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

[Jays2013]

I finally thought of something I don't think anyone else has mentioned!

Chamomile tea bags. I'm just an overgrown kid at WDW; sometimes I honestly have trouble sleeping, now matter how far I've walked that day. Chamomile knocks me OUT.

 

[joanzie72]

Ummmm....TMI? That's kinda gross......why would you want to change your undies....although I'm not quite sure I wanna know

sweat??? I am a runner and I sweat bad. Especially as I get older.

 

[disneylove1021]

sweat??? I am a runner and I sweat bad. Especially as I get older.

I was thinking she meant being wet from a water ride. Last time we rode the river rapids at Animal Kingdom I was soaking wet for hours...like water was dripping from my khaki skirt wet. It was worth it though.

 

[tyellismom]

White noise people -

There's an app for that - lol!

Amen - my hubby tries to freeze me out!!!

Oh my, love this idea for the rides! Last time my hubby gave our then 4 year old (now 6) his watch that had a back light to use when he got scared. He never let it go off on dark rides!

Also if you don't have time to collect the lids to the fastfood places - we use coffee filters for the drips on Popsicle and ice creams! Just poke the stick through it and voila!

Oh my goodness, I have gotten SOOOO much from this Thread! Thank you!

My list has grown and grown....
dish soap, M&M tubes for pennies and quarters, shout wipes, ear plugs for the kids, clothes pins, tylenol PM, click sharpie, detergent/softener sheets, lysol, body glide and water shoes!

Cupcake liners would work well too I think!!

 

[tyellismom]

My husband likes to bring props for photos ex: on Dinosaur the picture from the ride showed a bunch of people screaming and DH looking very intrigued by the Hidden Mickey book he was reading... and on TOT he's in the photo holding a Mickey doll and a giant lollypop crying! He's kind of a nut.

He sounds like my hubs...love it!

 

[tyellismom]

straws for drinking out of refillable mugs in the room! We had no need for a sippy cup.
Wet bag (we cloth diapered) for bringing home wet swimsuits
Dryer sheets in a ziploc to through in with dirty clothes

Not really a packing item, but a tip - We take pictures of our kids each morning before we leave the room. If we lost them, would we have a picture of them in what they are wearing that day. I leave the camera on top of my park bag to remind me to do it!

freeze a water bottle and roll your aching feet on it when you get back to the room!

Also along those lines...take a picture of your key card/ticket in case you lose it so you have all the info. You can also take a pic of it with phone and set it as your lock screen in case you lose your phone they know where to return it...hopefully

 

[tyellismom]

I started carrying ziploc baggies during DD first trip - she was 3 and never finished everything on meal plan. So as soon as we got her food, I put the veggies/fruit in the baggies and had her eat the non-portable part of her meal. Because you all know children, 5 minutes after you walk away from the restaurant where they weren't hungry, they are magically starving!
We also use the baggies for the washcloth that we soaked overnight in the icebucket. When the ice melts it makes the cloth supercold, wring it out a little and put in the bag - when the child (DD or DH) gets hot, wipe their face or neck or arms so they stop!

We have also always taken along the flushable wipes (even before DD) because the TP is not the same as home.

My DH likes to take along Rice Krispy treats and granola bars for snacks when nowhere has food.

Every trip we also go for the cheaper rain ponchos from the local dollar store and the glow necklaces. (Did I mention he bought the glow sticks over the summer WAY before we had any plans of going next year??)

The last weird thing HE packs is hand sanitizer (lots of little bottles that fit in his pockets) to be used on toilet seats. He has a major phobia of anyone in the family using a public seat - you just never know about the last person using it!

Remember to take your own bandaids and cleaning foam for those blisters that always form.

Frogg Toggs makes a great cool wrap that does not leave your clothes soaking wet.

 

[fairytalelover]

Just throwing this out there, all Disney resorts have a retractable line to dry wet items in the showers.

Exactly and we use them. I dont see a need to pack hangers etc.... just another item in my suitcase. We try to pack as light as possible.

 

[fairytalelover]

tigerbelly: What seems to work even better for me now for pills than the daily organizers is the little plastic baggies. I get mine in the craft store (bead section), but I think they have them in pharmacy sections now. I presort most things by the day, but some that are at different times or occasional I put the full supply in just one bag. Easy to label with a sharpie if you need to. And if you have some you take at different times, they're easy to take along during the day; just take the pack you need, rather than the whole organizer. (Like a few ibuprofen if a headache might pop up midday, or tums, etc.). The little bags are handy for containing other small items to keep dry [or damp] also (like if you are partial to one kind of sweetener or something, or need a couple of moist alcohol pads, etc.).

I just get three ziplock bags. Put my husband's vitamins in one bag, mine in one bag and our son's vitamins in one bag then mark them all with a sharpie. Easy Peasy.

 

[regdent]

I am only on page 20 of the tips and i have found so many i will be using for my vacation.

One tip i can share is Evernote. I create a trip notebook and a new note for each day/park of my trip i can access it from any computer and my cell phone has the evernote app for when i am at the park. Keeps everything organized and its free.

 

[Dragontears]

Oh yes ma'am!

