Packing and Preparing for WDW

It’s almost here!  Next week I will shove off for a five day trip to Walt Disney World with a friend from home and about 25 Disney geek friends from around the country (and even one from the UK)!  We’ll be heading down to WDW for five days of fun in the August heat.  If you haven’t already checked out the official Touring Plans meets for during our trip please take a look and try to make it out to meet our bloggers and our esteemed social media guru.  Since I’ve started my packing process I thought I’d take the opportunity to give readers some advice about what to take with them on their trips to Walt Disney World.

One of the reasons I often chose JetBlue as my carrier from Newark to Orlando International is that I can check a bag with them for free.  I am a girlie girl so it’s not very easy for me to travel with just a carry on.  Instead of fighting my nature I just roll with it and travel comfortably and with a checked bag.  I accept that I over pack and I am ok with it. Like my fellow blogger, Todd, I try to keep things organized by using ziploc bags and packing ahead of time rather than doing it last minute and forgetting essential items.  Luckily, my suitcase comes equipped with several compartments and pockets to keep make traveling a little less chaotic.

I always tie something to my checked suitcase to distinguish it from all of the other suitcases on the carousel.  I would have bought a some brightly colored bag to avoid all this, but my luggage set was a gift and it’s black so there goes that idea.  Instead, I tie a pink princess ribbon around the upper handle so I know this bag belongs to me.  Since I will be renting a car on this trip I will have to claim my own baggage whereas if I took the Magical Express Disney could do all of this for me.  However, truth be told I usually claim my own bag and bring it to the DME myself anyhow.  It’s not that I don’t trust Disney to retrieve my luggage and deliver it to my resort.  I just usually like to have a change of clothes and a few other essentials readily available when I arrive.

I have an early flight so there is a very real possibility that my room won’t be ready upon my arrival at Pop Century.  One of those great things about Disney is that the resort will store your luggage for you while you are in the parks if you arrive before your room is ready.  I will give them my checked suitcase as well as my backpack (more on that later) for safe storage while I enjoy the parks.  While I could just leave everything in my car since I am renting one, but I’ve always liked the peace of mind of not leaving items like the laptop in my back pack in the car in the parking lot.

Speaking of back packs, on my last trip I decided to trade in my usual shoulder tote bag for a back pack for my carry on option.  It is easy to fit my lap top inside and the different pockets and zippered compartments make it easy to keep my stuff organized.  Since I don’t pack it to the gills I can still slide the bag under the seat in front of me on the plane for easy access throughout my flight.  The added advantage of using a back pack is that it zips up and contains all of my goodies if I need to store it in Pop Century’s storage facility.  It should be noted that if you opt to store a lap top, ipad, or other valuable object be sure to let the bellman know what is inside the bag you’re checking.  They will put a piece of luggage with such objects in a special area in their facility for extra protection.

However, I don’t want to lug around a back pack with me in the parks so I take along what I affectionately call my “Disney bag” since park touring is pretty much the only time I use it.  I bought it a few years ago at World of Disney because it is super light weight and its body crossing strap allows me to walk around with my hands free.  Inside the Disney bag I try to carry just the essentials; camera, wallet, suntan lotion in a travel size bottle, hair elastics, lip gloss, a poncho, my beloved Droid, and in the chillier months a long sleeved shirt or sweater.  The less weight I have to haul around all day the better so I try to keep it simple.  I also recommend sticking a plastic baggie large enough to fit your camera, phone, and whatever else you’d want to keep dry into your park bag.  I always have one handy in case we run into one of those Florida thunderstorms or we go for a spin on Kali River rapids, etc.

I also like to lighten the load by switching out my regular wallet for a smaller one while I’m on vacation.  I know I won’t need things like the 19 customer loyalty program cards I have or my full check book so it’s much better to simplify what I carry around for touring.  A few years ago I bought a wallet with several slots for credit cards and my driver’s license as well as a change purse and a space for cash.  There is also a space I’ve reserved just for my annual pass to the parks!  After reading a suggestion on a website a few years back I also started to carry around my health insurance card, if I should need it while I’m on vacation.

Other than packing what do I do to prepare for a trip to Disney World?  Well my friends and I generally keep a google shared calendar going with the park hours, ADRs, and other important events listed.  Luckily I have a Droid smart phone and since it is a google product my calendars are automatically imported directly to my phone saving me from carrying around unnecessary papers.  Of course, I check the crowd calendar to see what I will be facing when I go through the park turnstiles.  I will also make sure I know about any special events which might be taking place during my stay.  In fact, I scheduled this trip around Summer Nightastic!

On the home front I always put a temporary stop on my mail delivery.  This is simple to do on the US postal service’s web site.  If you get the newspaper delivered to your home you probably want to call and arrange for them to hold your delivery during your vacation as well.  I’m friendly with my neighbor across the hall so I let her know about my travel plans too.  This way she might keep an eye out on my place or get in touch with me if something goes haywire in our building.  Before heading out the morning of my departure I’ll make sure to set my thermostat so I’m not cooling an empty condo and turn off the water just in case there are any problems while I’m away.

These packing methods and preparations have worked quite well for me on all of my Disney trips, but I’m always up for more suggestions.  What are some things I might be forgetting or objects you simply have to have in your suitcase?  Let me know what you do before you shove off for your WDW vacation!

Next week I’ll do a quick post just to remind any readers who might be in WDW next week to come by our meet up events…