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A trip to the Orlando theme parks (there’s so many!) for my family usually means planning a grocery run or delivery to our resort. It is always nice to have snacks and drinks readily available in our room, but I also pack snacks and water for the parks. Don’t get me wrong, we love to get snacks in the parks and try out all the restaurants, but sometimes your kid wants some applesauce while waiting in line for “it’s a small world.”
Our family also loves to rope drop, and having easy grab-and-go breakfast items already in our room is perfect for us! I mean, it’s not Mickey waffles, but it’s a time and money saver most days. So what are your best options for grabbing groceries when you’re in Orlando? Let’s run it down!
Drive or Uber
Sometimes physically going to the grocery store works best. In this case, you can drive (if you drove to Orlando) or order an Uber/Lyft via their app to drive you to the nearest store. Depending on which theme park you are visiting, you can use google maps to find the closest one to you. We usually go to Publix.
Grocery Delivery
There are actually a TON of delivery options available from instacart to personal shoppers. I’m going to list the services that I’ve personally used, as well as some favorites from other Pineapple Escapes agents. When you have groceries delivered to your resort hotel, it will be dropped off with bell services. They will store any refrigerated items in a refrigerator as well, so you can keep on enjoying your day until you’re ready to head back to the hotel. *Keep in mind that this primarily applies to Walt Disney World resort hotels and Universal Orlando resort hotels. If you are staying somewhere else, you will want to double check your hotel’s policy for grocery delivery.*
You will usually receive a notification from your delivery service once it has been dropped off, and you can have bell services deliver the order to your room. It’s such a simple process. Be sure to tip bell services as well.
*Alcohol may not be able to be left at bell services, since you would need to provide your id*
This has been my go-to delivery service. I probably shop on Amazon way too much. I’m really familiar with their app so it is easy for me to navigate. They will deliver within 2 hours of placing your order. I’ve used this service multiple times, and it’s been such a stress-free way to get what we need without ever taking away from our vacation to run to the store.
To use this service, you will need either an Amazon Fresh or an Amazon Prime membership. AMAZON PRIME NOW is a similar service that a lot of visitors use. The primary difference between Amazon Fresh and Prime Now is that AF orders are filled from the Amazon Warehouse, and APN orders are filled at Whole Foods and other local stores. Typically Amazon Fresh will have a wider variety of options available. Choosing one over the other is simply personal preference.
Local Walmart stores will partner with third-party drivers to bring your order to you. Our agents have successfully used this service and were quite happy! It’s so nice to be able to shop their entire superstore from your phone, and get it for the same low price as you would shopping there yourself. You do not need a Walmart+ subscription to place a delivery order, but there may be a small delivery fee without it. You can try a free 30-day trial of Walmart+ if you’d like to avoid that fee and enjoy other benefits of their subscription service.
I plan to give this service a try on my next trip. From what I understand, you can track your orders progress with real-time updates. This would be great if you are ordering alcohol, or just prefer not to have your order left with bell services, because you can meet the driver. Be sure to order in advance to secure your delivery time slot!
This is one of the original and most trusted delivery services (for Walt Disney World properties only), until newer services emerged in the last couple years. There are still a lot of visitors that use this service, as they are locally owned and operated. The downside is that they have a more limited selection, require ordering in advance (upwards of 15 days), and can be more costly than alternative services. Overall, our agents still love the top-notch service provided here.
One of our agents absolutely swears by this service! Not only will they do your grocery shopping, they will create a gift basket for any occasion and deliver a variety of other specialty items. Want Panera Bread bagels in the morning, or need a birthday cake to celebrate someone’s special day? This is the service for you! They even have a list of suggested items to take the guesswork out of your order.
Lastly, if you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel or Universal Resort hotel, they will have a limited selection of grocery and toiletry items available in their gift shops. I typically try to avoid buying these types of items here because it will be slightly more expensive. However, on our last trip to WDW, I was unable to get distilled water (for my husband’s cpap machine) for delivery. The resort gift shop came through for us! It’s definitely comforting to know that basic items can be purchased on property.
I hope this is helpful as you start putting the final touches on your Orlando vacation. I can honestly say that it is a necessary part of the planning process for my own family vacations to Orlando. For more planning tips, please reach out to your favorite agent!
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