shipping baby supplies

[KathyK]

I finally convinced DH to fly for our upcoming trip. We drove down in May with a 5 month old, and I was not looking forward to doing it again with an 11 month old.

So, now that we're flying, we won't have the minivan for carting all of our stuff. We're debating whether to rent a car or not, and I'm leaning toward not. So, I was thinking that since baby food and diapers are not available in the on-site stores that we can do one of two things. We could pack it up and ship it to the BWV ahead of time with our name and arrival date on the box, or we could plan to have one suitcase just for DD's supplies (which we could fill with souvenirs when as we empty it).

Any suggestions?

What have those of you that have flown with babies done?

--Kathy

 

[crisi]

If you don't rent a car, use Tiffany. They will stop by the store for you and you can buy diapers, baby food, formula at Target or Wal-Mart. (We bought sippy cups, too, as well as juice and fruit snacks and those cheese filled Ritz crackers, etc.) That way, you don't need to pay for shipping, worry about it getting there, and make extra runs to the post office right before your trip. Tell Tiffany you need a baby seat and one will be there.

(And baby food and diapers were available at the WL during our last trip. They were really expensive, but they were available).

 

[KathyK]

Thanks for the tips Crisi. We've used Tiffany plenty of times in the past, and love their service. We do plan on using them again if teh final decision is not to rent a car. I just don't like the idea of doing a grocery stop on the way to the resort because I hate feeling like i'm making someone wait (even if it is part of the service). I just know that I'd forget something because I'd feel rushed.

I wouldn't exactly be a good candidate for Supermarket Sweep. LOL

We're going to have her carseat, since we reserved a seat for DD on the plane, so the seat for the transportation isn't a worry.

 

[cinmell]

Hi KathyK! I've decided to ship baby supplies ahead b/c just like you, I don't want to go shopping on vacation! I know it's not a big deal to stop, but we just want to get there. I asked a question regarding shipping things to yourself at a resort and received quite a few responses. Here is the link if you are interested. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=232555

I was going to pack the stuff in a suitcase but decided it would take up too much room so we're shipping a box. People on theses boards have seemed to have good luck with this method. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[cinmell]

Kathy, I should also have added this to my previous post but I forgot. Sorry.

Call your hotel and get the exact address from them. We are going to be staying at the GF so I called and they told me to include on the package the following information: name, check-in date and to address your package to Your name c/o GF Resort. The CM also told me that USPS does not deliver on property so they will accept packages from UPS, Fedex and Airborne.

 

[KathyK]

Thanks for the link to the thread cinmell, that's exactly the information I was looking for.

--Kathy

 

[cinmell]

You're welcome!

 

[crisi]

I know what you mean. I hate stopping because I hate the delay - I'm excited to get to WDW. And I HATE shopping someplace I don't know. But I used to be a shipping manager for a living (many years ago), and I've spent too much of my time tracking down packages that never arrived. That would be disasterous with no rental car and no diapers! And I'm too much of a control freak to trust FedEx. So we shop.

 

[Barb D]

Of course, you could just bring a whole suitcase full of diapers, and fill it with souvenirs for the return trip.

 

[Gamblers]

That is great idea!!!!!!

I will certainly see if there are somethings that I can send ahead so I will not have to take on the plane with us.

Thanks for the idea.

 

[carone0318]

In June, I just did the bring the full suitcase of baby stuff and used it for goodies coming home. I brought diapers and can't forget the wipes. I also brought bibsters (great to just throw away.) I also brought sippy cups, the toys ds just can't sleep without and his pacifier (he only uses it when he sleeps and I wanted him to sleep.) I brought the blanket too. Jeez, we had a lot of stuff with us. I also brought food and juice boxes too. I found it to work out perfectly. The only thing that I had to go buy when we got there was milk. Have fun

 

[charlie11364]

Originally posted by cinmell
...snip.... The CM also told me that USPS does not deliver on property so they will accept packages from UPS, Fedex and Airborne.

