Williams Family: Our "MacGyver" Bag

What you see in the photo above is a gallon size plastic bag that our family refers to as the "MacGyver" bag and it goes with us on every trip.

Some background.  MacGyver was a seven-season action, mystery television show from the late 80's where the hero, MacGyver, solved problems using everyday objects.  Our bag is full of everyday items that have come in handy on many of our trips, hence the name.

Items in the bag include wooden clothespins--the pinchy kind.  We use these to keep curtains closed in hotel rooms, hang bathing suits for drying, even hang up towels if needed.  We also have magnetic clips.  These are used when on the cruise ships as the stateroom doors are metal and we use them to hang paper items like excursion tickets, list of cruise activities, etc.  Horizontal space is a premium in staterooms, so this allows us to hang items, even lanyards. 

The roll of duct tape is to repair broken suitcases, broken shoes, and even once, used to keep the toilet lid up.  The hotel had remodeled and installed a shelf behind the toilet, but the shelf was so wide that the toilet lid, when up, did not have enough room to make a 90 degree or more angle and therefore would either fall down after each use or require to be put down.  Let's just say it was tricky and the duct tape kept the lid up. 

In the middle of the duct tape roll is a baby jar with powdered dish washing soap.  The soap is for use to clean any dining items, such as mugs or cups and it's in a glass baby jar to be protected from moisture or leaks.  It can also be used to wash clothing items in a sink or bathtub if necessary.  The fact that it is powder rather than liquid helps with TSA screenings, too.

Other items include samples of laundry pods--a variety of brands.  There are also rubber bands!  Rubber bands have been used to keep the boys pants/shorts up when they have been too small and too big!  One cruise, the boy put on his nice pants for dinner and they wouldn't button!  I whipped out a rubber band and weaved it through the button hole and the button.  Voila!  On another trip, the boy's shorts were too big around the waist.  Rubber band used to cinch up the back belt loops.  Problem solved!  Rubber bands can also keep shoes together and even attach suitcase zipper ends if they won't come together.

You may ask if the the bag goes in our checked or carry on luggage.  The answer is either.  Whatever bag has room.

Our "MacGyver" bag stays ready to go into a suitcase at all times.  We have to be careful not to go to the bag for situations that occur at home as it would be easy not to replenish the bag and be left empty handed while traveling.

Our Pants Problems!

I want to talk about pants.  Specifically the trials and tribulations we had with pants during our recent Disney Cruise on board the Disney Fantasy.

As chief packer and planner, I had made sure that plenty of pants had been packed for all along with coordinating shirts.  And, I had ordered tuxedos after measuring each of the guys—you have to put in the specific measurements into the website when ordering.  But even after all of this, we still had pants trouble.

It began night one when the boy went to put on the pants that had been packed for him in our carry-on bag to avoid any issues changing for dinner if our luggage arrived late in our stateroom.  Thing is, our luggage did arrive later after dinner, so it was a good thing we were prepared.  Anyway, the pants fit everywhere except the waist.  I got out my handy-dandy kit that includes duct tape, clothes pins, and a bit of powdered detergent and found rubber bands to secure the top of his pants—button hole to button with a slip loop.  Worked like a charm and we were off to enjoy our evening.  But it got me thinking that there may be further issues as some of his other pants that were packed were the same size.  Hmm. . .

Night two was formal night and the boy's tuxedo pants fit just fine.  It was the husband who was having difficulty.  He said that he had cinched in the pants as much as he could, but they were still falling down and required hands in his pockets to hold them up.  Rubber bands to the rescue again!  I grabbed the excess waist and put them into a pants ponytail that was covered up by his tuxedo jacket.

Night three the boy put on his pair of pants only to discover that they were too short. He wore them anyway.  At least the wait fit!

Another night, the boy's pants required the rubber band at the waist again.  My gosh, he continues to grow!

 By the sixth night, the pants bit both in the waist and were just right in length.  We hung the up after he took them off and wore them for the seventh night, too!

7th night!

Interestingly, all but one pair--the too short pair--were the same size!  And, the husband had made a declaration that he will only wear tuxedo pants if he has suspenders.  No worries, our next cruise doesn't have a formal night!

As for me, I wore the same "pants"--capris actually, for three nights!  Made packing a breeze!

You Think I Would Have This Packing Thing Down By Now!

