Packing for 14 days

[jonahbear2006]

Anyone have any creative ideas on how I can pack clothes for 6 people for a 14 day disney vacation without having to do laundry? This is some incredible amount of clothes, especially if you account for changing clothes after swimming and napping AND adding in dress clothes for the signature restaurants. I have considered plastic drawers, not big enough. I have also considered plastic tubs, air tight bags, and just a ginormous amount of suitcase room. The last option just takes up way too much room in the car. Add this in with a double jogger stroller and it is hard to find a way to pack all these clothes. HelP!

[egospotter]

You could get some of those travel bags that you roll up to squeeze out the air to save some room.

We invested in some for out trip so we could go carry-on only. Got 4 large ones for $20, but have seen them in all different sizes and price points. Haven't tried them yet, though.

Make sure to get the ones that you roll and not the ones that you use a vacuum cleaner to **** out the air, for obvious reasons.

[sisterslovindisney]

I'm not even sure if our family owns enough clothes for 14 days without doing laundry.

If you have that many then my suggestions might be:

You could hang the dress clothes and bring them that way.

I also agree with the PP about the special bags you can vacuum or roll the air out of. I've used them before and they seem to work well.

Bring clothes that can be mixed and matched. Maybe jeans or shorts can be worn more than once if you can them after wearing.

[disneymom15]

We use Pack Mate bags, you roll the excess air out. You do gain quite a bit of room. I think Space bags have a similar bag. We got ours from QVC.

[tink2006]

We do this both for WDW (just like you, we drive so it is easier for this trip) AND for the Caribbean in the winter (a little harder since you have to travel by air). There are only three of us.

It takes A LOT of planning - outfits must mix and match, including shoes. "Bottoms" can be worn twice. I usually plan on two outfits per day. You would change the top and wear the same bottom. Just in case, i will pack one extra pair of bottoms per person. I have several large suitcases that I use when we drive (harder to use when you fly due to weight limits).

One year we ended up runnning out of clothes. We were two outfits short per person. I opted on buying instead of doing laundry

When we travel by plane, I ship 1 or 2 boxes down. If you pack these carefully, they will not need to be ironed. This idea might work for you. The boxes can be waiting for you when you check in at the reort.

[SFTrny]

What about packing the clothes in double trash bags and then into cardboard boxes. Then mail them down ahead of time? It will cost more, but might not be that much if you have enough lead time and don't need to rush the shipping. The trash bags will ensure that the clothes won't get wet or dirty during shipping. Plus...you won't have to drive home with a car full of dirty clothes.

[nicster]

We often do cruises, with the formal nights, the sea days & the days at port we really need a variety of clothes. What I have discovered is you only need 1/2 of what you think you do. When at home, don't we wear the same pair of capris or shorts several times (or at least twice) in a week? The same can go for vacations. Underwear is a different story, stuff them into shoes to conserve space. For formal wear (and this can be adapted for semi-formal) bring one dressy bottom (slacks or skirt) and wear it with a different top for your different evenings out. The shoes can be the same, remember, your dinner companions really see you 90 percent of the time from the waist up anyway. I understand that you don't want to do laundry, but is having it done out of the question too? The resorts have the dry-cleaning/laundry services offered, they are worth it IMHO. Two weeks sounds soooo nice, we usually stay for 8 or 9 nights. Enjoy!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

No, we couldn't possibly do that...we went for 10 days and I did laundry a couple of times on evenings when we got back to the room fairly early...the laundry rooms are right by the pool so it worked out well,I would throw the clothes in the wash go back and watch my son swim and run back and stick them in the dryer :usually by the time the laundry was done he was ready to go back to the room anyway.

[jonahbear2006]

Should i not worry about someone stealing out clothes out of the washer? I washed last time, at the beach club, but I also stayed in the laundry room and waited for it to get done and I don't want to do that; its a horrible way to spend my trip while the rest of the family is in the pool. But we have a lot of nice things that I wouldn't want to turn up missing.
We do own enough clothes to do it without doing laundry but that's a crazy amount of clothes to pack.I would feel more comfortable at the campground, I am finding. I almost wish we were camping but no can do with the free dining plan. I am considering the air tight bags...this may be a great option.

[mouseketeer mom]

We often do cruises, with the formal nights, the sea days & the days at port we really need a variety of clothes. What I have discovered is you only need 1/2 of what you think you do. When at home, don't we wear the same pair of capris or shorts several times (or at least twice) in a week? The same can go for vacations. Underwear is a different story, stuff them into shoes to conserve space. For formal wear (and this can be adapted for semi-formal) bring one dressy bottom (slacks or skirt) and wear it with a different top for your different evenings out. The shoes can be the same, remember, your dinner companions really see you 90 percent of the time from the waist up anyway. I understand that you don't want to do laundry, but is having it done out of the question too? The resorts have the dry-cleaning/laundry services offered, they are worth it IMHO. Two weeks sounds soooo nice, we usually stay for 8 or 9 nights. Enjoy!

Nicster- You mentioned a laundry service. I know the Poly offers it, but I've never used it. How does it work? I'm not opposed to doing laundry myself, its just the time factor..we are always busy at WDW! Do you know the cost of this service, and do they automatically throw everything in the dryer or will they be careful with things (like bras, etc.??) We are arriving this week.

[SurferStitch]

I use the space bags at home, and they are wonderful. You'll want to make sure you get the ones that you roll to squeeze the air out, because where will you get a vacuum cleaner on vacation?

