What you are glad you packed/wished you packed?

[Tina O'Toole]

My family is leaving Friday morning to drive to Disney for our first Disney vacation. I have been over my packing list a million times, but I feel like I am missing something. I really want this to be a magical trip, and I know that the more prepared and organized I am, the more relaxed I will be. Having said that, what is something you were glad you had packed on your trip, and what is something you wished you would have packed?

 

[xlxo]

What's on your packing list? Things I have forgotten on some trips. Then again by forgetting things... my luggage is lighter.

• I remembered my laptop.... but forgot to bring the charging brick.
• I often leave my shaver behind by mistake
• spare batteries
• luggage scale if I need a flight. Knowing my weight is less stress on the way to the airport counter.

 

[Canooknic]

I am always happy to have Ziplock bags. I use them for leftover snacks, wet socks, souvenirs...unfortunately to catch puke on numerous occasions
Try not to panic and remember that you're not in a 3rd world country, everything you need can be found nearby even if it means paying for a taxi to Walmart etc.

 

[MelissaBee]

My mom forgot her clothes on our last Disney trip. A whole week. And she was too cheap to buy anything new. She just washed everything every night. In her defense it was my dad who failed to put her "hanging clothes" (as in "on coat hangers") in the car, lol.

I guess my only non-obvious packing item would be our sit-upons. They are really just a cheap vinyl tablecloth cut into butt-sized pieces, but when you lay them on the sidewalk fabric side up, they keep your tushy dry during post-rain parades or character lines. They fold down to nothing in a park bag and saved us during a drizzly MNSSHP.

 

[LindySpirit]

Rain ponchos. Portable rechargeable cell phone chargers -- if you use MDE a lot you may find yourself draining your cell battery. Dr Scholls blister treatment pads. Hats for everyone.

 

[Klayfish]

Since you're driving to WDW and will therefore have your vehicle, I honestly wouldn't worry about it. Do your best to make sure you have everything you need. Go through a checklist of your "normal" routine at home and things you use. Will you need them at WDW? Toiletries are obvious. For clothes, I literally start from my feet and work logically up...do I have shoes, then socks, shorts, etc...

Beyond that, you're going to WDW, not remote jungles of Africa. There are countless Wal-Marts, Target, CVS, etc...around where if you forget something it's quite easy to get it. We've more than once forgotten toothpaste or sunscreen and just picked it up when we got there. Not ideal, but not a big deal either.

 

[kelmcg]

Ziploc bags. I carry a few of all sizes in my back pack. Sandwich size: If it's raining (or we're riding Splash Mountain) we all get one to put our cell phones in.
Quart size: Put left over snacks in. Popcorn, cotton candy, etc..... Gallon size: Put wet ponchos in. I then also take one XXL ziploc bag, these are the ones that can fit blankets/pillows etc.... They have a handle on them so if we get a downpour, I put our backpack and any items we may have bought that day into this XXL bag. We zip the bag up and carry it around by the handle and it will keep everything dry.

 

[EdmondD]

Baby powder or body glide, for those days your thighs might get warmer than you'd think.
Band aids
Over-the-door organizer, for toiletries
Sound machine - well, really a sound machine app these days, in case the hotel is a bit noisy
Safety pins (you just never know)
Preferred pain reliever

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Scissors.

We always seem to need scissors. And miss them when we don't have them.

 

[holden]

phone chargers - seems obvious but we forgot them on our most recent trip. Hotel stores didn't sell them so we had to go to the business center in the morning to buy them

Meds for kids - when we don't bring motrin, allergy meds, etc., our kids get sick.

 

[lovethattink]

A power strip. Our last stay at CBR didn't have enough outlets. It was missing one the other rooms have.

I always being zip lock bags and sandwich bags. They've come in handy!

 

[mamaode]

When I was a rookie....I didn't bring much and we paid for it...

Now...I make sure I have blister and waterproof band aids, neosporin spray, mini hand sanitizers, advil/motrin for all, childrens pepto (and adult Pepto/tums). We do not eat many treats at home, but splurge at Disney. It helps settle their stomachs after a day of fun. Cheap ponchos to throw away. Zip locs. Now I got this from a DCL Disboards thread and am so happy because I needed it for a previous trip is Oscillococcinum...I started to not feel great as soon as we landed, I took this for the following day or two and viola back to normal.