UGH - I shipped USPS - I hope it's there when I get there!

 

[tw1nsmom]

When we went in 2001 our twins were 9 months old. We carried the food with us, but I wished that I had known about shipping it down. However, one thing that made our trip much easier was the way I packaged their food. I bought the individual serving formula sticks (just had to add water-no refrigeration) and I put individual servings of rice and oatmeal cereal in baggies and labeled them. I also packed plastic bowls and spoons, so that when it was feeding time I could just whip up some formula and cereal, pull out a jar of babyfood and we were all set. In the morning before going to the parks I could just grap however many individual servings we would need and go (we did make a grocery stop for bottled water). Another option to the Bibsters is the baby bjorn molded plastic bib. My kids still use them and they can wipe clean with a baby wipe when your out and about.

 

[whozit]

I wasn't travelling with a baby, but here is what worked well for me. On our trip 2 weeks ago, it was just myself and my 9 year old niece. I wanted to minimize the amount of stuff to carry through the airports, minimize waiting time for an airport shuttle to the resort, and maximize how far my dollars would go.

I shipped a box of non-perishable food (also, ponchos, sunscreen, etc) down ahead of time, and planned it so that the package was scheduled to arrive 3 days before we did. That way, I was able to check the tracking number and confirm before I left home that it arrived at the resort and got the name of the person that signed for it. I figured if the package didn't get there on the guaranteed day, they would have a couple of days to locate it. It arrived on schedule, and it had slipped my mind when I was checking in to the resort, but the CM said, "we have a package for you, I'll bring it out for you or we can have bell services deliver it." Shipping the items ahead worked out great for me.

Also, I didn’t need a rental car for the trip, but decided to use rental car to get to and from airport. I booked two one way rentals with Dollar (using the entertain code, I got an economy car for $30.23 (including everything) -- there is no one-way drop off fee on these rentals). I wasn't a "Fastlane" member, so I signed up for that online and then booked the reservation the next day when I was notified of my member number. At the airport, I stopped and picked up the baggage, then I walked right up to the counter (less than a 5 minute wait at the MCO counter, and there was a long line for non-Fastlane members--the counter help were calling for extra help from the other terminal), then, we walked right across to the Dollar lot (no waiting for a rental car shuttle van because Dollar is on-site) and we were on the road (in a Dodge Neon) to WDW less than 15 minutes after I picked the luggage up off the carousel. We stopped at the grocery store on the way to the resort to pick up milk, yogurt, cheese, meat, etc. Drove to out resort (Port Orleans Riverside), checked in, drove to the parking space near our room and unloaded everything. Since we had the car available for 24 hours, and didn’t plan to spend a partial day at a park, we drove to the outlet malls that afternoon, then drove to Dollar's location at the Courtyard by Marriott near Downtown Disney. Dropped the paperwork and car keys in the drop box (the counter is only staffed from 8:30am - 4:30pm). Walked about 4 blocks to Downtown Disney, spent some time there and then caught the boat back to Port Orleans (could also have taken the Disney bus). Since I couldn't leave a 9 year old alone, she came along, but if you have 2 adults, you would have the option of having one of you stay back at the room to let your baby nap (or go splash in the pool) instead of everyone going along to drop off the car. On our last morning, we went to Blizzard Beach for a few hours, then caught a bus to Downtown Disney, walked the 4 blocks to the Marriott and picked up the car (again, paperwork was done in 5 minutes), drove back to POR, loaded luggage in car, spent a few more hours at the resort pool, then off to the airport. At the airport, stopped for curbside baggage check-in, then dropped the car off (took about 2 minutes).

All in all, the two car rentals saved me money, gave me some other options (grocery store, outlet mall) and I don’t think they added any extra wasted time. And shipping the box of nonperishables was really helpful…..I could not have handled more luggage at the airports, and I saved quite a bit of money by shopping for bargains ahead of time and the shipping the items down. Good luck!