Save Money with Grocery Delivery

People are always looking for ways to save money on trips to Disney. Here is one of the easiest and often most overlooked ways to do just that: grocery delivery. You can have groceries delivered right to your resort, and then maybe you won’t have to pay for a meal or two in the parks. Not only can you save money with grocery delivery, but you can also save TIME! By having pop tarts or individual cereal boxes, or even Lunchables, you skip waiting to order, waiting for pick up, and all of that!

Garden Grocer – Pros

This is the most popular route for many people and has probably been around the longest. This service is much like Instacart and Amazon Fresh, in that you order what you want and someone does the shopping for you.

Step 1 is to create an account (this part is free). Then you order your groceries. Finally, you checkout and pay. Unlike many other services, you just need to enter the name of your resort, and they will populate the rest. You do not need to meet your delivery person at the resort. Bell services will hold and refrigerate your items for you, at no extra cost, until you either arrive at your resort or return from the parks. Plain and simple!

Garden Grocer – Cons

Now for the fine print, and unfortunately, there is a bunch of it for Garden Grocer.

For starters, there is a $14 delivery fee for all orders under $200. If your order is over $200, there is no fee. I mean, we usually go for 10 days and I order about $40, so that’s not gonna get the fee waived. And while I like having some food and drinks available, I’m not on vacation to cook. So I doubt I’ll ever order $200 worth of groceries.
Yacht/Beach Clubs, Boardwalk, and Campgrounds only accept deliveries after 4 pm, so keep that in mind.
They require you to order at least 2 days in advance. If you order the day before, expect to pay an extra $20 fee. Same-day orders run an extra $30 fee. They do offer discounts via their website for orders 180, 90, 60 days, etc in advance so if you know exactly what you’ll be ordering and that sounds great to you, visit their site and order whenever you’re ready!

Amazon Fresh

Formerly known as Amazon Prime Now, this is a quick, same-day ordering service. It does require an Amazon Prime Membership and, quite honestly, if you’ve made it through the last two years without having a Prime Membership, just skip ahead to the next option, because there is no reason you should start now.

Amazon does own Whole Foods, so this option also allows you the opportunity to get more healthy and/or special dietary options, such as gluten free or vegan, than some other places. And it’s very convenient. I have ordered from the jetway before and it arrives at the resort around the same time as I do.

Shipt

Like Amazon, Shipt requires a membership, and it’s $99/year. However, they do offer a 1-day Shipt pass, prices vary, so it may be something to look into if you’ve been on the fence about becoming a Shipt member in your own city and want to give it a try on vacation. They offer same-day delivery.

Currently, you can shop at Publix, Target, and Winn Dixie for Walt Disney World delivery.

Instacart

Like Shipt and Amazon, you can order Instacart for same-day delivery. Unlike Shipt and Amazon, you do not have to have a membership. But they will have fees.

For example, if you want something delivered within an hour, there will be a rush fee involved. You can order days in advance, like Garden Grocer, and set up a delivery time.

Instacart currently delivers from Target, Publix, Aldi, Total Wine and More, Costco, BJs, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits.

WeGoShop – Pros

Started in 1999, this is billed as “the original personal shopper.” The original way to save money with grocery delivery, if you will! They shop from Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Publix, and Winn Dixie.

WeGoShop – Cons

Unfortunately, they have A LOT of fees, and it’s all dependent on who does your shopping for you.

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels – Grocery-Storing Basics

Every Disney hotel room has at least a mini-fridge, so you will always have the opportunity to keep things cold, like milk for cereal, bottled water, etc. Family Suites, available at Art of Animation and All-Star Music, and DVC Deluxe Studios have kitchenettes. Villas, Cabins, Bungalows, and some suites in Deluxe hotels come with full kitchens, as do the Cabins at Fort Wilderness.

If you get nothing from this, just trust me that you will want to buy your own water. You can get a case of water for the price of 1 bottle of water in the parks! Again, this reduces both spending AND wasting time waiting in line. As I mentioned in my piece about surviving the summer-in-Florida heat, it’s a smart idea to bring your own water bottles. You can fill up in your room with your bottled water before leaving for the parks, then fill up as needed! Snacks and drinks are good to have to fend off the late night urge to snack! (or mid-day or all day, I don’t judge!)

Of course, there are also grocery items for sale in your hotel gift shop, and while they’re not exactly $27 for one banana, it’s not cheap. Kind of defeats the point of trying to save money with grocery delivery! Depending on which resort you’re at, you may be able to just walk to Speedway but, I mean…..it’s a gas station.

Groceries and Where to Find Them

You can also Uber/Lyft/Taxi to a grocery store (or drive yourself, if you have a car). Should you choose that route, here’s some more helpful information for you: