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Packing for kids


Puppyluv1526
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Hi Everyone

 

I'm packing for a 7 day Star Wars cruise on the Fantasy, followed by 3 days at WDW, and I feel like I have A LOT of stuff! My husband and I have cruised before, but this is our first with 3 kids. Between the clothes, costumes, diapers, medicines etc etc I have 3 suitcases and a duffel bag stuffed. No room for souvenirs, and with my kids being both huge Star Wars and Mickey fans I'm sure we'll have a ton. I followed a packing list I found on a Disney forum, but I still feel like maybe I over packed. We are traveling with our 5, 3 and 11-month-old sons, and I packed them an outfit a day, bathing suits, a couple of sweatshirts and long pants, 2 nice dinner outfits, and a few extra shirts in case they spill something. Is this too much stuff, or the norm? Has anyone packed less and done laundry on the ship? I read somewhere that there are washing machines available. I feel so unorganized!

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You can do laundry, and laundry facilities are on almost all decks with cabins. (Full disclosure - I've never been on the Fantasy but laundry rooms are all over the Dream and Wonder. Also, our longest cruise is a 5-nighter.)

 

On our last 4-night cruise, my family of 5 (3 kids ages 8 or under) had two medium duffle bags. For anything you're taking two of (sweatshirts, dinner outfits), that can probably be cut to one. I would take two swimsuits for each kid. Based on the ages of your kids, you'll have plenty of downtime in the cabin (probably every day). That's a perfect time to do a load of laundry. Bring a mesh laundry bag and pack a few laundry detergent pods.

 

Having said this, lots of people bring a ton of stuff. If you have lots of bags, you certainly won't be alone. It's not a crime to pack heavily. If you're into dressing up for dinner, you will certainly pack more than someone who is not.

 

Keep in mind that the cabins aren't huge. If you bring tons of stuff, you'll be stepping over it for a week. Less is better if you can make it work for you.

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If it is the list I'm thinking of, it is CRAZY. I've done over 30 DCL cruises and never figured out why some of that stuff is on the list.

 

You don't say whether you are flying or what airline, but that's a lot of expense if you are paying for luggage. There are laundry rooms on the ships AND at WDW hotels. A load or two of laundry is a lot cheaper and easier than extra suitcases! Put this in perspective--I did a 7 night cruise last month with just my carry on bag and still had things I didn't wear!

 

How I pack for kids--get some zip lock type bags. Place one complete outfit for each day in the bag. That makes it really easy in the morning to get out an outfit for the kid and have it "ready to go." No worries about mismatches, etc. Your kid may change clothes 3 times a day on the ship--bathing suits, dinner clothes, etc. So when they take off the outfit, evaluate whether it can be put on again or goes in the laundry bag. Get rid of all those "extra in case they spill something" things (you can use the "wear agains" for that) Get rid of all the "two of" things. This is basically a 10 day trip, if I'm understanding you correctly. Pack for 6 days and plan on one laundry session (probably 2 machines for your crew). Get a package of "Tide Pods" or similar products and pack those. If they spill on something you NEED, you can always do an extra load of laundry.

 

Look critically at your medication stash. I know, I did it the first couple times with little people too but if it is the "just in case" stuff remember that you can buy many things on the ship if needed. Bandaids, adult tylenol/advil/sea sick meds are available at Guest Services at no charge (limited amounts, obviously). Just think about your family and what you really need to bring, without considering every possible "what if?" Also think about your ports--are you going to somewhere where US stuff is readily available (Key West, St. Thomas).

 

Now...baby stuff. How are you getting to the cruise terminal? With 5 of you (4 paid), it will be about the same cost to use a limo/towncar service as to use the DCL bus AND your kids will have car seats. Most services allow a 15 or 30 minute store stop as part of their contract. Bring a few diapers, but plan on a Target or Walmart stop. Make a short list. Dad can keep the kids in the car while you get diapers and whatever else is a pain to pack. The porters will slap a luggage label on a package of diapers (or two) and deliver them to your cabin. Of course if you do decide to bring diapers from home, that becomes your extra souvenir space as they get used up. AND your kids are at an age where you are in control of how much stuff you buy them on the ship. I'm sure they already have a ton at home.

 

Don't overdo the costumes--a striped t shirt can be a pirate shirt and can serve other functions. Yes, some people dress up big time, but be reasonable.

 

Your problem will not be what is the norm or what other people pack. Your problem will be that you have 5 people in a relatively small cabin with very limited storage space. Yes, you can place your suitcases under the bed, but that's not totally easy if you kept stuff in them. The general rule to bringing half as much stuff as you planned needs to apply here. I ALWAYS overpack, no matter what the good resolves. You don't need a whole lot of that "Stuff."

 

Now, as to that list...you don't need duct tape, bungee cords, and a million other things from the list. If you don't know what it is for, you don't need it. If you do know what it is for and DCL will provide it free, you don't need it.

 

Hope there are some helpful ideas in this ramble. Our next cruise is 33 nights and it will be limited to one suitcase per person. I'll do laundry weekly as needed.

