Best way to ship stuff down. . .

[creativeamanda]

Since gas prices are skyrocketing, and and I am scared of heights, it is highly likely we will be taking Amtrak to the World. So we will need to ship items down. For those of you who have, what is the most reliable and least expensive (at the same time) way to ship down dry goods (ie--toiletries, etc.)? Or is it better to just order from Garden Grocers?

 

[Andrea_loves_Disney]

I shipped and ordered from Garden Grocer! I shipped all the dry goods (peanut butter, granola bars, coffee, trail mix, etc and then I ordered perishable stuff and things that were too heavy to ship (frozen breakfast stuff, milk, soda, bread, etc) from Garden Grocer! It worked out great. We were staying at a cabin in Fort Wilderness so we needed lots of stuff for breakfast and some lunches. Oh, and I shipped my box USPS Priority and I think it cost around $10. (Depends on the weight, of course) Have a great time!!!

 

[SandraVB79]

Maybe a very stupid question, but why ship it down?
When we used Amtrak, we could each check in 3 suitcase and take 2 carry-ons.
Which is way more than when you travel by air...

 

[creativeamanda]

Maybe a very stupid question, but why ship it down?
When we used Amtrak, we could each check in 3 suitcase and take 2 carry-ons.
Which is way more than when you travel by air...

There are 5 of us. That seems like a lot of luggage for us to handle, imo. Especially with us having to take a cab to WDW. There's only so much you can take in a cab, isn't there?

 

[SandraVB79]

Not if you pre-book a "shared" van (which will be pretty private if you're with 5).

When we were at San Francisco, we first had to get from the hotel to the AMtrak-bus and from there to the train station and then to Sacramento by train. We ordered a cab, and asked for a van-like cab, since we had A LOT of luggage.

From Sacramento, we took the train to LA and from there shuttle service to DL. When we booked it (online) we had to put in how many suitcases we would have, so they know if it'll fit the shuttle.
It's a bit of a hassle to carry it all around, but still doable though.

 

[JuneCleaver]

Last trip I just fed'ex myself a box to the resort. It was waiting in baggage when I arrived.

I addressed it to the resort, put my name, check in date and confirmation number on it and it was just great!

I shipped all kinds of stuff down that I didn't want to pack! Kids are older now so it is not as critical this time!

June

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

We are leaving in three weeks and I was thinking of shipping a box down too with some food in it.
How soon before you leave, do you ship the box down?
What kinds of stuff does eveyone ship down?
Do you think we should ship a case of water? i wonder how much that would cost...prob alot. Any other suggestions on how to get water down the cheapest way.

Thanks
Fran

 

[creativeamanda]

So, we have USPS and Fedex. I like the idea of Fedex or UPS as I can track where is goes. USPS, you don't get anything except it was delivered, which worries me.

 

[bnorm27]

I would suggest you ship the package so that it arrives the same day as you do. If it gets to the resort too early, there is a greater chance of something happening to it.

UPS also tracks packages. I do not like the USPS tracking system at all. I would stick with FEDEX or UPS.

We have also used the Garden Grocer and were very satisfied with the service.

 

[Taja]

So, we have USPS and Fedex. I like the idea of Fedex or UPS as I can track where is goes. USPS, you don't get anything except it was delivered, which worries me.

In other threads, posters have mentioned that anything sent/shipped through US Mail goes to a central mail processing area, rather than the resort. I can't vouch for that, but I can vouch for FedEx delivery!

I live in the western US, so I ship about two weeks prior to arrival. The first time I did it--with all the proper information--it took two days for the YC club level concierge to track it down. *eek* Fortunately, nothing was time critical.

Last December, I also marked all sides of the box "PLEASE HOLD FOR (GUEST NAME) ARRIVING MM/CC/YY." The CM who checked us in at Pop Century had it on hand--didn't even have to go to luggage services.

 

[dizluvah]

I did not read all the posts so I apologize if this has already been said. I suggest checking with your employer to see if you are allowed to ship personal packages and just write a check to your company to cover the shipping fees. We did this with my husband's company because they ship so much with UPS they pay quite a discounted rate for all shipments.