After a long day at the parks, you may want to have a little snack in your hotel room, or maybe you want some breakfast items on hand to save time and money. Whatever your reasons, you will probably have to find a way to get some groceries for your stay. There are many options to consider for getting the food you need and pay reasonable prices in the process.
Bringing everything with you is an option, but it might not be the best or easiest. You have to take practicality into account. A six-pack of soda in a suitcase could cause a bit of a mess. However, taking some snacks might have a hidden benefit. As you eat the treats you packed, you gain space in your luggage for all of those new souvenirs you are going to be collecting!
A little easier than dragging your food through the airport is shipping it ahead. Beverages may still be a problem, but you can easily pack a box and send it to your resort. Disney resorts will accept packages for their guests. Simply address the box to your resort and remember to include your name (or the name the reservation is in), your reservation number (in case your name doesn’t pull up your reservation), and your date of arrival. The resort will hold the package until you arrive.
What if you simply prefer to pick up all of your supplies when you arrive in Orlando? There are still a number of solutions to fit your needs. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones.
If you are using a town car service to get to your hotel, inquire about a grocery stop. Most will give you about half an hour to grab your groceries from a local store. This added service is either free of charge or available for a nominal extra charge.
If you have a rental car or have your own transportation in town, you have many choices.
Goodings (http://shop.goodings.com/) is a long-time Disney spot located in the Crossroads Plaza, although not necessarily for the budget-conscious. Goodings will also deliver to a resort with a $50 minimum order for a fee. You can even place your order online with them.
Besides Goodings, three other grocery stores are actually on the same road: Winn-Dixie (www.winndixie.com), Publix (www.publix.com), and Albertsons (www.albertsons.com). Albertsons accepts fax orders and will have your items ready for you when you arrive, so you don’t have to waste valuable park time trying to find the cookies in an unfamiliar store. They are just due north of Crossroads on Apopka-Vineland. Along that same road is also a Walgreens. There are many other grocery stores in Kissimmee and the south, but may be a bit time-consuming for a typical vacationer. There is a Super Wal-Mart south of Disney property. From Downtown Disney, the grocery stores are no more than a 5-15 minute drive. Super Wal-Mart can be 30 minutes. A more detailed list of these stores is located at the bottom of this article.
All groceries and Walgreens are easy to get to. Go east on Hotel Plaza Blvd. It dead-ends into Apopka-Vineland Road (535). Turn north on Apopka-Vineland Road (535) and just keep going north. Stay on Apopka-Vineland Road, as 535 will make a sharp turn to the west and Apopka-Vineland Road just continues north. If you turned south on Apopka-Vineland Road (535), you would run into the I-4 Lake Buena Vista exit! (NOTE: This does not apply to Walmart SuperCenter)
There are also online services that may help you get what you need. Netgrocer (www.netgrocer.com) is an online grocery store. You can have your nonperishable items shipped to your resort just as you would if you were shipping them yourself, without looking for a box and remembering to take it to the mail center.
A new shopping service had been started and may be especially useful if you need perishable items and don’t want to stop yourself. WeGoShop (www.wegoshop.com) is a shopping service that charges a fee for doing the shopping for you. You can place your order online; let them know if you will accept substitutes and when you would like your order delivered.
There are a few other points to remember: Disney resorts will store your grocery items for you with your luggage if your room isn’t ready when you check in. They will even put a few perishable items in cold storage if you ask. Sometimes a town car driver will lend you his/her store discount card. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Don’t forget that most stores have their weekly sales online so you can check them and make your list before you go. You don’t want to be in an unfamiliar store and forget your toddler’s favorite snack.
Finally, most resorts have some type of convenience items available. This may not be the most cost-effective way to get your munchies, but at least there is a backup plan for a forgotten item. Selection is very limited but should work in a pinch.
Armed with all of this information, it should be easier to pick an option that best suits your needs. Now you don’t have to worry about stocking that mini-refrigerator or coming up empty when searching the room for a late-night snack.
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For the most part, the websites provide driving directions or show a map (not all). They are listed in “closest to furthest” to Walt Disney World order.
Winn Dixie
Shoppes of Lake Avenue
11957 S. Apopka-Vineland Road
Call for store hours
407.465.8600
www.winndixie.com
Walgreens
12100 S Apopka-Vineland Road
Open 24 hours
407.238.0400
www.walgreens.com
Publix
The Cascades at Islesworth
4870 S. Apopka-Vineland Road
Open 7am-10pm
407.909.8080
www.publix.com
Albertson’s
8801 Conroy-Windermere Road
(at the corner of Apopka-Vineland)
Open 6am-Midnight
407.909.8900
www.albertsons.com
Walmart SuperCenter
1471 E. Osceola Parkway
Open 24 hours
407.870.2277
www.walmart.com
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Library of Congress ISSN:1556-3863