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

[pawahl]

That is a great idea Kaylee!

 

[happymommy]

I don't know if it's frowned upon but you'll have a kettle in your room. I stayed at ASMusic and loved it but the 'food court' is very expensive. I don't know how families do it. I was solo and I fill up - not like kids with hollow legs that never seem to fill up. My best advice is to keep them full on snacks. Bring what you say and crackers and cheese and such, maybe only have one 'meal' a day.

There is no kettle in the value resort rooms (no coffee maker).

Food court meals are considered quite inexpensive by US standards. Maybe $10 to $15 a meal is quite cheap for a vacation meal (or at home where I live in Maryland for sure).

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

Bounty with Dawn!!!! They are great for cleaning the reusable glasses in the room and for cleaning up any sticky spills. I cut them in half and place them in a baggie.

We do the same - I love them. We used to bring little pre-soaped sponges but once we discovered the Bounty with Dawn it was a lot easier

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Mini M&M containers- For quarters and pennies to press!

Mentos gum containers also work for quarters and pennies to press! We fill them before we leave home in layers with 2 quarters and a penny, then another layer of 2 quarters & a penny, etc., and we bring one empty container to hold the pressed pennies until we get home to put them in the pressed penny display.

 

[cat_herder]

That's very true, I guess I've never had anything explode. Just paranoid.
Thank you for the info on the Purex!

Hi, I did have something explode in my airplane suitcase - twice. Frankly, I had never even thought of something like that happening. The first time it was just a small sample bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and thank goodness it didn't do anything to the clothing. I thought it happened in the taxi. The second time it was a bottle of art supplies, but I had double bagged it in zip-lock baggie and then sealed it in a plastic box. The bottle exploded in the first baggie but didn't rupture the second bag or the box.

 

[PirateSAM]

The most not-so-normal item that I bring with me is the SodaStream and one or two syrup flavors!

 

[d3boyz]

I took a trip with my sister and her seven children last summer. None of the children are 'stroller-aged,' but I still brought a stroller (that I got at a yard sale, and NOT umbrella-style) that would fold up nicely for travel and in the room, and we used that to tote our belonging around in which saved on backs and whining.

 

[abismommy]

Large plastic cups w/cover so I can bring wine down to the pool without paying large bar bills...

Moleskin for the handling of hubbie's predicted blisters.

Pool noodles because yes I am too cheap to pay double the price at the resorts that sell them.

I found blow up pool noodles at the dollar store near me in NH. They were the hit of the Pop Hippy Dippy pool. They live in the sacred "Disney Box" in between trips.

 

[Lm3js]

This is a great thread! Has anyone put these in a spreadsheet or document already that could be shared? don't want to reinvent the wheel

 

[keahgirl8]

This is a great thread! Has anyone put these in a spreadsheet or document already that could be shared? don't want to reinvent the wheel

That would be awesome...and very time consuming! lol

 

[MermaidMommy]

I saw a travel tip recently about how to pack jewelry that I don't remember seeing on this thread before. Place all your jewelry between two pieces of Press-and-Seal plastic wrap, and then lay them in your suitcase. It works especially well for necklaces that tangle easily.

 

[Stefecatzz]

I drive up from S FL so mine won't work for those who fly.

I began bringing my grocery cart when I realized that it's not all that easy to lug things across property at a value resort like Pop century when you're in the 60's section by the lake. To make things harder, I never have much cash on me nor do I care to on vacation so bell services doesn't work well for me. Since I bring a case of bottled water, beer, sometimes my lap top & other food items besides my suitcase, using the grocery cart allows me to be able to unload my car & bring everything to the room & back down at check out in one step.

For those who might be wondering what I'm referring to, this is what it is:
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garde...hopzilla&countrycode=US&ci_tracking=rerdirect

 

[shrinkydinky]

Is it acceptable to bring your own food in your own container to the resort food court and use the hot water dispenser and/or microwave? We're staying at ASsports next week, and I was planning to bring my own oatmeal (oats, raisins, nuts, cinnamon, flax seed meal) but I wasn't sure if that's frowned upon.

My brother-in-law is very health conscious, and now i am, too. When he stays at a resort with a food court, he takes his steamer bag full of veggies and uses the microwave to cook up his meal. When we go in March, part of the time we will be staying at POR. We both plan on using the microwave in the food court for veggies, oatmeal, and anything else we want to fix. i'm sure that's what it's there for. My brother-in-law even brings tupperware full of veggies into table service restaurants. i wouldn't go that far, but do plan on carrying my own low-calorie salad dressing with me.

 

[jenniy122]

Hi, I did have something explode in my airplane suitcase - twice. Frankly, I had never even thought of something like that happening. The first time it was just a small sample bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and thank goodness it didn't do anything to the clothing. I thought it happened in the taxi. The second time it was a bottle of art supplies, but I had double bagged it in zip-lock baggie and then sealed it in a plastic box. The bottle exploded in the first baggie but didn't rupture the second bag or the box.

I've only had something explode once, nail polish. I always ziplock my toiletries, so while it didn't get on anything irreplacable, by the time I had unpacked it had dried and a number of my things were sealed shut. Ugh! Plus it was freaking expensive fancy basecoat!

 

[theharcos]

We bring small plastic baskets that measure about 12" x 6" with a flat bottom. Ours are rectangular in shape. We put everyone's name on the outside. They are perfect for placing wallets and coins/money and other items like camera SD cards and things that end up in your pockets each day. We place each basket by an outlet or power strip and you can place your cords and phone and camera in the basket while it's charging. When you are done charging, use twist ties to wrap up the lengthy cords and put them in "your" basket. These baskets are stackable and don't take up much room in your suitcase and it keeps counter surfaces cleared off, less clutter.

 

[Brancaneve]

The absolute best thing I brought on our last trip was a convenient way to access our itinerary. I created daily itineraries in a half-page size. Each day had its own page and included a final, color-coded itinerary, including FP times, ADR confirmation numbers. I added notes of snacks we wanted to try, things we wanted to try to see, best locations for viewing parades, transportation info, even notes on clothes to wear for that day. It also listed options for the afternoon if we didn't want to stick with "the plan". I put these pages, back to back, in page protector pockets, so two to a pocket. I bound these using a binder ring. Each day I would only have a few days of these attached to the binder ring and then I attached the binder ring to my park bag (hanging outside of the bag). The page protectors kept these dry. I could slip the day's park map/schedule into the pocket of a page protector. Most helpful was that it was SO EASY to quickly access as we made our way through the parks--no digging through a bag. I loved, too, that I thought to include information on the itineraries that was useful when my brain was on overload.

That's impressive! I have done that in the past but find that by the end of the day the paper gets ripped from being folded over and over. It makes sense to make it a smaller size and laminate it. Will defenitely have to try that!

 

[keahgirl8]

That's impressive! I have done that in the past but find that by the end of the day the paper gets ripped from being folded over and over. It makes sense to make it a smaller size and laminate it. Will defenitely have to try that!

I actually used to use colored index cards. You can even color code by park if you want to go that far.

 

[FairyPrincess8]

We brought fabric boxes to organize our make up and toiletries in the bathroom. It helped keep everything much more organized than it normally is in hotel rooms for us.

 

[RNMom1969]

Can't forget our "Frosty Towels"!!! Just ordered 3 more!

 

[Dashzap]

I downloaded an app for my phone that make the sound of a fan. It covers all the noises that might wake you up. Didn't drain the battery either.

The one I have is Bed Time Fan