Hey Disney planning friends. While all the excitement usually swirls around park activities, dining plans, and Lightning Lane strategies, there’s one part of Disney vacation prep that I always seem to leave until the very last minute: packing. It’s something I seriously need to work on. Even though I’m a dedicated Disney Bounder and often plan those outfits months ahead of time, I somehow leave all the filler pieces and practical extras until the final few hours before flying out. The result? I massively overpack every single time. And coming from Australia, that is a very long way to drag around luggage that weighs far more than it needs to.
Where I always come unstuck is trying to find pieces that work across multiple outfits instead of packing too many single-use items. The later I leave it, the worse it gets. I start panic-packing random extras just in case, completely forget what I’ve already put in the suitcase, and suddenly I’ve packed six tops that all do basically the same thing. Then comes that magical Disney arrival moment where I open my suitcase in the hotel room and immediately wonder what on earth I was thinking. Honestly, half the battle is staying organized enough not to pack duplicates of the same vibe.
I’m also guilty of bringing things that don’t really have a purpose at all. There is a very specific kind of disappointment that comes from carrying an extra pound of clothing across the world only to never wear it once. And somehow I still continue to ignore the fact that I will absolutely buy new clothes when I arrive. Spirit jerseys, park T-shirts, and a random sweatshirt because the evening got chilly, it happens every trip. At this point, after 35 years of Disney vacations, you’d think I would finally accept that I’m going to come home with half a new wardrobe and leave a few backup items at home to compensate.
Now, this is admittedly harder than it sounds. When you own roughly 40 pairs of Minnie ears, choosing between them feels weirdly emotional. They all deserve park time. To be fair, I usually bring five or six pairs and genuinely wear every one of them, but deep down, I still know I could survive with fewer. The same goes for clothing. We all have those trips where every second day we end up reaching for the same comfortable tights or that one perfectly breathable T-shirt that somehow beats everything else in the suitcase. So when packing day arrives, try to be ruthless with those ‘maybe’ items you like in theory but won’t actually want to wear for twelve sweaty park hours. And shoes? Please learn from my mistakes. Bring the practical, worn-in pairs you trust and stop pretending those cute, unworn sandals or heels are suddenly going to become comfortable halfway through your vacation. Your feet deserve better than that.
So tell me, are you someone who packs too much or too little for your Disney vacation? Honestly, I’m starting to think there might not be a cure for overpacking once Disney excitement kicks in.
