by Makena W.
You’ve made your reservations, bought the tickets, read the books and now it’s time to pack. Bathing suits. Check. Toiletries. Check. Chargers. Chargers? This is one of the many items that is usually forgotten or not even considered when taking a trip. Here are a few more objects that maybe you haven’t even THOUGHT about packing!
Fast Food Soda Lids
Be prepared to eliminate Mickey Premium Bar messes. When you order something that is on a stick, like a Mickey Premium Bar, flip a fast food lid upside down and slide it onto the stick. Now as your piece of heaven starts to melt and drip, the lid will catch it. Voila! NO MESS! Now you don’t have to rush and gobble all of your treat before your hands look like you were finger-painting.
Glow Sticks
We all see the carts that go down main Street at night, lighting up the park with glowing ears and swords. Some children might find these alluring, and won’t stop begging for them until they have it in their hands. An easy solution to this problem is bringing glow sticks in the park. It saves you money and keeps the kids happy!
Collapsible Bottle
These really speak for themselves. They take up no room when they are not in use, and you can pop them right up and use them. 
You can find these at Five Below and Target. There are basically two types of collapsible bottles: Ones that roll up and some that literally collapse. They both work well and you will have the same results with either one.
Clothes Pins
These little nifty inventions can be used for a lot of things. If you want to keep your towel on your chair, a clothes pin can do that. If you need to hang a bathing suit up to dry, use a clothes pin. Put a magnet on the back and hang it on the door with reminders or notes (when dad wakes up and the room is empty, he will know that mom and the kids are exploring). Your child’s towel keeps falling off, stick a clothes pin on the back to hold it together. Whatever the need, clothes pins will be there for you. There are so many more ways to use these, and they could be very helpful in case of an emergency.
Plastic Mini M&M containers
You are probably asking, “Why do you need M&M containers?” Well, change can be annoying to sort through when at the cash register, and I am sure the people behind you don’t fancy it either. What you can do to make this problem disappear is put the coins in the M&M containers. If you have the space, you can even have one container per type of coin and you can label them.
If you are cruising, here are some tips specifically for the Disney ships. I personally will be using these on the WDW Radio Cruise!
Highlighter
This is VERY helpful if you are going on a cruise. Your Navigator gives you activity options for the day, but it can be confusing to pick out specifically what you want to do and then remember its details. Bring a different colored highlighter for each member of your party, and a color for all of you. So if you have 4 members going to the trip bring 5 highlighters, one for each person and one collective color. On the Navigator highlight what each person wants to do, so now you can simply glance at the schedule and you know what you want to do, what time and where. It also makes sure that your individual choices and “family time” won’t overlap. This is perfect for both first time cruisers and people who cruise every year.
Single Dollars
This suggestion might feel like a given, but some people just bring 20 dollar bills because everything is so expensive. Don’t forget that you have to tip! Yes, the tips for waitstaff and room attendants are now added to your shipboard account but you can’t leave out room service. You tip them when they deliver your food.
Something to Sign
Everybody has an autograph book. But how many times do you really look through it? There are good alternatives, like a pillowcase or a hat. As soon as you board your ship, deliver the item you want to get signed to guest services along with the markers you would like the characters to sign it with. Fill out the paper indicating whose signatures you want (no princesses, only princesses, the Fab 5, you name it). The item you leave with guest services will magically reappear in your cabin the last night of the cruise, signed by the characters of your choice. You won’t have to carry something around for the characters to sign, you don’t have to stress about meeting certain characters and there will be no need for last minute dashes to the cabin for the book because you thought someone else picked it up!
I hope I have added some items to your packing list for your next Disney vacation. I have used some of these items myself, and they work really well. Do you have any unusual or regularly forgotten items that you bring on Disney vacations? If so, what are they?
See ya REAL soon!
~Makena W.
Quote of the Week: “Sounds like your basic DID: Damsel in Distress.” –Phil, Hercules
