Shipping Stuff in Advance?

[apietrak]

Just curious if anybody has sent packages to themselves to Disney World? We'll be traveling with three young kids and I'm thinking about maybe sending some of a small box or two of stuff by UPS to arrive when we arrive at our resort to avoid lugging them on the plane.

Has anybody done this?

Anthony

 

[M5ward]

We have done this the past two trips because we were taking one of our children and their family which included an infant. We shipped formula, wipes, diapers, pack 'n' play sheets, blanket, lysol, toiletries, baby food, etc. We shipped it directly to the resort where we were staying and put our name and arrival date on the box. When we arrived, the front desk gave us instructions on pick-up/delivery. We opted for delivery and there was a charge for that ($10 I think.) I believe they told us that pick-up would be at the convention center. The boxes that I shipped were fairly heavy which is why I decided to have them delivered. It cost me less to ship the box UPS than packing an extra suitcase which I would have to pay the airline for. It took about 3 or 4 days from where I live (South Jersey) to get to the World. I called the day after it was supposed to arrive just to make sure it got there.
Here is a list of addresses for the resorts:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdwi/en_CA/resorts/resortOther?id=ResortAddressPage

 

[photographymom517]

Just curious if anybody has sent packages to themselves to Disney World? We'll be traveling with three young kids and I'm thinking about maybe sending some of a small box or two of stuff by UPS to arrive when we arrive at our resort to avoid lugging them on the plane.

Has anybody done this?

Anthony

YES!!! Definitely do this!!!

I did this on my last trip & will be doing it again this year! Last year, my son was only 10 months old when we took our trip & he was eating some table food, but still some babyfoods & snacks. It is an easy process & also saves $$$ on luggage fees (unless you fly Southwest where your luggage flies free!) I called Disney after booking my vacation & asked them what to do...

If you are staying on property & reserve your room through Disney (either online or by calling their 1-800 number)...you will get a confirmation number for your reservation. This number will also be on the packet of info Disney sends you in the mail. They said (if staying in a Disney resort) to address it to the resort with your name, reservation number, and date of arrival.

For example...
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Ms. Christine Smith (#12005399 -- arriving on Thursday, February 25)
Road Name
Lake Buena Vista, FL 00000

They advised to send it as close to the date as possible. I live in PA and shipped it Priority Mail which takes 2 days to get to Florida. I advise Priority Mail because it takes 2-3 days (thats the longest amount of time it will take). So, if you ship it 3 days before your vacation, you are guaranteed to get it upon arrival! ALSO it is great because once your package arrives at the resort, the CM will "link" your package to your reservation. Whenever you arrive at the resort to check-in, you don't even have to ASK for your package!!! The CM who checks you in will already know to get it for you! (although if they don't get it, you will have to ask). I think thats the nicest part of the process. As soon as your package arrives, Disney links it to your reservation & stores it in their back room...all ready for you to arrive!

I put the following items in mine...just to give you an idea.
* glass jars of baby food
* baby snacks (crackers, yogurt bites)
* fruit snacks
* disposable bibs, spoons/forks, cups (Take & Toss GREAT for trips!)
* shampoo/conditioner (Disney resorts do provide, but my hair is damaged so I use special stuff)
* sun tan lotion samples
* extra diapers!

Because most of the items were used on our vacation, there was no need to "save" room for them in our luggage (that we were taking with us on the plane). It was nice because I just threw away the box once we got it at the resort & after using the products/food, it all ended up in the garbage as well. I saved $$$ and space in our suitcases! Plus I didn't have to worry about lugging around a million sippy cups, toddler silverware, bibs, etc...because they were all disposable!

I highly recommend this process & am glad you asked about it! I'm also very thankful that the CM I spoke to from Disney last year explained how simple the process was! This was a life-saver for me as a mother of a infant/toddler!!!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask in this thread or PM me & I can help you more with the process!

 

[photographymom517]

I forgot to mention...

