehr will be like, so it's kinda questionable till closer to time if we can use it or not...
my thinking to bring along most of the dried goods was that i could cheeply go to the local store (p... something) vs having to go to walmart that is loud crazy and NUTS down there as i remember it being last time or 3 i was there!!!
 
10 other family members...does that count? Next trip, it will just be the 3 of us. Too many family members before to please everyone. We were at Epcot and 2 hours later, some were ready to leave. Are they kidding me!!!
 
Ok we are trying to save up some space and i need to know what we should leave at home. I know a few years ago on our first trip w/ kids we took a bag full of toys from home... that was dumb! LOL they never played with them b/c we just bough new stuff the played with more or were gone so much they weren't there to play with it, ect. what eles is suff you can not take.... i'm starting to compile dried food we can take along vs buying it all down there, like cerel, juice, muffin mixes, ect. i'd like to be able to go into the store get only like milk, eggs, ect. and then get out, so need some space, we are taking our car (intrepid) and the trunk is all we have for space since 3 car seats will take up the whole back seat!
I find every year I take less clothes. I do laundry there now. It save a lot room in the suitcase. The better to buy souviners. LOL I don't care for their blow dryers but I use theirs anyway again I am saving valuable space.
 
Last time I brought waayyy to many clothes. Especially for the kids! I thought, oh, they might get dirty, messy, have an accident, whatever. I brought SO many clothes, half of them didn't even get worn. Plus, my son found a t-shirt he LOVED, and wanted to wear it every other day, so I was doing laundry anyway.

Another vote for not bringing any food, especially if you're driving. Only bring some snacks to eat in the car, and then any "must haves" for your kiddos - for instance, my girls used to love those Gerber Fruit Puffs, and they would almost always distract them if they were on the verge of a flippy fit. I knew there was gonna be no where on Disney property to find those! The last few times I went I always packed snacks, and know what? I either threw them away or brought them right back home.
 
If you'll have your car, I wouldn't bring so much food with you. If you make a list, the grocery store trip should be pretty fast anyway. I also agree that if you have laundry facilities to bring fewer clothes. Last time we packed for the whole trip, but there was a washer and dryer in our condo and I ended up doing laundry anyway!
 
Dump the toys. Take half the clothes, and wash halfway though. Buy food at Publix or Super Walmart once you get there, the space you save will help, and it won't cost you any more to buy the food there then it will at home. Also, snacks for the trip. No big boxes-take small size packs for each child.
No chocolate or other items that will melt or get sticky. Take nothing that children can make a mess with-once you get there you will have enough to clean up from the back seat.
 
I've learned to not take as many clothes and do laundry. I take a bag of different snacks for the trip down and back. I go to Wal Mart down there and get a few items..this really saves on space.We each take a pair of sneakers and a nice pair of sandals...so less shoes than before. I leave the hair dryer at home. I leave the toys at home too.
 
Like most posters, I think you can eliminate a lot of clothes. When we drive to destinations, we tend to get lazy and overpack for all contingencies. So now I pack what I think I'll need, then unpack half of it--and I'm still overpacking! Your individual wardrobe items should all coordinate with one another and work as layers, so you can adjust to the weather accordingly. Sure, it may be boring, but who cares if you end up wearing the same sweatshirt every day?

I also recommend doing laundry halfway through a trip; I always take an morning/afternoon/evening away from the parks and do laundry. You'd think it would feel like time wasted, but it gives me some down time to rest, read a book while the laundry's being done, and return to the parks refreshed. (Shhhh...don't tell anyone, but I even do laundry the night before we leave, so most of our clothes are clean when we get home.) Do bring, however, two pairs of good walking shoes to alternate.

Other space savers: I agree with other posters that might consider buying food once you get there. Sure, you might need to face the local Publix, but it would give you extra space. And I find the prices in the area slightly higher than my home, but not so much that I would bring too much stuff with me. (Exception: I have some foods that I eat that aren't available everywhere, so I bring those with me.)

You can eliminate the need to bring bottled water, if you do so, if you invest water filtration systems. (Bring a Brita pitcher instead of bottle water and refill.) You might also consider shipping things to your hotel, although it seems like you're also looking for cost-cutting measures.

Eliminate or seriously minimize the toys/traveling distractions, both for your party's children and adults.

I'm sure you'll have a great time, and lessening the amount of stuff you bring will help you maximize your trip. Good luck!
 
Just back (from land/sea so our list may be a little different) and here are things I overpacked and didn't need:

* way too many clothes
* rain ponchos/umbrella
* electronic toys to keep kids busy on plane (they were too excited to do anything)
* extra book for me (no time to read anyway)
* too much laundry stuff (I didn't want to waste time on vacation - I did one load of jeans)
* too many clothes
* medication for every condition known to man
* diet shakes for breakfast (what was I thinking?!)
* shaker cup for said shakes
* extra sunglasses (but you never know!)
* jewelry - should have left it at home
* books for DS and DD
 
Ditto lots of what's already been listed. Too many clothes, too many extra toys and books, too many princess outfits (dd said they were too itchy). This time one toy & one book per child. The kids had too much fun watching the bedtime stories on the WDW channel than having a story read!

And this time NO over-the-door shoe bag. I just found it to be a pain. I've been packing everything in zip-lock bags ever since the last trip, and those keep me better organized! And it's one less thing to schlep!
 














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