If you were to look inside my luggage for our Walt Disney World vacation, you may think I have gone bonkers. Why would a sane person pack empty paper towel rolls on a Disney vacation? Stockings? Surely I don’t plan to wear those, right?
You’re very right, I have a much more useful plan for those. Just wait and be amazed.
- Panty Hose or Knee High Stockings. Do you have a little girl who will be treated to Disney’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique? Would you like to conserve that bun for the next day? Put some stockings over it and wrap the length around the bun to help protect it through the night. Touch it up with some spritz the next morning!
- Empty Paper Towel Roll(s). If you plan to enjoy a session at the Animation Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you may want to keep your artwork. An empty paper towel roll will keep your drawings together and protected from being damaged on the way home.
- Gallon Freezer Bags. These can have multiple uses. They’re a great way to protect your expensive digital camera on water rides like Splash Mountain where you can leave it on your neck strap, but need something to make it water proof. A zippered freezer bag can do just that. Also, I love to use them to separate each person clothes. With a larger family, this can conserve space in luggage as well as make rope drop mornings much easier.
- Post-it Notes. Some parents may not realize that their toddler could potentially find something very harmless extremely frightening. It’s not an attraction or character, it’s the toilets. All across Walt Disney World, automatic flushing toilets are the norm. Some young children find them frightening. You can prevent the toilet from prematurely flushing, which can happen all too often when little ones are the occupants of the throne, simply place a Post-It Note™ over the sensor. Problem solved and disaster averted!
- Bright Colored Fabric Strip or Ribbon. If you plan on using a stroller, whether it’s your personal one or a rented one, then be prepared. There is something I like to call the “Sea of Strollers” at attractions like “Soarin”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Kilimanjaro Safaris”, and “Toy Story Midway Mania”. You may park your stroller in one location, only to return to find it has been moved. I like to use a bright colored ribbon or piece of fabric tied around the handle to easily spot our stroller amongst all the others. It’s great for rentals as well, because it can be easily removed and reused each day.
These are just a few random things that I have found extremely useful in the parks and easy to just toss in the luggage. What are yours? What is the weirdest thing you have ever packed for vacation that has been extremely useful?
Lisa writes here at Chip & Co. as well as her blog Adventures in Mousedom. As a local to Disney World, she offers a different insight into visiting the parks. If you’re super cool like Chip, you should check it out. Okay, even if you’re not super cool like Chip, you should check it out. Trust me. What’s the worst that could happen?
Related articles
- Disney World Quick Tips – Miscellaneous Tips I have learned (chipandco.com)
- Learn to Draw a Character at the Animation Academy in Hollywood Studios (meetthemagic.com)
Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.
Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.
Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel
For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!
Great ideas, we are going with our grand kids this fall and will definitely use some of these tips
Great ideas! Have to remember the ziplock bags and paper towel roll for sure. My daughter can’t wait to see the Art of Animation!
I always pack my kids clothes by outfit for our trips. It eliminates confusing and makes our mornings quicker. It also eliminates mis matched outfits! Best of all they just put the dirty clothes right back into the ziploc bag at the end of the day so all dirty clothes are neatly stored away. I also carry sandwich bags around for leftovers from lunch or snacks since my kids and I don’t always clean our plates. Now that we’ll have a toddler and need a stroller, and possibly be potty training, the post it tip and the identifying factor on the stroller will be key for us on our trip this December as well!
I love all of the tips! I always bring lots of zip lock freezer bags…some of them the 2 gallon size and some the “school project” size in addition to the regular freezer bags. I bring matched sets of underwear in each one…light colors in one bag, medium in another and dark in yet another. As I unpack/use them, the bags become “dirty clothes” bags. I also keep a fewin my swim bag for wet swimsuits and damp towels (till I can get them back to the room from the waterpark to dry or back home to dry on the last day.)
Awesome tips! Always wish I had a rubber band for the drawings from Animation Academy, but an empty paper towel roll in the backpack would be just as good, then slip into the suitcase. Thanks!
THANKS for the post it note idea….my 2.5 old will not potty train because of the scary auto toilets:) LOVE THE IDEA!