things you can get from First aid…tylenol, bandaids, etc.
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Snacks and water bottles.
I had this incredible idea that I could save a fortune pre-buying a bunch of snacks and filling up bottles with water.
Well, it turns out that kids don’t just like “snacks” but the experience of buying snacks from the gift shop. All the snacks we brought ended up in the trash unopened.
Also, water can get warm very quickly under Florida sun. Everyone opted for buying water in the parks and if it gets really hot CM give out cold water bottles for free! Plus we use preferred parking and they give you “free” Dasanis.
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Princess dresses
Some kids stay dry and happy in their polyester princess dresses but not mine. Putting a dress on DD6 is a guaranteed way for everyone to have a miserable time.
Kudos to the parents of those kids who can pull it off.
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A ton of ponchos. We just don’t like them and don’t use them. I may bring a couple but that’s it.
Ditto on the glow necklaces. Ours didn’t work and the kids really didn’t care about them.
Beach towels. I’m debating on this one because my kids have fun Disney ones but I think we can just use the ones at the pool for the few times we swim.
Every trip I seem to pack more, not less.
LOL
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Hard to answer this question as stated. I mean, we’ve gotten things down to the point where all we really need is wallet, keys, phone, Epi-Pen, and sun block (although even that isn’t truly necessary when we use the Badger stuff, since it is Zinc Oxide based, as long as we slather it on before heading into the park). Anything beyond that, these days, is generally unnecessary.
ETA: Wasn’t sure if this meant packing for the trip, or just what is needed in the parks.
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Really go over your clothing with a critical eye. Make sure every piece can serve multiple uses or be worn multiple times, and preferably can be washed in a sink if need be. This was always my downfall until I invested in some lightweight travel/outdoor clothing that I take pretty much everywhere, plus or minus a few pieces depending on the destination.
Another tip that really helped me: Cotton is about the worst fabric you can pack. Figure out how to replace it with modern synthetics, or rayon, silk or wool, right down to your socks.
I just take a carry-on now, and I don’t miss any of it. As the old saying goes “Take half the stuff and twice the money!”
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Ponchos. Rain in August is warm. We just get wet, it doesn’t bother us and often we enjoy cooling off.
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Yes- that’s what the Hawaiians do. We learned from them!
It works best if you have sandals that can get wet. We all have Tevas.
And that’s where those nice synthetic fabrics come in- they dry off very quickly.
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Personal fans, cooling towels. Lug them around and never use them. As long as we drink ample water, the heat doesn’t bother us so much.
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I was thinking for the trip, but all advice is useful!
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I’ve always been a minimalist packer (used to travel lots for work) and can happily go to WDW for two weeks with just hand luggage, but DH took years to finally start reducing his. I kid you not, he used to pack three pairs of shoes for a week long trip, because they went with different outfits… 
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I feel sorry for my DH, though. His feet are big. I can take 3 pairs of shoes for every one of his!
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Is the desire to pack less an effort to save on baggage costs?
Um… is that bad? I was planning on bringing 4 pairs. 
Two pairs of sneakers (my nice ones and a spare pair in case the first pair get drenched), and 2 pairs of cute flats (different colors to go with different outfits). We’re doing some nicer restaurants (Cali Grill, Jiko) that I’d like to dress up for. Oh, 5 pairs if you count the flip flops for the pool, but those are small and pack flat so I don’t really count them as shoes. Um, 6 if you count slippers. (I know, FL is warm, but the room can get cold with the AC and I get cold easily. And I don’t like wearing shoes inside but I don’t like walking around a hotel room in bare or stocking feet. I’m a bit of a germaphobe.)
No, just to make life easier. I have what seem like very good reasons (well, to me at least! to others they probably seem nuts) for packing lots and lots and lots, but then juggling all that luggage gets to be a pain.
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I would add linen to your great lists of fabrics. Perfect for the heat and much better than cotton, if you can embrace the wrinkles.
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And classy, too. All we’d need is a nice gin and tonic. I think the Nomad Lounge sounds like just the ticket!
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Stroller
I pretty much bring the rest of our house.
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I’m in the more-is-better camp. I like to have lots of accoutrements amd doo-dads and such.
On our road trip last summer I even brought our drying rack for swim suits and such. 
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Most (all?) resorts have decent laundry facilities. I’d much rather do a load mid-week than pack twice as much clothing. Especially since we have trip specific custom shirts, it seems silly to only wear them once and then throw them in the dirty pile in the suitcase.
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