Tips for Buying Groceries at Disney World
Want groceries for your 2019 Walt Disney World vacation? Using a grocery delivery service is an inexpensive way to get snacks and foods brought to your hotel. This post offers tips and a comparison of options, including Garden Grocer, Amazon Prime Now, plus other methods like Ubering to Trader Joe’s or Publix. It also details our first-hand experiences using Garden Grocer and other options we’ve used, plus potential hacks for getting groceries.
The absolute easiest way to buy groceries (aside from bringing them yourself in checked luggage) is to go to the gift shop in your Walt Disney World resort hotel. Every hotel has a limited selection of groceries, including refrigerated stuff. While a banana isn’t actually quite $5, there is a substantial markup on everything in these shops.
These items are still cheaper than buying prepared items in the parks, and it’s a nice option to have in a pinch, but you really shouldn’t expect to go “grocery shopping” at your hotel. It’s impractical from both a cost and selection perspective.
Okay, let’s take a look at some of the best options for getting groceries at Walt Disney World…
Grocery Delivery
The easiest and most robust alternative to this is a grocery delivery service that takes the items directly to your hotel at Walt Disney World, leaving them with bell services (which refrigerates perishable items). Of these, our recommended option and the most popular with Walt Disney World guests is by far Garden Grocer.
We have never been disappointed by Garden Grocer, and have always found their service to be top-notch. Our first time using them, we ordered a variety of different options, so we could prepare breakfast in our room and also have some healthy snacks for our trips (in Sarah’s case…in my case, unhealthy energy drinks). Garden Grocer had been recommended to us by friends who are Disney Vacation Club members and swear by it.
For those unfamiliar with grocery delivery services, the gist of the service is that you go on their website, order from a preset selection of groceries (you can also make special requests that they typically fulfill) at prices that are slightly marked up meeting a minimum dollar requirement for the order, they go to Publix or Whole Foods and pick up the items, and drop them off at your hotel for a delivery fee. It’s basically exactly what it sounds like: a personal grocery shopper.
Our experience with Garden Grocer has been so positive that we’ve used them even when we’ve had a rental car. I know it doesn’t take that long to go to a grocery store, but on vacation I’d rather be spending time in the parks than shopping. Garden Grocer is efficient and cheap enough that it makes more sense for me to have them do the shopping than me do it myself. (Your mileage may vary on that one.)
This is why ordering from Garden Grocer and having them deliver is my #1 option when it comes to getting groceries at Walt Disney World. If you’re confused about how to use them, I’ll explain that more below.
After our first time using Garden Grocer, we realized preparing meals, even something small like breakfast, was not at all for us. We’ve instead used Garden Grocer since primarily for healthy snacks and caffeine. From my perspective, this is one of the best uses of grocery delivery, as healthy options are really overpriced in the parks, and something I admittedly don’t get enough of on vacation. (I was heartbroken to learn that cupcakes don’t have as many “vitamins and stuff” as I thought.)
We eat some carrots and grapefruit as we get ready, throw a couple pieces of fruit in our bags to take to the park, and find this works really well. With a single banana, apple, or orange costing $2+ in the parks, this savings adds up quickly. It’s also probably better “natural” energy than the copious amounts of caffeine I consume on any given day at Walt Disney World, too. If you drink, another great money-saving use of Garden Grocer is for beer; for less than the cost of a single beer in the parks, you can get a 6-pack!
My biggest recommendation when using Garden Grocer is to order 60 days (or more) in advance. This saves you 10%, and ensures you a good selection of delivery times. Given that prices at Garden Grocer seem about 10-15% higher than in-store prices at Publix or Trader Joe’s, this discount makes the service pretty close to “at cost” of doing it yourself.
The shopping experience on the site is solid. The user interface and ordering process is easy and efficient on Garden Grocer, so I don’t think I need to walk you through that. Selecting enough stuff to meet the minimum ($40), and then place your order. Delivery is $14 on any orders costing $40 to $199, and is $2 on orders $200 and above.
Orders are delivered to bell services at your hotel within the delivery window selected. When we’ve used the service, I sign up to receive both an email notification and a text message (optional) when the goods arrived. Our delivery experiences have been flawless. Groceries are picked up from Publix, and cold items were separated out and refrigerated by bell services at the hotel (so be sure to tip them).
Random tip: one thing I recommend everyone order is Honey Mustard & Onion pretzel pieces. If you’ve never had these, frankly, you’ve never lived. I think we can all agree that Synder’s should take over sponsorship of Epcot’s Imagination pavilion, with a new subtitle for the attraction: “Imagine the Pretzelbilities!” Yes, they will make your breath smell like onions for days, but some might argue that’s actually a pro, not a con.
