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The Art of Packing - Preparing for Your Disney Vacation
by Cheryl Pendry

There's one thing most of us have in common whenever it comes to a Disney vacation.

Unless you're lucky enough to have a Disney park right on your doorstep (if only -- our nearest is Paris, in another country, a train ride through or ferry ride over the Channel and then three more hours of driving!), you're going to have to decide what to take with you. Of course, if you're driving to your destination, you can pretty much pack as much as will fit in your car, and you won't have to worry about security restrictions. However, if you've got a big family, you may still be restricted by space. We've never forgotten the family we saw who were dropping off their son who was starting the Disney College Program. They'd driven him down, and he was keeping one of the cars they came down in from New York State. That left them with one car for the journey back. No problem, right? Wrong! They'd bought so much that Grandma was booked on a flight home to make room for everything, and even then, they were struggling to fit it all in! It was quite a sight.

But if you're flying to your destination, packing is suddenly a really important consideration. The first thing you need to think about these days is how much luggage (if any!) you can take with you free of charge. If you're lucky enough to be flying Southwest, you can still have two pieces per person in the hold free of charge, but with other airlines, their restrictions are much tougher, and of course you may need to pay to bring your bags with you.

If you're working on a budget, knowing how much luggage is coming with you could help you decide which airline to go with. We figured we'd need three pieces of luggage between the two of us on one of our recent trips, and we needed to get from Los Angeles to Vancouver. To find the best deal, I priced up all the available airlines, complete with baggage charges, and was surprised to find Air Canada came out the cheapest, although when we compared just the airfares alone, Air Canada was more expensive than some of the other options. Once you've worked out how much luggage you need for your trip, the next issue is to work out how to fit everything in -- and that can be quite a challenge! I find a good packing list invaluable, and you can find one in your PassPorter, but personally I find the personalized version that you can get through being a PassPorter's Club Member much more use to me. I just need to go through every item on there, and tick it off, and then I know that I'm pretty much set.

If you're going away for more than a few days, you want to think about doing laundry while you're there. If you do, this immediately reduces the amount of clothes you'll need to take with you. We usually plan on doing some washing at least once a week while we're away, so we never need more than a week's supply with us.

Another important thing to do is to look carefully at the weather forecast for your trip. Don't just consider the daytime highs, but think about how cold it may get at night. Florida in the winter can be unforgiving. We've seen nights in the high 20s and low 30s on most of our December visits, which means valuable space in the suitcase taken up with layers, including sweatshirts, coats, gloves, and hats. It's also worth looking in your PassPorter (because you do have one, don't you?!) for the average temperatures during your visit, to give you an idea. You can also ask on the PassPorter message boards if you're not sure about the usual weather during the time of your next trip as well.

Something else that's worth thinking about when you're packing is whether you're going to need any fancy clothes. For example, are you cruising with Disney and will you want formalwear, or are you going to one of Walt Disney World's Signature restaurants? In which case, you may want a nice set of clothes for those experiences. Whatever you do, don't forget about the footwear to go with those outfits. I've made that mistake, taking, for example, a lovely pair of white shoes that went very nicely with my dresses, but they looked slightly out of place with a pair of black pants!

Moving away from clothes, don't forget electrical items. Cameras are obvious, but without the battery, charger, and memory sticks to go with them, they won't be much use on their own! If you're taking a few electrical items with you (and it's easily done these days with phones, mobile devices such as laptops, and tablets), you might want to consider taking a power strip.

If you're an over-packer, like me, then first you need to realize that, and then you can tackle the problem. Knowing that's a problem of mine, I tend to use the principle of putting to one side everything that I think I'm going to need, then I have another look through it quite carefully, and decide what I can do without. If there are say, six different tops, do I need all of them, or can I make do with five? If you go through this process with almost every item you pack, then you'll find that there are a fair few items you can live without while you're gone.

If things really won't fit in, then it may be time to consider an extra piece of luggage, or can some items perhaps go into your carry-ons? And don't forget the return journey either! With all those tempting souvenirs, you may want to save some space or perhaps even take an extra suitcase with you, maybe one inside another one, just in case'.

One final word of comfort for anyone concerned that perhaps they haven't got everything with them. I always say when we leave home that so long as you've got your passports or photo ID, prescription medication, credit and ATM cards, and some money, then you can buy anything else. It's a flippant comment, but it's also true. Packing shouldn't be a nightmare, and hopefully these tips will help, but the more often you do it, the easier it becomes. Hey, now there's a reason to plan another Disney trip?

Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 03-05-2013 01:03 PM

What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

[toddjodybrent]

Excellent article, Cheryl. I am envisioning the family that had to buy a plane ticket for Grandma. I hope there was someone at home who could pick her up!

You are absolutely right, the more practice you get at packing, the easier it gets. And, we are able to set aside those items we need only when traveling to Disney, such as misting/fan bottles or ponchos, and pull them out when we are heading back to our happy place. We also pack our oldest stuff rather than our newest stuff and tend to come home with less stuff and luggage than we left with, leaving outgrown or worn out items behind.

