Strange packing question...

[Melissa<3Disney]

Hey everyone,

We are flying SWA to Disney in three weeks!! Woohoo. Since we each get a free checked bag, we were thinking of packing my toddler and myself together in one larger suitcase and using the extra suitcase allowance to pack snacks and wine since we will be staying in a 1 bedroom at OKW (I am not really a fan of paying Disney prices for a mediocre bottle of wine. hehe).

My question is does anyone have any experience packing these types of items? Are bottles just asking for trouble? Would a wine box be better? Or do I just suck it up and buy at Disney? We thought about doing garden grocer, but the markup is a bit much. Would love to hear anyones experiences with this type of packing.

 

[danielocha30]

pack the wine in a sealed bag and put it with your clothes to help protect the glass, make sure is well wrapped if it breaks it won't mess up your clothes, is going to be fine I've done before and have never had a broken bottle Don't forget to bring the wine opener and Cheers!! have a great trip!

 

[china mom]

First off, I must caution you against packing yourself and your toddler on one large suitcase. It is far too dangerous (sorry, I could not resist)

We fly southwest exclusively and we always pack out clothes together in 3-4 bas (depending on who is going) and then pack one 47 pound (to make sure we stay under 50) suitcase with nothing but non perishable foods. The only liquids I typically bring are juice boxes but if I were to bring wine, I would follow the advice above about sealing it in a bag and ticking it within the clothing.

Keep in mind that bags are always dropped front down on the conveyer belt (to keep wheels from catching) so never put fragile items in the top/front part of your suitcase.

I'll even take it a step further. Not only do we pack our non-perishables, but I have also used a rolling cooler full of lunch meat, cheese and such as a carry on. I take empty zip lock bags and after I go through security, I ask one of the food vendors to fill a gallon bag with ice.

 

[KSR0330]

You can also wrap in bottles in bubble wrap after bagging them. We've done this and had no problems.

 

[BobbyDukes]

I think you are making potential problems/drama/tradegy more available in your vacation.
You already spent a ton of money on your vacation what's the big deal if you pay a $5 mark up on a Merlot.

My family uses Gardengrocer.com to ship beer/wine and snacks to our hotel. You pay a small fee, which is understandable because someone is shopping for you. But it alleviates stress. They have tons of items to choose from. Beer and wine selection i think is also great.

And I only can imagine that when the TSA screen your bags and see it's loaded with bottles of wine and food only, they will definitely do a full search on it causing however "safe" way you packed it compromised.

A stress free vacation starts before you ever start the car to drive to the airport.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

More hassle than its worth in my opinion.
I bring a few snacks and a few single serving apple juices since I'm not a morning person nor a big breakfast eater but I'd never pack a suitcase full of food and drink especially big glass bottles.
I suggest just buying after you get there.
Again just my thoughts.

BTW each ticketed person gets TWO free checked bags on SWA.

 

[Barbydoll8]

Yes you can have it ordered and delivered to your room but you may not get the selection you want. You can bring it. Just pack it well. I would also only limit it to one or two bottles. I've packed all kinds of stuff as I live in FL but am from the Philly area. I often bring back regional foods that I can only get in Philly (like decent pizza in zip lock bags). I've heard of people packing an entire suitcase of food and not having any issues (especially for people with severe food allergies). Check the TSA's web site on what you can and can not pack. It's clearly spelled out.
Some brands, foods are not available here and if you have favorites there's no reason why you should bring them and save a few bucks.

 

[nkereina]

I would also use Garden Grocer before I would haul an extra suitcase solely for the purpose of food. Even though Disney will handle your bags in Orlando, it still takes up space in the room and is a hassle at your home airport. I would either fit the food and wine in my suitcase with my clothes or do a grocery order.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

First off, I must caution you against packing yourself and your toddler on one large suitcase. It is far too dangerous (sorry, I could not resist)

We fly southwest exclusively and we always pack out clothes together in 3-4 bas (depending on who is going) and then pack one 47 pound (to make sure we stay under 50) suitcase with nothing but non perishable foods. The only liquids I typically bring are juice boxes but if I were to bring wine, I would follow the advice above about sealing it in a bag and ticking it within the clothing.

Keep in mind that bags are always dropped front down on the conveyer belt (to keep wheels from catching) so never put fragile items in the top/front part of your suitcase.

I'll even take it a step further. Not only do we pack our non-perishables, but I have also used a rolling cooler full of lunch meat, cheese and such as a carry on. I take empty zip lock bags and after I go through security, I ask one of the food vendors to fill a gallon bag with ice.

This had my husband and I cracking up. Thanks so much for the advice. Good to hear someone else's experiences with this!

I think you are making potential problems/drama/tradegy more available in your vacation.
You already spent a ton of money on your vacation what's the big deal if you pay a $5 mark up on a Merlot.

My family uses Gardengrocer.com to ship beer/wine and snacks to our hotel. You pay a small fee, which is understandable because someone is shopping for you. But it alleviates stress. They have tons of items to choose from. Beer and wine selection i think is also great.

