Get Those Disney Souvenirs Home Safely!

[Lou Mongello]

OK. You've just maxed out your credit cards at The World of Disney store. Mickey ears - check. Four snowglobes - check. 67 new pins - check (wth lanyard, of course). Required T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, shorts, mugs, frames, Mickey-shaped waffle iron - check. Great! Now... now do you get all that stuff home?! Certfied professional Disney shopper Dan Bejma offers some practical advice on how to get all your goodies home. Safely.

[olmec26]

I read the article, and told my parents about it because it's a good plan!


However, when I told them about it:

MOM: "Yeah, bu that costs money!"
ME: "But you don't have to worry about bringing your stuf on the plane!"
MOM: "I don't think so..."


Sorry, they don't like it, but I do!

[jarmitc2032]

How much does it cost?

[Jacknife]

Hmm... The link seems to be broke.

[Lou Mongello]

Fixed it. Sorry 'bout that.

[imtigger2]

olmec26 - If you pack your bags to the 50lb per limit like we do, it costs much less to ship a box home than it will for the $25-50 per bag fee that the airport will charge you for going over. My 23lb box cost me about $46.. which I know, is a lot for some people, but I 'wanted' my stuff to be there NEXT DAY to have the gifts for friends and all that weekend. I took the most expensive shipping option.

To ship the same box via UPS Ground (with tracking number and insurance) would cost you $19, less than the overweight airline fees, and your items in my opinion, would arrive in better condition, and not be subject to search and inspection procedures. A bargain!

Keep in mind that my ideas for getting souvenirs home is for us "pros" (or obsessives) who can't help themselves from buying up everything new in sight, us who like to purchase snowglobes (which in it's box, can take up 1/4 of a good size suitcase), statues, and lots of other 'stuff'. For the person who buys a few pins and bumper stickers, throwing it all in your suitcase IS an option.

Thanks for reading all! ... and Happy Travels!

Dan Bejma
imtigger2
Carlsbad, CA

[olmec26]

Let me just say that I agree with you totally! It's my mother who thinks that the idea is insane...

[imtigger2]

Here's another idea for those who purchase maybe one or two "large" items (a snowglobe, or "big figure", or a fragile statue for example) and want to get them home safe;

Consider having your items shipped directly to your home, right from the cash register! It's handled right there at the register. You'll immediately be given the cost estimate and you pay the shipping charges at the register. Then it's out of sight, and out of mind for the rest of your trip.

As well, I'm told that if you ship to another state, you may be exempt from sales tax, which would help to offset the cost of having Disney pack and ship your item home.

Other advantages of having Disney pack n ship it for you is that you don't have to carry it back to your hotel, and then worry about getting it home. Also, if it arrives defective or damaged in any way, Disney will accept the return and ship a replacement to you! What could be easier!

If anyone here has good or bad experiences with using that option, I'd like to hear about it.

Thanks again!...

Dan Bejma
imtigger2
Carlsbad, CA

[snuggie]

We always drive down, but i have used this feature on my larger purchases.--always fed ex!!

They charge you $25 dollars--they pack and shipp for you. I have been told there was no weight issue--We pay no tax in GA. I think they told me that all purchases shipped out of state the tax was exempt.

Make one stop--do all shopping and have them shipped home--I have never had any problems and use this all the time on my larger purchases(snow globes, my clock from Japan(thoses neat ones with movement--it's a small world brand)--my figurines. You have to shipp at time of purchase, my advice is to add a couple of things to make it worthwhile!!

any questions just ask!!

[yensid1071]

This is a great way to ship things home! I haven't used it, but it sounds like a great plan!

I'm with imtigger2... since 1994, we've had most all of our stuff shipped by the WDW people. Since we live in TX, we don't pay the FL sales tax. We've used UPS ground each time and it's taken about 2 weeks to get to us. The cost of shipping is nearly the same of the sales tax (just a couple dollars either way. Sometimes the shipping is cheaper). We've learned to plot our purchases so we can send more stuff in fewer boxes so we don't overpay on shipping. We tend to wait and buy a lot at once instead of little by little. Guests in line see the total bill and have this odd look on their face! They ring it up and we walk away with a receipt while the CM is busy bagging and stuffing our merchandise. But it's sure nice to open the box at home, find a bag of Mickey pretzels we bought and munch on them while you unwrap everything else! It's almost like Christmas all over again!!

One time we had a bunch of ornaments shipped from Days of Christmas at DTD. One of them broke, so we called and advised them. They happily sent a replacement. It sure makes it easier to fly home when you know you don't have to carry it all on the plane or stuff it in a car!!