What do you wish you packed... what do you wish you didn't.

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Long about I got a red nylon zippered pouch and made a travel first aid kit, neosporin, band aids, ROLAIDS, moleskin, small sizzors, travel sized asprin, motrin, etc. etc. throw it in the suitcase! Replenish it as necessary! Sunblock goes in plastic bag!

QUOTE]
moleskin where in a Walmart would you find? Thanks so much

I think some previous posters were saying where to find. I got mine at a CVS in the foot care area with the foot pads etc.

I also got the "travel" meds there. The little plastic tubes of motrin, tylenol etc. they are small enough that you could carry one in your pocket at the parks, and if you use them, simply refill from a larger 'bulk" bottle later.

 

[WillCAD]

I had never heard of moleskin before I read the Disboards and it was a lifesaver on our last trip. But I bought it in a roll and forgot a scissor, oops! We had to cut it with a nailclipper and it was a challenge to say the least.

One thing I wish I would have brought is extra camera memory cards. Day 3 I had already filled one card and need to download onto a CD at the camera shop.

I will probably skip shampoo/conditioner for the kids & DH next trip since there is plenty in the room and they aren't picky about what they use.

I found almost all of the meds I needed to bring are available in a thin strip form which made them easier to pack for the parks and quick to use. We don't take any prescription meds so it was a cinch to pack our medications.

I will not pack so many toys for the kids. I thought they would need distrations on the airplane and in the room but most were never touched and it wasted packing space.

Tons of ziploc bags! I read it somewhere here and we used them all the time!

Memory cards are cheap. Buy lots of them - one for each day of your trip, if possible.

I never put more than one day of pics on any single memory card. If I don't have a laptop to download and clear my cards, I take used cards out each day, even if they are not full, and put a fresh one in the camera each morning. Cards with pics on them stay in the hotel safe.

Cameras get lost and stolen, memory cards fail, camera bags get left behind, lost, and stolen, and cameras sometimes go swimming; any of these things can cause you to lose the pics on a memory card, and if pics from a whole week are on the card, you lose pics from a whole week. I prefer to split mine up so that I will never lose more than one day of pics if I have a disaster.

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

Memory cards are cheap. Buy lots of them - one for each day of your trip, if possible.

I never put more than one day of pics on any single memory card. If I don't have a laptop to download and clear my cards, I take used cards out each day, even if they are not full, and put a fresh one in the camera each morning. Cards with pics on them stay in the hotel safe.

Cameras get lost and stolen, memory cards fail, camera bags get left behind, lost, and stolen, and cameras sometimes go swimming; any of these things can cause you to lose the pics on a memory card, and if pics from a whole week are on the card, you lose pics from a whole week. I prefer to split mine up so that I will never lose more than one day of pics if I have a disaster.

Great Idea!!! I will surely be following this advice!

 

[daisyyy]

Great ideas with the memory cards... You're right, if something happened on the last day of my trip, I would be devastated if I didn't invest in extra memory cards... for a few extra bucks worth the expense.

I've never used mole skin before either... but I guess that will be something to pick up before the trip.

I never realized gum couldn't be bought... we usually bring some too... and usually a bag of the wintergreen lifesavers individually wrapped... I thow a few in my pocket, and usually after meals, it's nice to have a little mint.

What about rain gear?? do you bother packing umbrellas / ponchos? We have in the past.. but never wanted to carry them around anyway, so it's a waste! .. and luckily when it did rain it wasn't all day... fingers crossed.... and jackets.. never wear them. so I probably wont bring them.. I guess if it does get cool, we can layer, or buy a sweatshirt...

How far in advance should you ship the diapers etc. down? I guess the resorts do this all the time? I think it might be worth doing this for this trip. but, on the other hand, I'll have room in the suit case on the way home if I pack them?? Whats the chances I could potty train him in the next 2 months!! that would be great...

 

[ZoZo]

Don't forget you can ship a box of stuff down before your arrival. Might be a great way to ship diapers and other baby stuff, since most items will be used up during your trip (and wouldn't need to be shipped back!).

After several trips over the last 10 years, here's what I think is important:

Though I'm an overpacker, I try to pack less clothing (knowing I can do laundry, if need be -- although I noticed that your post says you refuse to do laundry on vacation! I'd much rather take a "pool break" and do a load of laundry one afternoon, rather than stress about packing enough clothes. We go during a "sweaty" time of year and I often change clothes mid-day, so I go through lots of clothes!).

