Buy cooler/mail cooler/rent a fridge???

[Planorunner]

I'm trying to decide what's more affordable and doable.
We're staying the dolphin so I hear to rent a fridge it's 12.00 plus tax per day.

So option number one is to rent one.

Number two is to buy a large styrofoam one here (at home) and mail it..but I'm wondering how much it'll cost to mail it (the box to mail it in will probably be heavier than the actual cooler!)

Number three is to buy one while we do a store stop on our way to the resort BUT at these stores that we stop I wonder what type of coolers we can find and if they'll even have any!

aAAh! Any suggestions?!?!
TIA!!!

 

[Mamalisa58]

Where are you staying? You may be able to take advantage of a fridge swap.

 

[Planorunner]

What's a fridge swap?
We're staying at the Dolphin.
THanks!

 

[lisaanddenny]

all florida stores have coolers, all different types. another idea is buy a cooler on wheels with a handle..........take that as luggage, fill it with clothes/toiletries and unpack at the hotel, use it with ice and etc.......then re~pack it for the plane. I see a lot of people these days using coolers on wheels with a handle as luggage.
http://www.picnic-basket.com/Avalanche-Picnic-Cooler-On-Wheels_p_18-38.html

http://www.picnicfun.com/products/metro-kart-insulated-cooler?idcategory=


Good luck!
Lisa

 

[ChelleinNC]

I'm trying to decide what's more affordable and doable.
We're staying the dolphin so I hear to rent a fridge it's 12.00 plus tax per day.

So option number one is to rent one.

Number two is to buy a large styrofoam one here (at home) and mail it..but I'm wondering how much it'll cost to mail it (the box to mail it in will probably be heavier than the actual cooler!)

Number three is to buy one while we do a store stop on our way to the resort BUT at these stores that we stop I wonder what type of coolers we can find and if they'll even have any!

aAAh! Any suggestions?!?!
TIA!!!

All of the grocery stores down there have coolers. Buy one there, much cheaper than shipping or using as luggage (now that they're charging for 2nd and sometimes 1st checked bag)

 

[Mamalisa58]

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1454053

above is a link about fridge swaps, not sure if there is one for the swan/dolphin. Look on the Budget Board. Good Luck.
If you decide to use a cooler make sure to put a garbage bag down then a towel then the cooler. Ours leaked all over the carpet one year.

 

[disney777]

If you can't stop to buy one, you can order one from Garden Grocer. (along with food/snacks if you want.) They'll deliver it to your resort. I think they only have the styrofoam ones. In the past, I've brought a collapsible cooler, but with the new baggage rules I may not have the space for that anymore.

 

[DisneyWisher]

I've bought one from Publix for about $6. Its styroform (w/handle) which keeps ice longer. Don't go all out on a cooler since you probably won't bring it home. Also if you are buying soft drinks try and stop at a Hess gas station. They seem to always have them 2-12packs for $6.

 

[PoohsHubby]

This may be a stupid question, but how long do the cooler stay cool enough to keep food in it once it's filled with ice?

TIA.

 

[DisneyWisher]

We have an hue ice machine at work, weird because I work for an engineering firm. Actually the machine is more for our drillers but we all love having it. So I stopped by and bought a cheap styroform cooler so I could have ice for our barbeque. I usually bag the ice once I get home and keep it in the freezer for future use. I was bad this time, I didn't bag it like I should have and I checked this morning and its still 3/4 of the way full. When I did that a few weeks back with my igloo cooler it was water the next morning. So really it depends on your cooler. Hard coolers and soft sided ones just don't keep the ice like styroform. When we are in Disney I use an unused grocery bag to get ice. If you rely on the ice bucket it will take forever.

