How to get groceries delivered at Disney World
Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
A family trip to Disney World isn't ever going to be truly cheap. But depending on your budget, there are lots of easy things you can do to save a significant amount of money. One strategy to save money (and time) is to order groceries to be delivered to your resort or hotel. These days, it is easy to have groceries, diapers and more waiting for you when you arrive -- or have them arrive shortly after you do.
When you consider that a quick-service meal for four people at Disney can easily cost $40 to $50 in the parks and that even a bottle of water or soda will set you back about $4, it's easy to see how ordering snacks and beverages can result in several hundred dollars of savings over the course of a multi-day trip. (If you like a beer or glass of wine after a long day in the parks, you can order that for grocery delivery, too.)
Some Disney Resorts, such as the Fort Wilderness cabins (shown below) or larger vacation club rentals, have full kitchens. Even if all you have is a small fridge, you can save a lot with PB&J supplies, granola bars and drinks. Disney allows you to bring snacks and nonalcoholic drinks into the parks, so you can easily pack a meal and throw it in your backpack.
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The Disney World resort bell desks will generally accept grocery deliveries for you (and keep them cool), even if you haven't checked in yet that day. If the bell desk delivers your order to the room, there may be a flat-rate $6 fee (though that fee is not always charged). Or, you can pick it up from the bell desk for no fee.
Pro Tip: In order to price out a delivery to Disney World, you'll need to know the ZIP code. It's 32830.
Related: Guide to visiting Walt Disney World
Garden Grocer
This original Disney World grocery delivery service is still a favorite for many guests, though it is far from your only (or necessarily best) option in 2019. Garden Grocer has been at the Disney grocery-delivery game for 10 years, but these days it is best when you are placing one large order well in advance of your trip. At a minimum, you need to order at least two days before delivery or face a $20 surcharge for next-day orders or a $30 surcharge for delivery the same day (ordered before 10 a.m.).
A delivery fee is waived for orders of more than $200; otherwise, there is a $14 fee. If you order at least 60 days before delivery, you can save 10% on your order.
Garden Grocer delivers to the following Disney properties:
- Disney's All-Star Movie, Music and Sports Resorts
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge-Jambo House and Kidani Village
- Disney's Art of Animation
- Disney's Bay Lake Towers
- Disney's Beach Club Resort and Villas
- Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Villas
- Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney's Contemporary Resort
- Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
- Gran Destino Tower at Disney's Coronado Springs
- Disney's Fort Campground & Campsite
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Villas
- Disney's Old Key West Resort
- Disney's Polynesian Resort
- Disney's Pop Century Resort
- Disney's Port Orleans-French Quarter Resort and Riverside Resort
- Disney's Riviera Resort
- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
- Disney's Shades of Green
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort and Villas (including Copper Creek & Boulder Ridge)
- Disney's Yacht Club Resort
- Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort
- Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort at Bonnet Creek
- Four Season Orlando at Walt Disney World
Deliveries to Disney's Beach Club Resort, Disney's Beach Club Villas and Disney's Yacht Club Resort can only be scheduled between 4–9 p.m. Garden Grocer has a pretty solid, decade-long reputation and is well versed at working with Disney Resorts. The downsides are that the website is a little clunky, prices can add up if you aren't placing one large order far in advance and the service is not optimized for "instant" orders or people who have grocery needs that change quickly.
Instacart
Unlike Garden Grocer, Instacart can help you out almost instantly -- and you may already have an Instacart account set up from home that you can simply use in Orlando. At Instacart, you can shop from multiple grocery stores in one order -- including Publix, Costco, Aldi, Sprouts, ABC Fine Wines and more. Deliveries are available within as little as one hour for a $5.99 fee. Deliveries within two hours start at a $3.99 fee.
Those who have an Instacart Express membership do not pay a delivery fee or the 5% service fee. Membership is $99 per year or $9.99 per month, but if you are only going to use Instacart once at Disney, a membership is probably not worth the hassle.
Instacart's website is very easy to use and coupons or even buy-one-get-one-free deals are sometimes available. You can have Instacart deliver not only to all of the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels, but also to almost anywhere else, such as hotels in Disney Springs, the Swan and Dolphin, a home rental or wherever you are staying.
We used Instacart for grocery delivery to our cabin at Fort Wilderness without much of a hitch. For a minute we thought the delivery couldn't be given to the bell desk without us being present because it had alcohol in it, but as long as your ID is on file, that might be possible -- it worked out for us in the end.