Here we are less than a handful of days before our Summer 2015 vacation and while I thought the packing was done—except for toiletries and medicine—I realized last night that I had forgotten a few things, like pajamas.

Let me explain the packing system—one suitcase for the first leg of our trip—4 nights at the Disneyland Hotel and enough clothes for 4 days, plus swimsuits for dips in the pool.  Another suitcase for the Legoland portion of our trip—2 nights, 2 days of clothes, and, of course, swimsuits.  Also packed jackets as movie night by the pool can get chilly.  This bag will also take on our toiletries.  A third suitcase for the last leg of our trip—5 nights at Paradise Pier and 4 days in the parks along with swimsuits.  A few days ago, I added another checked bag to our itinerary—click here to read more—and this bag has breakfast and snack items, shoes, and potential park necessities such as ponchos, umbrellas, a park bag, inflatable seat pillows (pocket seats—click here to read more) and glow sticks.  The plan is to limit the number of suitcases we are “living out of” during our trip.

Last night I realized two things. . . one, while I had packed pajamas for the husband in each of the bags, I had forgotten the boy’s jammies in all but one suitcase and I had left out jammies for me, too.  All in all, not a trip-breaker, but what if there was a fire?!?  And two, that I needed black shorts.  Okay, wanted black shorts, but the desire was so strong it felt like a need. 

Off to K-Mart I went.  They’ve reeled me in this summer with their “surprise” Shop Your Way Rewards points.  I found black shorts and they were 40% off.  Yippee!  And, a yellow shirt.  (Yes, I know that I have several yellow shirts, but this one was different—and it was on sale!)  When I went to check out the clerk informed me that if I spent $30 in clothing that I would save $10 because of “surprise” Shop Your Way Reward points.  Hmmm. . . that’s when I headed to the pajama section and then remembered that I hadn’t packed pajamas!  I found some P.J.’s for me and proceeded to check out. 

Since Target was on my way home, I went there next.  Jammies for the boy was the one and only thing on my list.  I found some.  They were not on sale, nor did I have a coupon.  I was going to bite the bullet and be satisfied with the 5% savings my Target Red Debit card would provide.  When I got to the check-out I remembered that I had $15 in Target gift cards from a health and beauty item deal in the last couple of weeks.  I whipped those gift cards out and the pajamas were mine!

You would think that I’ve got this packing thing down by now!  I do have the shopping thing down though. . .

P.S.  Our airline has a 40 pound weight limit on checked bags.  We got the floor scale out and the husband weighs himself and then picks up the suitcase and weighs himself again.  All bags so far have been under the 40 pounds—coming in close at 38 and 36 pounds.  Now I know where there is room for black shorts and pajamas!

Random Thoughts As We Get Closer To Our Summer 2015 Disneyland/Legoland Vacation

I sort of have this running check-list in my head along with other random thoughts and questions leading up to our summer Disneyland/Legoland vacation.  In addition, I’m keeping an eye out for anything we might need for our next Disney Cruise in December.

While our vacation is booked (and even some portions paid for) I have yet to figure out transportation.  I logged into Super Shuttle’s website to inquire about costs—it’s going to be expensive—only to have my e-mail inbox ding with a 5% discount message from Super Shuttle.  That’s a start!

Good thing that Disneyland has a 60 day window to make Advanced Dining Reservations as we are not ready.  Oh, I’m sure we could be ready.  I remember pulling together a twelve day Disney World vacation right at the 180 day mark and very quickly compiling a list of restaurants.  So far, we’ve printed the list of restaurants from the Disneyland website and have selected ones we would like to try.  Interestingly, some of the restaurants we want are part of special dining packages such as World of Color and Fantasmic.  And, we’ve added character dining to our reservation—prepaying for vouchers that include the meal, tax, and gratuity. 

Packing is another random thought.  I know, we’ve got PLENTY of time.  First, we needed a new suitcase—one with wheels!  Each year, we’ve added a new suitcase/duffle to our arsenal and I just ordered and received a new rolling duffle to complete the checked luggage.  Our luggage takes a beating and the wheels are the first to go—though the suitcase we acquired two years ago is still going strong!

Another packing issue is that we are flying with a new-to-us airline this trip and there checked baggage weight limit is 40 pounds.  Every other airline we have flown with has a 50 pound limit.  And, I’m pretty good at estimating when we are close to or have hit the 50 pound limit (to .8 of a pound!) so I’m going to have to readjust my “scale”.  And, I may also employ the same type of packing we did last summer which was a bag for all of us for each “leg” or portion of our trip.  That way, the other bags can remain closed until the contents are needed for their portion of the vacation.

