Tips about Packing and Planning

-- I bring along suction cups to stick to the bathroom walls. This gives everyone their own place to hang washcloths or other personal bathroom items.

-- A power strip gives everyone easy access to plug in their electronic devices instead of searching for an unused one in the room.

-- Lastly, we always have a spot in the room (a table or the spot next to the door) where we put the things we take with us each day -- for example, sunglasses, backpack, water bottle, celebration pin, jacket. That way when you are ready to walk out the door, you can just grab your stuff instead of scrambling around the room trying to make sure you remembered those things. - Traci Regan

-- I bring along suction cups to stick to the bathroom walls. This gives everyone their own place to hang washcloths or other personal bathroom items.

-- A power strip gives everyone easy access to plug in their electronic devices instead of searching for an unused one in the room.

-- Lastly, we always have a spot in the room (a table or the spot next to the door) where we put the things we take with us each day -- for example, sunglasses, backpack, water bottle, celebration pin, jacket. That way when you are ready to walk out the door, you can just grab your stuff instead of scrambling around the room trying to make sure you remembered those things. - Traci Regan

My husband and I go to Walt Disney World every year or so and have found a way to carry less to the parks, IF you are not going with children. We are seniors and don't want to carry a lot of packs, purses, etc. with us, so I bought a small cotton pouch (a little bigger than your keycard) with a neck strap. I carry my keycard, a few pills in tiny zipper top bags (the kind that extra shirt-buttons come in), ID, and that's about it! I find I really don't need more than that at the parks. It is also very lightweight, and I can tuck it down my shirt and out of the way. My husband carries the money, cards, etc. in his billfold. Works for us, and keeps our hands free! - Ruth

On our most recent trip we traveled by car from Michigan to Texas, Texas to Florida, and Florida back to Michigan. We used a plastic three-drawer container to load all of our toiletries. It made it really easy to unload and if anything leaked it was contained. It also helped with organization in our room at Disney. The over-the-door hangers do not allow you to close the bathroom door. It was great when we stopped at night at hotels, too. We only had to unload the one overnight bag, cooler and the container. - JoAnn Hollis

I just came back from a wonderful week in "the world" and have a tip I'd like to share. I brought along an inexpensive pair of slippers to keep in my hotel room. It was such a relaxing treat to have cozy slippers every morning and night to slip into! - Denise in New York

If you're not on the Disney Dining Plan, I recommend purchasing a Disney gift card to pay for all of your snacks and incidentals. I wish I had done this. We just got home and I have a very thick stack of credit card receipts for amounts ranging from under $3 to $10. It would have been much easier to just buy a $50 or $75 gift card and use that each time we purchased a drink, ice cream, etc. - Christy B.

I reuse empty prescription medicine bottles as travel bottles, after I remove the label. The larger bottles are best and are good for just about anything you need to pack, like earrings. The tops fit tight so they are safe while traveling. - Deborah Warren

If you feel the cold easily, consider bringing a sweater or sweatshirt! The air conditioning on the buses, and in the restaurants, hotel rooms and indoor attractions can be quite cold. - Kristy

We have gone to Walt Disney World every year for the last five years with our two kids (now ages 5 and 10) and I have one "must purchase" item prior to a summertime Disney trip: a personal size water fan -- and extra batteries. The water fans in the parks are around $20, but you can buy your own at home for $5 to $7. If you have a stroller, a clip-on stroller fan is great, too. - Ingrid

We packed small boxes of cereal in our suitcase when we flew to the World. We stayed on WDW property. We got styrofoam cups from the resort food court, and bought milk from the resort convenience store. The kids were able to eat breakfast in our room as soon as they got up. We did not have to use a dining plan for the meal. It allowed us to get to the parks sooner by having things organized this way. As long as the children were fed, we were good to go. It also freed up some space in our suitcase on the way home for some souvenirs. - Dana from Nova Scotia, Canada

If a member of your party likes to wear certain types of pants with fairly loose pockets (i.e., athletic or cargo pants), and carries a wallet, it would be a very good idea before your trip to purchase those small Velcro closures and sew them inside the top edge of the pocket. These are just small round bits of Velcro with adhesive on the back so you can place them where you want them. Then just a couple of stitches to secure the front of the pocket to the back, and you are good to go. The Velcro will come apart easily with just a finger tug. We learned the hard way that wallets tend to pop right out of some pants, especially the very loose and comfortable exercise pants my husband favors for park-wear. Luckily, the wonderful people at Cosmic Ray's were able to find his wallet and return it, but we know next time to add a little security! - Joyce A. Deen

When packing checked bags, we always divide each person's clothes and put some of each in each suitcase. That way, if one of our suitcases gets lost, we all have something to wear rather than one person having nothing and everyone else having a lot of clothes. I pack my swimsuit in my carry-on as I have to special order mine online so it would be difficult to replace. My husband wears his heaviest shoes on the plane to save on baggage weight. - Mary Badami

We started planning trips around events so that even if we could only go for a weekend, it was still possible. Just last October, we took in Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. That was our only visit to a park during our three-day stay, but not our only Disney adventure. We visited the Winter Summerland miniature golf for the first time -- what a blast! We also visited a few resorts, eating in some of our favorite locations like the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. Although we enjoy spending four, five, or more days in the park, these shorter trips have meant just as much, and we have plenty of memories! - Shawna

Did you know that the cost of booking a vacation with a Disney travel agent is the same as booking a vacation yourself directly through Disney? Sometimes it can even be cheaper, as the agent will watch for discounts to help you get the most value for your hard-earned dollar. - Melissa Weis

Take advantage of all the discounts -- we use the military and annual passholders' ones regularly. We also stay Sunday through Thursday to avoid "weekend" rates and bonus! -- parks are usually less full weekdays. - Katherine Marshall