Need groceries in your Walt Disney World trip? Utilizing a supply grocery service is a money-saving method to get snacks and meals delivered to your resort. This submit provides ideas, data, and a comparability of Instacart, Amazon Prime Now, Walmart+ or Ubering to Goal, Dealer Joe’s, Complete Meals, or Publix. (Up to date March 17, 2024.)
There have been a number of massive adjustments on the grocery supply entrance in the previous few years as new companies have popped up and others have pale. As a threshold matter, grocery supply continues to be allowed at Walt Disney World. Different guidelines and insurance policies have modified relating to ECVs and baggage dealing with with the tip of Disney’s Magical Categorical. Nevertheless, nothing has modified with grocery supply.
Motels nonetheless enable bell companies and the entrance desk to just accept groceries (relying upon how they’re ordered/shipped), with the identical procedures as earlier than. We’ll talk about the specifics of that right here, however suffice to say, we nonetheless strongly suggest getting groceries at Walt Disney World for a straightforward method to save money and time, amongst different issues…
Grocery supply has turn into extra widespread amongst Walt Disney World company in the course of the present ‘period’ of inflation, which has disproportionately impacted meals prices. Menu costs at Walt Disney World have been excessive earlier than, however they’ve gone up much more within the final yr. That is on prime of every thing else at Walt Disney World– costs have elevated considerably throughout the board within the final couple of years. Simply have a look at How A lot Does a Disney World Trip Price?
Naturally, many guests need to trim their journey price range down a bit, and meals prices are one of many best methods with out compromising the standard of the expertise. We cowl find out how to this in High 14 Methods to Save Cash at Walt Disney World in 2024, one in every of which is doing grocery supply particularly for breakfast and snacks.
For one factor, there’s nearly no alternative value to this. For those who do grocery supply and order Coke or different packaged snacks, they’re going to style the identical as those you purchase at Walt Disney World. The one distinction is that they’re considerably cheaper. Similar goes for vegetables and fruit, that are extremely costly within the parks, and style no completely different from what you’d get at Walmart or Publix.
As for breakfast, it’s the weakest meal at Walt Disney World. By skipping breakfast on the meals courts, you aren’t lacking a lot–except you take pleasure in powdered eggs and rubber bacon–by consuming breakfast in your room. Put that financial savings in direction of higher lunches and dinners!
We’d really take {that a} step additional and argue that changing a counter service breakfast with in-room groceries can really enhance your Walt Disney World trip. It’s simpler and extra environment friendly to do breakfast in your room, and having nutrient dense groceries in your room may give you a wholesome, energizing begin to your day.
All of because of this grocery supply won’t simply prevent cash, but additionally time and complications. Even in the event you don’t need to put together full meals, we’d strongly suggest some primary snacks and easy objects to tide you over so you may keep away from the dinner-time rush crowds. Past doing grocery supply, our single greatest eating suggestion proper now could be consuming at off-hours. For those who can eat breakfast in-room, take a snack with to the park, and eat “lunch” at 2 or 3 pm and “dinner” after 7 pm, you’ll save a ton of time and frustration.
Turning to logistics, it’s price beginning by noting that commonplace resorts at Walt Disney World have moved from common mini-fridges to glass entrance beverage coolers, like what’s pictured above. These wouldn’t have freezers, and show a sticker on the surface indicating that they cool to 41 levels and above.
As you may see within the pictures right here, we at all times get yogurt and cottage cheese as a part of our grocery supply orders. That is perhaps taking part in with hearth and isn’t a “greatest follow” for dairy, however we’ve by no means had any points. We wouldn’t retailer uncooked steaks or eggs in these beverage coolers…however there’s additionally no cause to buy both of these issues because you’d don’t have any method to cook dinner them.
Absolutely the simplest way to purchase groceries (other than bringing them your self in checked baggage) is to go to the present store in your Walt Disney World resort resort. Each resort has a restricted choice of groceries, together with refrigerated stuff. Whereas a banana isn’t really $10, there’s a substantial markup on every thing in these retailers.
