Packing It All In: How to Fit a Week of Disney Fun into Two Suitcases (With a Family of Four!)

Do you remember the carefree days of air travel, when each member of your party would board the aircraft with large pieces of luggage, plus carry-on and personal item? Travelers had so much room in their baggage, they had the luxury of packing for every contingency, as well as all of the comforts of home. Ah, the good ol’ days.

Fast forward to today, where airlines have started charging a la carte for everything from snacks and seat upgrades to baggage. Most airlines are currently charging $25 and up for a checked bag (and some are even charging for carry-on baggage too). Unless you don’t plan to bring any of your items home with you, those fees are doubled for round-trip. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend that money on Mickey Ice Cream Bars and Vinylmation figurines on my Disney vacation.

So how can you limit the amount of baggage (and fees) for a family of four heading to a 7-night trip to Disney World? I will show step by step how my family managed to pack it all in to two checked bags and four carry-ons.

Guidelines/Disclaimers

After my first trip to Disney World I realized my old, heavy, mid-sized luggage wasn’t going to cut it. Before my second trip, I went and bought the biggest and lightest luggage I could find at a reasonable price (I purchased mine online, it’s the “American Tourister iLite XL 25″ Rolling Expandable Upright” which is apparently no longer manufactured). My luggage measures 25.5″ x 18″ x 9″, and weighs only 8.5 pounds per piece.

Ultra light and ultra large are the key features of this luggage.*
*Adorable cat not included

We always pack carry-ons that can be stored under the seat in front of us so they are readily accessible while we’re in the air. They are generally backpacks, which can be easily carried through the airport when we’re trying to catch a connecting flight.

When packing two suitcases, I divide everything in half when possible. Half of my outfits go in one, half in the other. Half of my husband’s in one, half in the other. And so on. If we lose one of our pieces of luggage, at least we have *some* clothes for each of us. We can always do laundry at the resort in case of such an emergency.

Note that I am packing for a family of two adults and two tweens. I realize that packing for an infant would require approximately 47 pieces of luggage (of course we need to bring the special blankie, bouncy seat and teething ring!!), and packing for 4 adults would also probably also require more than two pieces of checked baggage to accommodate the larger clothes.

Packing Food

The first thing to note is, I’m moderately frugal. I try to pick and choose the things I care the most about when I spend my hard-earned money, and Disney breakfasts and snacks aren’t something that provide me a ton of bang for my buck (we will eat Disney snacks when on the dining plan because they are included, but when we are not on the plan we bring snacks to the park with us and only splurge on the most special snacks, usually sharing them).

The food is a pretty substantial portion of what we pack, taking up about a quarter of one of my suitcases and about 8 pounds of weight. The cost savings by bringing our own food to Disney is also pretty substantial, so I make sure to make room for it in my luggage. And by bringing food, we make room for souvenirs as we eat!

Breakfasts:

Individual non-dairy flavored creamers for my coffee –and- my own travel coffee mug (I like flavored coffee and I like to drink out of my own mug, these are small comforts that I enjoy)
Granola bars
Individual cereal boxes and disposable spoons (I buy milk at our Disney resort, which is more expensive but more convenient than going off-property)
Oatmeal packets and disposable spoons (you can heat water in the microwave or coffee pot and mix the oatmeal in a mug)
Instant breakfast powder packets to add to the milk I purchased at the resort
I also purchase juice at the resort

Snacks:

A variety of individually wrapped snacks to bring to the parks (cheese crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks, cookies)
Reusable water bottles and water flavoring (Florida water tastes pretty metallic, and needs the flavoring… we refill several times a day at drinking fountains in the park) — our water bottles have straps so the kids can carry them for us like the pack mules good helpers they are

Breakfast and snacks for a week, with packaging (try not to judge the nutritional content – we’re on vacation).

Breakfast and snacks for a week WITHOUT packaging weighs nearly a pound less, and can be tucked into nooks and crannies much better. Also, water bottles and travel mugs make great snack storage areas.