I would pack several options of comfortable shoes. You never know which ones will work best for you. Brought what I thought were well-broken-in shoes two trips ago, and ended up with a horrible blister. I switched to my flip flops for the rest of the trip, and was sooo glad I had them.

Bring things from home that are expensive at WDW (batteries, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, mister fan, etc.). Would rather bring from home than have to pay inflated prices.

Loved having a power strip to charge phones, camera battery, etc. Never enough easily accessed electrical outlets in hotel rooms; I always end up having to crawl around and unplug a lamp or something, to recharge my stuff.

I always bring several disposable ponchos. They're cheap (less than $1 each) and small in size, so they can be tucked into a pocket or fanny pack.

 

[kckmom]

Memory cards are a must, as I found out from a trip a few years ago, they sell them in only a few kiosks in MK, and they are way expensive. Don't want to lose those precious pics. Same with batteries, always run low.

We have a villa so doing laundry is great for me, don't mind it, rather go home with a suticase full of CLEAN clothes, hate leaving WDW, and if my clothes are clean when I get home it hurts less.

Found out our last trip in late Sept that I didn't pack enough comfy shoes, we had rain daily and never really dried out! I will roll the clothes a little smaller this time around to fit in the suitcase, because we need to make sure the shoes are brought, with at least 2 pair of flipflops.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Memory cards are a must, as I found out from a trip a few years ago, they sell them in only a few kiosks in MK, and they are way expensive. Don't want to lose those precious pics. Same with batteries, always run low.

We have a villa so doing laundry is great for me, don't mind it, rather go home with a suticase full of CLEAN clothes, hate leaving WDW, and if my clothes are clean when I get home it hurts less.

Found out our last trip in late Sept that I didn't pack enough comfy shoes, we had rain daily and never really dried out! I will roll the clothes a little smaller this time around to fit in the suitcase, because we need to make sure the shoes are brought, with at least 2 pair of flipflops.

one of the thngs we use are the spacebags, for unders, socks, and clothing that you can "shake out" they work wonders! plus we use them to "pad" the other things (DW's cosmetics barrel...errr bag, hehehheehe) and if something breaks or leaks (shampoo, etc.) your clothing is protected in the bags.

then whe we are there, the bags double as a dirty clothing bag.
(of course we wipe out and let dry after that)

 

[Targsmom]

walfart

 

[reservations4five]

We always take extra shoes too for the kids- my dd lost a croc in DHS last summer sleeping in the stroller. Thankfully it was at the end of our day and we just headed back to the resort.

extra clothes are a must, especially socks

 

[CanadianPaco]

Extra camera batteries for sure! It kills me to have to buy more batteries inthe park when I know how cheap I can get them back home.

Ziplocs of various sizes! Right down to the snack size!

When we first went, I'd pack DD's clothes for the day in the large sized ones. One teeshirt, panties, shorts and socks. Colour coordinated and ready to go. All she had to do was go to the drawer and select a set. Then I would have another available ziploc. No fussing from her and we got a speedy morning!

I doubt DD sould still want to pack this way, the tween that she is but it was good while it lasted!

 

[tinkermom23]

What medicines come in the little strips? Does benadryl for kids? We always need that for DS.l...

I have seen the Benadryl Quick Dissolve Strips but I don't remember if it was in child-dose or not. We don't use it but I am sure I have seen it.
Good Luck!

 

[WillCAD]

When I travel, I take one of these with me for my various chargers and electronics:
http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=4220

It's small and light, and works great for my laptop various battery chargers, though I could use one with a few more outlets.

Since it has a very short cord, I have also started taking a 10' extension cord to reach those hidden wall sockets.

 

[daisyyy]

When I travel, I take one of these with me for my various chargers and electronics:
http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=4220

It's small and light, and works great for my laptop various battery chargers, though I could use one with a few more outlets.

Since it has a very short cord, I have also started taking a 10' extension cord to reach those hidden wall sockets.

Where do you get one of those?



Well.... maybe it would be worth it to do a load of wash once during the trip... some of you guys have guilted me into thinking I should do it... You're right, besides the saving room in my luggage, I wont have to bring home a weeks worth smelly sweaty clothes... and I might feel better about it when I'm packing to come home... Knowing I don't have a weeks worth of laundry for 6 people! So... have any of you tried those Purex Laundry sheets? (they have the detergent / fabric softener in one sheet.. you toss in the wash, and transfer it to the dryer) any good? those would be easy to pack.

