Checking food on plane

[Mady/Sophiemom]

Can you check food on the plane, or do you have to take it as a carry-on.

Also, if carry-on is my only option, How crazy will I look, rolling on a soft-sided cooler? I figure we are on a non-stop to Orlando, so most on the plane are vacationers right? I just thought buying some stuff before we go, might be a bit cheaper.


Thanks

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

yes you sure can check food. Different airlines have different policies regarding this. The specific information should be on their website.
I carry Dee's cereal all the time, we cannot find it in Orlando and he is VERY picky about it.

 

[starwood]

Be careful what you put in the checked luggage because I understand that chocolate causes the bomb detection to go off.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by starwood
Be careful what you put in the checked luggage because I understand that chocolate causes the bomb detection to go off.

Quite a few items do that, but, all they do is search the bag, not a big deal.

 

[prncess674]

Personally I would not check chocolate because it melts and I would not pack carbonated drinks because they could explode in the baggage compartment and make a sticky mess all over your packed items, besides that sodas are heavy. Packing granola or cereal bars, pop tarts, raisins, nuts should not be a problem.

Don't check anything that needs refrigeration such as milk, eggs, cheese, deli meats.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I just freeze anything that needs refridgeration. I have no problem bring soda or beer home, the cargo bays are pressurized and I do enclose them in plastic, just in case they get shaken a lot.
I have also brough eggs home ( I simply hate waste and the maids at OKW cannot keep the food, they have to throw it out) and have had pretty good success with that. The only breakage I have ever had was Paul Newman's Italian Salad Dressing, that was a bit of a mess, but, luckily contained in a plastic bag.
We have short flights, so, this does work for us.

 

[Lewisc]

It's really a lot easier to make a stop on your way from the airport. If you have a rental car you can stop anywhere you want (Walmart, Costco, Target....) and a towncar service will stop at a reasonable supermarket.

Shouldn't cost you any more than at home and a lot easier than carrying all the stuff through the airports. If you bring stuff check the weight. Go overweight and forget about any savings, stuff leaks or explodes your savings might go toward cleaning.

I'm sure Gail is correct (you can double bag and reduce the risk of spillage) but what's the point? Buy your soda, water, chips...in Orlando.

 

[prncess674]

why risk your family's health and safety by packing perishables. You may end up checking your frozen milk, then your flight is delayed and milk sits in the cargo hold melting and rotting. Then you have spoiled milk in your luggage and then you haven't saved a penny you actually lost money. Not worth the hassle to save fifty cents. Plus you then have to schlep it into the airport and back.

If your flight is delayed you do not have access to your checked baggage. The cargo hold is pressurized but it is not kept at the same temp as the main cabin so it could be at much different temp. Also if you are travelling in the heat of the summer checked baggage is loaded onto carts and sits out on the tarmac in the hot summer sun. I wouldn't want to drink milk that has been sitting in the summer sun even if it has been frozen before. carbonated drinks can also be affected by the heat. Most baggage handlers pitch bags. I wouldn't risk it in my bags even if they were in ziploc bags.

Also if you had to ziploc everything, that could get expensive too. Just buying ziploc bags.

Even if you stopped at EZ Serve (which I don't recommend) and bought all your groceries you would still save a considerable amount of money verses what you would pay at "the world"

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Lewisc
It's really a lot easier to make a stop on your way from the airport. If you have a rental car you can stop anywhere you want (Walmart, Costco, Target....) and a towncar service will stop at a reasonable supermarket.

Shouldn't cost you any more than at home and a lot easier than carrying all the stuff through the airports. If you bring stuff check the weight. Go overweight and forget about any savings, stuff leaks or explodes your savings might go toward cleaning.

I'm sure Gail is correct (you can double bag and reduce the risk of spillage) but what's the point? Buy your soda, water, chips...in Orlando.

I do that Lewis, but, I bring the stuff home.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by prncess674
why risk your family's health and safety by packing perishables. You may end up checking your frozen milk, then your flight is delayed and milk sits in the cargo hold melting and rotting. Then you have spoiled milk in your luggage and then you haven't saved a penny you actually lost money. Not worth the hassle to save fifty cents. Plus you then have to schlep it into the airport and back.

If your flight is delayed you do not have access to your checked baggage. The cargo hold is pressurized but it is not kept at the same temp as the main cabin so it could be at much different temp. Also if you are travelling in the heat of the summer checked baggage is loaded onto carts and sits out on the tarmac in the hot summer sun. I wouldn't want to drink milk that has been sitting in the summer sun even if it has been frozen before. carbonated drinks can also be affected by the heat. Most baggage handlers pitch bags. I wouldn't risk it in my bags even if they were in ziploc bags.

