Shipping Ahead vs. Extra Checked Baggage???

[kristenrice]

This may get lengthy, so please bear with me...

We are two families of 4 (4 adults and girls ages 11, 9, 6 and 2 at time of travel) and we are leaving 7 weeks from today. My family (with the older girls) are annual air travelers to WDW and we tend to pack quite light since we are DVC members and do laundry in our villa. My sister's family is joining us and we are having difficulty figuring out our packing situation.

We are flying SWA out of an airport that is 2 hours away. We are driving over the night before in separate vehicles and staying in separate hotels. My sister's family is taking their SUV so storage is not an issue. Here's what they are planning for their luggage, so far...
...Backpack car seat carrier (2yo will use car seat on airplane)
...Stroller bag that holds the MacLaren Volo and Triumph strollers)
...2 checked bags (soft-sided suitcase and a rolling duffel)
...2 child-size backpacks
...3 carry-on bags

We will be packing a little less. The girls and I each have a convertible backpack that is carry on size, but it will serve as our primary luggage. The girls will have everything in their bag including a small, packable backpack. My plan is to have them clear security and then move whatever they will want access to on the plane (tablets, headphones, snacks, etc) into their packable backpack. Then when we board, the larger backpack goes in the overhead bin and the packable backpack goes under the seat. I will have my convertible backpack as well as my shoulder bag. I believe that DH will be using his rolling backpack as his carryon and a packable backpack as his personal item. In addition, we have a large rolling duffel that will serve as our checked bag. Right now, the only stuff we are planning to check is an extra pair of shoes for everyone and any of our toiletries that are too large to carry on.

Currently, DSis and I are planning to ship a box to the resort. Right now, the box has a few non-perishables (muffin mix, pancake mix, granola bars, beef jerky, and juice boxes), baby wipes, laundry detergent, dish soap, disposable muffin tins and sippy cups, and a couple bottles of alcohol. We plan to add a bag of mini bagels right before we ship it too. I looked at the cost to ship it and it will be about $35 assuming that the final weight is 35 pounds.

Here's where we face a dilemma...I don't see a reason to pay to ship stuff that we could easily check as luggage. My sister is concerned about all of the baggage they already have, in addition to wrangling the kids. My kids are older and we are travelling lighter, but we are also renting a full-size car to get to the airport. I have no idea how much luggage it will realistically hold so I do not want to plan on packing an additional checked bag and then find out it won't fit.

I'm looking for opinions....would you pay the $35 (split 50/50) and ship the box? Or would you just schlep along an extra checked bag for free?

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I would totally check the extra bag for free! We are actually doing just that, I have a small suitcase dedicated to snacks and extras like sunscreen that is packed and ready to go (we leave in 10days! woot). Southwest gives each passenger two free checked bags so why not take advantage of it?

 

[ktate82]

I would check the bag too. Are you each renting a car or is her family riding ME? If both of you are renting a car, it may be of benefit for you and one of your girls to ride ME for the luggage transfers. You could just ask for extra tags and put them on the extra bags. We have done this before where DBF and I got the rental car and my mom and kids rode ME so we didn't have to claim the luggage. It worked out well and they beat us to the hotel by about 10 mins.

 

[nacho113]

Take the extra checked bag. You will have a whole extra bag on the return trip for souvenirs and extras. Worst case scenario, if you don't have anything to pack in the empty suitcase on the way back, just pack one (or more) of your carry-ons into the checked back to lighten the load getting on and off the plane

 

[Best Aunt]

It can be a pain in the neck to retrieve your box when you get to the hotel.

If you're at a Disney hotel with a convention center, you can walk to the convention center to get it. But if it's 35 pounds, do you want to carry it back to your room (which could be quite a distance from the convention center)?

Even if your hotel doesn't have a convention center, do you want to carry it to your room from the front desk?

You can have a Disney cast member deliver it to your room, but then you're waiting around for it when you're either tired from traveling or antsy to do something because you're finally on vacation.

Bell Services won't deliver it, because that's not their territory. It's either the convention center people or a front desk runner.

Of course there are reasons to ship -- you can look at the delivery confirmation when you're home, and know that your box is at the hotel. When you check a bag, there's always the possibility that the airline will lose it.

