The Disney Craftiness Continues

As promised, I want to show you each of our projects as they are completed and ready for our Disney vacation.  We leave home on the 6th so we are trying to work on Disney a lot right now.    I just stumbled upon this luggage tag kit and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. We’ve always made our luggage tags, but I would just print on card stock, laminate, and then use those zippy tie things to put them on the suitcases.  This was so easy though!!  If you ever want custom tags, I would recommend finding these (I found them at our local craft store, Hobby Lobby).

What the kit looks like in the store (the packaging):

Side 1 of the tags:

The other side:

Custom Disney Suitcases

I have posted some pictures of our suitcase project in a previous post, but we are still working on them.  Now that we have the first few designs painted on them, we outlined them with glitter.  What do you think? Overall I’m ok with them, but not overly impressed. The spray paint was harder to manipulate than I had expected. It would sometime come out “gunky,” but Cameron is tickled pink so I guess that’s all that really matters.

Another Travel Project

Have you done much flying? What are your pet peeves when traveling? (especially by plane)  I don’t have many actually.  The most predominant is that I hate people that don’t seem to realize that our space is limited and lay their seat back so much that for them to be comfortable, I’m NOT!!  HELLO!  YOU ARE IN MY COMFORT ZONE!! I’M NOT A CHILD!  I HAVE LONG LEGS!!  (ok…sorry…yep! This one gets to me the most!)

However, I don’t have much control over that situation so on to one we do have control over – the annoyance of trying to pick your luggage out of the other 9 million that come out on the carrousel. Our flying has only consisted of going to Disney so far so we only have to do this when we get back home to our Texas airport, (Thank You Magical Express) but I still hate watching each one and having to look closely to pick ours out.

We bought Becka’s new luggage at Christmas so there was no replacing that standard black set, but both Cameron and I needed new luggage so one of my first criteria was not black, blue or red (these are the colors I was seeing the most of in the stores). So Cameron has a brand new burgandy/marroonish set (really intended to find a more distinctive one, but we stumbled upon this set at a price I couldn’t resist), and I picked up a very bright purple set yesterday. But I still wasn’t satisfied (neurotic you say? maybe!)!  So we’re taking everything one step further and customizing our luggage!  Yep!  We will all have custom – one of a kind luggage from here on out.

We bought Becka a few patches and then some ironon transfer paper and some lime green fabric. She is sewing all of this all over her suitcase(s) as you can see.  We tease her and say that her suitcase has chicken pox, but it does look cute and most certainly will be noticeable coming down the luggage racks. This is only after day 1 of working. She’s going to be sure to add chicken pox err…polka dots to the sides and back too so that no matter how it comes out of the machines, we can identify it quickly.

We’re trying a different technique for Cameron’s. We’re spray painting it.  Yes I found “Spray Paint for Apparel” at our local craft store and stencils and we are attempting to do hers that way. This has been quite an interesting experience.  Here are the pictures of that after the first attempt.  I am not totally impressed, but I think I’m going to run back and pick up a glitter fabric pen or paint next time we are out and outline it, and then I think it will be awesome.

We plan to create our own Mickey head stencil today and attempt to do that on each one also so that will be fun I think.  I’m actually holding off on mine for a couple reasons. First I think my bright purple luggage (you can kind of see it in the corner of Becka’s picture) will be more unique, and second I’m waiting to see how both of theirs turn out so I can decide which method I like better in the end. 

So what do you think?

Planning a WDW Trip? Be Aware of Luggage Changes

According to AllEars.net, Disney is reacting to current changes in airline policies towards luggage by changing their resort check-in policy. From now on, if you elect to use Disney’s Resort Check In before heading back home from your Walt Disney World vacation, you will only be allowed to check one bag per person. Guests who wish to check more than one bag, will not be able to take advantage of the Resort Check In at their Disney hotel. They will instead have to check in at the airport themselves.

This is not the only luggage announcements being made this week. American Airlines announced that they will no charge $15 for the FIRST checked bag and $25 for the second bag. Yes, you read correctly, for the FIRST checked bag. This seems very unwise to me. Don’t most passengers need to check a bag? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just raise the price of their tickets by $15 instead of making this announcement. We are a family of 3 which means we’d have to pay an additional $45 if we were flying with American.  Personally, I can tell you that would stop me from booking those tickets unless they were substantially cheaper than any other airline (which they tend to not be). The fee will start June 15. This is not the only fee changes with American. They are also increasing their fees for things such as oversized bags.  There will be a few exceptions to this policy will be members of their Elite club, those traveling overseas, and those who buy “full fare tickets.”

These changes do not become effective immediately so if you are holding tickets now, do not fret. According to American’s website, if you buy your tickets before June 15, you will still be able to have one free checked bag per person ($25 for a second).

With all of these changes to luggage, we will definitly be paying less to ship a package to our resort before we arrive, and I’ll ship a box back home at the end of our trip.  All WDW resorts, will hold your package for a short period of time until you arrive.  We’ll throw in our Disney pins, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste, along with some of our trip goodies like mini fans and snacks.  What measures are you taking in response to the luggage restrictions now put on us by virtually every airline?

Attention Travelers: AirTran Checked Bag Policy Change

I love AirTran prices and have used them to return home from Disney each time. I just stumbled upon this information and thought I’d share it with everyone else. (For me, it’s bad news):

Effective May 15, 2008 — The charge for a second checked bag will be $10.  For each fare-paying customer, AirTran Airways will allow one (1) checked piece free of charge, with size and weight limitations.

The excess baggage charge, for other than sporting equipment, will be $50.00 for each piece after the first 2 bags. Additional charges are applicable for bags exceeding the weight and size limits.

Source: AirTran Website

We almost always have more than one bag each so I hate to hear this. I’m glad our next trip is at least in August so that we will have shorts and tshirts instead of jeans and sweatshirts.

Some of you may be in luck as there are some exceptions to the rules according to a forum I frequent: The fee will not apply for passengers who hold Elite status in AirTran Airways’ A+ Rewards frequent flier program, or ticketed passengers traveling in Business Class.