Pack light and buy when you get there?

[cinderlexa's mom]

I was thinking of only packing our clothes and buying all toiletries at SuperTarget in Orlando...we will have a rental car and will be there for 7 days. Of course, we'd pack medications. Take some of the stress out of packing?

Has anyone ever done this? Was it worth it?

 

[GEM]

Honestly, it's not something I'd do. I'd rather take the time to pack before the trip than spend valuable vacation time shopping for shampoo and deoderant at Target or Wal-Mart.

 

[jonestavern]

Do you mean the rental car is being driven to WDW or is it one you'll rent while there?

Jean

 

[cinderlexa's mom]

We'll rent while we're there.

Also, my husband and I would each split up in Target with our own lists. We know the general layout of the store. I think we'd be done in less than 45 minutes. Anyone tried this? We really hate lugging so many bags with us.

 

[MelodyMack]

You're going to have to lug the bags home anyway.

I agree that this is not something I would do. It also doesn't seem cost effective to buy a vacation wardrobe just to avoid carrying some bags to the airport.

To each their own.
Mel

 

[cinderlexa's mom]

Actually, we'd bring all our clothes & shoes on the plane. We're just considering buying toiletries at SuperTarget. Anyone done this? We'd leave our leftover shampoo, toothbrushes, etc at the hotel when we leave. We'd buy the generic of everything to save money.

 

[jonestavern]

We do only carry on luggage here. No lost bags, no carousels-
We do laundry while at WDW so less clothing required. Call ahead, or go online & get precise carry on limits, then reconfirm day before you leave-
we get excess toiletries & grocery shop while in Orlando. Our shopping list is made out now--we leave in Nov! --
If you are organized with yr lists, stores & adresses & directions, best time of day to be on the roads--you are all set--shouldn't take more than 2 hrs--& we take less time-
We also mail back to our house, any excess souvenirs we purchase.
If you stay onsite you may mail a pkg to yourself at the resort, clearly, in indelible pen, mark yr arrival days

Jean

 

[cinderlexa's mom]

Thanks jonestavern! This is the info I've been looking for! Would you mind sharing which stores have you used in the past?

 

[jonestavern]

ooh, forgot there is also wegoshop.com which many here have tried with good results & we may try, too although we like to poke around offsite
wegoshop, for something like a $15.00 fee per $100.00 order will do the shopping & deliver, although you must be there or meet them if yr room should not be ready. They will also pick up liquor, there is a small additional charge (under $5.)
for each extra stop she makes.
Allearsnet also has a list of grocery & dept stores in the area. we use Publix. DH does the driving & if I attempt directions you will wind up shopping in Georgia!

Jean

 

[Mister Incredible]

We always stop at Super Target for bottled water, beer, wine, snacks and anything else we need. Just make sure you make a detailed list of what you want to pick up there. You don't want to get to the hotel and find out you forgot toothpaste or cream for your coffee.

 

[littleprissboutique]

Depending on where you are staying... Most onsite Disney hotels will allow you to ship item you need to the hotel. When you check in the bell hop brings your packages to the room.. We did this last year with our DD's baby items and our breakfast foods. Everything arrived in one piece, and we were not burdened with taking it to the airport!!!!!

 

[MrsPete]

I would not waste vacation time at Target.

I am a very light packer (for example, my family of four just went to DC for the Labor Day weekend, and we packed in two carry-ons), so I don't consider lugging the bags stressful. Anyway, how much space will you save by not carrying toiletries?

If I had to find a way to decrease my suitcase size, I'd consider mailing things to my hotel ahead of time instead.

 

[momofbgtwins]

Why not just transfer your toiletries to smaller bottles? Or, if you search around enough at drug stores and Target or Walmart, you can find almost all everyday products in sample sizes. I would just feel wasteful throwing out full bottles of shampoo, etc. But that's just me!

 

[Colinsmom]

I don't find that toiletries take up that much space at all. I have small bottles of shampoo that I keep refilling, and just throw in a tube of toothpaste that is partially used. So on and so forth. In fact, I used to travel a lot for business, so keep a toiletry bag filled with what I need and just grab and go when it is time to pack!

