So thankful that you packed...

[2Princesses4Us]

What is the one (or two) thing that you packed for you WDW trip that turned out to be a real life-saver? I am always adding to my packing list :)

We are going in September with DDs 3 and 6 and DS 20 months.

THANKS! :mickey:

[Tinkerbellfan]

Band-aids for blisters and Pepcid as I eat much more junk food at WDW than in a normal week!

[SBETigg]

Extra socks! Our socks got wet and dried really stiff. We had extra, so many extra pairs, but we still ran out and had to do laundry. Never enough clean, dry socks for us.

Plus, camera batteries. Really expensive to buy in parks. And, most especially, the cheap rain ponchos, less than a dollar each and easy enough to just throw away as needed (ours were eighty-eight cents at Wal*Mart).

[Lizzie]

Disposable bibs and disposable sippy cups. Not carrying dirty bibs around and cleaning cups at the end of the night and worrying about the kids favorite cups getting lost.

[disneycutie165]

Snacks! Me and my mom will be going this time without Disney dad, and he always insists that we eat those nasty fat hotdogs:sick:! Snacks were our lifesaver last time!

12 days, 4 hours and 40 minutes til we leave for WDW! :tink:

[RPHX2NC]

Pipe cleaners and bubbles. The pipe cleaners for TS when the kids need to be occupied and quiet. The girls made crowns. Bubbles for standing in line or fixing melt downs.

[LauraF]

Extra socks, extra shoes and foot cooling spray.

For my BF, he's grateful I made him pack two baseball hats when he lost his first one.

[Beast_fanatic]

A power supply strip to keep all the recharging items grouped together (much easier to remember to take home that way too)

[disneyfan328]

I would have to second (or third) the following

extra socks
batteries
power strip - with cell phones and rechargeable camera and camcorder batteries there never would have been enough
pepcid - my stomach was a mess
cheap rain ponchos
moleskin and little scissors(with blunt tips) to cut them into the right shapes
sunbock sticks - for faces and ears these work so much better and don't run into the little ones eyes
the cheap over the door shoe holder from the dollar store to hang inthe bathroom. it kept the tooth brushes and hairbrushes ect ect all neat and in one place without them being all over the sink so that the cleaning people could clean.
kool aid and lemonade drink mixes to mix with bottled water
extra camcorder battery. you can't really get them charged anywhere and the one we had only lasted for about 20 mins.

a small notebook that I made with tips from intercot on where to watch the fireworks, great photo spots, menus for the CS places so that we could decide before leaving an area if we wanted to eat there so we didn't have to backtrack. I also had in there a small calendar of what parks we were going to on each day, what parades on what day, park times, ADR's fireworks ect ect ect. It really REALLY came in handy.

[faline]

Chip clips to keep wayward cutains closed!

[disneyfan328]

Sorry I just thought of another one

rolls of quarters and shiny new pennies - for all of those pressed penny machines. We never really had "change" on us as we charged everythng to the room - I was glad that I thought about it and remembered to bring it so that we had them when the kids started asking for them.

[rnin02]

I think someone else said this, but I don't want it to get lost in the shuffle...small scissors! You can buy the moleskin for blisters on property, but they don't have any small scissors...and trust me, its hard to try to use fingernail clippers to cut that stuff.

And don't listen to your DH if he tells you not be bring an extra pair of comfortable shoes...if I hadn't listened to my DH telling one pair of sneakers was enough, maybe I wouldnt' know about the moleskin;)

[Bluesky481]

Blister-block stick(made by Band-aid)--I took some along on my last trip, and I can honestly say it was my first DW vacation with absolutely NO blisters on my feet!!! Awesome product:thumbsup: It's purse-sized, so now I take it with me everywhere I go, just in case:blush:

[pink]

Plastic bags, we use them to seperate dirty clothes from the clean clothes when we're leaving and the day we left our bathing suites were still wet so it was nice to have a bag to keep the dry clothes dry. :mickey:

[ISLE39]

Aspirin
Backpack
Sunblock
Ziplock Bags (to Bring Possible Leaking Things Home In Shampoo, Deodarant Toothpaste Etc)
Extra Sd Cards, Batteries Etc
Postcard Stamps
Itinerary So I Know Exactly When Emh Days Are And All My Ressies So I Know Where Im Heading Each Day So Im Not Wasting Time During My Trip Figuring Stuff Out

[satchel01]

Last time I was desperate for a nail file. Had a jagged nail that was driving me nuts and there were no nail files to be found. I looked EVERYWHERE at all the parks and finally found those real flimsy cheapos (but overpriced of course) in the hotel's shop. Bring one!