This stuff are nonetheless cheaper than shopping for ready objects within the parks, and it’s a pleasant choice to have in a pinch, however you actually shouldn’t anticipate to go “grocery procuring” at your resort. It’s impractical from each a price and choice perspective.
With that out of the way in which, let’s check out a number of the greatest choices for getting groceries at Walt Disney World, together with Amazon, Walmart Plus, Instacart, close by comfort shops or grocery supply for cheap breakfast, beer, fruit, greens, and different issues sometimes bought for a big mark-up by Disney…
Grocery Supply
For these unfamiliar with grocery supply companies, the gist of the service is that you just go on their web site, order from a preset choice of groceries (you can even make particular requests that they sometimes fulfill) at costs which are barely marked up assembly a minimal greenback requirement for the order, they go to Publix or Complete Meals and choose up the objects, and drop them off at your resort. It’s principally what it feels like: a private grocery shopper.
Grocery supply companies takes the objects you order on to your resort at Walt Disney World, leaving them with bell companies (which refrigerates perishable objects). For each resort stays at Walt Disney World within the final two years, we’ve used Walmart+ for grocery supply. Walmart+ is principally the superstore’s reply to Amazon Prime. A membership to Walmart+ prices $98 per yr or $12.95 a month. Nevertheless, you may presently do a free 30-day trial to Walmart+ by way of Sarah’s referral hyperlink.
Our experiences with Walmart+ at Walt Disney World (and past) have all been top-notch. We actually like the flexibility to trace order progress within the app and obtain real-time updates, which has enabled us to fulfill the motive force to obtain the order quite than having them go away it with bell companies. (That’s only a matter of private choice–we’ve additionally had orders dropped off after we have been within the parks.)
One massive suggestion we’ve got with Walmart+ is to order a number of days prematurely. Order time slots can replenish, and also you may need to pay surge pricing or select an inconvenient supply time in the event you order final minute. We’ve additionally needed to do same-day orders for objects we wanted in a pinch, and it labored out tremendous–nevertheless it wasn’t excellent. (It’s additionally not at all times doable–we’ve seen slots completely full throughout holidays or hurricane season.)
There are a number of Walmarts which are handy to Walt Disney World, so the service is fairly environment friendly. For those who don’t have a Walmart+ membership, you can even simply order from the shop’s web site or app and pay a supply price. Walmart+ is our #1 selection for grocery supply at Walt Disney World as of 2024.
We’ve additionally used Instacart and have had optimistic experiences with that. In case you’re unfamiliar with it, Instacart is actually a private shopper service. You basically browse the aisles of native grocery shops proper out of your cellphone. After inserting an order, an Instacart shopper goes to the shop and purchases your objects and delivers them to you.
You possibly can place an order from Publix, CVS, ABC Effective Wine & Spirits, or Complete Meals. We’ve solely ordered from Publix (which is the grocery retailer in Florida, in order that’s in all probability what you’ll need to use except you simply need booze), however the expertise was good. All the similar upsides as Walmart Plus, simply barely costlier. For $10 off your first Instacart order, right here’s Sarah’s referral hyperlink.
At this level, Instacart can be our #2 grocery supply choose after Walmart Plus.
One other comparable choice is Amazon Prime Now. When ordering by way of the app or Amazon.com, you may have objects delivered inside 2 hours in case you have a Prime membership–there’s now a $9.95 supply price for objects sourced from Complete Meals, and Amazon Contemporary orders now have a sliding scale for supply charges primarily based on the price of the order.
We’ve discovered that choice is extra restricted by way of Amazon Prime Now than Walmart Plus, and costs are typically increased–particularly in the event you’re procuring at Complete Meals (nevertheless it’s in all probability apparent that Walmart is cheaper than Complete Meals). With that stated, Amazon provides tens of 1000’s of every day necessities together with quite a few dry meals and perishable objects like deli meat, pizza, cheese, bread, juice, and many others.
Nonetheless, it’s Amazon, which is environment friendly and has an enormous choice. That makes it #3 behind Walmart+ and Instacart.