And I only can imagine that when the TSA screen your bags and see it's loaded with bottles of wine and food only, they will definitely do a full search on it causing however "safe" way you packed it compromised.

A stress free vacation starts before you ever start the car to drive to the airport.

Thanks for the advice. This is where a little of the reservations of mine came into play. The mark up concern is more for the quality of wine on that "$5 markup" And I'm not talking a giant suitcase filled with tons of bottles of wine and food.lol! It would be a smaller suitcase with a couple bottles of wine and a small amount of snacks for our toddler.

Thanks everyone for the input. Gonna take all these suggestions to my husband! Glad to hear others experiences.

 

[Dashzap]

From Fodor's Travel: How to Pack Wine in Your Luggage

http://www.fodors.com/news/how-to-pack-wine-in-your-luggage-11219

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

From Fodor's Travel: How to Pack Wine in Your Luggage

http://www.fodors.com/news/how-to-pack-wine-in-your-luggage-11219

This is perfect!! Thanks a lot!!

 

[Disney st8 of mind]

I've packed glass bottled beverages on a number of occasions. I usually wrap the bottle in bubble wrap then put that in a small sturdy box and put the whole box in a large Ziploc. Never had a problem

 

[Dizjunkieee]

Hey everyone,

We are flying SWA to Disney in three weeks!! Woohoo. Since we each get a free checked bag, we were thinking of packing my toddler and myself together in one larger suitcase and using the extra suitcase allowance to pack snacks and wine since we will be staying in a 1 bedroom at OKW (I am not really a fan of paying Disney prices for a mediocre bottle of wine. hehe).

My question is does anyone have any experience packing these types of items? Are bottles just asking for trouble? Would a wine box be better? Or do I just suck it up and buy at Disney? We thought about doing garden grocer, but the markup is a bit much. Would love to hear anyones experiences with this type of packing.

One random thought that doesn't really play into the whole packing wine issue, but just thought I would toss out there in case it might be useful in some way that SWA allows up to 2 checked bags per person. Have a magical trip!!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Just to put your mind at ease: my husband has packed wine bottles in his checked luggage that safely made it across the Atlantic. Bubble wrap it, then drop it in a ziploc bag, then put it in the middle of the rest of the luggage.

 

[bubblebrown]

No helpful wine packing tips, but could you catch an Uber to the nearest grocery store when you get there?

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Honestly, if it's that important to bring two specific, exact bottles of wine all the way to WDW, leave them home. The point of your Disney trip isn't two specific bottles of wine.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Honestly, if it's that important to bring two specific, exact bottles of wine all the way to WDW, leave them home. The point of your Disney trip isn't two specific bottles of wine.

It really isn't that big of a deal. I was just asking people's advice on the situation. I am perfectly fine with packing wine,buying wine there, or having none at all. I was just curious of others experiences with packing wine (good or bad), because we already have some bottles that we enjoy. I know the point of my Disney trip. Thanks!

 

[momto3pirates]

We always pack our food in an extra checked bag. We bring snacks and juice boxes for the kids. Then we have the extra luggage space to bring back souvenirs.

 

[WhispyPixie]

Personally, I would not pack my child in my luggage. There is always an option that your luggage could be lost or delayed (it has happened to us once) and both people would be in a bit of a clothing bind.

We too love to have the snacks, water, food & wine. In past trips we have used Amazon Prime Pantry. If you are a Amazon Prime member you can shop and select a great deal of snack, food, grocery items. They have a standard size box, you fill it with your items and they ship it for free to your location. We order it before heading to WDW and it is waiting at the hotel for us when we get there. I have heard that for 2017 WDW is going to start charging $5 a box that is shipped to them when you pick them up. It is only at the Value resorts though.

As for the wine, you can purchase reusable wine packing bags. We have several and pack them around clothes. Most of the time though, it is more trouble than it is worth for us and we pay the overpriced fee for the drinks we want..lol Good luck..hope this helps!

 

[littledebbie335]

I doubt that TSA would be concerned about a suitcase full of drinks and snacks. The probably see much weirder things in checked bags...

That said, I flew from Italy to DC with two bottles of wine in a checked bag and here's how I did it: The bottles themselves were wrapped in plastic, and then placed in a cardboard box. The cardboard box was then wrapped in a couple of old towels and placed in another plastic bag. Then I just made sure that the wine was in the center of my suitcase and that it was tightly packed to prevent it from jostling around. I think that's really key! If there's extra space in your suitcase, they're more likely to get damaged. When I packed the wine this way, the bottles arrived completely intact...my only worry was getting through security because I was only 20 (wine was a gift for my parents)!

I don't blame you for wanting to pack things from home. I wouldn't want to be worried about grocery deliveries or shopping on vacation either, and the wine selection on site is kind of meh for the price.

Might be a good idea to bring extra change of clothes for you and your kiddo in case the suitcase gets temporarily misplaced.