souvenir packing question

[disneymomof3]

well since we are flying now i didn't consider

what we will do with all our souvenir's for our return flight home....
any suggestions??
should i have them mailed to my house?
I am traveling with 4 kids so i want to try and NOT carry too much stuff through security....my kids are 6 years old and under

 

[Victoria]

Leave extra room in the suitcase or pack a small empty duffel bag in your suitcase. When you come home just stick everything in the duffel bag and some one can have it as their carry-on. Shipping the stuff home to your house will get very expensive and it takes forever. I don't know how much you plan to buy, but I have always managed to shove everything in my suitcase on the way home. The only stuff that ever ends up in my carry-on is the breakable stuff that would get smashed easily in the big suitcase.

 

[Computer Magic]

I agree anything breakable should be stored as a carry-on. As for clothing, your checked luggage is fine.

 

[NadieMasK2]

When we fly, we always pack a large duffel bag that folds down pretty small but provides lots of extra room for the trip back. You'll just have to keep that in mind when shopping...I know that my upcoming trip will NOT be the time to buy the Cinderella Castle toy I've been wanting!

 

[Monty]

I pack an old military duffel in my suitcase and put dirty laundry [and purchased Disney clothing] in it throughout the trip. As it fills, my suitcase magically gains more and more room for souvenirs!

DS13 and I can fit everything we need for a week into one suitcase going down, so two bags returning can still be checked baggage.

 

[Phonedave]

I pack an old military duffel in my suitcase and put dirty laundry [and purchased Disney clothing] in it throughout the trip. As it fills, my suitcase magically gains more and more room for souvenirs!

DS13 and I can fit everything we need for a week into one suitcase going down, so two bags returning can still be checked baggage.

I pack a duffel as well (not a military one, thats huge) but what I do is take all my stuff out of the bags they give you when you buy them, and I put dirty laundry into those. Just a pair of shorts and a shirt or so in each one. Then I use those a padding around the stuff I have bought.

I have shipped big things home, but that does get expensive.

-dave

 

[H20Babie]

Along the same lines as above, I pack a smaller suitcase (with clothes, etc.) inside a larger suitcase.

I also have expandable luggage.

 

[disneytopdog]

Just DO NOT buy any snow globes...you have to put them in your check bags.

 

[MyNameisStitch]

I went a few years bag and bought an oversized plush and the night before I got to thinking and couldn't figure out how to get it on the plane home. I called the airline and told them how big it was and they said I could try carrying it on otherwise I would have to ship it. So I got to thinking and I called my friend who was giving me a ride to the airport and asked if we could stop at Walmart. I bought a full size suitcase, packed the plush in it, checked it and then when I got home took it back to the store LOL. Thank you Walmart for having such a wonderful return policy

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

We had to buy an extra bag last time to fit everything in. The nice people at Virgin covered it in "Fragile" stickers and everything made it home in one piece

 

[MinnieLee]

I do Xmas shopping every year during our October trip. I also put a suitcase in a suitcase AND also have a large bag that I put inside that but I also ship home. You don't pay tax on yur merchandise just the shipping charges based on what your total bill is so it averages around $15 to ship. Better than paying the overweight charges at the airport. If anything arrives broken you just call and they will send you a replacement. The packages usually arrive about 5 days after we come home. I love coming home from work and seeing the boxes at my front door!

 

[disneynut4u]

We flew in 2000 (pre-9/11) & not knowing exactly why, we packed extra duffle bags. We THOUGHT we'd use it for dirty clothes. NOT!!! We never gave a thought how we were going to get that giant T-Rex home! We ended up folding the tail up against the body and packing a few clothes around it. We had other bags that we used for souvenirs as well. We also didn't think about the pirate rifle getting home!! We put it into one of the suitcases with photo albums (with one of them getting a hole poked into it). It was not fun. We have driven every year since then, but our van ends up overloaded too. The funny thing is, we never think we're buying that much until we go to load up.

I did read somewhere that if you ship stuff home, you can go to the front desk and request a box. You can put a lot of stuff in there. If you go to FedEx or UPS, I heard they charge "per item". If the resort does it for you, it's by total weight. They say this will save you quite a bit. We are considering this for our trip in May.

 

[LoriMistress]

Either bring another bag for the extra souvenir or ship your items back to your home. That may be cheaper then bringing them on the flight.