I used to be good at this. I did 10 days at WDW every year for over a decade, then in 2019 I had a major surgery and next year we all know what happened, so my last trip was 2018. I'll be going this year in late May and I'm sitting here making lists for everything, and lists of my lists. I don't remember what stuff I'm going to end up forgetting!
For reference, I'm 40 years old and severely disabled with systemic RA. I have extreme balance and stamina issues; I can slowly hobble across a small-ish room using my cane, I can make it from the bed to the bathroom at the hotel, but I have a personal
scooter for outside the room. I can't get on most rides, so I spend my time lazily wandering the parks and looking at things, and eating. A lot of eating. I'll be alone for 5 days and with a friend for 6.
What do you forget to bring, or what do you wish you had brought, or would have brought if you'd had space? I'm bringing 2 large packed suitcases and it's just me for 10 days, since I prefer to overpack. It doesn't hurt anything and packing light inevitably leads to paying out the rear onsite for bits and bobs. I'd rather bring it and not need it. Over the years I did learn to bring scissors for a dozen different reasons, and duct tape to reinforce the scooter's cup-holders and basket (it's an old scooter, lol). I seem to recall there was a coat hanger issue a couple of times, too, and I used to have a wedge door stop that stayed in the frame since I can't bend over to pick it back up when I'm on my own.
What would you bring that I'm probably going to forget?
- If you use a national chain pharmacy (CVS or Walgreen's) for your medication, make sure you have their app in your smartphone, and have made your account already prior to the trip. That way, if your doctor's office has to call something in for you while you are in Orlando, you will be prepared.
- I always take at least 3 extra days worth of medicine with me. Never have needed it, but it's a superstition now! LOL
- Extra zip-lock bags of different sizes. They can keep things dry, they can keep things organized. They can hold little things that might get lost in hotel drawers, they can hold the rest of a snack you want to eat later. Just so handy!
- Blue painters tape: you can use it in so many ways, and it won't harm 98% of the surfaces you stick it to. It's easy to tear by hand (I have RA too, so I know
) and can be used to hold curtains closed, tape cupholders to
ECVs 
hold things closed/open... very handy, and will even stick to most fabrics in a pinch! Bonus extra: Blue painter's tape can be "flat packed" (meaning that you unroll a strip, and then "re-roll" it, only without the big cardboard ring in the center... or you can Google "how to flat pack tape" to see
YouTube videos of another equally easy way to fold tape for travel). You can take a LOT of tape with you, without taking up a lot of space this way. I prefer the wider width tape, only because you can always make it narrower, but it's dang near impossible to make it wider without some real magic!!!
- Clean, brightly colored cotton bandanas. I use the heck out of these on every trip. Tie your hair back/up. Run one through the handles of your shopping bags to make a single, soft fabric handle. Hold a sweaty cold cup on hot days, (and then have a cool, damp cloth for the back of your neck) or hold a hot/warm cup on cool nights (and have a cozy makeshift scarf to keep the back of your neck warm!) Tie one somewhere on your
ECV to help it stand out in the crowd; that way you can tell the CM who is helping you find your ECV after a ride/attraction that it's the one with the lime green bandana tied to the front basket! There are *dozens* of uses for these, and I try to take a clean one (packed in it's own little zip-lock bag to keep it clean in my purse) for every day of the trip! (Or every day of your laundry cycle)
- Door stop. Full stop, do not travel without it.
Go here, buy one.
- Reusable plastic/metal/etc. straws. Especially if you want/need a straw when at AK.
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Consider this folding walker (remember that the airline will let you bring this for free - no extra bag fees - because it is a medical mobility device) for use in the hotel room. It folds to the size of an umbrella stroller, and at my family's insistence, I now have one for travel, and I have to say... I like having that extra stability when I am away from home.
-
This stuff. It packs flat, is machine washable, and I take a 30" length of it to put on the floor of the roll-in shower, and another 30" length to put on the floor *outside* the roll-in shower for safety. Buy the 24" width!
- When you need more than blue painter's tape, use
Velcro One Wrap. I always travel with this, and I am always glad I have some with me! We have used it to hang things off of other things, to hold things closed that don't want to, to hold things open that ought to... In all seriousness, I use it to secure my folding cane to my personal mobility device so it doesn't get lost. I use it to hold my cupholder on my device so that I can mount it where it's handy for me. I use it (cut in small strips) to hold bike lights on my device for after dark at WDW. (always mount them as low as you can, so they don't blind the little ones who are stuck down at street level in their strollers!) There are lots of things you will find this useful for!
- Laundry detergent pods (I pack these in a single row, inside zip lock bags, then slide them single file down inside an empty paper towel tube, and tuck them along the side of the suitcase to help prevent squishiness). I always pack at least one more load of pods than I plan on using; that way if there is a laundry emergency, I'm good... and if I don't need them, I leave them in the laundry room for someone who might.
- Clothes pins: so that I can hang garments to dry properly on the clothes line in the bathroom.
- At least one extra pair of comfy shoes. WDW is not a fashion show, so bring at least one extra pair of comfy shoes, because even if you won't be walking, your feet will thank you for changing shoes at least once per day. Personally, I always bring my favorite pair of
Crocs when we go to Disney, because if it rains, they will dry out quickly, and you can wear them around the pool, laundry area, etc. and no one will mind. You can even wash them in the Parks in a bathroom sink if they get too dirty/sweaty, and they can be dried quickly and completely with a paper towel if need be.
- Chargers for every electronic device you bring.
- A multi-outlet extension cord or power strip if you have a lot of stuff to charge.
- Packing Cubes. I don't leave home without them now. I used to think it was a bunch of nonsense, and then I tried them on one trip, and WOW was I amazed! Most of my clothes are cotton leggings and cotton shirts, so they can be rolled up, and packed tightly anyway - and the packing cubes not only hold more "stuff", but I am much more organized. I like the smaller cubes - I have one for each day of my trip, and I can preplan outfits that way. On longer trips where we will be doing laundry (so less clothes = more room for souvenirs!) I don't try to make cubes for each day, but rather for each type of clothes. I hang my clothes as soon as I am in the room to help release any wrinkles... and again - it's WDW, it's not a fashion show, so I don't worry too much if something is a little wrinkled from the suitcase. (patterns hide wrinkles better than solid colors, FYI!)
I'm weird, so years ago, I started this goofy thing I do where I made a 3 x 5 card with the name of each thing I wanted to take, and I store those in my suitcase. (Think of things like toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.) Then, as I packed, I took the stack of cards, and replaced each card with the item I wanted to pack. Seems silly, but it works for me. When I get home, I take the stack, and edit it with things I found I didn't need, and add new cards for things I wanted to pack for the next trip. Our daughter does the same thing; she has stacks for Disney trips, and business trips, and "other" trips!
Most of this stuff will fit inside a pair of shoes in your suitcase, or will fold flat to go under your clothes. LOL I'm weird - you may not want or need near all of it, but... you asked!
