Time to start packing! Am I going crazy?

[cw1982]

This time next week, we'll be eating dinner with friends who are local to Orlando. We'll be spending the night with them that night so that we can get up and be refreshed before grabbing lunch and heading to the Pop to check in. Then the real fun begins!

I find myself feeling like I need to go ahead and start packing lol. I feel like I'm going to forget something: our magic bands, a sling bag or two, ponchos, protein bars, extra sunblock... yes, I know that there is very little we can't get just outside of the World if we need it when we get down there, but still... so, I'm feeling the urge to drag out that suitcase and start putting things in it now... at least things that I know I won't need between now and when we leave.

And, um, DH might get a tad annoyed when he learns that I'm thinking I may need our big suitcase. Good thing that sucker is on wheels, because this girl can't decide what to take to wear each day.

So, how far out do you start packing for a trip to WDW?

Go ahead... laugh at me.

 

[cw1982]

Nice! Luckily my room will always stay the same since I'm the only dance teacher ;-)
You should take them to perform in WDW! I'm trying to push to go to HI but we may end up at DL.

What state are you in again? How big will your team be? I've got 45 girls next year

I'm in Georgia. Not sure how big my team will be yet... we have 1800 students so I could do a pretty decent sized team and have plenty of people to pick from but this is my first time doing dance so I may try to start a little smaller. I'm going to talk to the last coach next week and get more details.

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

I'm in Georgia. Not sure how big my team will be yet... we have 1800 students so I could do a pretty decent sized team and have plenty of people to pick from but this is my first time doing dance so I may try to start a little smaller. I'm going to talk to the last coach next week and get more details.

good luck! I'm average size for TX. I have friends that have 80+ girls on their teams! Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions!

 

[jpittore1]

A few years back, decided to go to WDW over Martin L King Jr weekend with our two children for four days. I was busy at work and didn't get the "summer clothes" out of the storage area (we live in the snow belt). I arrived home the night before we left and I received a 30% off coupon from Kohls in the mail, bought all everything we needed, put the Kohls bag in the suit case and we cut off the tags every morning.

 

[Kristamouse]

We are going the end of August and I'm not packing yet but I am organizing our outfits. Like you I have the kids coordinate each other and the park...so far my girls have all of thier outfits either ready or ordered, (darn etsy, for being so.darn.cute.!) Now I am working on boys we have the Star Wars gear and Epcot outfits need AK and MK. We do re wear the MK outfits but I have to do laundry through the week as we have 5 kids and I don't want to pack that much!
I wear sundresses or skirts and tanks long enough that I can deal with the kids, without flashing any innocent passerbys. I also have a white light SPF fisherman style shirt to keep sun off me. I am already taking stock of what I want to wear in each park and also filling in then gaps...speaking of would love a red cotton skirt, the same shape as a maxie skirt but shorter, anyone seen one?
I decided to start early so the kids could get some wear out of thier clothes, if I bought new in August right before our trip, they would out grow the new stuff by next summer and not get much use of the outfits. We go to the zoo pretty often and they will wear the AK outfits there. I got the matching Red, white and blue madras plaid dresses for the girls, and the same plaid shorts for the boys and baby boys plaid romper at The Children's Place and kids will wear that set all summer for parties and Church.
I say pack now and avoid a hectic few days before you depart! Travel safe and have a magical vacation!

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

We are going the end of August and I'm not packing yet but I am organizing our outfits. Like you I have the kids coordinate each other and the park...so far my girls have all of thier outfits either ready or ordered, (darn etsy, for being so.darn.cute.!) Now I am working on boys we have the Star Wars gear and Epcot outfits need AK and MK. We do re wear the MK outfits but I have to do laundry through the week as we have 5 kids and I don't want to pack that much!
I wear sundresses or skirts and tanks long enough that I can deal with the kids, without flashing any innocent passerbys. I also have a white light SPF fisherman style shirt to keep sun off me. I am already taking stock of what I want to wear in each park and also filling in then gaps...speaking of would love a red cotton skirt, the same shape as a maxie skirt but shorter, anyone seen one?
I decided to start early so the kids could get some wear out of thier clothes, if I bought new in August right before our trip, they would out grow the new stuff by next summer and not get much use of the outfits. We go to the zoo pretty often and they will wear the AK outfits there. I got the matching Red, white and blue madras plaid dresses for the girls, and the same plaid shorts for the boys and baby boys plaid romper at The Children's Place and kids will wear that set all summer for parties and Church.
I say pack now and avoid a hectic few days before you depart! Travel safe and have a magical vacation!

