Random yet useful items to have for your trip.

[nkereina]

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but a new one for me is the jumbo plastic clothes pins from the Dollar Tree. They are in the laundry aisle and sold in a 6 pack. I use them to clip our pool towels to our lounge chairs so they don't slide down or blow away. For a dollar store item, they're pretty durable!

 

[kimbe21]

I love these threads!

I know some of you will think some of these are over the top but they worked for my family.

• Pump soap- the kids are not good with bar soap
• Glow everything- sticks, bracelets, swords etc. We love them all! We even pass out to other kids for their enjoyment.
• Packing cubes- each family member has their own color and they go straight from the suitcase to the drawers. Keeps everything organized and I'm not grossed out by putting my underwear in dirty dresser drawers
• Small post-its- not so much now but when my boys were little and learning to go #2 on the potty the automatic toilets would freak them out. If you place a post it over the sensor the toilet won't flush while they are sitting on it.
• Bendy straws- again not so much now but when the boys were little these were a lifesaver. Disney only has straight straws. Toddlers try to tip the cups when they are drinking and spills everywhere. They are lightweight and they fit perfectly into a bag designed for chocolate covered pretzels!
• Clear Shower Curtain- we had a huge (wonderful) double stroller for many trips. A poncho was too small to cover it in the rain so we found a clear shower curtain was the perfect size. We secured it with large binder clips. And for 99cents we just left it at Disney after our trip. It also worked well if the ground was wet or cold while we waited for a parade.
• Palmolive wipes- washcloth sized disposable wash clothes with Palmolive dish soap in them. Perfect to clean out our refillable mugs or baby bottles (when we drug those around!)
• Lots of stickers and a small note pad- these were a wonderful during dinner. The boys would fill the notepad with stickers and stayed occupied while my husband and I enjoyed a nice dinner.
• Suction cup hook for the shower. There is never a place to hand a bath squooshy or an extra wash rag.
• Crystal light packets- to "fix" the Florida water

 

[10SandyToes]

We always bring glow necklaces and bracelets, etc. because kids love them!

 

[fla4fun]

Hey, I live in Florida and we don't have gross tap water.

I can see WDW from my house, and my tap water is fine. However, the tap water at Disney does have a "harder" mineral taste to it than my tap water at home. Our neighborhood has a community well. I don't know where Disney gets their water from, whether it's some sort of purified water, or well water or what - but it definitely doesn't taste the same. I don't drink bottled water at home, but I always take bottled water with me to Disney. I don't notice the off taste as much if it's really cold, but if I try to make tea with it, it really affects the taste.

The one must have on my list, if I'm not in a room with a microwave, is a small immersion heater for water. I am a tea drinker, not coffee, and if I try to make hot water in the coffeemaker, it always tastes like coffee. This way, I can heat up a cup of water and make tea in just a few minutes, and have it taste like tea. I always pack a glass mug and tea bags/sugar so I can have my caffeine fix before I leave the room for the day.

 

[msk]

We bought a large container of Gatorade and then put a single serving in a snack bags. My DH would bring several snack bags in his backpack each day. When thirsty he would get his water bottle filled at a quick service restaurant and then add the Gatorade. It was wonderful for replenishing the fluids he was losing each day in the heat. He also didn't have to carry bottles of water all day.

Blister bandaids
Battery charger for my phone
Zip lock bags for the phone when it rains or a wet ride

 

[AuroraMeansDawn]

For the bathroom, I buy a car air freshener. I started that with cruises when I can't do a candle. For $3 the bathroom smells pleasant all week, and I don't have to worry about the fire police.

This is brilliant and small and I know it will go on my next cruise!
Thank you!

 

[chelynnah]

for long distance holiday travel our 'must have' item is Spacebag vacuum storage bags. Basically giant ziplocks. You can fit so much more in your suitcases, you can separate clean from dirty on your way home. We don't often use them on the way over, but after all the extra shopping, they are handy to make extra space on the way back. They work best if you have a vacuum to suck all the air out, but if not, squeezing most out by leaving a small gap in the ziplock end and rolling or sitting/squishing them gets most of it out (same as many of you are doing with ziplocks for children's clothes).

 

[tstidm1]

Something I haven't noticed is Water Bottles. I bring Water Bottles, so I can either fill up at a Water fountain or get counter service water to stay cold longer. I drink much more water at WDW than I do at home due to how much water you lose at the World due to the Humidity.

 

[KrisTX]

I have got to remember this for next time! Music doesn't work as well for me, so I'll have to find one of these to take with me.



We always take baby wipes; they are good for wiping hands in line cause you touched something you didn't mean to and don't want to get out of line to go to the bathroom.

I've used white noise machines for 25 years. I have carried them all over the world. I now just use an app on the iPhone.

 

[Original Amber]

We also take a folding stool. I'm short and my son is a Little Person, so they're really helpful. Motels and hotels are supposed to have them for LPs, but usually don't.

 

[ajfd]

Early on, a power strip was mentioned for all chargers.

We take a slightly different tack and use a 6-port USB charger:

http://www.amazon.com/Poweradd-Family-Sized-Multi-Port-Desktop-Smartphones/dp/B00KHP6UVQ

That way it is one charger and associated cables instead of a bunch of charging blocks.

