Mailing a cooler

[ShellyShellfish]

Does this make sense?

We still don't know the dates (let alone the month!!) for when we're thinking about heading down to WDW. At any rate, the few dates we've tossed around already seem to be taken on all the Pop fridge swaps. So I started thinking about buying a cheap cooler (possibly the styrofoam ones) and mailing it down in a big box.

Does it seem logical to do this? I'd mail the cooler stuffed with breakfast foods/snacks/etc and hope that it doesn't get crushed. I would buy a plastic cooler, but I'd hate to just throw it away at the end of our trip. At least styrofoam is disposable. Will the resort just hold it for me if I mail it about a week before we leave?

Thoughts?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

You don't need a box. Just fill it with the items and tape it closed using either packing or duct tape. And take it to a UPS store. UPS Ground Service will guarantee four business days delivery to WDW from Rochester.

Just address it to:
"Shelly Starfish
Disney's Pop Century Resort
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Hold for Guest Arrival
November 32, 2010"

And ship it so it arrives the day prior to your arrival. And you can even print out the confirmation that it was delivered.

 

[dldwmom]

Why not just buy a cooler and food when you get down there? Food seems quite reasonable, and a lot cheaper than mailing it down? I guess if you are using Disney's transportation system. We always buy our snacks in Florida, but we always rent a car. Renting is cheap in Florida. Good luck in your choices.

 

[deadhedjen]

Even with the fridge swap we still pick up a styro cooler on our grocery run. DH likes to have his Yuengling nice and chilly cold....plus we don't like him hogging up the room in our fridge, lol.

If you were going to take a cab to/from the grocer it will run you about $35 including tip. How much is it going to cost you to mail a cooler full of snacks to WDW? Will you still need to buy more supplies once there?

The run to the grocer took me about 1.5 hours total. Prices weren't much different from those here.

Personally, I prefer taking that time to get my own things. I would be too worried the cooler would crack during shipment, Pop luggage guys would lose the box, etc.

I would look into WeGoShop, but I think you have to be present if she is delivering alcohol. For us...We don't arrive until a lil later in the day. We will easily save that $35 cab fee by buying our own alcohol instead of WDW prices.

Jennifer.

 

[pigletto]

If you make an order from GardenGrocer you can get a styrofoam cooler. It will cost you a bit, but I would imagine it would be cheaper than the shipping costs of a full cooler.

 

[budbeerlady]

We did order a cooler from garden grocer, along with pop tarts, beer, etc. I would look at the cost of shipping that cooler down, you might be well ahead to buy everything thru garden grocer and not have to worry about anything being shipped.

 

[jsmith]

Styrofoam coolers cost 5 or 6 bucks-we use one about anytime we are in a hotel that doesnt have a fridge for more than 3 or 4 days-but i would NEVER pay what it costs to ship one-cab fare to the nearest wal-mart has to be cheaper-or if you are renting a car just stop on the way from the airport-or if you have to bring it from home-its not going to cost anymore to check it in as luggage than it will to ship it. If you buy one-you can use it as extra luggage -or just leave it behind when you go home. (yes i know the airlines will check them-my dad and brother -now just my brother-go fishing in alaska every year-have thier fish flash frozeni at the cannery and pack in stryo coolers in dry ice to bring it home-even with airline luggage fees its cheaper than shipping)

 

[ShellyShellfish]

Going anywhere offsite for shopping in person isn't going to happen for us - we'd be taking Disney transport and not bringing carseats for the 2 kids. I saw the local grocery store here - Wegmans - sells the styro coolers for $3...and when I checked out shipping on usps it was about $15-$20 to mail a 20lb "box". Is GardenGrocer that much more reasonable? I never thought about that.

We'd literally be mailing just breakfast stuff/snacks and stuff. I'd carry on the babies formula and diapers. I'm anal about that sort of stuff.

We'd be going for 7-9 nights and will hopefully be going during free dining, so I just want to do this cost effectively.

 

[deadhedjen]

I don't take the kids or DH grocery shopping while there. They just chill out at the resort while I head out for supplies. No way I'd drag kidlets out food shopping while at WDW, lol. (Or DH for that matter )

If I remember correctly, an under $100 order had a $24 delivery fee from WeGoShop. Plus a tip on top of that.

Not sure what GardenGrocer's delivery fees are.

 

[pjlla]

Why not find a collapsible/soft sided cooler and pack it in your luggage? We did this for a 10 day trip out west. I will admit, by the end of the 10 days the cooler was a bit leaky and we had to leave it in the tub during the day so it wouldn't wet the carpet, but overall it worked well for us. We bought ours for $8 at the Christmas Tree Shop. It traveled (full of ice and food) from New Mexico to California in the back seat of the car and didn't get leaky until we were in CA for a few days. It worked perfectly and was plenty large enough for a few sodas and a few water bottles and some fruit and juice, plus ice.

