What is your not so normal item to pack, which is helpful while at WDW ?

[scarlet_ibis]

This is where we purchased ours:

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/packing-cubes-3pc-set/13032

I bought the black, raspberry, blue, and green sets.

Oh, I like those. That would make it easier to unpack. I have three kids, and it can be a nightmare with them all sharing one suitcase (and the clothing getting all mixed up). Disney never has enough drawers for us, either.

 

[Dragontears]

Lots of great ideas here. I too have added to my "list".

Now for my 2 cents worth:

I will be packing my lavendar essential oil, to put on the mattresses, pillows and around the carpet in the corners of the room. (you only need a drop or 2 in each corner) I am terrified of bed bugs and if they are present they will not come near where the lavendar essential oil is.

I have been using essential oils for many years now and give seminars on their use. Lavender is wonderful to help relieve migraines and is a great relaxer among it's many uses.

However…it will NOT repel bedbugs. Neither will tea tree.

That being said…if you think you need to use it in the hotel, you can still be considerate of others. Simply put a few drops on a cotton ball to place near your pillow and in the corners, being careful to keep the treated side up. It does not need to be applied directly to these surfaces and will actually stain fabric. When you leave, just throw out the cotton balls.

This way you will not be leaving scent behind that may bother the next occupant of the room.

 

[aenelson]

I LOVE the lavender, what I do is bring my own pillow, and a pillow spray. I just spray my pillow once, and the smell does not reach past the pillow. My DH can not even smell it. So this is another way!

 

[Dragontears]

I too love lavender, it is one of the very few essential oils that can be applied “neat” …that is - directly on the skin. I rub a drop into my temples to ease my migraines, take a whiff on airplanes to help with jetlag and dab it on to take the itch out of insect bites.

I use a blend of lavender and bergamot in my bedroom diffuser and also in my bath. It is so soothing.

Funny, I am allergic to most fragrance products (puff up like a blowfish ) but essential oils do not bother me. My dermatologist says it is the chemicals they use in perfume and cosmetic products etc. for fragrance. Good oils are all natural.

 

[courtusher]

When my two were young and full of wanderlust i used to pin a luggage label to the back of what they were wearing with my cellphone number inside. I used a nappy pin as it had the safety part so it wouldnt come undone and pinning it between the shoulder blades meant they couldnt play with it or pull it off.
We also took a photo of them on our phone each morning then if, especially the oldest who could dissappear quicker than chocolate from my fridge (!) we lost them in the crowd we had a picture to show of them which also showed what they were wearing.
Another item would be a new storybook to read to the boys at the end of each day to settle them. In fact i still do this for my youngest and he is 16!!
The only other things i could think of was my eye drops as im a contact lens wearer and my eyes tend to dry out if im out all day and evening; and a small good quality hand cream.

 

[mimomlile]

We have purchased cases of bottled water in the past to freeze in the hotel fridge the night before. When we didn't get a rental car or taxi to shop, it worked out best to choose Vitamin water as our first beverage purchase so that we could refill using ice cubes from the hotel ice machine. Normal water bottles have a neck that is too narrow.

 

[freecia]

A little soft sided cooler bag about the size of a sandwich for snacks/leftovers and possibly my collapsible sandwich container as an organizer and to prevent leftovers from being crushed (search ebay for Collapsible Sandwich Bento Box). A few extra ziplocks.

The ability to say "No", mean it, and not regret it with a smile. It makes for a happier vacation in general and lets me bring some money back home. It might be the happiest place on earth but you don't need to bring back Mickey's sink or do every single thing to complete the experience.

I hate over packing and under-utilization. A lot of the things on here might make life a lot easier if you have kids, for the kids, but not so much for the person carrying the luggage. Laundry sheets being the exception Less things means worrying less about what's not packed as well! Get multi-taskers, as Alton Brown would say.

 

[ILoveMyGirls]

Could not agree with you more on these two points.

We brought the Purex sheets with us and they were wonderful. Also, only brought the minimum amt. of clothing, one pair of shoes that matched all of the outfits (red sandals for the kiddos), two pair of shorts each and four tops that matched the shorts. for us even less as we had a condo. Each child had one bathing suit (I used to bring one for every day!!). Packing with the packing cubes made life so easy as I did not have to fumble thru things when we got there as I wrote the girls names on their cubes, so easy to keep track of things. We are focused on reducing the amt. of luggage we check-in/carry-on a plane as we fly. The less luggage the easier the trip IMO.

The ability to say "No", mean it, and not regret it with a smile. It makes for a happier vacation in general and lets me bring some money back home. It might be the happiest place on earth but you don't need to bring back Mickey's sink or do every single thing to complete the experience.

I hate over packing and under-utilization. A lot of the things on here might make life a lot easier if you have kids, for the kids, but not so much for the person carrying the luggage. Laundry sheets being the exception Less things means worrying less about what's not packed as well! Get multi-taskers, as Alton Brown would say.

