When do you start packing?

[autismgoesdisney]

How many days before your vacation do you start packing? It's six days until we drive and I'm dying for things to do. Surprise trips stink lol!

 

[Jrpbabe2003]

We still have 3 weeks and I have some stuff packed lol. Trying to compile stuff I know I want from the store when I see it on sale

 

[Gilrond]

My "park bag" with ponchos, fat pens, autograph book and other non clothing - I start gathering as soon as I make the ressies. I adds sunscreen, camera, etc about 3 nights before. Clothes usually 2 nights before unless there is excess uncertainty about weather as temps can vary a lot in early December. I have separate lists for carryon, check through, and park bag lists. I revise these over time to eliminate stuff I don' need.

 

[mediadiva]

How many days before your vacation do you start packing? It's six days until we drive and I'm dying for things to do. Surprise trips stink lol!

I did all my pre-shopping weeks ago.. ponchos, frozen tshirts, glow sticks, crayons and art supplies etc. Yesterday I went grocery shopping and got snacks that would travel/pack well in luggage. Today we pack it all up! we leave tomorrow

 

[owensamo]

At 6 days out, we'd already have repacked twice and made sure that we had a list of last things we needed to go get!

Our trip is in November, and I already have clothes tucked away in a corner of my closet that I know I won't wear between now and then. We have travel bins of things we keep on hand ready for each vacation type (WDW, Beach, Cruise, etc) - which are easy to throw in the bags on time! We start seriously getting the suitcases out and planning outfits probably 1-1.5 months in advance, depending on the trip. I think we started packing our suitcases for Aulani 2 months out at least!

Yes, we're crazy. But for us, packing is actually part of the fun! It's a challenge to ensure we have everything we need, and nothing we don't, within the scope of the limits we set for ourselves (i.e. a carry-on for flights, etc). Once our FP+ reservations are made in September, I fully expect to start pulling out the suitcases and putting stuff in them!

 

[ladyjubilee]

Ummmm, about 190 days out. We keep amusement park packs ready all the time, but started packing suitcases a little before the 180 mark. That said we usually get new outfits, so as we buy, we go ahead and pack.

 

[quakechicago]

We're taking an end of summer trip to the Dells, and I pretty much start to pack for Disney (November trip) then after everything is washed.

Of course, this means I'm not prepared so much as I have longer to take my chronic over-packing to new heights.

 

[texasroni75]

As soon as the last trip ends, I "pack" our Disney supplies (my park crossbody bag, ponchos, Mickey ears, mister fan..) that we use only for WDW trips into a special box on my closet shelf. After that:

At 6 weeks out - start re-stocking the travel first-aid kit, and pick up odds and ends at the $$ store and grocery store, like small activities, decorations for the resort room window, and nonperishable snacks. By now I am taking our luggage out of the garage, and cleaning it up, deciding who gets what bag, making sure zippers work and so on.

At 4 weeks out - wash, fold and pack Disney shirts/jackets that will be coming with us on the trip.

At 1-3 weeks out - pack everything else, little by little.

And the last week before the trip, I unpack and re-pack EVERYTHING as I can't trust myself and I mark things off my checklists, over and over. I probably do this every other day for the last week before the trip. LOL.

Truth be told, I'd probably have everything packed a month ahead if we weren't using most items on a daily basis. Like others here, packing is part of the fun for me.

 

[Zombierella]

You guys are good. Leaving Thursday at 3am and haven't done anything yet. We always are in a mad rush to pack for anywhere. I do have the ponchos in the bag, I think.

We drive and I don't even know where we are staying Thursday night, hopefully near Santee, South Carolina. I'm nervous about finding a hotel that allows 6 per room, don't want 2 rooms.

 

[Zombierella]

E

 

[pigletgirl]

I've been gathering stuff since we've booked the vacation. Now it's just a matter of going through the stuff and seeing what we have/don't have and going from there. As of right now (with 22 days to go) we have everything we need.

 

[Holstar]

I've been sort of buying and gathering stuff since we booked... three years ago! I've just had a suitcase at the bottom of my wardrobe, and from time to time I'd buy something and chuck it in!

We fly in three and a bit days I started packing two weeks ago, and I'm finishing this afternoon!

 

[Happyjen27]

No matter when I start, it's never early enough because I'm always running around like a headless chicken at 10PM the night before!

For our surprise trip, most of the clothes I was packing were "off season" for my kids, so I was able to pack on Sunday when my mom took the kids for our Tuesday trip. They didn't notice anything missing.

At 6 days out I would be drafting an extensive list and making sure all of my shopping is done for things like moleskin, ponchos, Over The Counter medicines, and all of that kind of stuff.

 

[MandiC]

A month or two in advance I started buying things just for the trip. Motion sickness meds, sunscreen, bug spray, travel toiletries, special surprises from the dollar tree (magic towels, journals, ect)...I pack those as I buy them, just so they don't get lost or found
I didn't pack clothes until the week of our trip. We went January 31-February 7 so the weather was pretty unpredictable and while I could pack a lot of our summer stuff and shirts I made just for Disney a week in advance the rest I waited until I believe the day before while the kids were at school since we did need to bring jeans and sweaters. I also made sure everything was there and printed the checklist from my favorite disney planning site to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.

 

[bella2117]

You guys are good. Leaving Thursday at 3am and haven't done anything yet. We always are in a mad rush to pack for anywhere. I do have the ponchos in the bag, I think. We drive and I don't even know where we are staying Thursday night, hopefully near Santee, South Carolina. I'm nervous about finding a hotel that allows 6 per room, don't want 2 rooms.

Haha where you driving from? We also are leaving 3am Thursday and we also haven't packed a thing yet lol AND we are also staying in South Carolina haha

 

[Zombierella]

Long Island. I did buy tons of snacks today for the road trip. Oh and I got some misting fans!

Where are you driving from?

 

[Mrscompgeek]

I have a large box with all the stuff i've bought through the summer. Our suitcases arent out and started yet but most of the stuff for park days and clothing that I made are all in one spot. We leave in 34 days.

 

[asmit4]

We leave in 7 weeks. I have my list already written up and organized and am tossing items periodically like ponchos and things already. I will probably start really packing next weekend.

 

[AKL_Megs]

We leave in 23 days, but I've had our suitcases and other bags staged in our family room for a few days now. I don't "pack", but I do add things as I remember them or purchase them. Clothes won't get packed until I finish the last load the night before we leave!

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We leave next Wednesday. I haven't packed a thing and likely won't until Tuesday night.