Also, this trip, no rolling carry-on bags.  Again, this new-to-us airline charges for carry-on bags!  $15 per bag per way--$30 round trip!  That would make it $90 for each of us to take a carry-on rolling bag with us and there is a weight limit for those, too!  Historically, I have packed at least one rolling bag full of shoes.  So with a reduced weight limit on checked luggage and no carry-on bags, I told the husband that each of us would be carrying a pair of shoes in our “personal” carry-ons, which are still allowed free of charge.  I’m actually looking forward to navigating the airports without the rolling carry-on bags—just not the packing challenge.

As far as the December cruise goes, I’ve got alerts set for Kayak to notify us of flight price changes.  Since our sailing includes a formal night and is over New Year’s I’m looking at dresses and have added several to my Amazon “save for later” cart.  My goal is to get the dress for FREE using gift cards earned through Swagbucks.  Speaking of free and wardrobe for our winter Disney vacation—I snagged a new denim jacket for the boy on Amazon for free.  I had the jacket in my “cart” and noticed that the price was reduced dramatically—over half—so I used gift cards already in my account and it is on its way along with a new rash guard.  I told the husband that I was already working on the wardrobe for our December trip.  He just smiled, knowingly.  He’s well aware of the running check-list!

Will This Be A Better Way To Pack Toiletries?

I succumbed and purchased a product from HSN.  My hope was that Joy Mangano’s Better Beauty Bag would keep me from packing my toiletries in plastic bags which was touted as blasphemous during the product display. 

The products arrived yesterday—two Better Beauty Bags an XL and medium and the mini steamer.  The husband was excited about the steamer.  Who knew?

I immediately started filling the zippered pockets of the bags.  The XL bag held full size bottles of hair products, toothpaste, contact solution, body lotion, deodorant, etc.  Soon, I had it filled to the brim.  Now where to fit it in the suitcase?

Our new duffle bag had a large compartment on the top and the beauty bag fit the space perfectly.  Voila! 

The verdict is still out on these products until I road test them some more.  But here is an initial assessment—the bag is large when folded up and secured.  If we didn’t have that compartment in the duffle bag, packing this item would not be easy and because most of the products are “liquids” it does need to be packed in a checked bag rather than carry on bag.  My plastic bags—gallon size-- could be somewhat flattened and packed on top of whatever clothing was already in the suitcase.  Yes, there were numerous plastic bags, but it seems as if they didn’t take up as much space.  And, I had a bag for each need—a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash bag, a hair care bag, a contact/glasses bag, and a shower bag with sponge, body wash, face scrub, shampoo if needed, and a razor.  I could just take out the plastic bag that I needed.  I can do the same--removing the needed zippered pouch via velcro--with the better beauty bag and I guess I could not fold it up, but leave it flat and put it in the suitcase that way.  It was just that I couldn't fit all of the same category of needed items into one compartment of the better beauty bag.  My plastic bags that I reuse have more flexibility when it comes to space.  The better beauty bag lists "padding" as one of its benefits, which of course, the plastic bags do not offer.  

If we weren't packing full size products, the medium sized better beauty bag would do the trick.  But with the number of days we are traveling and the number of people using the products, full size products were needed. 

The steamer is not going with us on our trip—there is no need.  But am excited to give it a try at home.  As I was ironing an outfit with beaded trim, prior to the arrival of the steamer, I realized how convenient the steamer would be.

I ordered the white version, which is no longer available.  I really wanted red but that was not a choice.  I first stopped at Ebates.com, so that I could shop and earn cash back, and discovered a 20% code for HSN that helped to reduce the price. 

Oh, and the plastic bags.  Well, I packed some empty ones. . . just in case.

Matching Shirts For Summer 2014 Vacation!

We have six new sets of matching shirts for our upcoming grand summer vacation!  By "set" I mean three shirts that match to wear on the same day.  It's our thing. . . our tradition.  If you want to know why we wear matching shirts--click here.

We plan to wear these new "Cruisin' With The Mouse" shirts the day we head to and board the Disney Fantasy.  Oh, and there will be photos to mark the occasion!  This shirt was custom made at Zazzle.com.