Lastly, there are the locally-owned and operated choices. The highest of this class is Dizzy Dolphin Supply and Trip Grocery Supply. The previous was established by Disney Trip Membership members and the latter was created by former Solid Members.
We’ve heard nice issues about each Dizzy Dolphin and Trip Grocery Supply from readers, mates, and even (present) Bell Companies Solid Members on the bottom at Walt Disney World. If you need essentially the most dependable choices, extra devoted customer support, or to assist native companies, these are nearly actually your two greatest choices.
Nevertheless, we’ve but to make use of Dizzy Dolphin or Trip Grocery Supply. The large impediments for us are the premium pricing and supply charges. I don’t doubt that each are improbable, and having native groups which are skilled with Walt Disney World and the ins and outs of grocery supply on the resorts actually helps. However we’ve but to have any points with Walmart, Instacart, or Amazon (knock on wooden)–and the associated fee distinction makes these selections apparent for us. To every their very own, although.
Another choice price mentioning is Backyard Grocer, which was our go-to for a few decade (possibly extra). We actually need to preserve recommending them since they’re regionally owned and operated. Nevertheless, the costs have skyrocketed and aren’t even remotely aggressive with Walmart+ or Amazon. Backyard Grocer additionally has extra restricted choice, and requires ordering additional prematurely.
We’ve additionally heard a rising variety of combined critiques for Backyard Grocer within the final two years–one thing that by no means used to occur. As such, we not suggest Backyard Grocer in any respect. We don’t not suggest them, we’re simply detached to them. There’s no compelling cause to not use Walmart Plus, Instacart, or Amazon at this level.
By way of what we order, carrots and grapefruit are go-tos for whereas we prepare, throwing a pair items of fruit in our luggage to take to the park, and discover this works rather well. With a single banana, apple, or orange costing $2+ within the parks, this financial savings provides up shortly. It’s additionally in all probability higher “pure” power than the copious quantities of caffeine I devour on any given day at Walt Disney World, too. For those who drink, one other nice money-saving use of grocery supply is for beer; for lower than the price of a single beer within the parks, you may get a 6-pack!
Orders are delivered to bell companies at your resort throughout the supply window chosen. After we’ve used the service, I signal as much as obtain each an e-mail notification and a textual content message (elective) when the products arrived. Our supply experiences have been flawless. Groceries are picked up from Publix, and chilly objects have been separated out and refrigerated by bell companies on the resort (so remember to tip them).
Walt Disney World is now charging a $6 per package deal dealing with price for every package deal that’s obtained by way of the entrance desk or delivered to your resort room. Beforehand, this package deal price solely utilized to resorts with conference facilities, however it’s being prolonged to all resorts.
The excellent news is two-fold. First, in the event you choose up your order from bell companies, there’s nonetheless no price (as that’s not the entrance desk); it solely applies if the order is delivered to your room. Second, the price continues to be far lower than you may anticipate to pay on mark-up on groceries at Walt Disney World present retailers.
Different Methods to Get Groceries at WDW
Now, onto alternate options. There are another grocery supply companies in Orlando, together with Grocery Categorical, Kroger Grocery Supply, and Shipt. If in case you have a membership to any of those, you in all probability already know the way they work and have your favourite. For those who don’t, there’s no level getting one for Walt Disney World.
If in case you have a rental automobile, you would possibly simply go to the grocery retailer your self–except you need to save time. Even in the event you don’t have a rental automobile, you would possibly think about going your self. Due to Uber, you may make a round-trip grocery run your self for about $25-35 relying upon your Walt Disney World resort, the shop to which you go (see addresses beneath for closest location, and the way lengthy it takes you to buy.
For starters, use our Suggestions for Utilizing Uber at Walt Disney World submit as a primer in the event you’re unfamiliar with Uber. Subsequent, if you request an Uber, be certain that to contact the motive force instantly and inform them that you just’re doing a grocery run, to see if it’s okay with them. Drivers will extra seemingly be okay with this in the event you inform them they will drive across the parking zone whereas they watch for you (drivers are paid in miles and minutes, so in the event that they sit parked ready, they gained’t make a lot whilst you store).