Since we are driving from not too terribly far away, we can pack that mini-van till it's about to pop!

I feel like all I do from day to day is laundry. I'm not doing it on my vacation, no siree!

77 days till we go!

:

Really...why should everyone get a vacation but me?

Same goes for a room with a kitchen!!!! No Thanks!! A frig to keep drinks is all I need.

Well...maybe a microwave to warm up the danish I picked up.

 

[ZoZo]

We think it's smarter to pack enough clothes for half of our vacation. So if we are staying for let's say 8 days we will pack for 4 then do laundry half way through. This way we have room in our luggage for souvenirs and are not lugging around heavy overpacked suitcases. Especially with all the airlines charging for extra luggage and overweight luggage, we think this is the smartest way to travel. Taking out a small amount of time to do laundry doesn't effect our vacation at all. We usually do it while we play at the pool. I go put the laundry in then get a cocktail and lounge at the pool with my family. Works out well and doesn't interfere with our fun. We also make sure to pack our own laundry detergent and softener in a ziplock bag so we dont have to buy theirs.

Me too! It's nice to take a pool break, and since the laundry facilities are right next to the pool, it's easy to combine the two. You can do multiple loads at once, and makes it easy for an over-packer like me to bring fewer clothes.

 

[dizzycrazy]

I read about a tip to help with germs in the room. You can put the remote to the TV in a baggie, and you won't have to touch it.

Also, while you may not need it, a small eyeglass repair kit (our Dollar Tree sells them) could be a huge lifesaver!

This totally saved us! But we ended up buying ours on site. All kids items have screw on battery covers! To include the clip on battery operated fan for the stroller! We could not put new batteries in! Looked EVERYWHERE for a screw driver! This was the saving grace! We take it everywhere now! Also helped when batteries ran out on those light up toys!! th

 

[ellyn2000]

The eyeglass repair kit is a great idea! Will be packing this for our next trip.

 

[Saratoga Goofy]

I love the idea about the ankle wait for the stroller. Genius!

 

[Saratoga Goofy]

We make small cards with everyone's first name and cell numbers, then we laminate them. They're small enough to fit in pockets and are waterproof, and they're available for everyone to get in touch with someone if list. The kids know to show the card to a cast member if they get misplaced.

 

[Sir William]

I have major heat issues. I drink gallons of water and seek out shade and/or AC when at the parks. I even get overheated in the shade just from the temperature and humidity. Consequently, I have been carrying and using those battery powered fan/spray bottles combos for years to stay a little cooler. I like the ones that hang from a lanyard so I don't have to carry it in my hand or dig it out of my pack.

 

[bagsmom]

I have major heat issues. I drink gallons of water and seek out shade and/or AC when at the parks. I even get overheated in the shade just from the temperature and humidity. Consequently, I have been carrying and using those battery powered fan/spray bottles combos for years to stay a little cooler. I like the ones that hang from a lanyard so I don't have to carry it in my hand or dig it out of my pack.

Sir William -- I don't know if I mentioned this anywhere else, but we have similar issues in our family. Have you ever had Vitamin Water Revive? Vitamin water is a lot like gatorade, with fun flavors, and witty little comments on the label. Available in the grocery store anywhere. The revive flavor has a lot of potassium, which for some reason, really helps when we are feeling that woozy, over-heated feeling.

Also -- I read somewhere that you can buy instant cold packs -- the kind in first aid kits for bumps and bruises. I think they are pretty cheap.

There's also a cooling neck wrap you can get -- probably at sporting goods stores. You wet it and wring out -- something about the fabric apparently creates a cool temperature -- cooler than just a wet bandana. I've seen these on Amazon too.

 

[fairytalelover]

Me too! It's nice to take a pool break, and since the laundry facilities are right next to the pool, it's easy to combine the two. You can do multiple loads at once, and makes it easy for an over-packer like me to bring fewer clothes.

Exactly! People keep posting that it's so hard to do laundry. What's so hard about it? It doesn't even take away from my vacation. The laundry room is always by the pool. I just go put in a load then go back to the pool with a cocktail watching my family play in the pool. Then I go back half an hour later and put the load in the dryer. Takes a couple of minutes. Then I go back to my cocktail and pool. It's not like it's Little House on the Prairie and I have to wash all the clothes by hand in the river!

 

[smidgy]

Exactly! People keep posting that it's so hard to do laundry. What's so hard about it? It doesn't even take away from my vacation. The laundry room is always by the pool. I just go put in a load then go back to the pool with a cocktail watching my family play in the pool. Then I go back half an hour later and put the load in the dryer. Takes a couple of minutes. Then I go back to my cocktail and pool. It's not like it's Little House on the Prairie and I have to wash all the clothes by hand in the river!

I also never understood families that have overflowing hampers at home. when we lived in an apt.years ago, and I had to go to the laundromat, I hated that. as soon as I had a house with my own washer and dryer, I swore I would never have an overflowing hamper again. every morning or 2, I throw a load in. come home and put it in the dryer. no big deal.

(I did have some clothes stolen at a laundromat in chicago many years ago. but this was cause I went a few storefronts down to a bar between loads!)