Look at jane.com I've been seeing a lot of skirts lately. Walmart of all places has a decent "solid staples"

 

[Dwarful]

LOL I guess I am the typical guy. I have my favorite hat ready to go, I told the wife don't pack a razor cause I ain't shaving all week! Yep I am ready to go!

You sound like my husband....although I have to make sure we pack his Chief Illiniwek hat, his Blues hat and his Cardinals hat....just one hat won't do. lol

cw1982..that is cool. If you see a family in Illini, Blues or Cardinals tshirts...that's probably us. Feel free to give a shout out!

 

[cw1982]

cw1982..that is cool. If you see a family in Illini, Blues or Cardinals tshirts...that's probably us. Feel free to give a shout out!

Likewise! I'm the one in the middle of my avatar pic, and if you go look at my pre trip report there's a picture of both of us

 

[MadMax11]

We leave the morning of June 6 (and I mean like pre-morning morning)...so we've been buying up toiletries and some clothes we need for the trip the last 2 weekends. The wife has plans for each of our boys' clothes for each day of the trip...I was counting my own socks and shorts last night to make sure I'm good. I'm sure we'll begin setting aside things starting this week. Can't wait!

 

[cw1982]

We leave the morning of June 6 (and I mean like pre-morning morning)...so we've been buying up toiletries and some clothes we need for the trip the last 2 weekends. The wife has plans for each of our boys' clothes for each day of the trip...I was counting my own socks and shorts last night to make sure I'm good. I'm sure we'll begin setting aside things starting this week. Can't wait!

Eek! How exciting

I need to take care of toiletries as well. Lord knows I don't need to waste precious real estate in my luggage on full-sized bottles.

I'm getting more and more excited every day!

 

[Mr Toad]

We plan what we need to pack a couple of weeks before we leave (no matter where we go). We actually pack the suitcases about 3 days out. Gives us time to do laundry and purchase new sunblock, shampoo etc. Of course, perishable food & drinks are the last to be packed.

 

[cw1982]

We plan what we need to pack a couple of weeks before we leave (no matter where we go). We actually pack the suitcases about 3 days out. Gives us time to do laundry and purchase new sunblock, shampoo etc. Of course, perishable food & drinks are the last to be packed.

Yeah, we're driving down, so I'm thinking we'll probably hit up a store out there if we decide we want to have cheap water, snacks, etc, for the room. The only other food we'll be taking is probably protein bars, and those I'll get at GNC one day this week. If I get them too early, we'll end up eating them all before we leave and then I'll have to buy more lol.

I do need to get lots of sunblock though! I'm every bit as pale as I look in my avatar!

 

[Mr Toad]

The kids always need sunblock...guess 3 of the 5 kids got their genes from their mother so they burn easily in the the sun...the other two and I don't...gotta live the Hawaiian genes lol.

Actually, you should see the wife pack us up for a trip...it's a thing of beauty.

 

[cw1982]

The kids always need sunblock...guess 3 of the 5 kids got their genes from their mother so they burn easily in the the sun...the other two and I don't...gotta live the Hawaiian genes lol.

Actually, you should see the wife pack us up for a trip...it's a thing of beauty.

The packing thing is an art that I definitely need to learn

I wish I didn't burn so easily! I do tan, but I burn first. You'd think that being native American would mean I'd be able to withstand the sun a little better. Not so much.

 

[DVCPluto]

I have an ongoing "Disney Bin" so you could say I'm always packing (and ready to go!)

 

[cw1982]

OK... I'm officially in freakout mode right now! I just made a list of everything I want to make sure we bring, and that list is ridiculously long! I got distracted these last few days because it was the end of the school year, I was in the midst of possibly changing jobs (which did happen, thank goodness!), and now today I've had a sick husband. Eek! I need my fairy godmother to come get everything put in my suitcase for me... lol

 

[Susan Savia]

Suitcases are open about a month out and as things get washed and ready, they go into the suitcase. I close them about two days before we leave and love saying to my husband, "Next time I open this, we'll be in our room in Florida!"

