10/15: Mouse Miscellany

[Al Lutz]

MouseFest, Packing for the Parks. Discuss (and share tips) here!

[Taggart]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

Crazy

[sir clinksalot]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

Thanks for the info on MouseFest. We had thought about going to WDW that weekend for our Anniversary (had no idea it was MouseFest) but as of now were not planning on it. Things can change though.

Also, great hints on "Survival Gear" for the parks. Since we are out of the stoller age with our kids we don't need most of it, but even at the generally "Good Weather" parks in CA we had alot of the same things in our stroller way back when.

It's just funny to see how un-prepared some people can be and of course Disney loves this.

[ralfrick]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

In 2005 I had shorts with front double pockets on each side, and a small zipper pocket on the right at WDW. I kept an extra battery for the camera and change in the zipper pocket. Right side: camera in one pocket, phone in the other. Left side: glasses in one pocket, smokes in the other. I had gotten a free PassPorter pouch that I used for cash, cards and tickets/FPs clipped to my belt loop, but the back pockets would've sufficed. Keys clipped to belt loop. I have a carrier with neck strap for water bottle, which usually had sugar free Kool Aid. I have found it best to only fill it halfway before freezing, then topping it off before going to the parks, but that varies with temps and level of thirst. If you fill before freezing, allow for expansion.

We did get some of those cooling bandanas, which my wife kept in a small bag when not in use. They were nice, if wet. Was usually wet from sweat anyway, but don't know if I would've bothered carrying it myself.

Before I had a child, I thought that most people brought waaaaay too much stuff with them if they had a baby. Since then, I've had one of my own. I now think that most people bring waaaaay too much stuff with them when they have a baby.

A bientot.

PS. I had that record Sir Clinksalot. Took it to school around Halloween one year, and we got a worried call from the office asking if everything was OK. I've actually heard some of those exact effects listening to my vast collection of old radio shows (which pre-date my time for the record).

[sir clinksalot]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

PS. I had that record Sir Clinksalot. Took it to school around Halloween one year, and we got a worried call from the office asking if everything was OK. I've actually heard some of those exact effects listening to my vast collection of old radio shows (which pre-date my time for the record).

I still have the record, just no way to play it. My Mother In-Law has a record player, maybe I will take it over there this year and at least record it onto a casette (although not sure how to play that either) LOL!!!

I REALLY wish they (Disney) would release it on CD.

Kevin, sorry for going off-topic.

[SkittleKicks]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

I always bring (aside from tickets)

-Chap stick
-Cell phone
-Hand lotion
-Gum
-Credit card
-Insurance information

and keep it all in a Ziploc.

[MaxPower]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

Scary how similar your survival list is to ours. Those rubber rollup mats are a must if you have little ones. It never fails that when unroll ours and suction it to the table that people around us ask where they can get one.

And I don't care how much you dislike the look of crocs, they are a must have for Florida's rainy season.

Our only real variation is that instead of diaper bag, we've figured out a way to make all of the baby stuff, sunblock, camera, change of clothes for kids, etc. fit in a medium sized backpack that I can either wear or hang on the back of the stroller.

[Grumpy38]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

Max power is absolutely right. We never use a diaper bag in town now. I have a 5 month old daugther and we use a medium size Sleeping Beauty backpack for everything and it holds everything with two side pouches as well. This is something we can throw on the stroller or in it, then take the backpack to the bathroom and change her. Not to mention if we split up it is so much easier to take the backpack and her around. The other big item we try to bring is Germ-X. Mind you a baby wipe is similar germ is a liquid hand sanitizer that we have in our bags. This way noone else has touched it like the dispensers in the parks. We go through a full bottle nearly each day due to the fact that I am married to a nurse. She makes sure we use it frequently to avoid germs and sickness. This is a must for kids who are 5-8 for a quick hand washing fix.

[Mr.Abominable]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

This will be our second Mousefest(cruise and land) and it really is a blast!

[giddygirlie]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

@ Sir Clinksalot - you can find some of the audio here: http://www.doombuggies.com/media_audio1.php (in addition to everything you could want to know about the Haunted Mansion!). In a random conversation this weekend, someone mentioned to me that they downloaded the whole record from somewhere online to play for their children. I didn't get the name of the site -- but I'm sure Google can help!

I have this version, which I came across at a thrift store, but like you I don't have a record player, so I have no idea if it actually works! In any case, it matches the Mansion decor in my living room.

[nileprincess]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

My problem is that I always need a bag big enough to carry my camera and my book - I'm an inveterate reader and never leave the house without one. For tips, I always try to bring some kind of snack food along to reduce how much I spend on food in the parks (I prefer spending $ on sit-down meals rather than snacks or counter service). A lot of the new restricted serving packs (100 calorie, etc.) are really helpful because they're just the right size for a quick snack and they're easy to carry in a purse or backpack.

One other weird thing I've carried to the parks - my iPod. When I went to WDW last year, I put my earbuds in on Space Mountain and played the music from Space at DL. It made the ride a lot more fun, though I'm not sure if I'd carry the iPod again. Simply too much stuff!

[Supertanker]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

Reading that article reminded me how happy I am our kids are a bit older & we have really cut down on the logistics battalion we used to resemble.

We are AP holders for DLR, but I just finished a four-day stay at WDW with my wife & youngest daughter (she's 7). My wife was teaching at a scrapbook convention in Orlando, so three days it was just my daughter and me. We had a small backpack with two bottles of water, a sack of quarters & shiny pennies for the pressed penny machines, some fruit leather snacks, a small digital camera (my wife wanted me to carry her uber SLR digital camera, but I refused and made her find a pocket digital she was happy with - a Sony DSC-W90 - it was enough of a success she now won't give it back after using it), ibuprofen, ziplock bags for water rides, trial-size tubes of sunscreen, a few glasses wipes, and that's about it. I carried the camera in a secure belt pouch (the belt strap uses velcro and a snap to stay on), which also had a deep pocket inside for holding the room key and park passes. Everything else in the pack.

We wore shorts, walking shoes (we stay off drenching water rides like Kali River Rapids, been on those enough for one life), short-sleeved shirts, and hats. I wear glasses, so I carry a strap for those on fast rides. We keep an extra cell phone for the kids, so my daughter had that & I had mine (we have Cingular, and reception in the parks was great - I even got a text from my wife while passing through the battle scene on Pirates). I think that was it.

Even if we have more stuff on some trips (like jackets for cool evenings) we get a locker and swap gear later in the day. I also am a tyrant about my "you want it, you carry it" rule to keep the kids from loading themselves down, though I did carry the backpack.

[StevenSokulski]

Re: 10/15: Mouse Miscellany

I used to use FCC licensed talkied at Disneyland and after about our third visit (same channel each time) we were asked to shut them off as they interfered with Disney's security team. After trying another channel and receiving the same response we retired the units.

Anybody have this problem in Florida?