Ship the luggage?

[justcantwait]

We're heading to the World next month and are just realizing how much stuff we have to take with 2 kids (DS5 and DD2). My husband suggested shipping our luggage down the week before. Then we only have to deal with 2 stollers, a car seat, 3 carry ons and the kids! I don't think it's a bad idea, but wanted to get the valued opinion of the people on this board. Thanks!

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

First - Welcome to the DISboards!

We have never shipped anything to WDW but I'm sure others here will let you know how they fared in doing so. We have made two WDW trips with two DDs. When my DW is done packing, I tell her to cut what she has packed in half! I figure, if we can't carry it, we don't need it.

Have a great trip.

 

[safetymom]

Allow extra time because they may be delayed in arrival. I ship lots of stuff to hotels for business and I can't tell you how many times UPS or FED EX has left items in their warehouse, delayed the boxes, etc.

Mark them to the attention of Guest: Your name and the date of your arrival.

 

[TJA]

We took our twin babies when they were 7 mos. old and 13 mos. old. Here is what we did: We mailed a huge box to our resort, via US Priority Mail, filled with diapers, wipes, food jars, travel cans of formula, etc., etc. That stuff alone saved having to bring another large piece of luggage. And it was all stuff that we would use while there, so we wouldn't have to worry about re-packing any of it.

We mailed the box about 10 days before our arrival date. I pre-called the resort to ask for the mailing address and confirm that it is okay to mail a box to myself. I was told to simply put on the package to "Hold for Guest (name), arriving on (date)."

Everything worked very smoothly and we wouldn't hesitate to do this again. The box was at our resort waiting for us when we arrived. Your kids are a bit older than mine were, so your situation may be different. But if it does make sense for your situation, I highly recommend doing this.

 

[Lollipop Mom]

I am planning on doing this for our upcoming trip to the Poly. It will be just me travelling with my DSs ages 2 and 4 so the less I have to carry, the better! I'm planning on shipping diapers, wipes, some of our clothes but not all, more just the extra stuff. I called the Poly and asked about shipping it. They gave me the address and instructions on how to address the box. The girl I talked to made 2 recommendations. The first was to ship it with FedEx or UPS or some other method with tracking so you can watch it and make sure it was received OK by the resort. She suggested I mail it at least 7-10 days before our arrival to make sure it got there in time. Her other recommendation was to either ship it in a "product box" or let the kids decorate the box somehow. She said that makes it easier for them to get it to you quickly when you can say "it's the Sony TV box" or "it's the box with a child's drawing of the castle on it." That way if they have a bunch of boxes waiting for people (she said some days they have nothing, some days they have 10 boxes) yours can be located quickly. I have some Mickey stickers and I figured I'd let our kids decorate the box with them then just put some clear tape over them to keep the on.

I have an account with FedEx for ebay stuff. I will print out a label for shipping from the Poly to my home and call for a package pickup before I leave. The Poly told me I can leave the package with the front desk when I check out and FedEx will pick it up from them. I will just guess at what weight the box will be but FedEx will weigh it and adjust it accordingly. I figure this way I can ship some stuff home to so the trip home will be lighter too.

I would just make sure you pack enough clothes, diapers and whatever else to get through a couple of days in case there is some delay in getting your box. You don't want to be stuck with nothing till they find it!

 

[justcantwait]

Thanks for the great advice. I think shipping as much as we can ahead of time is going to be a big help. Then DH won't feel like a pack mule! We can send a lot of the clothes, since it's almost time to put away our summer clothes up here in New England. We're also planning on buying a lot of stuff like diapers and wipes when we get there (we rented a car for grocery store trips, etc), so we won't need to ship them. Just one question, for those who have done this in the past. DH spoke with UPS yesterday regarding boxes for the suitcases. They said we didn't need 'em, just lock 'em up and ship 'em out. As long as there's no electronics, jewelry, etc, it won't be a problem. Has anyone shipped their stuff without a box? I'm a little leery, but I guess it's luggage, we wouldn't put it in a box on the plane either. Any thoughts?