 

Thoughts on laundry--it does NOT need to tie up your entire afternoon. The machines all have timers on them. Toss it in and return to your cabin or up on deck with a book. 3 minutes before your time is "up," return to the laundry room so you can switch to the dryer. Return to "whatever" and go back to laundry room when stuff is due to be finished. I don't hang out in the laundry room, but I also don't leave my stuff sitting in any machine. My goal is to arrive at the laundry room with 1-2 minutes left on my machine. Also, if you end up doing laundry because of a spill on a "must have" item, obviously run a full load at that time...with 5 people, you'll always have dirty laundry! Unless changed very recently, it is $2 to wash, $2 to dry, $1 for products. Bring your own detergent and save a few bucks that way.

 

Shoes are big space killers...I bring a pair of black sandals that can double as dress shoes. The kids can wear tennies all the time (no need for dress shoes). For me, tennies, pool shoes (can get wet, easy to put on), and black sandals. For dad, tennies and dress shoes (if desired)

Edited by moki'smommy
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I second moki'smommy. We still do the gallon ziplock bag packing method for the kids. Something else I will add, unpack when you get into your room. It is very nice for everything to have a "home", put the suitcases under the bed, and forget about them. We take a pop up hamper, and that helps to contain all the dirty clothes.

 

I do carry meds for my kids. I always take tylenol, Motrin, and cough medicine (every time we go to FL, my son ends up snotty and coughing.....after buying it every time we went, I started just packing it). It is expensive on the ship.

 

For pirate costumes, we do a pair of black shorts (can also be worn to dinner), a white shirt with cut up sleeves, and the bandanna they give us.

 

When you are packing to leave the ship, pack the clothes you will need at WDW in one bag so you don't have to access all of them. Being able to just stash them in a corner of your hotel room is nice and keeps you from having to repack everything at the end of your WDW stay.

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  • 1 year later...
Does anyone recall how much the diapers are to purchase once onboard the DCL?

Thank you!

Do not plan to buy diapers on board. They stock only a limited supply and may not have the size you need or the brand you prefer. If you are using a method other than DCL transportation to get to the port, you can stop on the way and buy them at Wal-mart or Target....or the Publix a couple miles past the port. Most towncars allow a brief stop (check your contract), and if you have a rental car, it is easy. Alternatively, pack what you need and you'll have an empty suitcase to take home whatever stuff you buy!

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I second moki'smommy. We still do the gallon ziplock bag packing method for the kids. Something else I will add, unpack when you get into your room. It is very nice for everything to have a "home", put the suitcases under the bed, and forget about them. We take a pop up hamper, and that helps to contain all the dirty clothes.

 

Another second for this thought! Living out of suitcases stinks! I do that often enough on business trips!

 

I'll add one other thought to this... Save even more space, and avoid looking at your dirty clothes... there is usually plenty of space under the bed to leave an empty suitcase, open, and just pull it out to use it as your hamper! Then when it's time to do laundry, close it up and roll it down the hall to the laundry!

 

I have done 6 cruises now. 7th one is coming up next month. Each time I pack less than the time before, and I STILL never use everything I pack. I hope I can keep cruising until I get it just right! ;)

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i second all of the above.

 

If you have 3 suitcases and a duffel for two adults and 3 really small children, then you're taking way too much stuff.

 

after you've eliminated as much as you can of your kids clothes, get rid of most of the adult clothes. And shoes.

 

It's usually the adult clothes and shoes that take up the most space.

And trust me, you're not going to need even half of it - without me even knowing what you took i can say that with 100% certainty.

 

I downsize every single trip and cruise and yet i ALWAYS have too much. It's insane.

 

There is a thread somewhere - either on cruise critic or one of the other forums where someone traveled through europe for 30 days with only a carry on. And i can believe it.

 

Go through your stuff and get rid of almost everything. And pick what you are taking carefully so that you can limit your shoes to match everything. that is, if you have clothes you want to wear to dinner, make sure one pair of dressy shoes will work with all the outfits.

at most you should take one pair of dressy shoes, one pair of beach shoes (if necessary), one pair of comfortable shoes. And that's it.

on my last cruise i only took my beach sandals and gym shoes - no dressy. I didn't have room. So i wore the sandals to dinner. No one even looked twice.

 

and do the same with your husband's clothes and shoes. I'm sure his stuff even takes up more room (those men shoes are a pain in the derriere- at least my husband's size 14 shoes are)...

my husband never goes formal on a cruise as there is no way i'm taking his dress shoes on board. he gets the same as me - one pair of sandals and one pair of comfortable shoes. that's it.

Actually, on the last cruise, he only had one pair of birkenstock sandals and one pair of water sandals (so one pair was packed and the other on his feet). No closed shoes at all.

 

i was very careful packign this time, and i still didn't wear 60% of what i brought!!

 

so go through everything and think carefully about what you'll really need.

.

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Exactly--I always take nice (dressy) black leather sandal that will do for virtually everything, gym shoes (wear a they are the biggest), and beach shoes. End of that list. A LONG time ago, I did 2 months in Europe with just a back pack; last year I did a 7 night cruise with only a carry on, and that included formal wear. And I still had more than I needed!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Agree with all of the clothing advice. Less is better and do laundry.

 

I take the medication I think I might need even if it takes space. Personal preference I don't want to rely on anyone to supply me with children's Tylenol, I want it to hand at my convenience if needed.

 

The only thing I would pack more of is wipes. I have never regretted throwing an extra pack of wipes into a bag.

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