Has anyone mailed their clothes vs instead of luggage?

[poohbear8]

I mentioned to my DH tonight that a friend will have to pay $25+ per bag when she flies down to meet us. He said she should just mail the stuff down there and use a carry on for a change of clothes. She is counting her pennies to be sure she has enough for this trip, so every little savings is a good thing.

She has fibromyalgia and will be traveling with a 5 & 13 year old. She will be bringing a booster seat, since the 5 year old is very small for her age.

I'm interested if anyone has any opinions on this. We will only be there for 5 nights, 6 days.

DD (13) and I can do it with 2 carry ons and do a small load of laundry mid week.

 

[chartle]

I mentioned to my DH tonight that a friend will have to pay $25+ per bag when she flies down to meet us. He said she should just mail the stuff down there and use a carry on for a change of clothes. She is counting her pennies to be sure she has enough for this trip, so every little savings is a good thing.

She has fibromyalgia and will be traveling with a 5 & 13 year old. She will be bringing a booster seat, since the 5 year old is very small for her age.

I'm interested if anyone has any opinions on this. We will only be there for 5 nights, 6 days.

DD (13) and I can do it with 2 carry ons and do a small load of laundry mid week.

A two way trip for a suitcase via UPS will probably cost more than $25 or at least not save enough to be worth it.

ETA just realized I'm not thinking this thru. if its 25 per bag that's each way. So maybe it would work out. Just try to keep the boxes light. And max out the bags that you can check for free.

 

[superminnie]

I did this when I went last year for 2 weeks. I sent two boxes (pretty large 2ftx2ft) via ups ground to old key west resort. I packed grocery items in one box and clothes and other stuff in another box, then I just packed return shipping labels and tape in one of the boxes and an empty duffle bag and sent them back home the same way ( well one of them the grocery box I didnt need to send back as all that stuff was gone) It cost be about 14 a box each way for fed ex ground to and from texas. It didnt really save money over checking baggage but it was soooo much easier.

 

[kaytieeldr]

First, is your friend using a car at any point during her trip? If not, there's no point in bringing the booster seat. That will save her some effort.

She should lay out everything she thinks she needs to bring. Then she should put half of it back in the dressers/closets where she got it. What's left is what she'll bring. Then she should get some of those flat rate boxes from the post office, in the two larger sizes, along with the pricing. See how many boxes she needs, and calculate the rate. If the box(es) she needs will cost her less than $25 in each direction, this is one possibility.

We already know that if she's within the same radius as Texas, each 2x2x2 FedEx ground-shipped box will cost her about $14, in comparison. If she can get everything into one such box, this is another possibility.

If she can get everything into carry-ons - and she needs to check the TSA restrictions/rules on liquids - maybe she can get by with just carry-ons, but she'll need to consider whether she'll be able to physically handle that luggage without assistance from anybody other than her daughters.

 

[tjmw2727]

ITA with the cost anylysis suggestions above - although some resorts are now adding a fee for receiving packages. At WDW it seems to be more of the convention resorts, CRS, CR and BCYC all charge to receive packages. Universal hotels also charge as do the Swan and Dolphin. So just add that to the cost of shipping.

Otherwise, see if she can get by with one larger checked bag (within airline guidelines of course) and use the DME luggage delivery feature.

She wont be allowed to use the booster onboard so if she is using DME and WDW transportation then leave it at home. Otherwise it can be checked for free on most major airlines.

If it were me I would do carryons, each person is allowed one carryon and one personal item. IMHO a 13 yo and even a 5yo can manage a rolling suitcase small enough to fit in the overhead and a backpack. If they can fit enough for the 5 days in a rolling carryon then they can save both the postage and the checked bag fees.

If they have to do some laundry, then doing laundry while spending an afternoon by the pool isn't so bad really

 

[calablovedisney]

My aunt shipped her clothes up here (Mass) when she came for a visit from Florida and something happened and they "misplaced" her package for a while-sent it in the wrong direction and it arrived about 2 days before the end of her trip, so it was not worth it for her. On the other hand, airllines have been known to "misplace" luggage as well so maybe its a toss up, but wanted to share the experience.

 

[poohbear8]

Yes, we will have a car so we need the booster seat for the 5 year old. She is in Mass, so the boxes would be mailed from there and back.

She can't use the booster seat on the plane? I didn't know that. So what does she do with it? Can she check it at the check in counter like luggage so she doesn't need to lug it to the plane?

Thank you for the responses. I will be arriving at MCO on the same day, so once she lands I can help with any suitcases. I am just trying to figure out if it would help her in anyway when she is on her own.

I will tell her everyone says she needs to lay the clothes out and put 1/2 back. She can't believe that DD and I did just carry ons last year, so maybe that will help her see how I did it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

She can't use the booster seat on the plane? No. A booster seat merely puts the child at the proper/safe height for a three-point belt system in a motor vehicle. Since planes have only lap belts, booster seats are pointless. I didn't know that. So what does she do with it?

She wont be allowed to use the booster onboard so if she is using DME and WDW transportation then leave it at home. Otherwise it can be checked for free on most major airlines.

She'll need to check with her particular airline.

 

[Poohlovr]

Maybe you can share this with your friend-
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/06/business/businessspecial/20100506-pack-ss.html

It shows how to pack for 10 days in a carry-on. I think I may try it next month, even though we don't have to pay for luggage (flying Southwest).

 

[dburg30]

If you do ship, dont cheap out. Dont use the postal service if possible because it doesnt go directly to the resort (unless they've changed that) plus even if using flate rate boxes, unless you pay for overnight service, the postal service 'guesses' how long it will take. UPS and FED-EX know how long and it will take and they are much better at tracking the package also.

 

[poohbear8]

Thank you everyone for the help! I knew you guys would have the answers for me.

 

[seashoreCM]

The booster seat can be used on the plane if it is an FAA approved seat.

I have mailed clothing home in order to avoid schlepping that much weight.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I used to ship stuff from MA to Disney when my kids were younger to limit what I had to drag through the airport. Shipping to Orlando was always very inexpensive as it did from my office and only had to pay the discounted office rate. Shipping home always so much more expensive. The last time I did it I tried charging back to my office so I could get the discounted rates again. I had to pay a "pick up " fee to UPS for them to pick it up at the hotel and I had to pay a residential delivery charge-I guess I should have shipped the dirty laundry back to my office.


For your dates (late Oct?) I would wear warm weather clothes on the plane. You'll need mostly shorts/Ts. Should be able to easily do if you do laundry.

Another thing I have found that helps to keep baggage down is ordering personal care products from www.minimus.biz They ship for free if you spend $20 so I just ship the stuff to the resort. I get a few snacks too. I found the prices very reasonable and it really helps to cut that bulk out of my luggage. Maybe the 2 of you could go in on an order. They are on the west coast so I order 2 weeks before my trip.

She should call the airline about the car seat.

 

[tjmw2727]

The booster seat can be used on the plane if it is an FAA approved seat.

I have mailed clothing home in order to avoid schlepping that much weight.

No, booster seats are not approved for use onboard aircraft. Booster seats require a shoulder/lap combination to be effective and aircraft ony have lap belts. There are some combination seats that can convert to boosters that are approved but only when used as a carseat not as a booster seat.

FWIW the sticker on the side won't have anything on it regarding the FAA, the sticker will say "“This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft.”

As I said upthread every major airline allows baby items including carseats to be checked for no charge. Its wise for the OP to double check of course, the info should be on the airline website.