[minnesotafreeze]

We brought a small container of dishsoap for our toddler's sippy cups and the Disney refill mugs. Instead of using disposable cups, we just gave them a quick clean in the sink at night. Also, crazy idea, but we brought tape last time too...we used it to keep our toddler out of the fridge and away from the air conditioner controls. :thumbsup:

[LizLovesDiz]

Zip lock bags.You just never know when you'll need them! I also bought a pair of Disney Crocs down there and I wear them everywhere,no blisters,and if they get wet,they dry very quickly.Your feet don't sweat in them either. :mickey:

[LisaP]

Aspirin
Postcard Stamps
Itinerary So I Know Exactly When Emh Days Are And All My Ressies So I Know Where Im Heading Each Day So Im Not Wasting Time During My Trip Figuring Stuff Out

Amen!!! Two of my personal faves :thumbsup:

[bmj721]

I don't go anywhere without my electric heating pad for my aching joints after walking. Also, my beautiful cane I bought a couple trips back at EPCOT's Mexico. Those get me through the vacation.
:mickey:

[thumperbug]

socks, socks and more socks. The thicker the better. Nothing like changing into a fresh pair in the middle of the afternoon. If you are tight for space in your suitcase...try the trick of turning your socks inside out in the middle of the day to help refresh your tootsies. A little sprinkle of baby powder helps too.

To help avoid grown up inner thigh chafing...get a stick of Body Glide from a sports store. Rub it anywhere that you might get chafed. It works. My husband swears by it.

Cold/Allergy Meds (grossly expensive at WDW), pepto, imodian, blister pads, anitbiotic cream, and pretty much everything else mentioned so far.

For fun we like to get cheap battery operated lights and string them on my son's stroller at night. Makes for fun and easy to spot the stroller when parked.

[Beast_fanatic]

A night light can be very handy if you have to get up in the middle of the night in unfamiliar surroundings

[princessjojo]

Our last stay, we stayed in the villas which has a whirlpool tub. One can never truly know how clean the jets are in those things. Knowing this ahead of time, we packed powered bleach. Glad I did because the shower in our master bath had mold and mildew in it and at nearly midnight, I didn't have the energy to pack up 8 people to move so I cleaned it myself.

[Mousemates]

To help avoid grown up inner thigh chafing...get a stick of Body Glide from a sports store. Rub it anywhere that you might get chafed. It works. My husband swears by it.

:ditto:

Also a small fan for white noise to take an afternoon nap.

[thrillme]

For me...this time it was "butt paste" (sorry guys...that's what it's called :blush: it's SUPPOSED to be for babies:secret:). Fabulous stuff:thumbsup:. Both hubby and I suffered from a little chafing this time. We went to the beach a couple of weeks before and I (for the first time) had a bit of an issue...so I threw some in just to be safe...boy am I ever glad I did. It works well on grown ups too. :blush:

I'm venturing on trying that body glide next time.

[Belle619]

Anti-bacterial hand wipes!

[Ropachs]

Clorox wipes. Yes, Disney is cleaner than most hotels, but not as clean as your own house. Use 'em to wipe down the doorknobs, phones, toilet, sink, etc. Also the tub this time as DD will need baths vs. showers.
DRUGS. A little bit of all that you use frequently or even just occasionally. Last trip, DH needed Imodium and we had to pay an insane price for it - and spent forever tracking some down (Main St. Emporium, behind the counter!) I'll also take Tylenol and Pepto and stuff for the kids.

[MauiMouse]

A power supply strip to keep all the recharging items grouped together (much easier to remember to take home that way too)

:ditto: Never enough outlets for all my electronic items.


Chip clips to keep wayward cutains closed!

Ooh, good idea, thanks Linda.



Extra Sd Cards, Batteries Etc


Yup, I had to buy an extra SD card my last trip, expensive. Not any more I have plenty now.

iPod charger, I forgot last time & luckily it lasted until I made it home. I usually only use it on the airplane.

[KAT1811]

the cheap over the door shoe holder from the dollar store to hang inthe bathroom. it kept the tooth brushes and hairbrushes ect ect all neat and in one place without them being all over the sink so that the cleaning people could clean.