 

[formytinkerbelle]

I saw something earlier said glow sticks so you don't have to buy the super expensive ones there. Target has had glow sticks (10 in a pack) for $1. That is 10 sticks for $1. We bought like 50 sticks for $5 and took them to Busch Gardens with us this year. It was genious. They come with connecters so you can make bracelets, necklaces and such. I just saw them in my store again with the $1 bins at the front of the store. I am going to stock up again for our December trip. We also decorated the stroller with them and it made it so much easier to follow.

 

[bonnaroomama]

you should not do things to break rules and potentially harm these animals just out of convenience for yourself.

I get all the posters saying they shouldn't break rules, but what if you bring a non-disposable straw, like a crazy straw? I don't know if this would work, just throwing it out there!

 

[formytinkerbelle]

I print a sheet of small labels that say "If lost, please call ..." with my cell number. I stick one on the back of each of my kids' shirts in the morning before we leave.

I stick them on our cameras and backpacks and water bottles.

Essentially, everything.

I just wanted to second this. I have a 3 year old and I am scared to death that she is going to get lost. I've all ready lost her in a grocery store, so I can't imagine Disney. I am going to do the name tags or a necklace with her info on it.

I will also be bringing the monkey backpack (leash for lack of better terms) for my 18 month old because he will want to walk around, but boy they are so fast. I don't care if I get strange looks for harnessing my child!

 

[Dragontears]

I will also be bringing the monkey backpack (leash for lack of better terms) for my 18 month old because he will want to walk around, but boy they are so fast. I don't care if I get strange looks for harnessing my child!

Absolutely nothing wrong with that!!

DD would complain that there was no blood left in her arm from holding my hand so long. But for your piece of mind and their safety you can’t just turn them loose when they want to stretch their legs. DD always preferred to walk.

Back in the day it was a harness and “leash”. The little animal back packs are soooo cute.

Keep your son happy and safe and ignore any dirty looks.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[mickeyfreak13]

I haven't seen this posted yet, but I am tired.
For those of us that require coffee, bring your own to brew in the room. (disclaimer: I love disney) Nescafe is not really coffe, it is a brown liquid that has had a coffee bean waived at it.

I brought some fresh ground to WDW, my Lovely Wife that I was being a coffee snob. We ran out of my supply 2 days before we left. She stopped laughing at me after her first sip of the glory that is NesCafe.

 

[bonnaroomama]

We also bring little canned coffee from the Asian grocery. It's called Mr. Brown's iced coffee and is a lifesaver on a hot day. Nice and strong, creamy, served cold (soft cooler in room).

 

[oldkey1]

...Tupperware containers in my wife's purse with P & J sandwiches cut into fourths. Always did the trick between meals or when 'junior" just didn't like what was on the menu besides the desert.

Later it became Power bars or granola bars....I always wanted rice krispie bars - just something "in case."

 

[Brandi1leigh]

I haven't seen this yet. I bring some disposable silverware. We often have leftovers or buy a treat at night to eat for breakfast the next morning.

 

[sesame_123]

Wow!! Thanks for all the great ideas for our upcoming trip. I just recently found this site and it is fabulous. This tread is wonderful and here is my contribution to it. We like to bring a craft/tackle/?? organizer box. This is about the size of large hardcover book. It is great for packing snacks and those crystal light packets in the backpack. They keep everything nicely organized as well as providing crush protection. We can bring crackers and nutrigrain bars and lots of things without being smashed to bits. Please keep the great ideas coming!!

 

[dunbarfamily]

I really, really like having a pair of scissors. Cutting tags off things (after they are bought, of course!!), opening those pesky little packages of gummy Mickey heads without ripping the bag and spilling them all over the place, opening our Owner's Locker....I just really like having the scissors. Just a teensy tiny pair will do. They are handy.

 

[HumanAnimal]

I NEVER use the kettles or cups provided in Hotel or Villa/Condo. I bring my own travel kettle and disposable cups. This is ever since I saw a reality show where some drunk holiday makers used the kettle to pee in!! and then they poured it in a cup !! Disgusting, it put me off for life! You just never know what's gone on in your room before you were there.... best not to think about it too much !

Oh, and I REALLY love the tip about bringing a needle and using Dental Floss instead of cotton! Genius idea!! That was somewhere about 18 pages ago !

 

[debsters41]

I NEVER use the kettles or cups provided in Hotel or Villa/Condo. I bring my own travel kettle and disposable cups. This is ever since I saw a reality show where some drunk holiday makers used the kettle to pee in!! and then they poured it in a cup !! Disgusting, it put me off for life! You just never know what's gone on in your room before you were there.... best not to think about it too much !

I never would have thought of such a thing!!