Any reason for another Disney trip is a good reason!

[Thomhazel]

Lovely article Cheryl, when you got to the bit about Disney park on your doorstep my head is saying I do I do but we really don't take advantage of it as we should

On the point of packing we halved what we normally take for our last trip. 6 suitcases down to 3. Now we were going for half the time but that shouldn't have made a difference as my philosophy has always been 4 outfits each and I wash every day. Anyway with half the luggage I still has stuff I didn't wear.

A funny family story about packing for Disney. My kids have been regimented for years. Disney packing is 4 tops 4 bottoms, 4 pants, 4 socks, 2 hoodies, 2 pajamas and a waterproof jacket. Since about 2002 they have gone and got there own clothes out to pack and bring them to me. In 2009 when we were doing 21 nights in California we did the usual but I asked graeme (hubby) to go and get his clothes. He comes down the stairs with a pile of clothes he can't see over saying I don't have 21 pairs of socks. The kids had a good laugh. I'm sure he must notice I do 2 loads of washing a day no matter where we are

I am not looking forward to packing for the next time as I really want to go to V and As and the downside is fancy clothes.

[chezp]

Originally Posted by toddjodybrent

Excellent article, Cheryl. I am envisioning the family that had to buy a plane ticket for Grandma. I hope there was someone at home who could pick her up!

That really was a classic!

You are absolutely right, the more practice you get at packing, the easier it gets. And, we are able to set aside those items we need only when traveling to Disney, such as misting/fan bottles or ponchos, and pull them out when we are heading back to our happy place. We also pack our oldest stuff rather than our newest stuff and tend to come home with less stuff and luggage than we left with, leaving outgrown or worn out items behind.

Any reason for another Disney trip is a good reason!

Very well said.

[chezp]

Originally Posted by Thomhazel

Lovely article Cheryl, when you got to the bit about Disney park on your doorstep my head is saying I do I do but we really don't take advantage of it as we should

I don't think you do badly, but heck, if that makes you want to visit more, why not?

On the point of packing we halved what we normally take for our last trip. 6 suitcases down to 3. Now we were going for half the time but that shouldn't have made a difference as my philosophy has always been 4 outfits each and I wash every day. Anyway with half the luggage I still has stuff I didn't wear.

There's nothing worse than coming back with stuff you didn't wear. I always look at that and think "I didn't need to take that after all".

A funny family story about packing for Disney. My kids have been regimented for years. Disney packing is 4 tops 4 bottoms, 4 pants, 4 socks, 2 hoodies, 2 pajamas and a waterproof jacket. Since about 2002 they have gone and got there own clothes out to pack and bright them to me. In 2009 when we were doing 21 nights in California we did the usual but I asked graeme (hubby) to go and get his clothes. He comes down the stairs with a pile of clothes he can't see over saying I don't have 21 pairs of socks. The kids had a good laugh. I'm sure he must notice I do 2 loads of washing a day no matter where we are

Oh that's classic!

I am not looking forward to packing for the ext time as I really want to go to V and As and the downside is fancy clothes.

Fancy clothes needn't be a problem, particularly if you can find some that don't weigh too much, take up too much room or crease easily...

[skateycat]

great advice! i especially like the part about checking on the boards to see what the weather is likely to be. you have experienced our quirky weather patterns for sure! (and all in one trip, i might add!) it can go from near 90 in the day time to barely 50 all in 24 hrs during the winter and spring months. summers are much more predictable end of may through late september. i think i will use your advice for our cruise next may.....

[chezp]

Originally Posted by skateycat

great advice! i especially like the part about checking on the boards to see what the weather is likely to be. you have experienced our quirky weather patterns for sure! (and all in one trip, i might add!) it can go from near 90 in the day time to barely 50 all in 24 hrs during the winter and spring months. summers are much more predictable end of may through late september. i think i will use your advice for our cruise next may.....

So true - we have had our fair share of crazy weather on our trips.

[Disneydork]

We hit WDW about twice a year, as well as Disneyland a couple times a year, and I have to say, I still dread packing. I always over pack and am in constant fear of forgetting something, but I have learned a few things. I leave a few things packed all the time- rain ponchos, extension cord (for plugging in our growing number of electronics), pop-up laundry hamper, etc. I keep my cosmetic bag packed all the time and just have to check to see if any of my little bottles need refilling when getting ready to go, and I have a "medicine bag" as well (cold meds, antacids, anti-diarrheal, etc.). But my number one tip would have to be space bags. Lately I've been using space bags when we travel and they are amazing! As long as you keep an eye on weight limits, they take the stress out of being able to fit everything in. Make sure you get the travel/roll up kind if you are staying somewhere where you won't have access to a vacuum cleaner (to suck the air out) on the way back. We also found an extra benefit when we did not have a direct flight and our luggage got stuck out in the rain- everything in the space bags stayed nice and dry!