So.......How early do you start to pack before your trip to Disney?

[poochie]

We are leaving in 4 days to CSR for just my DH and I. How early does everyone start to pack. I already have my suitcases out. I wiped them down and sat out in the sunshine so they are freshened and ready to go. My husband likes to pack the night before. That drives me crazy as my theory is pack early so you know if something is missing/forgotten so you have time to get it. The night before leaves no time for an extra trip out to pick it up. Would love to hear everyone's packing strategy for packing.

 

[Have3Kids&aHusband]

I make a list about a month before. Then I go out shopping for the kids in case they need something for the trip. (I like to coordinate outfits for pics.) The girls and I start packing about 5 days before. My youngest helps her brother pack his suitcase and I pack my husband's stuff. We always go in the summer when I'm off from work, so it's easier to just pack my husband's things while he's working.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Most of our trips start on a Thursday-Saturday - so I pack the weekend before when I can start with having all the laundry done, have less going on, and can focus on the task at hand. If I stall and wait until the night or two before, it’s inevitably 9pm at night after a busy day, I’m not as focused, I forget things, etc.

 

[Suzabella]

Our trips are always 1 week and it's just DH and I now. We start laying things out a week ahead as we think of things we need then actually pack the suitcase the night before.

When kids were still living at home, I usually gave them a list 3-4 days ahead and they packed themselves and checked off the list. (We didn't make our first WDW trip until the older was a teenager.)

 

[MarkS2112]

Day before usually. My wife starts laying out things abou a week before. Shopping for things usually earlier.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

I usually pack the morning of. I am definitely not a planner. I have a running checklist of what I need

 

[DisneyGrammyT]

I start a couple of months before our trip date. I lay out things to take on a bed in a spare room. I made a reusable packing list that I use and check off items as I gather them. No worries about forgetting anything that way! And I believe you can never start packing too early! That is all part of the excitement and fun LOL

 

[CheshKAT]

We usually pack weeks ahead. Our visits are in January so our summer clothes can go in suitcases without affecting our normal laundry. We have a packing list too and it all gets tossed in as we think/find items then the day before, it all gets sorted as we need them. If flying, we pack a little bit of every ones things in each suitcase in case one piece luggage gets lost. This way no one gets left with nothing to wear. We pack swim suits in our carry on in case our room is not ready and the kids want to jump in the pool. Also, if you have young kids, pack each outfit for the day in a large zip lock bag. This way your child can get dressed on their own without rummaging through all the folded clothes.

 

[trishadono]

I break mine down in groups

Clothes
Toiletries
Carry on electronics, paperwork etc
Socks, Underwear , PJS and swim
Disney stuff(don't usually pack): ears, MBS , special clothes like MNSSHP, wine opener, baggies for club level leftovers

I usually do one a day until done. Sometimes I will do 2 in a day.

I always have a arrival and departure day outfits preplanned. Going from NY to Fla can be tricky.

However IF dh or ds comes I do their clothes-ISH. I will lay out what I think they will need, they will pack what they want and when they don't look I sneak the stuff I want or think they will need back in. YOU need more than one shirt a day when its 90 outside lol.!!!

DD26? Night before for early flights , same day for late flight. SHE ALSO EXPECTS ME TO FACETIME HER AND ENSURE SHE DOESNT FORGET STUFF

I just packed the clothes for 8/27, Next up toiletries....

 

[scrapquitler]

We are leaving in 4 days to CSR for just my DH and I. How early does everyone start to pack. I already have my suitcases out. I wiped them down and sat out in the sunshine so they are freshened and ready to go. My husband likes to pack the night before. That drives me crazy as my theory is pack early so you know if something is missing/forgotten so you have time to get it. The night before leaves no time for an extra trip out to pick it up. Would love to hear everyone's packing strategy for packing.

I have an “always ready” suitcase packed that’s ready for Any trip…phone charger/block/power strip, basic toiletries, rain ponchos, travel mugs, etc plus Disney specific items like magic bands, battery pack for phone, ears, our Disney specific matching shorts, etc.
Those are always ready to go, so when we’ve got a trip coming up, I just need to pack our clothes the night before, all the things I might forget are already packed from the last trip.