Instead of the over the door hanger I have one that has a hanger for the closet.

I think that is all for now

 

[loves to dive]

I have a hanging toiletry bag that stays packed at all times, I just grab it and make sure everything is there and throw it in my luggage. It hangs in the bathroom and when we use something, back in the bag it goes. Cuts down on clutter on the bathroom counters and saves space. I agree with everyone else, since you are driving don't sweat it, if you forget something you can buy it. I ended up buying two ponchos last time I was there. Did I forget mine? Nope, had a really nice floor length plastic rain jacket with pockets and a hood that I love but when I took it out to put it on it had a huge rip under the arm. If I had glue, I probably could have repaired it but since I only paid $15 for it and had taken it on two trips, I got my money's worth. I also had two cheap throw away ponchos and an umbrella. Threw on a cheap poncho and the walk from YC to the IG got me soaking wet, it was a pouring rain with wind blowing so I had to go into the gift shop at the IG and buy a Disney poncho. Two days later, I left the room with clear skies and no rain in site until the afternoon (according to the skies and the weather man) but I got as far as GB from the IG and the skies opened up, went from clear blue to black and ugly in 5 minutes. I had to buy another poncho because it looked like it was going to do that all day (it did) and I hate walking around wet. So now I'm the owner of two Disney ponchos, which will most likely be forgotten next time I go. I've learned not to over pack, I just take what I know we will need and if we need something else, I buy it. I have learned as another poster mentioned, scissors are smart so a small pair now lives in my toiletry bag and a cork screw does as well as a small sewing kit.

 

[BigAlsGal]

Tide pods and fabric softener sheets for laundry. Antacids. Bathing suit. A belt. Lotion. Noise machine/fan.

 

[kwdw]

You are driving - so relax - you can go buy something if you forget it.
So - the only big one would be any prescription drugs used by the family. Those can be time consuming to replace locally.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Since you're driving to WDW and will therefore have your vehicle, I honestly wouldn't worry about it. Do your best to make sure you have everything you need. Go through a checklist of your "normal" routine at home and things you use. Will you need them at WDW? Toiletries are obvious. For clothes, I literally start from my feet and work logically up...do I have shoes, then socks, shorts, etc...

Beyond that, you're going to WDW, not remote jungles of Africa. There are countless Wal-Marts, Target, CVS, etc...around where if you forget something it's quite easy to get it. We've more than once forgotten toothpaste or sunscreen and just picked it up when we got there. Not ideal, but not a big deal either.

Something to remember, even if you don't have a car.

 

[YawningDodo]

Moleskin and/or heavy-duty fabric bandaids -- and scissors. We flew down last year and the closest thing we had to scissors was a pair of nail clippers, so cutting the moleskin was a big hassle. I still used a big piece of it each morning on the part of my foot that was rubbed the worst, but it was the fabric bandaids that really saved the day when I had problems on the go, since they can be used the same way as moleskin and are more convenient to carry.

In a general sense, though, I try to manage my own travel/packing anxiety by picking five or fewer things to consider vital for the trip to actually happen. If I have my wallet, phone, and folder of travel paperwork, anything else I forget can be replaced when I get there. I still have a larger packing list because I want to avoid the expense, of course, but it helps on the morning of the trip if my urge to constantly re-check can be satisfied by verifying the presence of only a few important items.

 

[BigAlsGal]

Remember if you forget bandaids they offer them to you for free all over Disney. I've had to stop many times and get them for surprise blisters.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

What you have to remember is. You are not going to a 3rd world country. If you forgot something there are tons of Walmart and Super Targets very close to Disney. So don't fret. Spare pair of tennis shoes. Switching to another pair made my feet feel better.

 

[wdwfanva]

One trip I forgot to pack t-shirts and some prescription meds I have to take!! Thank God for overnight shipping !!! My wife and I always use a packing list but some how, I missed these things that trip. Just remember as others have said, most things can be found on or near Disney property.