Another Zazzle creation features the gang from Lion King.  We will be wearing these shirts on our day at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  No worries. . . the day will be great!

The shirt featuring Olaf on the beach was a must do design at Zazzle.com for our day at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line's private island in The Bahamas.  After me made and ordered the shirts, we found out Olaf greets guests on the island.  Can't wait!

Another Olaf design from Zazzle.com that we originally planned to wear to EPCOT.  But then Anna and Elsa relocated to the Magic Kingdom.  Now the plan is to wear these shirts to the Magic Kingdom on the day we are there all day.  Looking forward to Anna and Elsa's reaction to our shirts.

Another new set of shirts, this time from Disney Store.com features Mickey.  These shirts are packed in the Walt Disney World bag.  Purchased with a discount, we can't wait to wear our favorite pal!

Yes, I will be wearing a Captain America t-shirt.  These shirts were too purchased with a discount code at Disney Store.com and were originally planned for our day at Universal Studios.  Then, we learned that Captain America greets guests on the Disney ships.  So, these shirts are packed in our Disney Cruise Line bag.

All of these shirts along with enough matching sets for each day of our vacation including the days we fly to and from Orlando are packed and ready.  Let the vacation commence!

Update For Summer Vacation 2014!

An update for our grand summer 2014 adventure that includes a day at Universal Studios, 7 nights on the Disney Fantasy, and a week at Walt Disney World. . .

Our travel agent emailed yesterday informing us that our cruise documents have arrived.  Yippee!  She is waiting for the Walt Disney World paperwork and then all will be delivered.  This means our time is getting closer!

Packed umbrellas, ponchos, park bags, door decorations, the misting spray bottle with fan, and autograph items and pens.  Taking a white pillow case with fabric markers and an 8 X 10 photo matte with a 4 X 6 opening along with sharpies.  Oh, the stuff you need (and or want) while on vacation!

The other day the boy asked when we should start packing.  I told him we had already started.  He was fine with that answer.  The other thing he wanted to know was when I was going to get him his new game for his 3DS---I had promised him a new game just before the trip.  Yep, that’s when he will get it. . . just before the trip.  The new game is in my Amazon cart.

Feels like packing for this trip is easier. . . at least right now.  Maybe having items separated into bags by the “legs” of the trip is helping.

Still have items on the “to do” list including our Garden Grocer order, the boy’s tuxedo, securing lawn care, and the park tickets for Universal—we just have the Express Pass so far.  The list is dwindling though!

Picked Up A Few Things For Our Summer Trip

“We aren’t going to use that until we get to Disney!”  were the husband’s adamant words when I brought home the tube of mentha foot cream from Bath and Body Works.  I had asked a while ago if we still had any of the foot cream and he said that he thought we had used it all on our last trip.  You see, the mentha foot cream is a lifesaver at night when we return to our resort room with tired and aching feet.  And, since I had a great coupon from Bath and Body Works—a free item up to $14 with a $10 purchase, I ended up getting the foot cream for free!

Other needed trip items have also been on the shopping lists of late:  a travel pack of wipes, extra toothbrushes, and a Tide stick.  Spent a whopping $3.99 for all of those items!

Why are we buying needed items now?  Well, I prefer to budget for needed vacation items throughout the weeks and months prior to a trip, rather than waiting until right before we leave and making one giant (and expensive) purchase.  And, buying the items now feels like planning and helps build the anticipation.  It also saves money as I can look for our needed items on sale.

Budgeting and purchasing this way does take some planning.  I have a list of needed items taken from the inventory of what we already have.  Hence, the checking about the foot cream before buying.

Need a packing list?  PassPorter’s Guides have great packing lists for Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line.

Packing Plans and Dilemmas

The packing list for 16 days of summer fun has already be drafted.  And, after multiple vacations packing is typically not an issue.  But, this is the first trip when we would have a short hotel stay, followed by a 7 night cruise, and then 7 days at Walt Disney World.  I'm starting to scratch my head at the best way to pack for this vacation.

Historically, each one of us has a large suitcase for checked luggage that contains our necessities for the length of the trip with accessories being delegated to the carry-on bags.  This strategy has worked well, though, it has caused us to live out of suitcases while on the ship.

I am wondering about packing all needed items for our cruise in one or more suitcase and then have our Walt Disney World items packed in another bag that would not require opening throughout the cruise.  That suitcase could go under the bed for the length of the cruise and then we could unpack  the other suitcase(s) while on the ship.

