What do you all do the day before you leave for WDW?

[disney daft dad]

Usually I do last of the housework...why I don't know 'cos we go to WDW for 3 weeks and the dust when we get back is shocking!!! anyway, I digress... this year though will be sooo different we are flying to Gatwick on the Sunday night for an early flight over on the Monday am, which is fine, except Friday, Saturday and Sunday I am at my company conference halfway down the country,

so the day before we go on holiday I shall be nursing a hangover, from the gala dinner and awards ceremony on the Saturday night, catching a flight from Manchester UK to Edinburgh meeting the family at the airport, swapping suitacses with my in-laws who will take all my work stuff home with them and catch the next flight down to Gatwick!!!!!

Oh Lordy perhaps it's a good thing I shall be doing this hungover....no normal person in their right mind would do this at the best of times, but in December!!!! Chances of snow, hail and ice are pretty high, and here in the UK even though we know it's coming our transportation networks cannot cope with bad weather!!!!!!!!

The oys, but then I'd clearly do anything to get to Florida for my "Disney Fix"

Disney Daft Mum

Val
xx

 

[CindyAnn]

This year we'll be leaving for WDW bright and early on December 27th, just like we did last year. We have a completely normal Christmas on the 25th (artificial tree, though so it will survive for 2 1/2 weeks without us!). On Boxing Day, however, I swing into action, and if you're living in this house, you'd better swing with me! We don't have a lot of extra space to pack ahead of time, so I have EXTREMELY detailed packing lists, including what goes in what bag. I do most of the actual packing while the kids pack their toy bags and DH runs around to the drugstore for last minute things and video store (to rent videos for the car) and carries things up and downstairs. At least the children are content playing with all their new Christmas stuff, so the # fights per hour is lower than usual and I can actually get stuff accomplished.

We pretty much devote the whole day to packing/getting ready, although I somehow have to squeeze in a trip to the Boxing Day sales to get new ski jackets/pants for the kids this year.

 

[Laura]

I make out a list of items I will bring well ahead of the trip. If I need something before the trip, I buy it. The day before I do not take off of work, but I do laundry and pack the night before. I check flights, weather, make sure I have guidebooks and maps, go over my list and make sure I have everything, including plane tickets!

Having a packing list helps me a lot. In the past I would forget important things like my contact lens solution. But having a list handy (and adding to it as I remember things) really helps me a lot when it comes time for packing.

 

[disneydiva58]

HI guys, Well I leave for disney on monday sept 15th at 5am. Well lucky me, I have to work sunday night from 3pm until midnight (not counting the 1/2 hour ride home) The question is.....What are the chances that I will be able to sleep for 3 hours before the trip? But it really doesnt matter because "IM GOING TO DISNEY WORLD'........And yes, 1 week to go and im already packed...

 

[toystoryduo]

What do we do the day before we leave for WDW?

SLEEP (We have an 18 hour drive ahead of us...)

We also pick up our car rental, and do any last minute things that need to be done. We try to keep busy or sleep so that time goes by faster, but it doesn't always work that way!

We went to WDW in May of this year and DD (age 2.5) had a blast! Now, when we go this time, we'll just tell her we have to go "somewhere" . Otherwise, she will be so hyper that she won't sleep on the way down (we are leaving @ 8:00 p.m. so the kids sleep most of the way) and that will make us all cranky. Plus, it will be so much fun to drive by Disney and have her realize that we are there. She knows we're going... just not when!

Have a great vacation everyone!

 

[3for Me]

This year will be different for me too, because this time the trip is a surprise for our kids.

So... that means that all the packing (and planning) has to be top secret. They are still too young to have a clue as to the planning, they just think it is for another upcoming trip - sometime. But they WOULD get suspicious with the packing thing.

I don't know how I'm going to do it, but it will either take some of the fun out of it (having to sneak around that is) or it will make it more fun to have to be so sneaky.

Bottom line - the days before we leave should be VERY interesting - and I can relate to the last minute Walgreens run for things I will NEVER use!!

 

[Micca]

I like to get out the luggage the weekend prior to the trip and gradually add things to it for a few days. I like to keep the day before the trip a fairly normal day. I got tired of taking a bunch of stuff we never use, so I try to minimize. Anything we could need is at WDW. I know it's more expensive there, but I'll hedge my bets that I won't need it anyway.

 

[sters]

Our flight leaves at 6pm on a Monday night, so we have to race from picking up the kids from school to get to the airport 2 hours ahead of time. Therefore, I like the seed some of you have planted about getting a manicure/pedicure the day of. Any spa treatment done locally has got to be cheaper than the Grand Floridian, right? And it will extend the "vacation!" What a relaxing way to begin a trip! Of course, that means I'd have to be organized and done cleaning and packing an entire day ahead of time... hmmm, can that be done? So, to answer the original question, the day before will probably be spent cleaning my house, finalizing our packing, touching base with our extended family.