But I digress: you can browse the other items that Garden Grocer sells by clicking here.
Other Ways to Get Groceries at WDW
Now, onto alternatives. In addition to Garden Grocer, there are some other, similar services in Orlando. Four of those options are: Grocery Express, Goodings, WeGoShop, and Shipt. The newest of these is Shipt, which is a start-up with a membership fee, so it’s not exactly ideal for tourists.
I’ve never tested any beyond Garden Grocer, so I can’t vouch for the others. If your groceries arrive from one of those other places with an armadillo munching on the tomatoes you order, don’t come crying to me. (If you get a free armadillo with your groceries, I would hope you don’t go crying to anyone.) Frankly, given our positive experiences with Garden Grocer, I have no reason to try the rest.
If you have a rental car, you might just go to the grocery store yourself–unless you want to save time. Even if you don’t have a rental car, you might consider going yourself. Thanks to Uber, you can make a round-trip grocery run yourself for about $25-35 depending upon your Walt Disney World hotel, the store to which you go (see addresses below for closest location, and how long it takes you to shop.
For starters, use our Tips for Using Uber at Walt Disney World post as a primer if you’re unfamiliar with Uber. Next, when you request an Uber, make sure to contact the driver immediately and inform them that you’re doing a grocery run, to see if it’s okay with them. Drivers will more likely be okay with this if you tell them they can drive around the parking lot while they wait for you (drivers are paid in miles and minutes, so if they sit parked waiting, they won’t make much while you shop).
If you’re a Whole Foods enthusiast or move at the speed of Big Al in a grocery store, and plan to spend 60 minutes getting to intimately know the place, you might just have one driver drop you off and then request another to pick you up. Most drivers don’t mind passengers with groceries but, again, you might want to contact them to confirm (it doesn’t take a detective to deduce that a pick-up at a grocery store is going to have…groceries, though).
Personally, any visit I make to the grocery store is conducted Mission: Impossible style–I want to get in and out as quickly as possible before my tolerance for being in a store explodes. If you’ve never used Uber, use this link to get your first ride (up to $15) free.
If you’re going to get groceries yourself, hit up Whole Foods (8003 Turkey Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32819), Publix (Regency Village Shopping Center, Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL), SuperTarget (4795 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34746) or Trader Joe’s. TJ’s is Orlando’s newest grocer, with the local populace rejoicing that they can now purchase Two Buck Chuck and Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s. It’s located at 8323 West Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32819, which is about 10 miles off property.
Another option if you don’t have a rental car and don’t want to pay for Uber or a taxi is to hit up the Hess gas station that’s located within walking distance of the Swan & Dolphin, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn (just outside the parking lot), and Yacht & Beach Club. If you’re staying at the Swan & Dolphin without a car, this might be your best option as those two hotels no longer allow grocery delivery.
Selection is limited (…it’s a gas station), but if you need to stock up on air fresheners and Rockstar energy drink, this is the place for you. The selection isn’t quite that limited, and it’s actually a good, low-budget option. I would strongly not recommend doing this unless you’re staying at one of these hotels. You might look a little crazy carrying a bag of groceries on two separate buses en route back to your hotel, and frankly, you wouldn’t just look a little crazy doing that, you’d be a little crazy going through all that hassle.
Shipping things to ourselves from Amazon or Amazon Pantry has been another option that has worked for us, too. Amazon is great if you’re only looking for pre-packaged items. We’ve found beef jerky, energy bars, Starbucks VIA, and Gatorade mix packets to be some of the best things to get from Amazon. You might also want to check out what other snack items currently have coupons via Amazon. We have other suggestions in our What to Pack for Walt Disney World post.
Another, newer and growing option is Amazon Prime Now. When ordering via the Amazon Prime Now app, you can have items delivered within 2 hours for free if you have a Prime membership (or within an hour for an extra $7.99). Selection is more limited on the Amazon Prime Now app, but they have tens of thousands of daily essentials including numerous dry foods and perishable items like deli meat, pizza, cheese, bread, juice, etc.
When Amazon Prime Now has what we want or we don’t need much or need something last minute, it’s a great option. You might notice the sweatshirt in the screenshot above from our recent trip’s shopping cart–the temperature dropped from 80 degrees two days ago to a low of 38 degrees today making some warm clothing necessary.
Now, we didn’t actually order that sweatshirt because we packed accordingly (and also because we just bought a couple awesome Disney ones on clearance at the Disney Springs UNIQLO for $19.90), but <$10 for some warm weather clothing in a hurry is another good hack (…and one we should probably add to our Tips for Winter at Walt Disney World post!).
