Breakfast in a box, checked in as luggage on the plane

[txtxyeha]

Flying from Austin to MCO via Denver in May, and we are using DME to get to the BC. One of the "bags" I want to check is a box with various breakfast items. The non-perishables I am not worried about:

cereal
coffee maker
coffee

The perishables I am worried about:

yogerts
a few 16 oz. platic bottles of milk
juice boxes

I plan to freeze the yogerts and juice boxes, then pack them the morning of departure in a soft-sided cooler (with the milks) that in turn will be packed in the box. I see the biggest challenge is getting the less-than-50-lbs. box the 30 ft. from the parking lot shuttle to the curb-side check-in. Twelve hours later we have a box (and our luggage) show up in our room with breakfast for week. Ta-dah!

I think this is a brilliant plan, therefore I know I'm missing something in this equation. Comments, please.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I see a problem with condensation from the cooler wetting the box and having it fall apart. Plus, there's no way this will keep cold in a soft sided cooler for 12 hours.

Seems like a huge hassle with little gain. Why not just pack the non-perishables and buy milk and yogurt in Orlando?

 

[GEM]

You do know they have food and drinks in Orlando, right?

Seriously, that sounds like a HUGE amount of hassle! I do understand why you want breakfast items for your room, though, to save money and time.

Why not use a grocery delivery service like www.wegoshop.com ? We've used them many, many times and they're great! They will deliver everything you want right to your hotel room for a very reasonable fee! The hassle and worry you save from not having to pack food and perishables, drag them on the plane, worry about them getting smooshed or spoiled, etc. makes the small fee way more than worth it.

 

[txtxyeha]

Not had a condensation problem problem with the soft-sided cooler in the past, though I appreciate the comment. I have thought a great deal about your second comment - is this too much effort/worry for too little reward? Since we are using DME, then any perishables I buy will be from the Beach Club. Then the question is - how much extra will I pay for yogerts/milk? $20? Probably not worth the effort.

 

[GEM]

Also, since the Beach Club villas are DVC resorts with full kitchens, the shop at the Beach Club does have more grocery items than regular resorts. Like you said, they will be a bit more expensive there - but I still think it's way to much trouble to pack all that stuff! I'd rather spend an extra $25 or whatever on over priced milk over the course of a week!

 

[MrsToad]

I see you listed a coffee maker. From the Disneyworld.com website, in-room coffee makers and refrigerators are available by request at no charge at the Beach Club.

I do as another poster mentioned...pack cereal, english muffins, coffee, filters, tea, and sweetener, etc. in one of our suitcases. I then purchase cream for DH, diet coke for me, butter for the muffins, and a few other assorted items at the resort store. The difference between regular store prices and the higher resort prices for these few items is still less to us than the inconvenience of some other options. Good luck with your planning, and enjoy your trip.

 

[CarolA]

Figure that INSIDE the baggage hold between Austin and Orlando in May it can reach well over 100 degress. (Not too long after that they quit hauling pets as cargo in the south just for that reason) I would figure that milk, yogurt etc would be RUINED. I would not take the risk. (Hotel baggage storeage is also not always Air Conditioned)

 

[NotUrsula]

Your non-perishables will be fine. However, DO NOT put any perishables in checked baggage! If there is a flight delay, or if your bag ends up on the wrong flight, that stuff will all spoil and you will be dealing with a really nasty foul-smelling mess! Dairy, especially, could actually explode and leak because it will begin to ferment as it spoils. Speaking as someone whose suitcase could be sitting next to your box, PLEASE don't!

If you want the perishables, take them in a carry-on cooler, and make it a point to be sure that the cooler stays upright if you put it in the overhead bin.

 

[dj2]

this might be the wrong way to think about it, but you're paying for plane tickets, park admission and staying at an expensive resort, right? just pretend the price per day was a few dollars more, an insignificant percentage of your total vacation budget, and buy the perishables there. why risk your health consuming potentially dangerous food/drinks? food poisoning is not a pleasant thing to have on a vacation. IMHO
-dj

 

[clkelley]

Also, there is a Hess Station/Convenience store right across the street from the Boardwalk which will have sodas/milk at better prices than the Beach Club Villas store.

