how to pack food items to check in on SWA ?

[cropper]

We plan to take some non-perishables and pack as check-in luggage.
Is there any right way to do this?
What if some items are frozen (but will be ok as they thaw)? Is this ok?

 

[Sherrkel]

I bring things like cereal bars and my favorite coffee pods; I pack them in ziplock bags and try to tuck them in between stacks of clothing in my checked luggage. Usually the cereal bars get a little crushed . I've never packed frozen food items, but I would put in ziplocks too. I didn't see any restrictions for frozen foods on the TSA website (related to checked luggage).

 

[hsmamato2]

Ziplocs. double zipped. And if it's hot weather, be careful of thawing/going bad.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you are checking a cooler with food inside, you will need to keep it open until you check the bag at the ticket counter; the agent will need to inspect it to be sure there are no perishables and no improperly-packed dry ice inside. Anything that is frozen but which could potentially leak if thawed should be packed inside a double ziploc with an absorbent included inside, such as a few paper towels. Secure the outside of coolers with a luggage strap; not tape -- TSA may also need to look inside.

We check a cooler on SWA quite often when going on beach trips, dry foods don't need to be in one, but anything frozen should be, and if it isn't a hardsided cooler, you should include plenty of absorbent padding such as towels, as it may end up crushed under heavy baggage.

 

[canadiandisneynut]

There are no restrictions to food packing. Anything liquid like I put in ziplocs and then in an additional tied off garbage bag in case of leakage. There are stores at the resorts where you can buy a majority of the things you may be considering bringing with you. We bought a lot of items at the CR last September and paid maybe $5 dollars more total than we might have at home.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would be careful about those frozen items. You are checking in 2 hrs before your flight and those bags are going to be in storage. Storage can mean it is sitting on a luggage cart outside. Not to mention the luggage area of a plane can be warm. You need to factor in the 2 hrs before you flight takes off + the amount of time you are flying + plus the time it takes to get to the resort= the total time your stuff will be thawing not to mention the heat factor. I for one would not want to chance eating food that had been sitting out that long and possibly get sick during my trip.

I prefer renting a car at the airport and keeping it for one day and returning it to a Disney location. Alamo has two location onsite and they will take you back to your resort. The cost is usually $25 and we can eat a few meals offsite. The amount of money we save eating off site and stopping at a store to get other items saves us more than the rental car cost.

Dollar rental car has a location at the Wyndham which is across the street from DTD. I just rented a car there for 5 days for $96 this way I avoid being charge the daily airport facility fee's that are charged when you rent from MCO.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Be prepared for your bags to be opened by the TSA for inspection. Almost every time we have packed foods (non-perishables), we have found the little paper from the TSA that our bags were inspected.

 

[cropper]

I have that little paper in every time. Even when it is just clothes

 

[cropper]

We check a cooler on SWA quite often when going on beach trips

Tell me more about doing this?
How do you secure the cooler so it doesn't open but still allows TSA to look in side?
Do you have a 'normal' cooler or something special?

I am imagining using a strap but thinking it would have to go through the handles so it stays on the cooler

 

[NotUrsula]

Tell me more about doing this?
How do you secure the cooler so it doesn't open but still allows TSA to look in side?
Do you have a 'normal' cooler or something special?

I am imagining using a strap but thinking it would have to go through the handles so it stays on the cooler

We use an Igloo Wheelie Cool hardside, the kind with a drop-handle on one narrow end. The luggage strap is a heavy-duty with a snap buckle, and yes, it threads through the handles (including the pull-handle; which is held down by the strap when checked.) To make sure that TSA or airline staff don't have trouble hooking it back up properly after they open the strap, I duct-tape the strap to the cooler on the bottom and at the lower sides; that way they can open it up easily but not lose the strap.

Normally the way that I pack it is to put down a towel on the bottom, put in a large clear garbage bag and put the food inside the bag. All items are individually double-ziplocked and have some paper towels included if there is any liquid in the item that could leak.

If I transport things like frozen casseroles, I deep-freeze them in unbreakable cooking containers and pack them in as tightly as I can; they keep themselves frozen for a long time if there are no air pockets in the cooler (if frozen in a deep-freeze and packed in tight with insulation, these will normally not begin to thaw for about 12 hours.) Once everything is in, I push out the air, tie up the large bag, put another towel on top, then close the lid and strap it down. Notice that I do not put in water-ice -- it thaws too fast and leaks too easily, and airlines normally ban it in checked baggage. The added bonus of having everything in a liner bag is that once you arrive you can easily pull the contents out and be able to quickly fill your cooler with ice for drinks.

To lessen the hassle; I also print up a piece of paper that I laminate and tape securely to the lid, noting what is and is not in there. "Non-perishable dry foods. Contains no liquids, contains no Dry Ice, contains no glass." or "Contains frozen food items in sealed containers. Contains absorbent, contains no glass; no dry ice.." TSA will still look, but they normally won't have to totally tear it apart if they know what they are supposed to be seeing.

Dry ice is actually permitted, but the FAA considers it a hazardous substance; it requires use of special vented shipping containers. Much easier to just avoid using it at all.

PS: The Wheelie Cool is a 38 qt. model; it measures 23" x 13" x 16"; well under the 62" cumulative dimension limits for baggage. It weighs about 6 lbs empty, and I've never had it exceed 39 lbs. even when fully packed, because the towels take up space. It counts as "normal" checked baggage.

Also, I should note that if you do pack perishables, the airline will make you sign a waiver that you understand that the airline can dispose of the bag if necessary, without compensating you. If a long delay in a hot climate makes spoilage likely, they will get rid of the entire thing rather than take the risk it will ruin other baggage or draw vermin.

 

[cropper]

We use an Igloo Wheelie Cool hardside,

does it count as a 'normal' luggage or does its size cost extra? I know the weight is at issue but wonder about size/shape.

Thank you for all the info!!

 

[goofy4tink]

Just a note...if you pack a jar of peanut butter, or something similar, try to leave it at the top of your stuff. It shoots off flags in security...evidently it's kind of bomb like!!! I always pack my pb in a ziploc baggie and put it right on top of my clothes! Makes it easier for security to see what it is.

 

[bookgirl]

I packed a ton of food last trip (allergies). I froze some stuff and put it in an insulated lunch bag and put it in my carry on. Vacuum sealed bacon. GF bagels. Cheese substitute. Other stuff I packed in hard sided Tupperware type containers. Small sigle serve peanut butter. Crackers. Cookies. Chips. Cans of chicken that were safe for me to eat in a pinch. Single serve boxes of soy milk. They did not open my checked bag. And it was probably a third full of food and related items. They all survived the trip.

I even took one soy milk with me on the plane (had to take a pill at a certain time and had to eat and drink "milk'). I just declared it and they did the more hands on search, but let me through no big deal.