DH and I pack for long trips with NO intention of doing laundry on vacation. I absolutely refuse to do laundry while in WDW. I conserve space where I can, like packing undies and a couple pair of socks in my shoes (I don't wear sneakers unless my feet are almost destroyed, which they never seem to be while wearing sandals the entire time in WDW, so I only bring 2 pair of socks).

I'm a notorious overpacker, so we bring a lot of baggage with us, but we drive down, so I don't have to be too careful about the number of pieces or weight. I bring one small suitcase with ONLY shoes!

I like the idea of shipping a box of clothes down in advance. May be a great option for you. But, I don't blame you for not wanting to do laundry....even relaxing on the bed or the balcony beats laundry ANY day.

[nicster]

Nicster- You mentioned a laundry service. I know the Poly offers it, but I've never used it. How does it work? I'm not opposed to doing laundry myself, its just the time factor..we are always busy at WDW! Do you know the cost of this service, and do they automatically throw everything in the dryer or will they be careful with things (like bras, etc.??) We are arriving this week.

This is cut from another post. My understanding is the cost is the same for all the resorts. Just fill out the slip that is usually in the closet along with the bag to put the laundry in. Then leave it out for the mousekeeping staff to forward it on to laundry services.

Here are the prices for laundry service (not dry cleaning):

Shirts - $5.50
Pants - $6.50
Socks - $2.00
Undershorts/Panties - $2.00
T-Shirts - $4.50
Sweatsuit - $7.50
Pajamas - $6.00
Undershirts/Bras - $2.00
Hankerchiefs - $2.00
Blouses - $5.50
Slips - $4.50
Nightgowns - $6.00
Tennis Shorts - $5.00
Knit Shirt - $5.00

[mouseketeer mom]

2 dollars for each pair of underwear?????? Or I wonder if thats for a bunch of them.

[nicster]

2 dollars for each pair of underwear?????? Or I wonder if thats for a bunch of them.

Probably each, but really, underwear is not what takes up the room in our bags. It's the shirts & pants that eat up all our luggage space, don't you think? We also 'rent' a beach towel at the water park (I think it was a $ or 2 with a deposit), that saves room as well.

[Patricia]

I've never worried about my clothes going missing from the laundry room.. as posted above, I sit by the pool while it washes and dries. Most people in and out of the laundry room (pool dwellers as well) have enough to worry about with their own clothes.

I even have a fun Resort laundry room story:

We (6 of us) were at Animal Kingdom all day in down pouring rain and all of our shoes were soaked when we arrived back to our resort. We were going to Cirque that night and due to the bad weather needed our same shoes.. so DBF and I took all the shoes to throw in the dryer. Well.. the dryers are all set up across a wall stacked 3 high. There were several other ladies there with the same idea of shoe drying, only problem was, the heavy shoes would fling the doors open. So, we were all trying to hold the dryers shut and decided a few of us should take turns as some Mom's had to go back to their rooms to attend family things. It was hilarious with us having a foot here and a hand there, DBF being the only man in the room was absolutely hysterical with his goofy antics of trying to keep as many closed, as possible, at the same time. The ladies all wanted him to come back for their laundry days.

[BIGDOG]

wITH A 14 DAY PARK STAY YOU WILL WELCOME 1 AFTERNOON JUST HANGING BY THE POOL AND DOIG A FEW LOADS OF LAUNDRY AND TAKING A DAY OFF FROM RUNNING AROUND THATS HOW LOOK AT IT. PLUS DURING THE DAY THE RESORTS ARE EMPTY AND YOU HAVE THE RUN OF THE MAIN POOL AND STILL HAVE THE NIGHT TO DO DOWN TOWN DISNEY IN CLEAN CLOTHES,,,

[Seasonscraps]

I don't have nearly enough clothes for 14 days in DW in August. In cooler weather, I am fine wearing certain items twice before washing but in that kind of heat I tend to go through clothes a little more quickly.

I have done laundry at Disney a couple of times and in laundromats 100s of times at home (I never had a washer/dryer in my home) and I have never had a problem with people taking my clothes out of the washer and dryer.
It really doesn't take too long 60-90 minutes to wash/dry/fold. Plus it will be that much less laundry to do when you get home.

Otherwise, shipping stuff down may be the best option if you can't fit everything in the car. Half way through your trip, you could ship a carton of dirty clothes home so you can get them out of your way.

[Mickey'sGirl]

I can't imagine being anywhere for 14 days and not doing laundry. Our boys sometimes change their shirts 2 or 3 times in a day!

I actually don't mind doing laundry at WDW -- Generally the machines are near the pool where my family is hanging out anyhow.

This year, we will be staying in DVC accommodations, so we will have full access to a washer and dryer in our room. We plan to make full use of this benefit!

I hope you can find a plan that will work for your family!

[g8rgirl29]

If you can pull this off you will be my all time Hero!!! When we go in September we go through 2 outfits a day most times. We even tried starting out with a new outfit in the afternoon and then wearing again the next am. But, FL in Sept. is still pretty hot and it was tough. I spent more time washing out bras in the sink and hanging to dry, what a pain. Last year we went to the laundry by the pool half way through our trip, we just sat where we could see the entrance to the laundry room and had drinks.

[diz_girl]

I just cannot see how your clothes can last your entire vacation without either doing laundry or wearing each outfit twice. The good thing is that you will be there during cooler weather and probably won't be all sweaty after a day at the parks.

If you don't want to do laundry, then tops that lie directly against the skin, socks and undergarments can be worn once. Just bring Woolite and wash bras in the hotel sink. Bottoms, overshirts (i.e. a button-down over a t-shirt) and sweaters can be worn multiple times. Try and keep your selection of shoes at a minimum.