 

[cw1982]

Suitcases are open about a month out and as things get washed and ready, they go into the suitcase. I close them about two days before we leave and love saying to my husband, "Next time I open this, we'll be in our room in Florida!"

Awesome! I wish DH would let me do that lol... He wouldn't see the value in it. Heck, we leave tomorrow morning and he hasn't even started packing yet!

 

[LAM378]

Better a sick husband now than in WDW! Hope he's feeling better already!

What's your packing list like? I made so many packing mistakes and dealing with all our stuff became a real drag on the trip.

I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!

 

[cw1982]

Better a sick husband now than in WDW! Hope he's feeling better already!

What's your packing list like? I made so many packing mistakes and dealing with all our stuff became a real drag on the trip.

I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!

Thanks I agree completely... if he had to get sick, at least it was yesterday. He made it through a half day at work and came home at lunch and crashed on the couch. Didn't wake up until time to nibble on a few crackers for dinner and then went upstairs and straight to bed, poor thing. He does seem to be doing better today, so I'm hopeful that it was just a virus.

Sigh... since you asked for the list, here it is lol:

-sun dresses (I put five in there)
-skorts and shorts
-2 skirts
-5 tank tops
-5 t shirts
-swimwear and coverup
-undies and lingerie (um, duh... this is a "conceptionmoon!" And BTW, I just learned that's actually a thing LOL)
-my older pair of running shoes and two comfy pairs of sandals (lots of support and will hold up nicely if they get wet)
-jewelry
-sleepwear
-shapewear (I don't think I'll end up wearing much of this, as it'll just be an extra layer; but I get really self conscious about my midsection, which is where I have the most loose skin, so I may break down and wear it)
-toiletries
-sunscreen
-makeup/perfume
-vitamins
-ibuprofen
-first aid kit (stays in the car anyway so no big deal there)
-magic bands
-"Damnit" the Horse (long story... I'll be sure to include this in my trip report!)
-phone chargers
-credit cards
-protein bars to take for a snack each day (gotta make sure I get in enough protein with all the junk we'll eat)
-sling bag
-ponchos
-lint roller
-small purse to take for dinner dates (gotta make sure I have a convenient place to keep my ID lol)

ETA: I know it looks like a lot of clothing, but I'm kind of temperamental when it comes to what I wear each day... I just didn't want to get down there and be in a mood to wear one thing all week (ie wear skorts for three days) and only have dresses and shorts with me lol.

As of right now, all of my clothing will fit in one suitcase (and not even the larger one)! I figure I'll put my toiletries in my makeup tote (it was a gift set from Ulta that came with a nice, spacious bag... so this will work nicely), take my gym bag for our shoes (that way DH and I can have one "shoe bag" for both of us) and then put our vitamins, etc, in one of the sing bags we plan to take (if they won't fit elsewhere). Then DH will have a suitcase... but we'll be gone for 8 days, so I don't see this as too much when one considers what a variety of experiences we have planned. Plenty of cargo space in my Honda Fit! The horse will have to ride in the backseat on our way down to Florida, but he'll only be a one-way passenger as we're taking him to friends for the foreseeable future, and he'll make for some funny pictures

 

[LAM378]

Eek, I hope the rest helped your husband! My son has been sick with a fever, then a cold, since Monday. I just keep thinking thank God it was this week and not last week. Would have been miserable.

Your list doesn't look so bad! It's a lot, but not a lot of unnecessary stuff. Best advice I can give is pack like with like. Ziplocs are your BFF. All the in-shower toiletries in one bag, all the after-shower stuff in another, all the park stuff together, etc.

If it's not already on your list, bring Ziplocs into the parks with you. I used them constantly to bag up snacks/CS we couldn't finish and to protect our phones on rides and in rain. Oh, and a small towel to wipe down...anything wet. These were honestly the ONLY things I ever used from my park bag, and I used the heck out of them.

Ha, I look forward to the story of Damnit the Horse!