That was such a great tip!!!! I read it on another thread awhile back and when we went to NH this summer I bought one and it worked fabulous!!! Another tip I got was to buy a clear shoe holder so you can see what is in the pockets up high. I highly recommend trying this one!!!

Another great new thing I found for this year's trip is travel size Tide laundry detergent packets and Downy liquid fabric softener packets. I found them in the travel section of our local Target and pick up a couple whenever I am in there that way we have them for vacation. No dealing with those little soap dispensing machines. Each packet is good for one load. Another great tip I got was to bring a stain stick with you. We usually do laundry once in the middle of our trip and this way I don't have to worry about all the Itzakadoozee drips staining DDs clothes!

[2Princesses4Us]

This thread is so GREAT! Thank you all for sharing your ideas! :)

I have a clip on fan for my stroller that I definatley plan to bring... a nightlight for the hotel room, aloe in case anyone gets too much sun (although we ALL wear SPF 50 and I am reapplying every two hours), googles for the pool, binoculars for the safari and fireworks/Tinkerbelle, a bit of mad money (whether it be for a margarita or a small souvenir), and some dum-dums for when I need a minute to think (from my kids)!

:mickey:

[MickeyandTink]

A lot of great ideas!

I would definitely agree on extra batteries and memory card. If you have room, a second camera (small digital or disposable) to use as backup. During our trip last year, our almost new Sony broke two days into the trip. Luckily, DD brought our old Sony along so we were still able to capture those special memories.

We got a new camera for this year, but will bring along a second as "back-up" in case something happens to it. We'll probably leave it in the room most, if not all, of the time, but just the peace of mind in knowing we've got a fallback is worth the hassle of bringing it.

[jeddalynn]

I am SO thankful I packed moleskin. I will never go again without it. It worked for all sorts of blisters and chaffing.

[pwdebbie]

Masking tape (you just never know -- we've used it to stop rattling air conditioning units, hold together a bed that crashed in the middle of night, hold curtains shut, etc.)

Fitted bed sheet (If you are bothered by the bottom sheet not staying in place like I am)

Lysol or Chlorox spray -- serves as an antibacterial surface cleaner and deodorizes the bathroom

Free samples of laundry detergent and softener -- I collect these all year long and then when we go away, I just grab a few

Coins for the washer and dryer

Small sewing kit and small first aid kit (from a dollar store)

Tip envelopes made up ahead of time

A small notebook to keep track of all your dinner reservations, your KTTW serial number, your emergency information, mailing addresses, etc.

Deb
POFQ, Oct. 2007

[dismommy]

immodim, tums, advil, children's mortin
laundry detergent
extra camera batteries
xanax

[disneygeek84]

Eye wash.

As crazy as that sounds, you don't want to be stuck in WDW with something in your eye. And this seems to happen to my family a lot.

[cheshirecollector]

Safety Pins - One trip I popped a button on something I was wearing, and some great CMs at DHS went searching for a safety pin for me. Luckily they found one. I try to bring my own now, just in case.

[coloradowendyl]

dollar store wire hangers...everyone got a set put intheir suitcases. $5 worth of hangers and we were organized!

When we unpacked, I just hung a tee shirt and pair of shorts per hanger...hung them in the closet and presto, no "what matches questions" in the morning, I knew when we were running low on clothes and we needed to do a laundry run, and we had enough drawer space for each of us to have our own drawer for socks, jammies, underwear, bathing suits.

Wendy

[JPL]

Energizer Energy to go for my iPod it was great to actually watch video for my entire flight even after using my iPod while sitting at the airport during my delay:thumbsup:

A few blank CDs so I could transfer some photos to CD and clear a memory card.

A second battery Charger so I could charge both sets of batteries at the same time.

[iluvdizney2]

ziplock bags-
snack size for taking a few motrin in the park with out the bottle or any medicine in and gallon size for clothes or wet things...when hot we took a face cloth in one that was wet to help cool down.
Extra camera battery-
leave one plugged in all day and change it out at night.
brand new plain baseball style cap and a sharpie-
No need to have to carry in a autograph book! use the hat and sharpie to get the characters and then wear it to keep sun out. most likely you wont lose it easy.
x lg disposable poncho for a stroller. cover it up and no need to fight with a little one to put it on!!! and they stay dry as does the stroller. The head hole works for the hands to go through and hold the handle.
cheap flip flops-
so when you go on a water ride you can remove your good sneakers or shoes and toss them in ziplock bag, and put on cheap flip flops!...who cares if they get wet.
There are so many things we bring with us that are specific to our needs, but this is stuff we do that benefit others as well.