 

[mieuxmew]

Not sure if you are aware - the strollers and the car seat do not count towards your two free checked bags per person (as long as a child is flying as a passenger). Have your sister check the regulations -most car seats are not allowed to be used on the plane and it will be gate checked.

A full size vehicle (Impala) can hold 2 maybe 3 large (62 linear inch) suitcases plus some carryons. I think you would have enough room to fit the suitcase.

I am a big fan of shipping a box ahead of time IF it saves you money checking a bag or it allows you to save money renting a car (avoiding the costly minivan). We tend to be over packers and stay offsite so we have stressed over space in the rental car for luggage. (We now have an Owners Locker which has saved the stress of one suitcase). I have had no problem getting Disney to deliver box or Owners Locker to our room (my owners locker probably weighs 40-45 pounds).

Another thought - if you are an Amazon Prime member look into shipping a box with Amazon Pantry. it is $5.99 and very reasonable. Order one week in advance, as it takes longer to ship. Perishables are not part of the service so pack the bagels in a bag traveling with you.

 

[mieuxmew]

Not sure if you are aware - the strollers and the car seat do not count towards your two free checked bags per person (as long as a child is flying as a passenger). Have your sister check the regulations -most car seats are not allowed to be used on the plane and it will be gate checked.

A full size vehicle (Impala) can hold 2 maybe 3 large (62 linear inch) suitcases plus some carryons.

I am a big fan of shipping a box ahead of time IF it saves you money checking a bag or it allows you to save money renting a car (avoiding the costly minivan). We tend to be over packers and stay offsite so we deal with rental car space issues, as we often have 3 suitcases. We now have an Owners Locker which has saved us from bringing one suitcase, thus avoiding the need for a minvan. If you are staying on site, why not let Magic Express take the checked luggage? Have someone rent the car and have everyone else use the Magic Express.

Another thought - if you are an Amazon Prime member look into shipping a box with Amazon Pantry. it is $5.99 and very reasonable. Order one week in advance, as it takes longer to ship. Perishables are not part of the service so pack the bagels in a bag traveling with you.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Your complete party gets sixteen checked bags free on Southwest. It seems wasteful to spend money to ship anything.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Your complete party gets sixteen checked bags free on Southwest. It seems wasteful to spend money to ship anything.

Check the bags! Final answer.

 

[MommyMK]

Also you didn't ask this, but there is no way I'd take a car seat on a plane for the 2 yo if you aren't renting a car at your destination. If your sis is concerned about safety have her rent a CARES harness instead. A 2 yo in a car seat = a 2 yo who can't use the tray table and also can't not kick the seat in front of them because their feet are less than an inch away. A car seat reduces the already tiny available space of the plane seat by so much. I've done it both ways and will never take a seat on a plane again.

 

[laughinplace199]

Not sure if you are aware - the strollers and the car seat do not count towards your two free checked bags per person (as long as a child is flying as a passenger). Have your sister check the regulations -most car seats are not allowed to be used on the plane and it will be gate checked.
A full size vehicle (Impala) can hold 2 maybe 3 large (62 linear inch) suitcases plus some carryons. I think you would have enough room to fit the suitcase.

I am a big fan of shipping a box ahead of time IF it saves you money checking a bag or it allows you to save money renting a car (avoiding the costly minivan). We tend to be over packers and stay offsite so we have stressed over space in the rental car for luggage. (We now have an Owners Locker which has saved the stress of one suitcase). I have had no problem getting Disney to deliver box or Owners Locker to our room (my owners locker probably weighs 40-45 pounds).

Another thought - if you are an Amazon Prime member look into shipping a box with Amazon Pantry. it is $5.99 and very reasonable. Order one week in advance, as it takes longer to ship. Perishables are not part of the service so pack the bagels in a bag traveling with you.

Where are you getting this info on carseats? All of the carseats I've ever owned for my 3 kids have been approved for use in aircraft.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

From my last experience shipping to Disney i would strongly figure out a plan B. I ordered a rain jacket for dd and i from Cabellas because of an in coming storm system. We did not want to wear ponchos. Even though I had enough days for a Friday arrival, i paid for priority shipping. The package arrived in the morning before we got there.

At check in they could not find it and gave me a rough time about having confirmation. When i got to the room i got it online and called the desk. I even gave them the name of the person that signed for it.