These are less than $15 on Amazon

Also, Disney Cruise Line has changed the rules and now prohibits using over-the-door organizers--you know the ones with the hooks that hang on a door with the many pockets that can be used for shoes or other items.  With this change, I thought that a closet organizer might be a better choice.  With two closets in our stateroom, there would definitely be enough space.

To be even more efficient, one of our carry-on bags could hold what we need for our two night hotel stay prior to sailing.  This way, we wouldn't have to open either of the larger, checked bags--except to get toiletries.

The more I think about this idea, the more I like it.  But first, I have to revise the packing list into smaller lists--what's needed for the cruise and what's needed for the parks.  I will get right on that!

What Do We Pack To Show Our Disney Side?

The Disney Parks Blog asked yesterday, “What do you pack to show your Disney Side?”—click here to read the post.  Interesting question!  Here’s some of the things we pack to show our Disney Side:

• Matching shirts.  Yes—we have at least one set for every day of our vacation including traveling to and from Orlando.  Did you read that?  At least one set.  That means we pack more than one set per day.
• Glow sticks.  I just ordered and received 800 glow bracelets with connectors for less than $5 on Amazon to take with us to use and give away.  Use the connectors and combine bracelets to make necklaces, belts, you name it.  Where else would we do that, other than at Disney?!?

• Hats.  If it is winter, Santa hats would be our thing.  The husband has an Animal hat from the Muppets that he actually lost while at Disney and had it magically returned to him.  And, we have a set of crazy top hats in the closet that we haven’t taken with us yet.  I am waiting until the boy is older so he can be completely embarrassed.

• Lanyards.  Lanyards and pins.  Again, where else but at Disney can you show your pride and your Disney Cruise Line Castaway Club Level by wearing a lanyard.  One of us trades, one of us collects, and one of us does both!
• Ponchos and Umbrellas.  Yes, we pack those as they show our persevering Disney Side.  Go ahead and rain, it won’t dampen our adventure or our spirits.
• Inflatable seat cushions.  These are actually in Disney colors—yellow, black, and red, and are used solely at Disney to protect our bums from hard pavement and metal benches—click here to read more.

There you have it.  The items we pack to show our Disney Side.  What do you pack to show your Disney Side?

Check out this video of Gary Buchanan packing for his various Disney Sides!

Over Packing--Help Is Needed!

Confession time. . . I over packed.  Yep, I over packed for our July 2013 twelve day stay at Walt Disney World. 

How much did I over pack?  About a week’s worth!

When we were unpacking the suitcases, and putting away the clean clothes, the husband said “I had enough underwear to stay another week.”  Yes, he did.

Even after wearing many sets of matching shirts including the trip to Orlando and the return trip home, we still had 7 sets of shirts in the suitcases that were never worn.  Just have to save them for the next trip!

Over packing is something I have done on all of our trips.  The clothes just keep going into the suitcase and I can’t stop.  Mostly because I want to have choices once we arrive at our destination.  Maybe the shirts I packed aren’t what I want to wear that day—either based on weather, plans, or mood. 

Another reason I over pack is that I don’t want to “have” to buy something that we forgot or need when we are traveling.  I want to be prepared for any contingency.

Our suitcases fit the size and weight limits for checked bags, so my over packing hasn’t gone too far.

I have heard all of the suggestions. . . pack and then take out half of what you packed, or lay out your items and then put a half of them away.  My brain knows this but it doesn’t stop the hands and arms from stuffing items into suitcases.  It is comforting to know we have everything we need.

It is obvious that this is an area that is going to require significant intervention.  Any suggestions?

Our "Must Pack" List--For Any Disney Vacation

A Williams Family Blog reader’s comment on “What Not To Pack” prompted me to consider that is essential that go in the suitcases for a Disney vacation.  Here is our list:

Camera(s), Chargers, Batteries, and Memory Cards.  This may sound like a “dah” but we bumped into a family while waiting for rope drop at Magic Kingdom who did not bring their camera—it was forgotten.  Our tablemates during one of our cruises brought their camera but not their charger—they ended up springing for a new camera.  And, with the prevalence of camera phone or cameras on tablets, the actual camera is taking a backseat. 

So, why a camera?  Well, let’s say you are on a Disney Cruise ship that has stopped in Grand Cayman and you are using your cell phone to take photos.  I hope you hit airplane mode prior to snapping photos or you just might be charged for international coverage if calls or text messages come through.  Leave the turned off phone in your stateroom and use a camera instead.