[amd780]

Sunblock. Even in January, I can get burned in FL. Sunburns are no fun in WDW!

[luv_cinderella]

Large mesh laundry bag...

I empty our suitcase when we arrive and put all clothes away, but then as the days go by, we toss dirty clothes into the mesh bag. The first time we put everything back in the suitcase as it got dirty, and wow! did that suitcase stink by the end of the week! :ack: From that point on, I do the mesh bag on any vacation.

I, personally, don't bother trying to keep clothes separate for the trip home - everything gets washed upon return.

[jonahbear2006]

Our Kolcraft Contours stroller. It's seat comes off and I can't tell you what a blessing this was for us while our son was 7mths and 17 mths old. Both times we took the seat off several times and carried him through The Land, a restaurant, a ride, a show, and especially during the Backlot tour while he napped. Our son was much happier, since he wasn't woken up all of these times, and we were happier too because no one had to wait out with the baby while he napped. The best part is that it is form fitting, so when layed on the floor it lays flat. How many times he layed on the floor in his stroller seat while we ate. It seemed like everytime we wanted to eat he slept.
Something different that we did with the wipes ( I highly recommend this); everytime our kids ordered kids' meals, we took the three mickey plates and wiped them out with a wipe and threw it in the bottom of the stroller. By the end of our trip we had 24 disney plates that we brought home as a free souvenir. 7 mths later we still have them all, the kids love love love to eat out of them, and the best part is that they are dishwasher safe. We have yet to have found one of these plates disfigured or melted in the washer! BONUS Souvenir!! Needless to say, we will be doing this Again!

[Vito]

Most of the things I would suggest have already been said, but I don't think anyone mentioned:

Hand sanitizer (the anti-bacterial gel stuff). Buy a big bottle and a tiny "portable" bottle. I use this stuff all the time after getting off rides, before eating when you can't get to a restroom, etc. You never know who had a cold/flu, when someone sneezed on a handrail or whatever. Every night you can refill the tiny bottle with the large bottle.

Tiny deoderant sticks (the travel size ones). I bring them in a camera bag or waist pack to the parks along with the hand sanitizer, because sometimes over the course of a long, hot day you don't smell so great any more :thumbsup:

[GoOfY'sGiRl]

:mickey:We got the bags for "dirty diapers" and actually used them more for other things. We had an incident with Apple juice in our backpack leaking, so now we use them to put juices in, a clean change of clothes, and also to put the dirty clothes in if we had to change our DD's outfit in the parks. We also got the marshmallow treats in downtown disney that comes on the straws, and we had leftovers so they went in the bag too.
We get these at Walmart for about 3 dollars for 2 sets of about 25 bags.
Happy Packing everyone :mickey:

[jillluvsdisney]

Cold and sinus medication. The change in climate always seem to flare something up.

Postcard stamps.

Small ballet type slippers for walking around the hotel room. You never know what might be on the carpet. My BF's grand daughter stepped on a sewing needle in a hotel room in Toronto.

Back in 1981, my cousin broke a shoelace. My mother promptly took a fresh pair out of her purse. :thumbsup: This must be where I get my preparedness from.

[Faver]

disposable rain ponchos
and useful over the counter medications

have fun:mickey:

[Marci]

Question: Can you take little fans on planes? I have to have a fan at home in order to be able to sleep, but wasn't sure if I could take one on the plane. Thanks!

[Puppy Mom]

Hats for everyone?

My BF always wears a hat to protect his "shiny" head, but I never wore one until last trip. You know, typical "girl" reasons.... It will ruin my hair, It will make my head sweat more.

Last trip we went in May and I broke down and got a straw hat with a brim all the way around and I felt so much better with the additional shade for my eyes and face and neck. I had always used sunglasses, but the hat kept so much more sun out of my eyes.

[pwdebbie]

Question: Can you take little fans on planes? I have to have a fan at home in order to be able to sleep, but wasn't sure if I could take one on the plane. Thanks!

Our room at the POFQ had a ceiling fan. I'm not sure if all the resorts do, but I know I've seen pictures of several that have ceiling fans. Makes all the difference in the world!