BTW, what would you be keeping cool?? If you aren't bringing along anything other than shelf-stable foods and you aren't getting a delivery of groceries and you won't be stopping to buy groceries, I'm not sure what the cooler would be for. Just wondering. Good luck..........P

 

[NeedaVacation03]

Why not find a collapsible/soft sided cooler and pack it in your luggage? We did this for a 10 day trip out west. I will admit, by the end of the 10 days the cooler was a bit leaky and we had to leave it in the tub during the day so it wouldn't get the carpet, but overall it worked well for us. We bought ours for $8 at the Christmas Tree Shop. It traveled (full of ice and food) from New Mexico to California in the back seat of the car and didn't get leaky until we were in CA for a few days. It worked perfectly and was plenty large enough for a few sodas and a few water bottles and some fruit and juice, plus ice.

BTW, what would you be keeping cool?? If you aren't bringing along anything other than shelf-stable foods and you aren't getting a delivery of groceries and you won't be stopping to buy groceries, I'm not sure what the cooler would be for. Just wondering. Good luck..........P

We also do the soft side cooler. It packs well. We bring along a small sized garbage bag to line it with. It keeps the leaking problem down alot. We still store it in the bathtub, but the garbage helps alot. It last for 2 trips to WDW and trip to Vegas before it bite the dust. Was well worth the $$$.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

w have a collapsable cooler we got from target and we just fold it flat and tuck it in our suitcase when we go.

 

[MineMail]

I also used a soft-side cooler that I folded and packed in my luggage.

When we went to Myrtle Beach, I bought dry ice that lasted almost a week and kept everything cold. Haven't had that much luck since then with dry ice.

 

[MaryKLady]

If I remember correctly, my SIL used a regular cooler and it counted as checked luggage when they went to Atlantis last year...the food is a FORTUNE there. I believe the carrier she flew with didn't charge (at the time) for the first checked bag per person, so it worked out for her that way. But I know she checked with the airline about the dimensions of the cooler and what she could put in it.

 

[BrettS]

We've purchased stuff from Omaha Steaks in the past and those always come via UPS in a pretty heavy duty styrofoam cooler. It definitely makes it through the shipping system, but it's a much stronger cooler than what you can buy for a few bucks in the grocery store. I suspect that a grocery store type cooler wouldn't survive.

But Omaha has sales pretty frequently that make their prices pretty reasonable. You could always buy something from them (buy a lot if you want a big cooler) and then reuse that cooler to ship stuff in.

 

[tink2dw]

It is $25.00 to check a suitcase.

Have you thought of using www.staples.com They have water and some treats that can be shipped to WDW.

What about Wamart.com or Target.com??

 

[budbeerlady]

Garden grocer is $12 fee, minimum order is $40. To not loose park time it was well worth the $12 when we used it a while back. I am guessing it will be $25+ to send it with UPS or so for a large styrofoam cooler.

 

[Calliaz]

Going anywhere offsite for shopping in person isn't going to happen for us - we'd be taking Disney transport and not bringing carseats for the 2 kids.

Couldn't one adult watch the kids at the resort while the other takes the taxi to shop?

I am confused about what you are shipping. Are you shipping cold items? How will you keep them under 40 deg? USPS does not ship ice or dry ice, I believe. I think you have to use Fedex for that.

If you aren't shipping the cold items, where are you buying the things you want to keep cold in the cooler?

 

[ShellyShellfish]

Why not find a collapsible/soft sided cooler and pack it in your luggage? We did this for a 10 day trip out west. I will admit, by the end of the 10 days the cooler was a bit leaky and we had to leave it in the tub during the day so it wouldn't wet the carpet, but overall it worked well for us. We bought ours for $8 at the Christmas Tree Shop. It traveled (full of ice and food) from New Mexico to California in the back seat of the car and didn't get leaky until we were in CA for a few days. It worked perfectly and was plenty large enough for a few sodas and a few water bottles and some fruit and juice, plus ice.

BTW, what would you be keeping cool?? If you aren't bringing along anything other than shelf-stable foods and you aren't getting a delivery of groceries and you won't be stopping to buy groceries, I'm not sure what the cooler would be for. Just wondering. Good luck..........P

I'd be buying milk, juice and things like cream cheese (for bagels) at the resort probably just to keep on hand in the room. With an almost 3 year old and 1 year old going down, I'd want to be prepared if they want something. I'm an over-planning mom I guess.

Will the soft sided cooler keep things cold for say a 24 hour period? I don't mind refilling it with ice daily. I like the idea of lining it with a garbage bag too to prevent leaks. That might be the solution - then I can just toss it back in the suitcase when we leave...whatever room the snacks took up could be used for souvenirs...hmmmm.

 

[ShellyShellfish]

It is $25.00 to check a suitcase.

Have you thought of using www.staples.com They have water and some treats that can be shipped to WDW.

What about Wamart.com or Target.com??

ohhh they would deliver to the resort too huh? I will check it out. thanks!

Couldn't one adult watch the kids at the resort while the other takes the taxi to shop?

I am confused about what you are shipping. Are you shipping cold items? How will you keep them under 40 deg? USPS does not ship ice or dry ice, I believe. I think you have to use Fedex for that.

If you aren't shipping the cold items, where are you buying the things you want to keep cold in the cooler?

The main reason we'd ship it is so that we don't have to spend the $70-$90+ on a fridge rental. I figured if it's only about $20 to mail from USPS and I can load it up with all the dry goods it's less I have to carry on the plane with us, or worry about buying when we get down there.

I'm going to investigate the GardenGrocer site and see how much that would be...but I'm sort of thinking the soft sided cooler might be the way to go instead. Who knows.