Shipping "stuff"

[DWhittles]

Okay,
I just started to put everything we have to pack that is non clothing around the suitcase. There is absolutely no way I'm going to fit it all in the one large suitcase I have planned. No way, no how. (Hi, my name is Diana and I'm a chronic overpacker)
I'm thinking about taking all the "stuff" like the pool toys for my son, his inflatable bathtub, bowls, extra bottles that sort of thing and shipping them via UPS.
How far in advance do you guys think I should ship? We leave Saturday and I'm considering shipping on Wednesday. (Thursday I'm running around with Dr. appointments and ultrasounds and stuff)
What should I mark on the outside of the box?
Thanks so much guys!
Diana

 

[betterlatethannever]

Originally posted by DWhittles
Okay,
I just started to put everything we have to pack that is non clothing around the suitcase. There is absolutely no way I'm going to fit it all in the one large suitcase I have planned. No way, no how. (Hi, my name is Diana and I'm a chronic overpacker)
I'm thinking about taking all the "stuff" like the pool toys for my son, his inflatable bathtub, bowls, extra bottles that sort of thing and shipping them via UPS.
How far in advance do you guys think I should ship? We leave Saturday and I'm considering shipping on Wednesday. (Thursday I'm running around with Dr. appointments and ultrasounds and stuff)
What should I mark on the outside of the box?
Thanks so much guys!
Diana

We send a package almost every trip.

We send it UPS ground which is 3 days (cheapest rate). At this rate, I would ship on Tuesday for arrival on Friday. I don't know if they deliver to WDW on Saturday. WDW doesn't want you shipping too early because they don't want to store it for a long time.

The one question is what time are you arriving on Saturday? If the shipping office is closed, you may not be able to get your package until Sunday (Monday?).

You put your name and reservation # on the box (in case there is somebody with the same last name there).

Ed

 

[Kevenswife2]

Hi Ed, it's me again (remember..buses go to the MK, not TTC).
I'm arriving on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. When should I ship?

 

[Gomez Gang]

when my kids were little, I always shipped diapers, wipes and snacks! Our plane usually always landed around 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays and I never had a problem getting my box.
On the outside of the box print the name of the resort and the address.
Attention to :RESORT GUEST
YOUR NAME
YOUR RESERVATION NUMBER

standard UPS or Fed Ex doesn NOT deliver on Saturdays unless you pay extra. I would plan on at least 3 days to ship it. When you arrive, simply tell the front desk you have a package that should be waiting for you (they will probably tell YOU because they have a very organized system)
Your box will be delivered by bell services, probably separate from your luggage but in a timely manner (within the hour?)
Have a great trip!

 

[momof2OH]

Ok, if I'm arriving on a Sat, will it be alright if my pkg. arrives on Fri (day before)? They won't get rid of it or not accept it because I'm not checked in yet? Also if I want it to arrive on Fri, should I mail it on Tues?

Thanks for the info and DWhittles, thanks starting this thread

 

[betterlatethannever]

Originally posted by Kevenswife2
...I'm arriving on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. When should I ship?

When we ship our box to WDW, we take it right to the UPS distribution center on Monday night, so it gets on the truck pretty fast. The package arrives on Thursday.

In your case, the box needs to arrive on Wednesday, so it looks like shipping it on Friday to play it safe.

Ok, if I'm arriving on a Sat, will it be alright if my pkg. arrives on Fri (day before)? They won't get rid of it or not accept it because I'm not checked in yet? Also if I want it to arrive on Fri, should I mail it on Tues?

1. Yes
2. No theywon't
3. Depends on where you are dropping it off at. If you are dropping it off at a Mailboxes Etc. (for example) late Tuesday, it may take an extra day.

 

[Kevenswife2]

Do many people ship things ahead? I had never heard of doing this until I joined these boards.

Is this correct: Ship it to your resort's address.
Put your name and reservation # on front.
Anything else I need to put on the outside?

And they will know it's a guest sending things ahead? No chance someone there will open it?

We're flying down and I'm on a low carb diet. I want to send ahead all my goodies as we arrive late and won't have time to make it to Super Walmart (where my goodies are cheapest). I thought about getting a hardsided suitcase and just checking it at the airport, but the idea of sending it ahead sounds better.

 

[Lollipop Mom]

I called the Poly a couple of weeks ago to check into doing this for our next trip. I spoke with a very friendly CM who gave me 2 pieces of advice. Ship it one week before your arrival date and ship by a method with tracking (like UPS or FedEx ground which is typically cheaper) so you can be sure it arrives before you. The second piece of advice she offered was to either ship it in a product box or "decorate" the box somehow. That way if they have a bunch of boxes or if yours is not where they expect it to be you can say "it's in a Sony TV box" or "it's a box with a child's drawing of the castle on it" which would help with locating it quickly. We have a bunch of Mickey stickers that I was going to let the kids decorate the box with then just put clear tape over some of them to keep them from peeling off.

