This EASY Disney World Packing Tip Will Save You Both Money AND Suitcase Space!
Diapers, groceries, party supplies, and those last-minute prescription sunglasses you ordered for your Disney World vacation that aren’t going to make it to your house in time (that last one may have been just us!) — there are often a lot of things you’d like to have with you when you’re in Disney World, but they’re bulky and heavy and take up tons of packing space…or, you know, won’t arrive in time for your vacation!
Toy Story Land
But guess what! We’ve got a solution. And it’s just as simple as can be…if you know the ins and outs. Luckily, we DO know those ins and outs…and we can help you save some serious packing space, time, and money (those baggage fees are cray cray right now) with this step-by-step!
Wanna know what it is? SHIP IT! Yep — ship it all to yourself in Disney World! No packing, no lugging, no paying outrageous fees for bags at the airport.
So just how DO you get packages and essential items delivered to you in Disney World? Here we go!
If you ever thought you were limited to only what you could carry in your suitcase to bring with you to Disney World, guess again! You see, many folks have gotten wise to sending packages to their Disney World resorts ahead of time to save on precious luggage space. Every Disney World hotels will accept packages for you…just make sure to follow the rules to ensure they’ll get to you safely. (There’s NOTHING worse than shipping diapers…and needing diapers…and yo’ diapers aren’t there!)
Hollywood Studios
Shipping to Your Disney World Resort
This isn’t as intimidating as it seems! Guests choose to ship items from home all the time and Disney is happy to help!
Instructions for Shipping a Package to Your Disney World Resort
Here’s what you should do to mail a package to your resort:
- First of all, don’t ship anything that will get there more than a week before you arrive (anything within a week of your check-in date is fine).
- Use the official shipping address listed for your Disney World hotel. This can be found on the Disney World website. Simply search for your resort hotel, and on the main page for each hotel, on the righthand side, you’ll see the mailing address for the resort.
The Address is on the Right-hand Side
- When you address your package, include the word “Guest” with the arrival date and name of the person under whose name the room is registered written clearly on the package (preferably on the line below the hotel name!).
Gran Destino Tower Front Desk
An example address would be:
The Grand Floridian Resort
GUEST: Cinderella Charming ARRIVAL DATE: 02/01/2020
4401 Floridian Way
Follow these simple instructions and your well-marked package or packages should get to your Disney World resort without any trouble. You can pick up your packages at the front desk 24 hours a day (in theory…in practice the number of cast members on duty in the middle of the night can get a little thin, so you might want to prioritize getting your package during the daytime hours if possible) and there is a $6 service fee PER package, regardless of size, which will be charged to your room.
Once you arrive and check-in, ask the Cast Member at Guest Relations in your hotel if there are any packages waiting for you. Often, these will be noted on your file prior to arrival. You can also ask Bell Services to get your items for you and deliver them to your room for no additional cost. We always try to give ’em a nice tip to thank them for their help.
Note that when we spoke to a Cast Member while researching this story, we asked specifically about resorts with Conference Centers (like the Grand Floridian, Coronado Springs, Yacht and Beach Clubs, etc). In the past, several DFB team members have had packages mistakenly end up in conference center mail rooms…which aren’t always open. (Trust us, it’s NO fun hunting down a package at midnight that’s been relegated to a conference center!)
Cast Members assured us that all mail is routed through the same locations, and if the additional notations mentioned above are included on the shipping label, it should make it to the front desk of the resort without issue.
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Grocery Delivery to Your Disney World Resort
So now that we know how delivering packages works, what about groceries and sundries? Lots of guests love getting their bottled water, snacks, and other supplies sent directly to their resort of choice! (This can save you suitcase space, but it can also save you a TON of $$$ when you don’t have to pay Disney prices for your grocery basics.) Here’s how to do it!
Polynesian Lobby
Instructions for Having Groceries or Other Items Delivered to Your Disney World Resort
First, you’ll want to find a reputable service provider. Instacart, a newer service, will pick up items from multiple locations such as CVS, Target, Publix, Costco, and more. They will charge you a fee per location as well as a service fee. This fee can vary, but in our research, we found a charge of about $3.99 per location, plus a small delivery fee of around 5% of your order total. They also recommend tipping your delivery person. In general, most people with only one location in their order paid around $10 in fees for the delivery.
Garden Grocer is another popular, but pricer option. They have a good relationship with Disney World and many folks have used them for many years; but they set their own stock and prices, so you may pay a bit more here. Garden Grocer charges $14 per order, or the delivery is free if your order is over $200.
Many other delivery options exist like Amazon Prime Now, Shipt, Walmart Delivery, and many more. Do your research before you go (you may be using one of these services at home already and be able to use it easily at Disney World!) and see what will work best for you.
The good news with grocery delivery is no matter how many boxes or bags your items arrive in, your Disney World hotel will only charge you a flat-rate fee of $6 (it’s not $6 per item like it is with packages, what a relief!).
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort: French Quarter
And here’s where we love Disney World hotels even that much more! If you have perishables in your bags, each of the hotel’s Bell Services has a refrigerator and a freezer to keep your items nice and cold! That means when your groceries get dropped off, Cast Members will take care of items that obviously need to be refrigerated or frozen.
Wilderness Lodge
If you have groceries delivered, you can call up Bell Services to deliver your items to your room for you for free (just remember to tip!) or you can retrieve them yourself.
Just note, Disney World won’t hand over your age-restricted items such as cigarettes or alcohol to you without seeing a form of identification, so plan to head to the front desk with an ID in these instances. We’ll note as well that on rare occasions, we’ve encountered delivery services refusing to release age-restricted items to Disney until you meet them to show your ID (meaning you’ll have to schedule meeting up at the same time!). This is rare and you can usually ask for them to leave it with Bell Services, as they will check ID before releasing.
Art of Animation Lobby
Shipping From Disney World
How about shipping a package from Disney World BACK home? You know — just in case you somehow ended up with too many souvenirs or have extra supplies you can’t cram into your suitcase! You can have any Disney World shop or store mail your Disney purchases to your home; and any Disney World hotel with a convention or business center can mail your non-Disney packages for you (standard shipping and handling rates still apply).
Otherwise you’ll need to purchase postage or preprint a shipping label before you leave home. Most Disney World hotels can mail any pre-packaged, pre-labeled packages for you, while several Disney World gift shops sell postage stamps should you have the need!
Mailbox in Hollywood Studios
We hope after reading this, you now feel confident to try shipping something to your Disney World resort for your next visit! It’s really not as scary as it seems! Whether you’re shipping baby supplies, bulky items you don’t want to pack, or even maybe something special for a holiday, like Christmas presents, ship with confidence. You GOT THIS!
Have you ever shipped yourself a package directly to your Disney World resort? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
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