For the next three days of pouring rain we went without them. Finally they arrived in our room Monday after we got back from the park. No explanation.

There are so many alternatives. If you are buying the products anyway, why not purchase from one of the grocery providers or use a taxi to Walmart. I used garden grocer for similar items along with cold cuts, bread, water, and Capris for kids. It was about $55.00.
In our luggage i packed snacks that were dry, pretzels, and granola bars. This was nice because the kids could eat their cereal in the morning as we got ready, adults had bagels, there was OJ, coffee. With a soft side lunch bag i made a few sandwiches and took them for ravenous kids during the park.

 

[kristenrice]

Well, we are going to skip the box.

The only issue is our glow sticks. We have 300 bracelets, packed in three tubes of 100. I know they can't go in the carry on, but will they be allowed in the checked bags? They are non-toxic and not hazardous, but I bet those tubes sure look suspicious on an X-ray. We've always shipped them in the box on previous trips.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

Well, we are going to skip the box.

The only issue is our glow sticks. We have 300 bracelets, packed in three tubes of 100. I know they can't go in the carry on, but will they be allowed in the checked bags? They are non-toxic and not hazardous, but I bet those tubes sure look suspicious on an X-ray. We've always shipped them in the box on previous trips.

They are fine in your checked bags, we do it on every trip

 

[kristenrice]

They are fine in your checked bags, we do it on every trip

Awesome! Thanks!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Your complete party gets sixteen checked bags free on Southwest. It seems wasteful to spend money to ship anything.

Exactly.


Also, OP if your sister is worried about juggling so much stuff, why carry on so many carry ons? You can still check a carry on size bag. Why keep lugging it through the terminal? Stick a yellow Disney tag on it and check it! Let ME do what you're paying them for.
We only carry on the plane medications, valuables such as cameras, laptop etc. and inflight entertainment.
Well, actually, I carry my bathing suit too in a carry on. If my luggage gets lost it would be awful to spend precious vacation time shopping for new bathing suit and paying top $$$. At least with dh & 2 boys, they're easy to shop for.
I only bother with carry on size bags if I'm trying to avoid a fee for checking a bag which would not apply with SWA.
Also does she really need 2 strollers? I'm not trying to start a stroller war but I would see how the older one does walking and maybe rent one in the parks for those days you open & close the parks. Personally, I'd rather pay to rent one than lug a 2nd stroller around (on/off buses, boats, monorail, etc.) for a child who wouldn't normally use one outside of WDW. jmho.

 

[kristenrice]

Also, OP if your sister is worried about juggling so much stuff, why carry on so many carry ons?

Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 9:30am so we plan on getting to the resort around 11am. We are heading straight to Epcot and we have a dinner planned at 4:30pm. We won't see our room until probably 8pm or later. That means we will go all day without our checked bags. As a result, we are planning on packing at least a full-day's worth of stuff (clothes, baby supplies, snacks, etc) in our carry on bags.

Also does she really need 2 strollers?

Yes, she will definitely need the two strollers. The 6-yo is small for her age so she still fits comfortably in the stroller. It's more of a "meltdown manager"...if she gets crabby, we have a place to strap her in and let her chill out while we move from place to place. Also, as far as luggage goes, the two strollers are MacLarens, one Volo and one Triumph, and they both fit together in one stroller bag. There is no difference between bringing one or two because the bag is the same either way. It is a padded bag made for a double umbrella stroller.

 

[mkymouse40]

Since JetBlue only allows one checked bag and their second bag fee just went up to $50 each way, I think I will finally start shipping some things to the hotel in advance. These bag fees are getting ridiculous! I wish we could still fly Southwest, but they stopped having direct flights to Orlando in our area and I hate flight changes

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Since JetBlue only allows one [free] checked bag and their second bag fee just went up to $50 each way, I think I will finally start shipping some things to the hotel in advance. These bag fees are getting ridiculous! I wish we could still fly Southwest, but they stopped having direct flights to Orlando in our area and I hate flight changes

You mean non-stop, not direct. A direct flight has stops. There are other airlines offering non-stop flights to MCO from the DC area besides JetBlue.

How many bags do you need? You can carry on one and check one for free for every ticket on JetBlue.