 

[canron]

we get a cooler at the walmart super center for $1.59 we get 2 i for pop and yhe other for cheese and milk or fruit ..shop at the walmart super center there are 3 of them v ery cloe to disney .very clean good security..one is on 535..one on us 192 and the other is in palm parkway all within minits from downtown disney you can get 5 12 packs of coke or pepsi for $11.00

 

[kimberlym4]

So then does the Dolphin have ice machines readily available to fill up the coolers? Or do you have to buy the ice too?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Yes there are ice machines. I've never actually stayed at the DOlphin, but I have the Swan and there is ice thre - for free.

BEyond that , you could get a soft sided cooler. They fold up pretty compactly and are better for the environement than foam ones.

Having done the cooler thing myself though, I found that it wasn't worth the effort. Having to keep the ice thing going twice a day just to save a few bucks on milk isn't really worth it.

WE mostly only use a cooler for milk and oj. You can get milk at teh convenience store in the BWK, each night and store a small bottel in the mini-bar. The minibar isn't that cold, but it's okay for storing milk overnight. WE actually found this easier.

Another time we stayed at the MWC. I thought we'd have a fridge...long story short, we bought milk, no cooler, no fridge. I used the second sink with a towel to keep the oj cool. Put the milk in emptied 16oz. water bottles, and managed to get most of it into the mini-bar without removing anything. It didn't work as well as a cooler, but in a pinch it did work....Again, probably not worth the few dollars I saved on oj and milk.

 

[disnut8]

If you are doing a grocery store stop, just get a Styrofoam one from there. Every grocery store has them. Very cheap. No hassles and messes.

The Styrofoam ones keep things surprising cool. And they don't leak (the canvas ones can). At the end of your stay, simply leave the cooler by the ice machine and someone can either use it or it will be thrown away.

Hint for keeping things cold in the cooler. Put the items in the cooler and then fill it up with ice. That will trap the coolness towards the bottom and as the ice melts, will continue to cool everything down there. If you put the ice in first and then the items, it's not doing that much good. Also, even if the items are in very cold water, don't dump out the water. It's still chilling the items.

Can you tell I've done this about a million times?

 

[donnajz]

We won't have a car. How far from CSR is the nearest grocery store? Trying to decide whether to take a cab or order from GardenGrocer.com.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Hint for keeping things cold in the cooler. Put the items in the cooler and then fill it up with ice. That will trap the coolness towards the bottom and as the ice melts, will continue to cool everything down there. If you put the ice in first and then the items, it's not doing that much good. Also, even if the items are in very cold water, don't dump out the water. It's still chilling the items.

Can you tell I've done this about a million times?

I must have done this a million times as well, because while reading your post, I'm saying to myself...."duh, how else would you do it".

 

[Marty Joe]

We use a collapseible nylon/plastic cooler. It is zippered around the top, has a shoulder strap, and folds up when your done using it. It does not take up a lot of room in luggage. Its about 1" deep, 2" long, and 1" wide. We got it a Walmart several years ago and its still going strong. We used to take it to WDW (pre-Poly) and it worked out great...

 

[amycakes]

My husband takes a bus to downtown Disney then a cab up the road with all the hotels (non-Disney) on it . I am sure some one here would know the name of the street. Around the corner is another well travelled street and there is the ABC Liquor Store and a Winn Dixie. He grabs a cooler (styrofoam), some breakfast food and cabs it back to our hotel. Not very expensive at all.

 

[disnut8]

We won't have a car. How far from CSR is the nearest grocery store? Trying to decide whether to take a cab or order from GardenGrocer.com.

There's a nice Publix that is out Osceola Parkway and then a quick right on International Drive South. I'm bad with distances but maybe five miles at the most? It might not be the closest one but it's the easiest and the quickest to get to (not much traffic or many lights).

 

[Patti_C]

Has anyone shipped a styrofoam cooler to their resort? I'm curious to know how you packed it in the box and if it arrived in one piece? I want to send down diapers and wipes and a few other things so i don't have to haul it in my suitcases. I really don't want to buy from gc because I can buy it alot cheaper and ship it cheaper too.