 

[chelynnah]

We have a power strip that has USB chargers and plugs in it. Unfortunately the camera chargers and a few other things still need regular plugs. Plus I also like to have the iPad/iPhone near the bed when charging in case needed (phone in particular) through the night, so the strip can act as an extension when plugs are too far away. But I'm planning to get a 6 port USB charger for the next trip as well

 

[krm222]

1) Blister block
2) Portable cell phone charger
3) Ribbon to wrap stroller handle with so it stands out in a crowd.

 

[Original Amber]

1) Blister block
2) Portable cell phone charger
3) Ribbon to wrap stroller handle with so it stands out in a crowd.

1) What's blister block?
3) My son and I have been wrapping his quad cane with ribbon for over a decade.

 

[krm222]

Great stuff: I put it on in the morning and have never gotten a blister. http://m.cvs.com/shop/personal-care...n/band-aid-friction-block-stick-prodid-408458

 

[AuroraMeansDawn]

It's a small thing but I am a color coded spreadsheet making, ADR adherent, tour plan abiding planner so I pack a few plastic sleeves and bring suction cups with hooks and post the master plan on the inside of the door. With spares to take along, of course. Under it is a "Today's Agenda" sheet with the schedule for each day and it says has tips like - Animal Kingdom Today. Make sure you have a poncho if you want to ride Kali and extra dry socks. We Need to be out the door at 8:20 am. We are eating at ... You wanted to try the ... And do you have your hat, sunglasses, spending money, back up charger etc. etc- Did you set out out the Mousekeepimg envelope? and a prompt like Tomorrow is Epcot. It helps set up the day and saves me from answering "What time do we need to leave? Where are we eating? Check the door is an easy answer. It keeps everyone in the loop and shifts some responsibility off mom

 

[ChloesDaddy]

It's a small thing but I am a color coded spreadsheet making, ADR adherent, tour plan abiding planner so I pack a few plastic sleeves and bring suction cups with hooks and post the master plan on the inside of the door. With spares to take along, of course. Under it is a "Today's Agenda" sheet with the schedule for each day and it says has tips like - Animal Kingdom Today. Make sure you have a poncho if you want to ride Kali and extra dry socks. We Need to be out the door at 8:20 am. We are eating at ... You wanted to try the ... And do you have your hat, sunglasses, spending money, back up charger etc. etc- Did you set out out the Mousekeepimg envelope? and a prompt like Tomorrow is Epcot. It helps set up the day and saves me from answering "What time do we need to leave? Where are we eating? Check the door is an easy answer. It keeps everyone in the loop and shifts some responsibility off mom

I had to chuckle at this. I have the same affliction, but DW would probably bail if I posted a schedule and instructions. I've learned to keep the plan to myself and diplomatically guide things along.

 

[msk]

It's a small thing but I am a color coded spreadsheet making, ADR adherent, tour plan abiding planner so I pack a few plastic sleeves and bring suction cups with hooks and post the master plan on the inside of the door. With spares to take along, of course. Under it is a "Today's Agenda" sheet with the schedule for each day and it says has tips like - Animal Kingdom Today. Make sure you have a poncho if you want to ride Kali and extra dry socks. We Need to be out the door at 8:20 am. We are eating at ... You wanted to try the ... And do you have your hat, sunglasses, spending money, back up charger etc. etc- Did you set out out the Mousekeepimg envelope? and a prompt like Tomorrow is Epcot. It helps set up the day and saves me from answering "What time do we need to leave? Where are we eating? Check the door is an easy answer. It keeps everyone in the loop and shifts some responsibility off mom

I could so travel with you I love a good plan and a spreadsheet

 

[winifred]

A couple things I found essential:

• Starbucks Via packs for a good cup of coffee in the AM
• Water flavoring packets and Nalgene bottles
• A Mommy Hook carabiner for the stroller to hang bags from
• A couple of trash bags, I packed the glitter laden princess dresses in trash bags in our suitcases with hangers on, and having extras were nice to have in our stroller in case of a rain shower, dirty clothes, etc
• Travel sized laundry detergent
• Newspaper. I know. But, a couple sheets stuffed in sneakers dry them out surprisingly quickly!
• Good quality ponchos. The cheap dollar store ones tore so easily and, for us, were a one use and done item. They were nice to have as a backup, and I had a couple with us. But if I had to wear one for more than an hour, I'd opt for abetter quality one
• I too packed all outfits in ziploc bags. It was handy having outfits ready so that we could get to RD
• Travel pack of wet ones, lots of uses, a big one for me is for wiping down airplane trays (yuck!)
• A neoprene writlet that I used for my phone, some cash and a credit card. It easily fit in my hand and the added security of the wrist strap was comforting on rides!
• Unique, bright duct tape. We put it on our stroller so that 1. We could easily identify it among the masses but 2. Deter anyone from stealing it! I had a friend who had hers stolen...

 

[jkc0325]

A word of caution for those packing each outfit in Ziploc bags...I did that years ago for my dd. Then TWA opened her suitcase and a couple of the bags fell out and they must not have noticed. When we arrived at Disney 2 of her outfits were gone