Has anyone packed wine in your suitcase? Successfully?

[HollyH]

Just trying to get what we want down there and seeing if it's worth the effort to pack wine for our flight.

A few questions please!
1. Are you even allowed to pack it?
2. Do you have to alert the agent when checking in for your flight?
3. What's the best way to pack it to insure it will make it in one piece!

Just trying to save a few bucks by purchasing it at home. We want to be able to sit on our balcony and enjoy a glass of wine to go with our first AKV savannah view!

Thanks!

 

[goldcupmom]

Not wine, but coming home from a cruise last summer we had 5 bottles of rum. in 2 small boxes with dirty small dark laundry (aka socks, underwear, swimsuits...) that wouldn't stain if it leaked. duck taped the box shut so everything was tight. Then put into double large garbage bags. Came thru fine on SW. (Unlike DDs fingernail polish in a baggie that broke & leaked!!

 

[rgf207]

Yes I have when coming home from Italy. I wrapped it in a lot of clothing and placed it in the middle of th suitcase. Mine made it but I have heard stories of not making. I would not pack it unless you would be OK with ruining your clothes in your suitcase. There is no guarantee that it will be ok

 

[fla4fun]

Will you have a car? If so, just go off property and buy some. Even if you don't have a car, and need to take a taxi, is it worth the risk of having all your luggage (not to mention other people's luggage) ruined if it breaks? I would be furious if someone else's wine burst and ruined my case and clothes (just another reason why I put everything in my suitcase in ziploc baggies )

 

[CarolA]

Carol's time tested wine packing method.

1. Put wine in ziplock bag, close securely
2. Put ziplock bag in another zip lock, close securely
3. Wrap in drycleaning bag
(Hopefully all this plastic will keep the wine from leaking onto clothing if it does break! It should also keep the mess contained to your suitcase)
4. If you are packing a beach towel wrap in that, if not skip step 4
5. Place in the MIDDLE of of suit case. There should be SOFT clothing on all four sides, suitcase should be FULL, (movement is your enemy here)

6. Cross fingers.

To those folks screaming that 'You are going to ruin my luggage' your BIGGER risk is things the airline dumps on it... (I had jet fuel dumped on mine one time WHAT A NIGHTMARE LOL!!!)

So far so good and I have brought several bottles of wine and/or other things from Europe this way

 

[Tinkfan10]

When I went to Paris I put 2 bottles in each suitcase padded with dirty cloths and then I had 2 in my carry on...this was 1 week before the liquid thing hit I only told them about the two in my carry on and then I prayed....they never opened my bags going through customs and the wine made it safe ....I will say this though...I really wonder if altitude does something to the wine because one of the bottles was no good when I opened it. Just be careful, but yes it can be done.

 

[LauraAnn630]

I just mail it to the hotel in our names a few days before we are supposed to check in. Along with other light things.

 

[HollyH]

Great ideas! I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks everyone.

 

[dward1961]

Not sure what kind of wine you drink, how about a box of wine, i think you would have a better chance of it making it safe.

HAVE A MAGICAL TRIP!

 

[bavaria]

Be aware that UA has very specific requirements as to how alcohol must be packed in checked luggage, and has been known to refuse luggage or remove alchocol if not packed properly.

It must be packed in a specific molded container - see their website for more details.

 

[DisFlan]

I tried it once. It leaked. Even "well packed" it was a mess. I won't do it again.

DisFlan

 

[jodifla]

Just trying to get what we want down there and seeing if it's worth the effort to pack wine for our flight.

A few questions please!
1. Are you even allowed to pack it?
2. Do you have to alert the agent when checking in for your flight?
3. What's the best way to pack it to insure it will make it in one piece!

Just trying to save a few bucks by purchasing it at home. We want to be able to sit on our balcony and enjoy a glass of wine to go with our first AKV savannah view!

Thanks!

We do it all the time. Never had trouble, either with it breaking or with any airlines. I normally place it in a plastic bag, then wrap it in a beach towel, then place it at the center of my big rollaboard bag.