 

[loves to dive]

The night before. I go so often (usually twice if not 3 times a year pre-Covid) that I can pretty much do it on autopilot. We have what we call the travel shelf in our closet, all things travel related are on that shelf. Things like little bottles of shampoos, body wash, magic bands, sunscreen, etc. I always keep a toiletry bag packed so I just need to glance over it and make sure nothing needs to be replenished. That doesn't get unpacked in the room, just hung on a hook on the door and I work out of it so the bathroom counters are not cluttered. I have sort of Disney clothes that are pretty much in the same spot in my closet so easy to grab. I do buy travel snacks a day or two before a trip since we drive down and don't stop for anything but potty breaks and gas. We just snack in the car and eat when we get to WDW. I'm going the first week in Sept. and I do have a pack of balloons and ribbon lying on my dresser right now that I grabbed at the Dollar Store a few days ago. I plan on using those in the room to keep the darn motion sensor on AC going. I also bought a backpack from the dollar store just for fun, I figure if it tears up the first time I use it, no biggy since it was a dollar and an impulse buy, which is sitting on my dresser.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

When it was just my wife and I, we would pack literally an hour or so before heading out. Disney is a 3 hour drive for us and rarely were we making it more than an extended weekend.

Now with kids we usually start a few days prior. The require a lot more stuff. LOL

I have a backpack we use a lot for zoo trips, the beach, festivals, or really anything where we will be gone for more than a few hours that has most of the same stuff I bring to Disney save a few extras like changes of clothes. And our bathroom stuff is always ready to go as i repack that after every trip.

 

[Blondie58]

I have a comprehensive packing list I use for all trips in a WORD document. It is so easy to pack using this list as I quickly scan what I need for the type of trip we are about to take. I update this list as I add new items for packing. The last item I added to my list were over the door hooks for towels as there is no daily room service so towels need to be hung to dry. We split stay CR and GFV and hooks are non existent. Per another suggestion on this blog I added a small over the door shoe storage "thing" to the list that I will put in the closet to hold many items. (I do not like clutter.)

 

[easyas123]

Night before, or if the flight is later in the day- that morning.

 

[Tigger's ally]

My wife starts 2 weeks. I travel for a living so live out of a suitcase, so I can pack in 15 minutes.

 

[bakerworld]

When we traveled with smalls I use to open the suitcase about a month ahead and toss in items as I thought about it. Then few days out I'd reorganize between carry on and check luggage. Currently I usually just wash and repack what I wore previously, switching out a few tops depending on regular visits or F&W.

 

[JoanneAZ]

I start by making lists about 2 weeks before departure day. Then I go through my toiletries and standard meds (Tylenol, Benadryl, etc) and replenish or replace anything needed. I do the same with the first aid kit which I carry because a friend of mine wiped out while at WDW and skinned both knees quite badly and couldn’t find gauze pads or tape anywhere on property and first aid won’t give you anything but a band-aid. Then I start setting things out and make sure all of the electronics are charged. I start actually packing everything 1-2 days before, depending on my schedule.

 

[JoanneAZ]

The night before. I go so often (usually twice if not 3 times a year pre-Covid) that I can pretty much do it on autopilot. We have what we call the travel shelf in our closet, all things travel related are on that shelf. Things like little bottles of shampoos, body wash, magic bands, sunscreen, etc. I always keep a toiletry bag packed so I just need to glance over it and make sure nothing needs to be replenished. That doesn't get unpacked in the room, just hung on a hook on the door and I work out of it so the bathroom counters are not cluttered. I have sort of Disney clothes that are pretty much in the same spot in my closet so easy to grab. I do buy travel snacks a day or two before a trip since we drive down and don't stop for anything but potty breaks and gas. We just snack in the car and eat when we get to WDW. I'm going the first week in Sept. and I do have a pack of balloons and ribbon lying on my dresser right now that I grabbed at the Dollar Store a few days ago. I plan on using those in the room to keep the darn motion sensor on AC going. I also bought a backpack from the dollar store just for fun, I figure if it tears up the first time I use it, no biggy since it was a dollar and an impulse buy, which is sitting on my dresser.

Maybe a dumb question but how will you inflate the ballon(s) so that it floats to activate the motion sensor? [

 

[Tigger's ally]

Maybe a dumb question but how will you inflate the ballon(s) so that it floats to activate the motion sensor? [

She's going to huff and puff and blow them up like they did in the old days. At least that is my guess. As a dad that used to blow up tubes and float loungers for the pool years ago, I graduated to a batter operated pump once they became common place. Thinking I could blow up about 3 balloons though which would be enough.

 

[JoanneAZ]

She's going to huff and puff and blow them up like they did in the old days. At least that is my guess. As a dad that used to blow up tubes and float loungers for the pool years ago, I graduated to a batter operated pump once they became common place. Thinking I could blow up about 3 balloons though which would be enough.

But if you blow them up with regular air they don’t float so how would they activate the a/c motion sensor?