i start making lists the day i book. I start accumulating travel docs and papers 3-ish months out. i start a Disney bag a month or so out. my basic travel bag is always packed because i travel a lot for work. i start with the real bag 2 weeks out though if i have work travel that messes up the plan (darn!!! don’t get in my Disney place!). A few days out updates and refining, including dumping the too-much-stuff stuff. 24 hours the really-need-this!! adds.
We’re 5 days out. I’ve set aside the things we purchased for the trip, travel toiletries, ponchos, etc. Tomorrow I’ll do laundry to make sure everything that I might want to bring is clean. I’ll also finalize my packing lists tomorrow so that I have a day or two to buy last minute items. Actual packing will happen Friday night for our Saturday departure. This is always how I pack…I never manage to do it further ahead. (We shall not speak of our first Disney trip, when the power went out for 17 hours the night before we left and I had to pack by flashlight. At least all the laundry had been done!)
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For my kids? 50+ days out. I set aside t shirts and shorts as I’m putting away the winter clothes. I want to have all clothes packed about two weeks out this time. Planning to ship a box with Tinkerbell items again this year and o do that w week ahead.
Love it!!
That’s often me–maybe if I am really on top of things I might pack the night before. I leave Wednesday and not a thing is packed.
I’m 30 days out. I have the same checklist that I used last year. This year it may need to be modified for the change in seasons (August v. December). Tomorrow my mom and I plan to go over the checklist and order anything else we still need…ears, more leggings for my daughter, socks for my son, any additional cold weather items we may need, etc. We have most non-clothing items already purchased, but I will double check that tomorrow. The actual packing is a bit more difficult. The trip is a surprise for my kids, so most stuff that we have specifically for the trip is hidden at my mom’s house. Clothing will be somewhat easy as we are making shirts for each day and can have those all set aside ahead of time. We still need shorts/pants, socks, underwear, shoes, etc. though. I will probably not completely finalize my list for those items until the week before when we have a better idea of the weather. My current plan is to have my mom take the kids for the day while I pack the day before we leave. As an early Christmas gift we got each kid a Disney rolly carry-on. I’m hoping to fit all of their clothes and accessories in their own bags. Kids clothes are small, so I’m optimistic. My mom is incapable of just taking a carry-on, so we will be checking at least one bag no matter what. We are building 3 droids so I will most likely check a bag too so that we have space to bring them home. Man, writing this makes me feel woefully under-prepared!!!
Glow sticks.
I’ve prepped my glow sticks.
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We leave in 34 days and I’m a day before packer, always have been. I work better under pressure LOL
I pack on Sunday. No matter what day my trip starts, the packing happens the Sunday before. If the trip starts Monday, it’s super stressful. I try to avoid Monday starts.
Is that to do with laundry? Free time on a weekend? I’m intrigued!
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Yes, it’s laundry and weekend time for my brain to catch some margin. Plus work during the week. When I get home at the end of the day I’m toast - there’s no way I would have the brain capacity to pack and not forget stuff.
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I start a few weeks out with things we don’t use in every day life. For our last trip, that meant costumes and swim stuff. This especially matters if we’re planning to swim and it’s not summer, because I need lead time to make sure everyone has a swimsuit that fits.
Regular clothes start getting packed about 3 days out. Toiletries are last, because we don’t travel enough to keep a second stash of toiletries in a suitcase.
These are all helpful. I am learning it works different for everyone and basically do what works for you! I imagine I will start adding things to the suitcase my next day off…16 days out. That’s not too extremely early. We aren’t using many shorts these days so as they are washed I plan to pack them. T shirts will come the week off to prevent wrinkles if possible. I am a planner. List is ready and has been checked off as I go!!!
Oh man, that’s one of those have to laugh or you’ll cry moments.
Now you’ve scared me into packing by daylight!
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Our first Disney trip my husband got help up at work, came home late the night before our early flight and last minute that he is stopped an went shopping for shorts to pack and at the time he was a first responder as he was coming into our neighborhood there had just been am accident so he parked on the street and went to help assist. He finally made it home around 8 pm and packed his bag. It was giving the planner in me some serious gray hair 
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As soon as I can leave a suitcase on the spare room bed. Sometimes it’s a month, sometimes it’s more or less than that. Just having disney stuff out and starting the organization makes me happy.
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