Packing Clothes/Shoes

I always look at the weather forecast just before the trip to see what kind of clothing we will need. Our upcoming trip is forecasted in the high 80’s/low 90’s, so shorts and t-shirts are going to be the staple (along with one sweatshirt just in case). We never have the need to dress up, so no extra clothing necessary for that. I pack light figuring there are always washing machines available at the resort in case of true emergency (or really, because we are likely to buy souvenir t-shirts that we can wear if we want).

7 complete outfits for each of us (shirt, shorts, undergarments, socks)
3 extra shirts each (these are an easy way to freshen up in the middle of a sweaty day)
3 extra undergarments/socks each (also an easy way to feel clean again on a hot day)
1 set of pajamas each
1 sweatshirt each
2 comfortable pairs of shoes per person (“comfortable” differs by person, and varies from flip flops to tennis shoes to walking sandals…. the shoes must be able to still be comfortable after 10 miles of walking per day) — we wear our heaviest shoes on the plane and pack our lighter ones to save weight
1 pair of flip flops each (for the pool)
2 swim suits each plus goggles (I like to have an extra swim suit because putting a on wet suit makes me grumpy)

Packing outfits into compact rolls saves space. And creates a fun Tetris-like puzzle when fitting them all in the suitcase.

Packing Other Miscellany

A dryer sheet in each suitcase for fresh smelling clothes
Toiletries (I love my toiletry bag from LL Bean – it has about a million pockets to hold toothbrushes, razors, travel size shampoo, small quantities of various pain/cold medications just in case, deodorant, etc.)
Disney trading pins and lanyards
Autograph books and pens (you may want to pack this into a carry-on instead, in case of an unexpected character sighting)
Disposable ponchos for the inevitable Florida afternoon rainshower (I bring two per person, but in a pinch they can be laid out to dry and reused)
Sunglasses
Sunscreen (this is seriously expensive to buy at a Disney resort, let me tell you)
Misting fan for those super-hot days
Cell phone chargers/battery backup
Park bags (we use one fanny pack and one saddle bag purse for touring the parks)
Plastic grocery bags and sealable sandwich bags – to keep a wet swim suit away from other clothes, to store leftover snacks, etc… they are lightweight so we pack quite a few

Packing travel sizes of your toiletry items save valuable space and weight. This bag holds a ton of stuff, plus can be hung on a towel bar at your hotel to save counter space.

Packing the Carry-ons

There are two types of things to carry on to the plane: Things related to the travel itself (boarding passes, Disney reservation information, touring plans, Magic Bands) and things that are difficult to replace if your luggage is lost (valuables, medications). I like to pack our carry-ons pretty light (unless my checked baggage is over the allowed weight, then I would stuff them). In my family, everyone must be able to carry their own carry-on across a big airport, so backpacks are the way to go. Our carry-ons include:

MagicBands
Flight paperwork
Paper Itinerary booklet from Disney
Touring plan printouts
One swimsuit per person (in case your luggage doesn’t make it to your Disney resort room before you want to swim)
Wallets with ID, health insurance card, credit cards and cash
Prescription medications
Gum & snacks
Cell phones (we use these as cameras, so no need for us to pack a camera and extra batteries)
Small blanket (a little something from home)
Something to do on the plane while you anxiously await your arrival (books and games)

Leaving the carry-on pretty empty means that if your baggage exceeds the weight, you can transfer items to your carry-on. Also, it's another space for souvenirs.

Leaving the carry-on pretty empty means that if your checked baggage exceeds the weight specified, you can transfer items to your carry-on. Also, it’s another space for souvenirs.

In the end, we have two checked bags totaling 52.5″ each (length plus width plus heighth, which are less than the 62″ maximum per Delta Airlines) and weighing 39 and 37 pounds each (well within the 50 pounds each I’m allowed), plus four carry-ons. I think we’ve packed the perfect amount in order to save money, but not to feel deprived of things we would want (except my pillow… I do wish I had my pillow).

Two checked bags and four carry-ons, ready for our vacation. Perfect for my family of four.

A bonus: Packing the Park Bag

Here is a pictoral example of what I bring for a day at the park (yes, that black bag does fit everything in the photo except for the water bottle). It does beg the question – are there any other “laminators” out there?