Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Important Things to Pack for a WDW Vacation

I seem to have a lot of people ask me what they should pack for a Walt Disney World vacation. Everyone has opinions as to what is important and what's not.  After 25+ trips to the Mouse house, I've come up with some things that I can't live without while visiting.




Don't leave home without the following:

1.  Clothes. This one should be obvious. I recommend one outfit per day per person, plus extras. This may sound like a lot but you never know when you will run into a rainstorm in Florida, or get wet on Splash Mountain, or feel sweaty, or or or the list goes on and on. For a 6 night vacation I pack 7 or 8 shirts and shorts per person. Don't forget your cute Mickey shirts!

2.  Extra shoes. This one can be tricky. For myself, I always take 2 pairs of tennis shoes (gym shoes, sneakers) and 3 or 4 pairs of flip flops/sandals. I like to have a variety. For my non flipflop wearing boys, I like them to have 2 pairs of shoes (gym shoes, sneakers) so they can rotate on different days.

3. New socks. One of our favorite things to take with us is a brand new package of socks per person. Nothing feels quite as nice as a new pair of socks on tired feet.


We get good deals on socks at T J Maxx!

4.  Laundry detergent. We take Tide Pods. I always do a little bit of laundry while I am relaxing by the pool. The laundry is there so I might as well toss it in. I always, at least, wash our travel clothes. We are from Indiana and travel in the fall so we wear long pants on the plane. It's nice to have clean ones for the flight home without having to pack extras. To go along with this the laundry areas at Walt Disney World no longer take coins, they are credit/debit card only. With the new electronic system you can even watch your washer and dryer online here to know when it's done.

5.  Cash. One thing many people don't think about is cash. You don't need it very many places but you want to make sure you have it if you need it. Some outside vendors (balloons and toy carts) don't take cards or Magic Bands, only cash. There are ATM's available all over WDW but I'm sure the ATM fees are outrageous, usually for both the ATM and your bank. Another thing that you will need cash for is tips for Mousekeeping, bell services, baggage handlers, etc. We take a little, $200-300 and rely on our card for the rest.

6.  Glow Sticks. If you have small children, take your own glow sticks. I've even dedicated an entire blog post to just glow sticks here.




7.  Ponchos/umbrella. It rains in Florida, sometimes once a day. You can fork over the $10 per person for a Mickey poncho but why when you can get a 2 pack at your local dollar store for $1. Because it will rain in Florida. You could buy several packs for that price. Did I mention that it rains, in Florida? I even see people wearing ponchos on Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids.

8.  Toiletries/medicines. Please don't forget your medicines. They should be packed in your carry-on. You can always have your doctor call in what you need but it might be a pain to get to the pharmacy to get what you forgot. As for toiletries, I always make sure we have everything we need from shampoo to soap to razors. I don't want to have to pay the super high prices in the Disney gift shops to get what I didn't have. I've forgotten my facial moisturizer before and struggled to find something to replace it on property. Also, don't forget to pack the cute little first aid kit that we made here.




9.  Extra bag. You see that matching small bag there on top of my suitcase? I don't carry it on the plane, I flatten it on the bottom of my suitcase so I have an empty bag to bring home souvenirs. We also like to hit up the outlet malls and this helps me have extra room for anything I purchase.




10.  Anti-bacterial hand gel. Bathrooms are dirty, even at Walt Disney World. I always have anti-bacterial hand gel with me. I even got this cute one last year at Disney. They are expensive there but have lots of cute choices.




11.  Park bag. I usually carry a park bag. My kids usually carry a park bag. My husband usually carries a park bag. They are helpful to hold your maps, phones, gum/candy/snacks, cameras, first aid kit, and drink bottle. Last year was the first time in forever that I went one day without a bag, it was quite freeing but I got there and realized that my pants had no pockets so I had to carry my phone and I had no place to put my sunglasses on the rides. My husband helped me out by putting my stuff in his pockets. I think I will go without a bag one day this time but probably only once.

My favorite park bag from Thirty-One.

12.  Electronics. We all enjoy our phones, and you might need them for MyDisneyExperience. Some small children are entertained by iPad's in long lines. It's nice for teenagers to have a little distraction from "family time" as well. 

If you want to book a magical vacation, please email me here.

What's something you can't live without while at Walt Disney World?

Have a Magical Day :)

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