 

[whozit]

When I shipped boxes ahead to WDW, the resort told me to address it to: Resort Guest your name here, Arrival Date xx/xx/xx. I would also suggest sending it on a carrier where you have a tracking # (i.e. UPS, FedEx)....this way you can check on your package online and you'll know when it arrives and who signed for it. Also, the time it takes the parcel to get to WDW depends on where you are shipping it from, so go to the shipping company's website and you will find an area that lets you enter where you are sending your box from and to and it will tell you the guaranteed arrival date. In my case, it was guaranteed to arrive in 3 days (one year it arrived in 2 days), I didn'e want to send it too far in advance and clutter up the storage area to the resort, but I wanted to know if it got there before I left home, so I sent it 4 days in advance. If it hadn't arrived by the guarantee date, I'd have a day to get the shipper to start looking for the package.

 

[Crazy for WDW]

Hi everyone!

My first post to these boards. We've shipped ourselves packages for the past ~8 trips. We ship anything we don't want to carry in our bags (i.e., mouthwash, hairspray, etc). We also ship down an inexpensive toaster (~$10) and a 12 cup coffee pot (~$20). While the hotel has a coffee pot, it's only a 4 cup and with 3 adults, we drink more coffee than that. We also ship oatmeal and use the coffee pot to heat that water. When we depart, we leave the toaster/coffee pot behind. The maid can take it home or put it in their break room. We save loads of money (and time) having our breakfasts in the room.

 

[Kevenswife2]

Welcome aboard Crazy! We love having new members.

How much does it cost (a rough estimate) to ship the things you listed? I don't do much shipping and really don't have a clue .

 

[whozit]

To check on pricing for shipping a package, I would suggest you go to the UPS and Fedex websites. They both have calculators that let you determine what it will cost to ship a box and how long it will take to get there from your zipcode. Before our trip in August 2003, I went to those sites and put in my zip code and the Lake Buena Vista zip code, select the service you want (overnight, regular ground shipping, etc) then I put in that I would ship a box 24"x24"x24" (this was just a guess....as long as your overall package dimensions are not considered oversized, the price won't vary--check the sites for a explanation on package sizes and how to measure them), then I tried various package weights. In my case, I found that for the same sized package (on a FedEx regular ground shipment), the price was the same whether it weighed 20lb or 50lb (after 50 lb, the price went up). In my case, I shipped a 50lb box (from St. Louis, MO) by regular ground and it cost $17 (using "FedEx Ground"--UPS was about $10 higher (I’d check prices at both places since the previous year, UPS was less expensive than FedEx). The package was guaranteed to arrive in 3 days....in fact, I used the tracking number to check the status before I left and it arrived at the resort in 2 days. I hadn't originally planned to send juice boxes down because I thought that as heavy as they are, it would make the package shipping more expensive, but since the price was the same for 20 or 50lb, I was able to include them and I was way ahead by purchasing them at home, on sale and shipping them down.

 

[Kevenswife2]

Thanks! That gives me some idea and where to find the info.

 

[L107ANGEL]

Can anyone tell me what type of things that are allowed to be packed? We are going the first week of November and would like to bring wine with us for dinner. I don't believe you can bring alcohol on board so this would be a big help!! If someone could let me know, I would greatly appreciate it since I really need to start packing!
Linda

 

[Crazy for WDW]

Hi Linda, re: bringing wine on airplane and/or shipping.
You would have to check with the Transportation and Safety Administration (TSA) on whether or not you can carry wine on board, and with UPS (or other shippers) if you can ship wine.
I do know that wineries ship cases of wine to individuals, so it appears that is allowed. However, I suggest you don't bother with either of these. You can purchase wines on site for fairly reasonable prices. I know that's hard to believe since we are speaking of Disney World, but it's true! I've found the wines sold at the Polynesian shops, the Contemporary shops, and even in France (countries in EPCOT) are very reasonable and they have a relatively good selection. I suggest you put your own wine cork and corkscrew in your checked luggage. (The corkscrew won't get past security if it's in your carry-on.) Enjoy your trip!

 

[Jana49]

I'm sending a package Monday and here's what's in it:

diapers
wipes
swim pants
juice boxes
snacks for the whole family
pack of napkins
crystal light individual packets (lots of these!)
styrofoam bowls and plastic spoons
cereal
pop tarts
graham crackers
peanut butter in a squirt tube
rain ponchos
styrofoam cooler that we will leave behind

No matter what the shipping price is, it's gonna be worth it to not have to pack all this stuff that won't be coming home with us!!

 

[Jana49]

Add to the above list some disposable dish cloths for the re-usable mugs we'll be buying.

The total weight was 52 pounds for both boxes and the cost was $31.11.