Amazon Prime Now is a good option because you can place your order the moment your plane lands in Orlando, take Disney’s Magical Express to your Walt Disney World resort hotel, and have your groceries arrive pretty much simultaneously to when you do.
We’ve used Amazon Prime Now many times and the experience has typically been flawless. (Lately, it’s become our most-used way to get groceries and other supplies.) We’ve used it at Pop Century, the Polynesian, Fort Wilderness, and most recently, Disney Springs Resorts. In most cases, we’ve had the package left with Bell Services–in one cases, we’ve met them in the lobby. You can tip in the app and specify in the notes how you want the delivery made.
In terms of the logical options, I think that about covers it. I say logical because there are likely some “out there” solutions like buying different snack items at each gift shop in World Showcase and spending $593 in the process, but that would defy logic. If you don’t want to spend your limited time going on grocery runs, both Garden Grocer and ordering in advance from Amazon.com are both great options. Alternatively, those with a rental car or willingness to use Uber and an extra hour or so to spare might consider going to one of the many grocery stores located about 10 miles off-site.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts…
How do you get groceries at Walt Disney World? What are your favorite items to order when you have groceries delivered to you? Have you had any positive or negative experiences with the grocery delivery services? We love to hear from readers, so if you have any thoughts or questions, post them in the comments!
I just to order a case of Coke from Amazon Prime. We are staying at the Boardwalk Villas, Is Disney going to charge me 10.00 to accept the delivery? it hardly seems worth it to order if they are going to charge and I am only ordering one itemCheryl
We used fairytale personal shopper for our trip in May no hidden fees no mark up just cost of groceries plus $20. Garden grocer I found out up charges milk yo $5.19 a gallon plus delivery!!!
Recommend get highly she smalso does gift baskets and personal shopping at the parks I believe!!
We are Amazon Prime members. It seems that Prime Now is adding more items every day. At this point would they become your number one choice? We are going in February and this will be our first time using grocery delivery. Staying at Kidani, if that matters. Thanks!
Last year when I tried to order on Amazon Pantry and have it delivered to the Polynesian, the website calculated my delivery date two weeks after we were to arrive. I had to call Amazon and cancel our order. It was a huge mess. Did I miss something? We are going again this year and staying at the Contemporary. I would love to use Amazon Prime, but I’m a little gun shy this time.
@Brook
You need to use Prime Now, which is a totally different service from Prime Pantry. Prime now is same or next day delivery (within a 2 hour window).
If you’re not actually staying at the resort, will bell services still be able to hold it? We stay at Shades of Green, which requires ID to get to and just generally makes life more difficult for those not staying there. We’re at the Poly at least twice a day though, so if it’s possible to have Bell services hold our deliveries that would be amazing. If not, I suppose I could time it to meet them in the lobby for Prime Now. Does anyone know?
Can I get a Prime Now delivery to the Swan/Dolphin? We won’t be arriving til 11:30 pm and I was hoping to get a late delivery that night. The only perishable items I was going to get would be yogurts and maybe some salami.
I can confirm that bell services at the Swan would NOT accept a Prime Now delivery (At least according to the delivery driver). Thankfully we were already at the hotel when the driver arrived and my husband was able to run down and meet him at the entrance. I loved being able to order a 4 pack of monsters, ready to drink protein shakes, bananas, yogurt, and a snack pack of salami and cheese. I didn’t end up needing the bottled water I ordered since the Swan provides 2 bottles per day.
So I’ve used Garden Grocer before and they were great. But I just tried them again and it seems like they have a LOT less items available. And their website isn’t user-friendly at all.
Strange, I really remember it being a positive experience.
Note that your WeGoShop link above is wrong. We’ve used them and had a great experience. It’s more flexible than the other options. You basically give someone your grocery list and specific instructions (if they don’t have this, get this, etc..).
Hi Tom! Can you tell me if you’ve ever had groceries delivered in Tokyo?
We’re looking at doing Tokyo Disney in January, and I’m also keen to do 50/50 with healthy / yummy foods … and being sensible with money! 🙂
Very true now a days its getting harder to go to the outlets which are available for the grocery shopping due to our very tight schedule. So, in this case online grocery shopping is the best option to have and with the same concept gmart.com.sg has came up and also enjoy the 10% discount for its first time customer’s with free shopping
Will Disney be able to receive a package that contains alcohol for me? Amazon Prime Now gave me a tag that said it will require ID upon delivery. I’m curious if the bell service would be able to receive the package or I would need to be present during the delivery time.
We used Amazon Pantry last year when we visited Disney. Please know that if you have groceries delivered to your resort, Disney will charge you for that convenience. I had to pay $10 for one box before I could get it.
It wasn’t left at Bell Services, either, so I had to wait for someone from Bell Services to get over there to pick it up and deliver it to my room.