 

[AKL_Megs]

We always pack WAY too many shirts.

This past trip, my DH was SURE he'd use all 15 shirts that he packed for our 5-day trip.

Yeah, no... he probably wore only 7 of the 15. 8 extra shirts is a lot of weight when you are limited to 50lbs. Next trip, it's going to be 1 shirt per day, and 2 extras.

I would much rather spend $4 and an hour washing a load of shirts than worrying about, lugging around, packing and unpacking extra clothes! And if all else fails, it's a great reason to buy a Disney World shirt!!!

 

[delaneyc52]

Ahhh the beauty of DVC. It's just myself and hubby these days, but it's so nice to pack very light and have that washer/dryer in the room.

I really feel for and give a hat's off to all you mom's who have to pack for the family - but I do tend to agree that one night to do a wash vs. heavy luggage is worth it. Before my DVC days, hubby and I would take the kids to the pool in the evening while I threw a wash in. It didn't feel like we were missing anything and gave us a chance to relax, talk about the day we had, and plans for tomorrow (drink a little wine It was family bonding time and time away from park chaos.

For those of you who go every year (or more), I keep a nice little file on my laptop's desktop and when I think of something, I add it. I no longer have to make a new list every year and it makes my packing a lot less stressful without worries of what I may have forgotten!

 

[daisyyy]

Ahhh the beauty of DVC. It's just myself and hubby these days, but it's so nice to pack very light and have that washer/dryer in the room.

I really feel for and give a hat's off to all you mom's who have to pack for the family - but I do tend to agree that one night to do a wash vs. heavy luggage is worth it. Before my DVC days, hubby and I would take the kids to the pool in the evening while I threw a wash in. It didn't feel like we were missing anything and gave us a chance to relax, talk about the day we had, and plans for tomorrow (drink a little wine It was family bonding time and time away from park chaos.

For those of you who go every year (or more), I keep a nice little file on my laptop's desktop and when I think of something, I add it. I no longer have to make a new list every year and it makes my packing a lot less stressful without worries of what I may have forgotten!

Does DVC come with someone to do the wash for you? If so.. count me in..
wishful thinkin'... So... besides wine... whats on the list???

 

[delaneyc52]

Daisyy! Actually my list is a list for an individual woman. I no longer pack for family (kids are grown) and hubby is on his own (how does he get it all in a carry on?). However, other than clothes and cosmetics, I do have a couple of unique items...including that corkscrew

Pool noodle. It actually fits in my luggage and is extremely light. Not all resorts sell them and I need my pool noodle. I only do this when I use Magical Express and not rent a car. Same for the wine. I do a "girls" Disney trip at least once a year without a rental car. Before the trip we did a "Tour de Franzia" which every wine snob (sarcasm) knows is a boxed wine...one I don't particularly like. So it came to pass that it was our sad mission to test all box wines. The winner of white wine was Corbett Canyon Pinot Grigio-Chenin Blanc. No red wine could pass muster. We'd bite the bullet and buy red at the general store or Epcot. Other items..are chargers for all the electronics, face calming lotion (I'm Irish heritage), hat for pool (burnt head...darn Irish stuff again); beach bag to put all pool stuff in; workout clothes; coffee (Disney coffee is awful); travel mugs for coffee because the room coffee cups get coffee cold too quickly; my plastic Nemo cups to get wine/beer to the hot tub at night; my Hidden Mickey Book; Purell or Wet Wipes -pandemic flu =/; Tide Stick; Purex 3 in 1 washer/dryer sheets; and when in Vero Beach the fold up beach chair....and don't forget the cork screw. Not necessarily exciting or unique things...but the point is that an individual "master" list will just save some vacation anxiety!

 

[delaneyc52]

Oh forgot one more...my Big River Grille rewards card. Love to sit on that Boardwalk!

 

[daisyyy]

Before the trip we did a "Tour de Franzia" which every wine snob (sarcasm) knows is a boxed wine...

Oh thanks,,, I have to look for our hidden mickey book.. I forgot we had one, and remember they liked it last time.. helped pass time on line.

 

[3mickeymom]

I didn't see this mentioned, but if you are bringing your own stroller, throw a rain cover in the basket. It rained everyday on our trip and I was glad the baby didn't have to sit in a soggy stroller.