Deb
POFQ, Oct. 2007

[prprincess]

An extra pair of contact lenses AND my glasses. Missing on on the spectacular beauty of the Grand Canyon because you can only see clearly out of one eye, was a real bummer for me!!

[rnin02]

An extra pair of contact lenses AND my glasses. Missing on on the spectacular beauty of the Grand Canyon because you can only see clearly out of one eye, was a real bummer for me!!

I have to agree with this 100%! I also make sure I bring an unopened bottle of contact lens solution, that way I can be positive I won't run out 1/2 thru the trip.

[Mousemates]

Hats for everyone?....I never wore one until last trip. You know, typical "girl" reasons.... It will ruin my hair, It will make my head sweat more.

Last trip we went in May and I broke down and got a straw hat with a brim all the way around and I felt so much better with the additional shade for my eyes and face and neck. I had always used sunglasses, but the hat kept so much more sun out of my eyes.

:)Hoping my DW will see this post.:)

[Puppy Mom]

LOL!

We women and our vanity. We are sometimes our own worst enemies.

Don't even get me started on the fools I see in HIGH HEELS walking around Disney!

[DisneyDudet]

The new Tide Sink packets. Its great for washing socks or undies in a pinch! Fill the sink, pour, and there ya go! No need to pack a bunch of extras anymore!

We usually pack a fresh pair of socks in our park bags. We'll change them at lunch (or sooner if its raining). Also, we plan on getting some of those super absorbant towels you use on your cars. We'll stick them in our wet shoes at night and should be dry by morning!

I now swear by bringing Similisan ear drops. At 4am on our first morning of our 9 day trip one year, I got HORRIBLE ear pain. We finally went and bought some ear drops. The pain was gone by the end, but HORRIBLE!

Extra contacts or glasses are a must. As is an extra pair of sunglasses. Nothing like your only pair breaking or being lost. Luckily it hasn't happened to me, but it has happened to my mother.

We bring a fan for white noise (and for people who are too hot while everyone else is chilly in the room).

We liked Body Glide, but I LOVE the new Monistat Soothin Care cream to use on "hot spots". Its not your "normal" use of Monistat, but its made for chaffing. I am Marathon training, and I like it better than Body Glide.

Benadryl cream. My savior. I'm allergic to Latex, and you have no idea how many things have Latex in it! Other drugs include immodium, advil, and allergy pills.

Nail clippers and files. Unless you walk a lot in your tennis shoes for hours on end in the heat often, you may find a toenail that is just a little too long for comfort!

[Sharon1026]

I try to remember to bring air freshener spray for the bathroom. Lots of people eating food you don't normally eat, one bathroom.... you get the picture...:ill: :blush:

[Sharon1026]

Pedometer. Then I feel less guilty about eating dessert.

[Going2HeavenRU]

These are all fantastic ideas and I am writing them down for my trip in a couple of weeks!!
One thing I thought of is hydrocordizone (sp?) cream for those crazy bug bites or mysterious itches that just drive you nuts.

[PETE FROM NYC]

My DW and I are both hadicapped, and we both use a variety of meds.We each have a list of meds, allergies, conditions, along with our doctors, and each other's cell numbers.
Lists can be tailored to each persons individual needs, and updated as necessary.
We also have our name and cell number taped to our canes.I know.I lost my cane once at another entertainment venue.

[azdisneymom]

Spray and wash stain stick - You just rub it in and can launder later. I will be trying Tide stain stick this trip but I will still take my stain stick for larger areas.

[iheartmickey]

This last trip I brough a few new things I'll never go without!

1. folding/compact laundry hamper
2. re-usable canvas bags (like the ones at the grocery store)

I found that the hamper really came in handy!! No more dirty laundry ... or guessing what was dirty. I also loved the canvas bags. I used them for everything. It just made packing my stuff up so much easier ... especially on my transfer (hotels). I folded up my clothes into the bags and then packed them in the suitcases ... I also used one on the way home as a carryon for all my extra stuff! ;)


I always bring already:

sound machine, cup for toothbrushes and other things I don't want laying on the vanity, saftey pins

[Mousemates]

Garmin...saves lots of time and shows short cuts for getting around quickly.

[lynnrapata]

Totally thankful I packed Ibuprofin for grown ups and for kids -- also those band aid adhesive blister cover up things.....

Lynn