Just returned from Disney and stayed at Pop Century. I never would have thought to have groceries delivered had I not read this site! We compared prices and Amazon Prime was WAY WAY cheaper than Garden Grocer which seemed so expensive and much cheaper than buying at the resort, so we went with Prime. Prior to leaving on our trip, I made a list of must haves for our room. ( I brought the non-perishable snacks in my carry-on luggage.) I then went on the site and placed all the items I wanted in my cart. When we landed at the airport, I ordered it! Have your resort address and phone number handy! Because we landed in the morning and we were not going to be able to check in until 3 pm, we were still able to order it. It is automatically delivered to the front desk and they store it. (So, unlike your luggage which is delivered to your room if you’re using Disney Express, you must pick up your groceries at the main desk of your resort.) All refrigerated items are delivered in a cold pac! We ordered a gallon of milk, fresh fruits, breakfast bars and yogurts for breakfasts in our room (saves time and lots of money). We added in some cheeses and soft drinks as well as bottled waters. We received a text message when the items were delivered! On a side note, if you want alcohol you must be present upon delivery to show ID. The refrigerators are small, so we simply put a few drinks in and every time we took some out, we replaced with new. We had room for everything. I would use Prime again for sure! Easy, convenient, reliable and reasonable!
Hi Mary Jo,
We’ll be staying at Pop Century in January and it was great to hear that you had a good experience with your grocery delivery. We’re coming from Australia and I’m looking at using Instacart. Did Disney charge you to have the groceries delivered to and held by the front desk?
Thanks! Deni
Hey Deni, just be aware that you may have a problem with Instacart. I just tried to place an order from them but couldn’t because the billing address for my credit card is outside the US. And they don’t take PayPal or any other form of payment. I ended up going with the pricier Garden Grocer because that was my only option.
We can confirm that Walmart delivery is the worst experience ever.
We’re from Canada and the difficulty we had dealing with Walmart for just the ordering side of things was terrible! They cancelled our order twice because it appeared to be fraudulent. Even after talking to security and tech teams, the third time we were promised our order would go thru, sure, it went thru, but then the store declined to do the delivery to Pop Century.
Ya, ordering Pringles and orange juice delivered to a value motel in Orlando is a big fraudster move… And clearly asking too much.
Talked to the customer service team more time than we can count, we never received groceries.
We were staying for 10 days, wanted water and snacks, thought we’d try Walmart or target, being large companies, surely they can handle a couple of Canadians. Nope.
It was day 5 before someone actually said, you know what, it’s probably not going to work.
Most frustrating experience ever.
Wish we had just used garden grocer like the last time. Garden grocer may be more expensive, but they make sure you get your groceries.
If you’re an international guest, be prepared to be called a fraudster by the big chain stores. Stick with a company who can guarantee a hotel delivery.
Does Disney charge a fee to have groceries or packages delivered to the resort? Thank you!
What is the experience with Publix they also deliver to Disney
We are going to Disney in May & I kept hearing about garden grocers but I find their prices really high, Walmart has free pick up (no delivery) but prices were almost half. I will probably go the Walmart route.
I see today Wal-mart will deliver to Pop Century’s address. We arrive Monday and I’m going to try. $9.95 delivery fee but still good value.
What Walmart did you contact and to you know what disney resorts they deliver to?
Thanks for the useful information of online shopping, give more innovative updates.
I love Dizzy Dolphin Delivery, the best I have ever used over the years, More personal too
I keep having people recommend Garden Grocers, and say that the prices are not marked up a lot, but I am finding most items to be double what I see on other sites like instacart. Am I missing something? I realize their prices are a lot cheaper than what is at Disney, but $200 at Garden Grocers versus $100 at Instacart seems extreme.
Agreed!!! I live in the NYC metro area. Groceries are so cheap here. I find their items to be double of what I pay. I have used them twice, and they are extremely reliable, but the yogurt pricing is starting to rival the quick service at the resorts (coupled with the delivery fee and tip). I may try Amazon Now for out next tip.
an example…. Fresh Express Salad is $1.79 here (2 for $3). One bag was $5.79!!!
I used Garden Grocers in the past for Disney World (Orlando) grocery deliveries and their prices were obviously marked up for the service provided but not unreasonably. Their service has always been good. But recently I have gone online for an upcoming Disney World trip and found that their selection has gotten more limited (many items ordered before no longer available with no alternate similar option available) and their prices have gone through the roof (most items, over half of the items I am ordering, have gone up $1-$1.50 from a less than 2 years ago). I have read reviews on many sites and everyone recommends Garden Grocers but I am not sure that people are paying attention to what has happened to their prices. Compare prices from old orders to current prices and see.