Also cameras can come in a “tough” style with water proof, freeze proof, and drop proof features.  I have to meet a phone or tablet with those capabilities.  There are also one time use disposable water proof cameras that can be purchased much less expensively while at home than on a ship or a Disney water park gift shop.

We had three cameras during our most recent trip, including one that was water proof.  We needed that many because the battery life on one camera cannot keep up with a 16 hour day of park touring. 

Power Strip.  All of those camera chargers, along with phones and any electronic devices require charging.  I remember one of our trips that we didn’t take the power strip and one night we had cords strung all over our resort room and were juggling plugging in and unplugging to make sure all of our devices were charged.  Well, no more!  Just this trip, we had to upgrade to two power strips—one plugged into the other so that they still only require one electrical outlet.

Electrical outlets in Walt Disney World Resort rooms or Disney Cruise Line staterooms can be in short supply and not easily accessible sometimes.  Plugging in a power strip and then using it to charge electronic devices makes the process so much easier.  And, we leave our chargers on the power strip even at home, so we just unplug the power strip, pack it in the suitcase, and off we go.  No searching for all the chargers.  When we return home, the power strip comes out of the suitcase, gets plugged in, and we are again operational.  Easy peasy!

Water proof watch(es).  This has become a necessity for all of us in our family.  Again, many folks now rely on their cell phones for the time rather than a watch.  And, because of the reasons listed above, a cell phone may not work the best while traveling.  Our water proof watches get worn throughout the trip and you would be amazed at the number of folks who ask us the time.

We even wear them while at home.  If I am headed off to a pool or water park, the water proof watch gets put on.  The boy and the husband wear theirs daily.  Our black rubber bracelet style watch can be worn with anything including more dressy attire on the cruise ship.

Comfortable Shoes and more than one pair.  This definitely applies to packing for a Walt Disney World vacation but could also apply to cruising with Disney as well.  Why more than one pair?  Well, water. . . in any form, can dampen the shoes and feet.  Having an extra pair allows for the wet pair to dry.  Also, the amount of walking while park touring can cause “hot spots” on the feet and having a second pair of shoes gives those hot spots a break.

Our most recent trip to Walt Disney World was by far the most days of park touring we had ever experienced in one trip AND I didn’t experience any blisters on my feet.  The secret?  Great shoes that I alternated wearing throughout the trip—never the same pair two days in a row.

First Aid Kit including Blister Care (Moleskin).  This particular category also goes with the one above in terms of taking care of your feet, but our first aid kit has come in handy multiple times both on land and sea.  Hint:  Be sure to cut the moleskin into various sized pieces prior to your trip as finding a pair of scissors to do this after you arrive can be tricky.

One time the boy slipped and skidded across the floor on a Disney ship, taking off a chunk of skin above his eyebrow.  I reached into my trusty bag and provided antibiotic ointment and a Band-Aid.  He was good to go swimming in Grand Cayman.  On our last trip, the first aid kit came in handy twice, but for other guests who were in need.  When a mom was standing in the bathroom at Downtown Disney holding a paper towel on her son’s head because he had fallen, I was able to whip out band aids and a wipe with triple antibiotic ointment (which goes easily through TSA security).

Protection From the Elements.  And by elements I mean rain, sun, cold, hot, etc.  Hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, misting fans, poncho, umbrellas, jackets, gloves, etc. fall into this category.  Depending on your destination and the time of year, these items become essential.  And, trust me that you will be happy that you brought them rather than trying to find and then pay for those items either at the Walt Disney World Resort or on a Disney ship.

Medications and Medication Like Items:  Everyone remembers to pack prescription medication, but what about the other stuff that is like medicine, but doesn’t require a prescription.  Do you remember those items?  We bumped into a guest trying to find over the counter allergy medication as arriving in Florida triggered her symptoms.  That took some doing for her to find it.  I would have asked the main desk to recommend a pharmacy that delivers.  Or another guest who needed chafing cream as the extra walking had created the need. 

We have a large plastic seal-able bag that contains all of those items that then gets packed in our bags.  And, there have been times when we have needed those items.

There you have it; our “Must Pack” list created from experience and necessity.  Our experiences also tell us that folks do not always pack the items listed above and wish they had.  We want you to be prepared!