I shipped my boxes via USPS. Any person at your local Post Office should be more than willing to help you if you don't know specific rates for shipping. I suggest a Flat Rate box...you can ship up to 70 pounds for the following rates...$10.95 for Medium, $13.95 for Large. Or just ship via Priority Mail which depends on distance & weight.

I'm sure its the same to ship via UPS...if you have really large boxes or something very heavy, UPS rates will be more cost-efficient.

Not sure what the other person who responded meant by "it cost $10 for the delivery"...I'm guessing they shipped UPS and wanted delivery confirmation.

It is a free process to ship a package to yourself (you just pay the cost of the shipping, no delivery charges). BUT if you want "delivery confirmation" at the Post Office, its only $1-$1.50 extra.

As I said, if you have additional questions, contact me for specifics on shipping. I am in Online Sales as a career, so I ship practically everyday & can guide you as to whats most cost-efficient.

 

[apietrak]

Thanks for the advice, exactly what I was hoping to hear. I was planning on shipping baby food, snacks, diapers, etc.

Thanks again,
Anthony

 

[Best Aunt]

Not sure what the other person who responded meant by "it cost $10 for the delivery"...I'm guessing they shipped UPS and wanted delivery confirmation.

If you go back to that post, the person talked about having to get the box at the convention center. If you are staying at a Disney hotel with a convention center attached to it, the package will be handled by the convention center. They have their own staff, and have started charging people who ship packages to themselves.

It's possible that you might stay at a hotel with a convention center and not be charged. It's possible that you might stay at a hotel without a convention center and be charged. Assume you will be charged, and be happy if you're not.

Also, packages shipped via the Post Office are shipped to a central mail sorting facility. They are not shipped directly to your hotel. So make sure you plan on enough time for the package to get for the central mail sorting facility to your hotel. For this reason, many people ship via FedEx or UPS, which ships directly to the hotel.

 

[ZoZo]

If you go back to that post, the person talked about having to get the box at the convention center. If you are staying at a Disney hotel with a convention center attached to it, the package will be handled by the convention center. They have their own staff, and have started charging people who ship packages to themselves.

It's possible that you might stay at a hotel with a convention center and not be charged. It's possible that you might stay at a hotel without a convention center and be charged. Assume you will be charged, and be happy if you're not.

I shipped a package to myself at POR in October, and WDW did not charge me a fee. When checking in at the front desk, I asked them to have it delivered to my room; it arrived within 1/2 hour, and all I did was tip the bellman. No extra charges involved.

 

[photographymom517]

If you go back to that post, the person talked about having to get the box at the convention center. If you are staying at a Disney hotel with a convention center attached to it, the package will be handled by the convention center. They have their own staff, and have started charging people who ship packages to themselves.

It's possible that you might stay at a hotel with a convention center and not be charged. It's possible that you might stay at a hotel without a convention center and be charged. Assume you will be charged, and be happy if you're not.

Also, packages shipped via the Post Office are shipped to a central mail sorting facility. They are not shipped directly to your hotel. So make sure you plan on enough time for the package to get for the central mail sorting facility to your hotel. For this reason, many people ship via FedEx or UPS, which ships directly to the hotel.

Yes, they are shipped to a sorting facility then to the hotel...but typically rates for the Post Office are cheaper than UPS...especially with Flat Rate boxes since they hold up to 70 pounds for a flat rate. Plus, if you ship Priority, there should be no problem at all with it arriving 2-3 days after you mail it...its actually guaranteed through the USPS by 3 days at the most. The positive side of UPS though is that you are insured automatically up to $100.

 

[Best Aunt]

Plus, if you ship Priority, there should be no problem at all with it arriving 2-3 days after you mail it...its actually guaranteed through the USPS by 3 days at the most.

But wouldn't that mean that the package will arrive at Disney's central mail sorting facility in 3 days? Once it's there, USPS has done its job. The issue, as I understand it, is the number of days it takes Disney to get the package from the central mail sorting facility to your hotel.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't use the Post Office -- just to make sure that they leave enough time for the package to get to their hotel.

 

[connorlevismom]

We have done it several times and really liked it. It helps us get things down there and not have to worry about lugging all that stuff through the airport.

Kristine