Also if you had to ziploc everything, that could get expensive too. Just buying ziploc bags.

Even if you stopped at EZ Serve (which I don't recommend) and bought all your groceries you would still save a considerable amount of money verses what you would pay at "the world"

I hear what you are saying, but, this is the return to home, not going. I don't take milk. I also freeze water bottles. Anything that looks "funky" gets tossed, and schlepping is not an issue, I never carry a bag, I pay people to do that for me.

 

[prncess674]

Originally posted by GAIL HAYDEN
I hear what you are saying, but, this is the return to home, not going. I don't take milk. I also freeze water bottles. Anything that looks "funky" gets tossed, and schlepping is not an issue, I never carry a bag, I pay people to do that for me.

please tell me how you transport eggs. This is fascinating.

How much do you pay your butler at home to schlep all your cr*p into your home.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by prncess674
please tell me how you transport eggs. This is fascinating.

How much do you pay your butler at home to schlep all your cr*p into your home.

When you drop the sarcasm, I will answer, until then I refuse to drop to your level. Ok?

 

[Lewisc]

If the OP is still reading this thread read between the lines. Both Gail and prncess674 are suggesting you BUY your food in Orlando. There is no upside to packing food. Use your rental car or grocery stop. If you have a car shop where you want, if you have a grocery stop Winn Dixie or Publix are fine skip GOODINGS.

Decide for yourself what you want to do with your extra food. Give it away, throw it out or take it home. I never have enough extra to worry about.

Gail I didn't think it was possible for anyone to have left over beer at the end of the trip.

 

[safetymom]

I think it would just be easier to pick up what you need when you get to Florida. If you have anything left just throw it in the suitcase. By the time you lug the stuff around how much is your aggravation worth?

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Gail I didn't think it was possible for anyone to have left over beer at the end of the trip.

Yep, it happens, but, we have more Coke than beer to bring home.

 

[msdis]

I'm sure the answer you were looking for is that it is ok to bring what food you wish. The answer is still yes as before with a little more common sense. I brought a whole suitcase full of food last month even though we had a rental car and made a grocery stop, in fact two. I am a pack rat and coupon and sale shop and the extra cost of paying for stuff I pay little for at home that is already in my cupboards was like eating free for the week. I did however bring only things that were completely sealed with little room for tamper, or if they had opened something it would have been very obvious. I have no problem with security, in fact I promote it. But I do not want gloves that are for the protection of the TSA which have touched hundreds of articles of others to rumage thru a loaf of bread, box of opened crackers or cookies, half used package of sandwich meat,............ well you get the idea. So no opened pkgs. Also, I left out the perishables that I used to carry on, no longer worth the hassle and fresher was not any more costly and left more room for other stuff. BTW, we went on the 7 day Disney cruise before refillable mugs in Sept(very hot) and we brought a hugh box with 3 cases of soda and several bottles. It was packed very well in plastic and bubble wrap, and all was fine. But I would never put anything that could leak on my clothes, in fact always separate suitcases or boxes and yes to ziplock bags even for shampoo and conditioners. Those things broke and leaked last month. Too bad the ziploc had a blow out too. The resorts do sell perishables and those things are more than home but it's a small price to pay if you can bring some of the other stuff. Happy planning!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Great suggestions MsDis.
I have had the wonderful experience of having my sun block pop open and ooze all over a zip lock bag, luckily, it did not ooze out of the bag. I do keep that in a separate compartment, thank goodness.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

I am not planning on taking the whole kitchen. I will be stopping to buy milk, soda, beer, and perishables. I just thought it easier, and cheaper, to pick up some snack items ( cookies, fruit snacks, granola) at home on sale, rather than paying full price, and backtracking through an unfamiliar grocery once I am there. Just need to know if I had to carry them on, or could I Check them.

I guess the cooler thing is what threw people off. I didn't plan on packing cool items in there. Just using it to transport, the above mentioned snacks.

Thanks again.

 

[pnelson]

Believe it or not, they do have food at Disney World and sodas too! If I had to pack all that food and pack it again on the way home, I would rather save longer for my trip. It all sounds like a hassle to me.

 

[prncess674]

Originally posted by pnelson
Believe it or not, they do have food at Disney World and sodas too! If I had to pack all that food and pack it again on the way home, I would rather save longer for my trip. It all sounds like a hassle to me.

I am so with you on this point. I don't bring the whole pantry with me for sure. I bring a few granola bars and nut packs from home because I like having a few snacks in the room when I am too tired to even walk down to the food court. I always stop and buy a case of water and a few bottles of wine from a local store because it is a convenience to have these in the room. I don't want to stop at the resort store to buy a water each morning and I drink plenty of water so I want one with me at all times.