 

[hercamore]

Please take everyone's good advice and leave the perishables home.

Take a cab to the grocery store/walmart and stock up or walk to the Hess statoin. Hess station has Krispy Kreme's, too!

herc.

 

[TammyC]

Somewhere on the TSA website, I read not to pack food in checked luggage. I really don't understand why it would be a problem though.

And, can you really freeze yogurt and have it thaw back to the right consistency? Just curious...

Tammy

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Somewhere on the TSA website, I read not to pack food in checked luggage. I really don't understand why it would be a problem though.

I would guess that one reason could be that if they are using dogs to check the baggage, they will "alert" on bags which contain food.

Would you really want your luggage thoroughly "pawed" through just to save a few bucks?

 

[abeyst]

I'd have to agree with the other posters, buying it there is much easier and safer. I sure would be mad if my luggage was under a plane where there was a box the luggage handlers threw around and it broke open/damaged the contents which happened to be dairy and got on my luggage.

maybe we can find someone for txtxyeha that's arriving on the same day and is making a grocery stop who can get her a gallon of milk and yogurt and juice boxes. I'd do it if someone on here asked for my help and I was arriving the same day.

 

[NotUrsula]

I would guess that one reason could be that if they are using dogs to check the baggage, they will "alert" on bags which contain food.

TSA doesn't routinely use dogs, and those they do use are trained to alert on explosives, not food. (The US Agricultural Inspection Service does use dogs trained to alert on food, to inspect baggage that arrives from overseas. Their dogs are mostly beagles.)

The primary reason TSA suggests that you not pack foods is that certain foods look a lot like plastic explosives when looked at via an x-ray, and that if the image fits the profile, they will have to open the bag and see what the substance really is. Mostly this will happen with so-called "dense" foods, such as chocolate, granola bars, bricks of ground coffee, cured meats, etc. (Stacks of books also fit the profile, BTW, so it's not just food.) Things like regular cereal that are airy and have lots of small loose bits will usually not trigger a search.

 

[txtxyeha]

There is still a part of me that thinks this is a great idea. And to all you nervous Nellies - the perishables would be inside a soft-sided waterproof cooler which in-turn would be pack inside a box. With that being said.....

....I'm going to send the extra $20 - $30 to have food delivered. I hope you all are happy (I know my wife is b/c I have given up on my brilliant plan). Seriously - thank you for your comments.

 

[Deb in IA]

....I'm going to send the extra $20 - $30 to have food delivered.

If you are trying to save some money, why not just get the milk, yogurt, and juice boxes from the Beach Club store? I'll bet it will be less than doing the grocery delivery.

 

[NotUrsula]

... the perishables would be inside a soft-sided waterproof cooler which in-turn would be packed inside a box.

Really, that's not as reassuring as you might think. My DS once put a steel thermos away without cleaning it. It had milk in it, with both caps on and secured. It was under the sink, and when the fermenting got going, the caps blew off. The impact was enough to put a 6-inch deep dent in the 20-gauge stainless-steel sink -- I shudder to think what it would have done to a padded bag and a cardboard box. (The sound of those caps blowing off caused my neighbor to call 911 - she thought it was a gunshot.)

 

[Deb in IA]

Really, that's not as reassuring as you might think. My DS once put a steel thermos away without cleaning it. It had milk in it, with both caps on and secured. It was under the sink, and when the fermenting got going, the caps blew off. The impact was enough to put a 6-inch deep dent in the 20-gauge stainless-steel sink -- I shudder to think what it would have done to a padded bag and a cardboard box. (The sound of those caps blowing off caused my neighbor to call 911 - she thought it was a gunshot.)

One can only imagine what TSA would think of exploding plastic containers in checked luggage . . .