For those who’re a Complete Meals fanatic or transfer on the velocity of Large Al in a grocery retailer, and plan to spend 60 minutes attending to intimately know the place, you would possibly simply have one driver drop you off after which request one other to choose you up. Most drivers don’t thoughts passengers with groceries however, once more, you would possibly need to contact them to verify (it doesn’t take a detective to infer {that a} pick-up at a grocery retailer goes to have…groceries, although).
For those who’re going to get groceries your self, hit up Complete Meals (8003 Turkey Lake Street, Orlando, FL 32819), Publix (Regency Village Purchasing Heart, Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL), SuperTarget (4795 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34746) Goal at Flamingo Crossings (204 Ruby Purple Place, Winter Backyard, FL 34787) or Dealer Joe’s (8323 West Sand Lake Street, Orlando, FL 32819).
The Goal at Flamingo Crossings is one in every of many shops in that new growth that has lately debuted. It is a smaller retailer, however has a sturdy choice of groceries and booze (it primarily companies School Program housing and space resorts). That is about 10 minutes from Coronado Springs, Animal Kingdom, or the All Stars. Though past the scope of this submit, Flamingo Crossings can also be an up-and-coming resort district that we’d extremely suggest. See our Information to Flamingo Crossings: Walt Disney World’s Second Springs for more information & recommendation.
Another choice in the event you don’t have a rental automobile and don’t need to pay for Uber or a taxi is to hit up the Speedway fuel station that’s positioned inside strolling distance of the Swan & Dolphin, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn (simply outdoors the parking zone), and Yacht & Seaside Membership. For those who’re staying on the Swan & Dolphin with out a automobile, this is perhaps the best choice as these two resorts not enable grocery supply.
Choice is proscribed (…it’s a fuel station), but when it’s essential to fill up on air fresheners and Rockstar power drink, that is the place for you. The choice isn’t fairly that restricted, and it’s really a superb, low-budget choice. I might strongly not suggest doing this except you’re staying at one in every of these resorts. You would possibly look just a little loopy carrying a bag of groceries on two separate buses en route again to your resort, and admittedly, you wouldn’t simply look just a little loopy doing that, you’d be just a little loopy going by way of all that problem.
Delivery issues to ourselves from Amazon or Amazon Pantry has been an alternative choice that has labored for us, too. Amazon is nice in the event you’re solely on the lookout for pre-packaged objects. We’ve discovered beef jerky, power bars, Starbucks VIA, and Gatorade combine packets to be a number of the greatest issues to get from Amazon. You may additionally need to take a look at what different snack objects presently have coupons by way of Amazon. We’ve got different solutions in our What to Pack for Walt Disney World submit.
By way of the logical choices, I believe that about covers it. I say logical as a result of there are seemingly some “on the market” options like shopping for completely different snack objects at every present store in World Showcase and spending $593 within the course of, however that will defy logic. For those who don’t need to spend your restricted time occurring grocery runs, Amazon, Walmart Plus, and Instacart are all good choices. Alternatively, these with a rental automobile or willingness to make use of Uber and an additional hour or so to spare would possibly think about going to one of many many grocery shops positioned about 10 miles off-site.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? For those who’re excited by studying extra about resorts, our Walt Disney World Motels Evaluations web page is an effective place to start out. For the place to eat, check out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations web page. If you wish to get monetary savings on tickets or decide which kind it’s best to get, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a singular have a look at unconventional issues it’s best to take in your journey. When you arrive on the parks, our Walt Disney World “Journey Guides” are nice for figuring out what to do and when to do it. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every thing it’s essential to know!
Your Ideas
How do you get groceries at Walt Disney World? What are your favourite objects to order when you might have groceries delivered to you? Have you ever had any optimistic or unfavourable experiences with the grocery supply companies? We love to listen to from readers, so in case you have any ideas or questions, submit them within the feedback!