 

[bab31]

why not order from one of the delivery grocery sites? We ordered bagels, cream cheese, jam, soda, water etc from gardengrocer.com and at the end of the order form there is a comment box- we ordered a bottle of Irish Mist. When we arrived at CSR we went to bell services to pick up our delivered groceries and one of the guys then drove us to our room. You wont have to worry about the mess and your breakfast items etc will be there as well.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

1. Are you even allowed to pack it?
2. Do you have to alert the agent when checking in for your flight?
3. What's the best way to pack it to insure it will make it in one piece!

Just trying to save a few bucks by purchasing it at home.

1. Yes, the TSA allows it -- in checked luggage only. Some airlines may have restrictions, so check with your airline.

2. The TSA subjects all checked bags to x-ray screening, so they'll see the wine. They'll open your bag if they want to examine the bottles more closely.

3. Pack the wine so that it can withstand breakage if your bag is dropped, thrown, crushed, jabbed or all of these! Lots of bubble wrap would be a good start. Even then, pack it in a leak-proof bag so that if a bottle breaks or leaks, you don't ruin your clothes and the contents of other passengers' bags.

Seriously, I don't think it's worth it -- especially if you're staying at Animal Kingdom Villas. You can buy bottles of good South African wine in the gift shop. You'll pay a few dollars more than at your local discount wine shop, but the convenience is worth it.

Plus, you'll have more space in your checked bag, which is important given today's limits (size, weight, and quantity) on checked luggage.

 

[CarolA]

Keep in mind, I don't do this to Disney. IMHO it's not worth the lost luggage space.

My suggestion, go to Epcot. Tour and buy LOL!

If it's Food & Wine Festival even better!

This may sound AMAZING but depending on WHERE you live the wines may actually cost LESS!!!! I buy a Italian Wine quite often that I first found at the Food & Wine Festival. Last year at the Festival it was $1 a bottle CHEAPER then at my local store. (I can save by buying it by the case there, but....)

 

[goofy4tink]

Had to have my Yellow Tail Merlot one October. So, I packed it in bubble wrap, then a towel around that. Into a huge ziploc baggie, then into another ziploc baggie, with a beach towel around it all. Made it just fine. However, imagine my surprise, when ambling through WS I found a kiosk, manned by Australians, selling Aussie wine...and of course, my Merlot!!! Forgot all about that possibly happening during F&W...duh, dopey me.

 

[NancyIL]

I can see bringing home a special liquor purchase, but I can't see taking it to WDW to save few bucks. You're on vacation...it's called a vacation expenditure.

 

[JessicaR]

Carol's time tested wine packing method.

1. Put wine in ziplock bag, close securely
2. Put ziplock bag in another zip lock, close securely
3. Wrap in drycleaning bag
(Hopefully all this plastic will keep the wine from leaking onto clothing if it does break! It should also keep the mess contained to your suitcase)
4. If you are packing a beach towel wrap in that, if not skip step 4
5. Place in the MIDDLE of of suit case. There should be SOFT clothing on all four sides, suitcase should be FULL, (movement is your enemy here)

6. Cross fingers.

To those folks screaming that 'You are going to ruin my luggage' your BIGGER risk is things the airline dumps on it... (I had jet fuel dumped on mine one time WHAT A NIGHTMARE LOL!!!)

So far so good and I have brought several bottles of wine and/or other things from Europe this way

I always bring a bottle and your method does work!

 

[DonnaL]

I have not brought wine, but, do bring grain alcohol home from just about every trip to WDW/FL. Just wrap in two Ziploc's, then another plastic bag (dry cleaner, Walmart, WinnDixie, etc.) then between layers of clothing......just like CarolA. I make homemade Amaretto, and the recipe calls for grain alcohol, which is not available for purchase in PA (for whatever reason the LCB says).

 

[jenelope]

I've packed wine and liquor on trips where I wouldn't have a car. But since I'm skeptical of baggage handling, I tried out a few boxed wines in advance of my trip. "Wine casks" are very popular in Australia, so you can often find a good Aussie wine (shiraz, in particular). I just made sure it was unopened and still had its foil seal and then put it into a ziploc. The square shape made packing very easy.