 

[jscharf]

I will be packing, shopping, cleaning, writing notes to school...Lol I still have done nothing It just doesnt feel like it is all most time yet. But it is single digits Woo hoo

 

[KaraS]

I can tell you what NOT do to the day before you leave - plan on coming home from a business trip! I rarely travel for work, but the week before our last trip I had to be out of town for some meetings. My flight was supposed to get in at 5:00-ish the night before we left for Orlando, but due to some mechanical delays I got stuck in Detroit for a few hours. I didn't end up getting home until about 10:00. I have never been so stressed out in my life as I was sitting in Detroit!! I was sure I wasn't going to get home!

Luckily I had done most of the packing ahead of time, because we had to get up at about 4:00am to leave for the airport again. I didn't really start relaxing and enjoying our vacation until about the third day.

So this time, I think we are going to leave on a Monday so I'll be nice and calm and organized when we leave!

 

[sanilacjack]

This year will be different as we are leaving the day after Thanksgiving....

....so I guess I will be EATING!!!....DRINKING!!....and...BE MERRY because...

1. I'm not cooking and doing dishes this year(how can I have a family dinner the day before our trip????)

2. I'm going to see the mouse. Look out!!!

-Kim

 

[ead79]

I work during the day, then pack at night. Exciting, huh? Of course, I usually don't get as much sleep as I would like since I'm so excited.

 

[kimbac3]

I AM having Thanksgiving Dinner at my house!! We leave the Saturday after . It's probably going to be crazy!!! 15 PEOPLE!!!
I'm going to be running around like a mad woman on friday!!
Wish me luck!!

Kimba

 

[wdwnut2]

What a fun thread!
We leave on a Friday, so our day before will be Thursday. I was planning on working, but now I've decided to leave around noon (thanks to this thread!). I'm sure I will leave work, do the Walgreens run (as so many others), come home and do my last minute laundry/packing. I have no intention of cooking (technically I'll already be on vacation!), so we will either order pizza or get take-out Chinese. The rest of the evening will be spent asking my husband (aka The Procrastinator) "Are you going to pack yet?" at 15 minute intervals. Finally I will go to bed, at which time DH will decide that he should pack! It happens every vacation, I've gotten very good at sleeping with the light on and a suitcase next to me on the bed!

 

[kilee]

Work. No matter what day we leave on I have to work the day before we leave. Nobody does my job while I'm gone. So, I spend the whole day making sure everylittle thing is done. This way when I get back the overload isn't quite so bad. The plus side-- the day goes by fast.

I plan my trips for months on end too. The one thing I drag my feet about doing is packing. I don't mind packing, but I feel like I'm always doing that last load of wash (that has something I want to take in it).

 

[minster22]

Great idea for a thread!!!! Each trip is a bit different, depending on who is going with me. This next time I am going with my best friend for 18 days!!!! We have planned and saved for this trip for 18 months now and the excitement even this far out is sometimes overwhelming. Since hubby is not coming this time, a good part of my day prior to flying will be making sure he is well taken care of in the food, laundry, ironed clothes for work, someone to clean the house etc. departments. I also will leave a beautiful card and note for him thanking him for being the kind of husband who supports his wife in her crazy Disney addiction. Then my buddy and I will drive to Boston , check into an airport hotel and then take a cab/bus to Santarpios for a great pizza pie dinner. Then pray we can sleep for a few hours before the 7am flight!!

 

[Alice28]

I've been to WDW twice and this is what we did:

First time, the day before we were getting married!! We opened gifts at my parents house on Sunday, exchanged a few things (since the day after we came back from Florida I was packing up and moving out of state to join hubby--wouldn't have time to exchange when I got home), and took the red-eye to Florida at 11:45 PM.

Second time, the day before we both worked, I cleaned the house (I hate coming home to a messy house), took the dog to a friend's home and spent the night at an airport motel. $59 for the night for the hotel and being able to leave the car there was cheaper than 10 days of parking at the airport. We tried to go to bed early, but didn't fall asleep until after 11 and had to be up at 4:15.

This time- I will probably be running around making lists for my mother in law (she is coming up to help DH watch the boys while I am gone), making sure the house is in order, and giving my kids tons of kisses and hugs. I know I will miss them a lot, but this trip is for me to relax and have some fun!

 

[RUSHBURY]

Our 2 cats go to the cattery for their 'happy holidays'.

I drive everyone mad with my arrangements and cleaning the house.

Then when it's time to set off for the airport hotel I start to panic incase I've forgotten to pack something.

A couple of drinks at the airport hotel and then I know that my holiday has started.

Helen

 

[diznee25]

because we're getting married the day before we leave for WDW!!

So that day will be busy for us. Have the wedding & reception in Manitou Spgs. Drive back to Colorado Springs at 4pm to pick up our luggage, lock the house, etc. and then drive to Denver because we're flying out of DIA the next morning.

Diznee25

 

[Castillo Mom]

So nobody relaxes the day before?!