What are your best packing tips? How much luggage do you think is reasonable for a family of 4 (dd’s 6 and 1) flying.
My hubby & I pack only one carry on each. U use space saver travel bags.
Over the years I’ve learned to pack as little as is absolutely necessary.
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Last trip we took 4 suitcases and 2 carry ons but two of the larger suitcases were empty and the other two not full. But - we were coming from Australia to the states and the shopping is cheap for us there so they all came back full…
If we travel local we manage two suitcases - one for the adults one for the 2 kids. Plus carry on x2
I find rolling clothes fits more in. Have tried the packing cubes and find that whilst they make for better organisation they do take up more space.
I was thinking 2 checked bags and 2 carry on should do (+ 2 car seats and a stroller ugh!). I’m also doing DCL but I can do laundry a couple times if need be.
You can do laundry at the resort and on the ship if necessary. With the way the fees are for luggage these days, less is more, especially if you want to bring souveniers back.
Travel space bags are amazing, i use them for everything and after i saw someone’s suitcase go overboard at the port one day…i thought “gee i sure am glad i put all my clothes in space bags”. They really do save a ton of room.
For cruise attire keep it simple, basic black pants or skirt/dress with mixed up accessories/cardigans, scarves etc. will make your life a lot easier. You’re in a bathing suit or shorts most of the day anyway, so dinner wear can easily be changed up. Separates that mix and match have always been the best option for us. Keep the shoes simple too. You don’t need a different pair of shoes for each outfit, they take up space and get heavy, so when it comes to footwear, simplify!
And don’t forget when you’re on the cruise you have to store all of your luggage in your stateroom, so make sure your suitcases will fit inside of each other before you slide them under the bed b/c if they don’t…you’ll be running out of space in your stateroom to store your suitcases.
We fly SWA so bags are free. For our upcoming trip (6 night for two adults and 2 kids) I have a large duffel, two carry on size suitcases that we will check and two backpacks to carry on.
I pack outfits by day in ziploc bags.
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This is probably going to cause @LuvMuppets to have an aneurysm, but burn the all-encompassing packing lists and travel light! Check out https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light/packing-smart and https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light/ricks-packing-list
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Hey! I’ve followed Rick Steve’s plans for packing for Europe, and I pack light! But I think carefully packing light (that is, bringing the right amount of carefully chosen clothes and toiletries to ensure your comfort) is very difficult to do last minute, and often requires a few advance purchases! So get an a good head start on the packing, peeps,
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I can’t help w light packing for Disney. Our bags fly free on United, and we bring food items for the room instead of GG.
I’m not sure how I’m going to store 2 car seats, suitcases and stroller on the cruise ship. I would love to pack lighter but found out one of my excursions doesn’t supply life jackets for toddlers so now I have to bring that too. And shoes, I need gym shoes, dress shoes and sandals, the silly thing is I’m sure I will only wear the heels once maybe twice max.
Seconding the suggestion by @pixiemichele of separates for the cruise. You can wear the same skirt or slacks two nights, maybe even three, with different tops and accessories. Cabins are small, and you don’t want to feel crowded by your expansive wardrobe!
A few thoughts:
Car seats: When will you be needing them? For the trips between the airport and the cruise line? If I recall correctly, the taxi companies have cabs with car seats available on request.
Stroller: Go with a classic umbrella stroller - cheap, compact, and dependable. We went all over China with one.
Life jackets: If toddler life jackets are not supplied for certain excursions, then my thinking is that these excursions may not be appropriate for them. Maybe look into some alternate excursions, or daycare for the kids if it is something that you really want to do.
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I’m doing WDW and UOR for 10 days before the cruise. A car seat will be necessary for our rental car, DD6 can probably just use a booster though. Car rental companies can’t guarantee a car seat and its expensive:( Seems like everyone recommends a double stroller for the parks so both kids can ride? Do you think that is unnecessary(dd6 is tiny,35 lbs)? The excursion is to stingray city, its the excursion that we are most excited about so i’d hate to cancel. On the plus side I do tend to pack light for clothes, we aren’t fancy people so everything is casual except my 1 dress for evening!
I am in the midst of packing and trying out the packing cubes for the first time. Yet I also have to pack very discreetly since it’s a surprise trip!
We usually have one checked suitcase, a carry on suitcase, and backpack, plus the kids each have a backpack with plane activities and stuff like that. The hardest thing to pack - or really, to not pack - for me is shoes. I always want to make sure I have footwear options!
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I only pack a carry on. Squishing everything into Ziploc bags while sitting on them works wonders for saving space. And I don’t deal with alk that add on stuff (hampers, s-hooks, curtain clips, police tape, blah blah blah). I can pack in 20 minutes flat.
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OK, a few more thoughts now that I know a little bit more about what you are trying to do.
Car seat: The logistics are tough with this one, as I am assuming that you are turning in the rental car before the cruise starts. If not, then you can just leave it (and the stroller) in the car.
Double Stroller: I am firmly in the “if they can walk, they don’t need a stroller” camp, so I would still go with the single umbrella stroller. Imagine WDW without all those @#$% strollers… 
Lifejackets: Are you taking the DCL Stingray City Excursion? It is for ages 5 and up, hence no toddler life jackets. http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/shore-excursions/grand-cayman-cayman-islands/stingray-city-snorkel-tour/