Ship or pay for extra luggage

[sbd78]

We are a family of 5 and I definitely don't consider myself a light packer. We each have a pilot case (small suitcase that fits under the seat) and managed to get everything else in one checked bag. We are flying Spirit and they charge for carry on and checked luggage, and their luggage fees aren't cheap! With a little creative packing, you'd be surprised what you can fit.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

We just went to Disney World with a group of 4. We are normally people who over pack because we want to make sure we always have everything we might need. However, we were on a budget and only wanted to check 2 bags. So we squeezed everything into two big suitcases, 1 carry-on suitcase (we only had 1), and wore backpacks. I did one load of laundry at the resort for $7 halfway through the trip. This worked out great for us! Maybe you can condense your stuff and do laundry. If you can't do that I would definitely just check the extra bags at the airport. Also, I don't know if you were planning on bringing life jackets for kids (we did), but this isn't necessary because it turns out the resorts have them for free. We didn't know that and could have freed up some extra space if we didn't bring them.

 

[Shanti]

That matters to some and doesn't matter to all. I like having choices, so even if something isn't worn I'm generally glad I had it as a choice.

Agreed. We wear most of what we bring, but appreciate at least having the option of changing into other clothes. I'm not the shorts & t-shirt type, so I do need room for multiple real outfits. The different shoes take up a lot of space: dress shoes for nice dinners, sturdy sandals for park touring at WDW or island time on Disney cruises, etc. Bathing suits & accessories come along on almost all of our trips. Jackets and cardigans are often needed, as well.

Besides, in the grand scheme of the cost of a Disney vacation, what's $25 for a suitcase? To be able to bring the clothes you want (and makes you happy) and not cram EVERYTHING in to one bag?

I agree. In addition, Disney vacations are so expensive that imo, time I might spend doing chores like laundry or cooking is actually a waste of money. Time is money, and when on a hard-earned vacation, I don't want to spend my time washing clothes, especially when I don't have the convenience of my own washer or dryer to use, but instead would have to do the work laundrymat style. That's not the vacation experience I'm paying for.

On our latest Disney vacation, a 3-night Disney cruise followed by a day at Animal Kingdom, we did carry-ons only due to time constraints upon arrival, and I vowed never to do that again. Our suitcases were bulging and our items were so squished. I much prefer having plenty of room to pack items in!

 

[Luvs Mickey]

I’m (kind of) trying to reform myself and pack less for vacations. But I’d much rather pay for an extra bag (and maybe not fill it to leave room for goodies) then ship. I’ve actually priced it out and it was cheaper for us to pay for the extra luggage then to ship.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I usually do 10 day trips and have often only had a rolling carry on plus a backpack under my seat. Especially in the summer when you don't need bulky warm clothes. I plan at least two costume changes per day.

I much prefer doing a couple loads of laundry in one of the very clean and well maintained Disney laundry rooms at my resort rather than dealing with an extra bag. There's even a website where you can see which washers and dryers are in use, and you can see when yours is done. Many of the laundry rooms are next to a pool, so this is handy if you decide to take a dip while your laundry is in process.

I usually take an afternoon break anyway. So throwing a couple of loads of laundry into the machines, taking a dip, transferring to the dryer then taking another dip. It's kind of a nice excuse to go to the pool for me.