I guess that I just don't see why you'd spend time on vacation buying shampoo and toothpaste in order to save a small space in your suitcase? Heck, if you are buying generic anyways, why not just use the hotel's soap and shampoo and bring the few other things that you need?

 

[crisi]

We did a shopping trip last time and never again. The store wasn't laid out like I was used to at home - what we thought would be a fast trip took twice as long. Simple things like regional branding were problematic. 45 minutes in and out - it would be faster to check a bag. Plus we ended up with a poor recommendation for a store - we ended up at a grocery store on the way from the airport and it was a pit! How much toiletries can you be talking about? The hotel has shampoo. We bring toothpaste in a sample size, toothbrushes, a brush, and a sample size deoderant, plus the all important sunscreen!

We do, however, know we will be buying a tshirt for the kids on site, so we don't necessarily pack complete sets of clothes. I'm the "queen of the carryon" (or was before I had kids - now I need my own caravan of camels to get through the airport). I do understand the desire to pack light.

 

[bigmac5]

Toiletries really don't take up much room. We packed more clothes than we really needed. If I was you I would reasess the clothes, take your toiletries in small bottles and not waste you time shopping for toiletries. You can always wash clothes if you run out. At all stars the laundry is near the pool(others may be simular) so if you are desparate you can was ALL your clothes while wearing your bathing suit.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

Personally wouldn't want to do shopping while on vacation but...
** Like the pack a box and ship it 7 days before arrival day at hotel idea - must be shipped UPS and delivery address is hotels actual address so that it doesn't end up at the mailroom ctr at WDW. Also need to call hotel prior and let them know it will be coming and mark box with your name and arrival date.
** Someone suggested taking all of your 1/2 full bottles of toiletries and throwing away whatever is left so you don't have to carry them home!!! This would leave more room for souveniers on the way home too. So instead of bringing new shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes take the used stuff at home and toss at end of trip - much rather have to get new stuff at home than to use for 1 week and throw away.
** I would bring less clothing and plan on doing 1 or 2 loads of laundry while enjoying a drink by the pool in the middle of your trip and save space this way. It seems alot of people claim they only wear 1/2 the clothes they bring. I would rather sit by the pool while a load of wash is drying than trying to find some necessity in a store but thats me

 

[MelodyMack]

Sorry OP - I misread the post. I thought you were going to buy EVERYTHING when you got there. My mistake....

We don't do that normally, but we do deliberately take full size bottles that are only half full or less so that at the end of the trip we can throw them out and not have to repack anything like that (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc..)

If you do decide to buy it all when you get there please let us know how it goes.

Good Luck!
Mel

 

[welovedis]

** Like the pack a box and ship it 7 days before arrival day at hotel idea - must be shipped UPS and delivery address is hotels actual address so that it doesn't end up at the mailroom ctr at WDW. Also need to call hotel prior and let them know it will be coming and mark box with your name and arrival date.

Actually, it can be shipped via any regular carrier (USPS, UPS, FedEx, Airborne, DHL) but you need to mark it with the date you are arriving, the name of the person who is on the reservation and the reservation/confirmation # is helpful too. If you forgot to call the hotel prior, they will still hold the item for you as we have forgotten in the past & have had no problem. Depending on where you live & how heavy the package is, FedEx Ground tends to be least expensive many times.

GL!

 

[egoldber]

Well, we always shop when we go, but for groceries not necessarily for toiletries. But it would be easy enough to get toiletries too. My DD4 is a bit picky and I like to have a bunch of healthy food available in the room and to take into the parks. We always buy:

juice boxes
bottled water
applesauce (the individual sizes)
canned peaches (again the small sizes)
Nutrigrain bars
peanut butter
bread
crackers
Cheerios
bananas
apples
oranges

If the room has a refrigerator, I also get yogurt, grapes, cheese sticks and milk.

This way I don't feel like I have to rely on the hotel/park restaurants and what they have to offer and I know that my DD will have healthy stuff that she will eat while we are there.

We go to the Winn-Dixie on Lake Apopka-Vineland drive just outside Downtown Disney. Its only about 15 minutes away from any Disney hotel. For us, its worth the hour or so it takes to make the grocery run.