Related: Best credit cards for groceries
Amazon Prime Now
Most of us probably already have an Amazon account, making this one super simple. And boy, does Amazon make it easy. With Amazon Prime Now you can get deliveries like ... now-ish. There's a full lineup of food and beverage items available from Whole Foods, including beer and wine (though you may need to show your ID for that delivery). You can browse through available groceries on Prime Now in a specific ZIP code and start putting your cart together ahead of time. Then, when you land at Orlando International Airport, hit the "purchase" button and pick your delivery window.
Orders of $35 or more are free if you select a two-hour delivery window. One-hour delivery windows typically cost about $5. You can even pay with Amazon gift cards if you are so inclined. (Here's how to buy those and earn bonus points.) In our experience, Amazon usually has same-day delivery slots available, so there isn't much of a need to book your order early just to ensure the time slot you want.
Additionally, if you're traditionally an Amazon shopper, it offers free Amazon Prime Now credits occasionally as one of the rewards for choosing a slower delivery option for those regular items you don't need immediately -- so that may save you a few bucks.
In our tests of Amazon Prime Now, we also got to experience some pretty excellent customer service. One order didn't show up in our room even though Amazon had notified us of the delivery to the resort. Disney World was having trouble locating our groceries. We called the Amazon Prime Now customer service number and were quickly connected with an agent. They apologized for the issue, comped our $40 in groceries and expedited a second order. The first order was, in fact, delivered correctly to the resort. Disney found it a short while later and ultimately delivered it to us.
Related: Best credit cards for Amazon purchases
Walmart
Walmart is, well, Walmart. It's actually newer to the grocery delivery game in Orlando, but it is potentially one of the more affordable options. However, I've read that customers at Disney have the most issues with Walmart of all the delivery services, both in terms of mixed messages about guests needing to be present to accept orders and also with Disney refusing orders as they are in plastic sacks, which apparently breaks a rule. I have also read reports that you need to place your order at least a day or so in advance as delivery spots fill up.
Orlando Grocery Express
If you want to use a local company, Orlando Grocery Express has been in business since 2012. Its fee structure and rules are somewhat similar to Garden Grocer, but it will deliver to more locations, including some area vacation-home rentals.
There's a grocery delivery fee of $14, but orders of $200+ get free delivery. Those who rent a stroller from Kingdom Strollers can also get a free delivery coupon.
Orders need to be placed well in advance (48 hours minimum, but some dates even a month out are already full). Orders cannot be changed, edited or canceled within 72 hours of the scheduled delivery date, so this one is for advance planners.
Deliveries can be made to:
- Disney's All Star Music, Movies, and Sports
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village
- Disney's Art of Animation
- Disney's Bay Lake Tower
- Disney's Beach Club Resort and Villas
- Disney's Boardwalk Resort and Villas
- Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney's Contemporary Resort
- Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney's Old Key West Resort
- Disney's Polynesian Resort
- Disney's Pop Century Resort
- Disney's Port Orleans-French Quarter and Riverside Resorts
- Disney's Saratoga Springs and Treehouse Resorts & Villas
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Villas
- Disney's Yacht Club
- Doubletree Guest Suites at Disney Springs
- Fountains
- Four Seasons Resort at Disney World
- Give Kids The World
- Hilton Grand Vacation Club, SeaWorld, I-Drive, and Parc Soleil
- Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Disney Springs
- Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
- Holiday Inn at Orange Lake Resort & Country Club
- Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
- Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa
- Liki Tiki Village
- Marriott, Harbour Lake
- Marriott Cypress Harbour
- Marriott Grande Vista
- Marriott Lakeshore Reserve
- Marriott Sabel Palms
- Marriott Imperial Palms
- Marriott Royal Palms
- Orange Lake Resort & Country Club
- Shades of Green
- Sheraton Vistana Resort
- Sheraton Vistana Village
- Villas of Grand Cypress Golf Resort
- Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek
- WorldQuest
- Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort
- If your resort or hotel is not listed above, contact Orlando Grocery Express before placing your order to ensure they can deliver to your location. Email them at orlandogroceryexpress@gmail.com or text 407-952-9373.
Beer and wine are available, but you need to send a picture of your driver's license to orlandogroceryexpress at gmail dotcom with your order number.
DIzzy Dolphin Delivery
Dizzy Dolphin Delivery is new on our Disney grocery radar. The service was started by Disney Vacation Club members and gets solid reviews from faithful Disney fans on popular Disney message boards. Dizzy Dolphin charges $14 per delivery, which is waived for orders over $250. There is also a $10 surcharge for alcohol, as those requests are handled by a third party.
Dizzy Dolphin is at the other end of the spectrum from Amazon Prime Now when it comes to ordering. You won't find a list of items with pictures to choose from, which means you'll need a list of the items you're looking to buy. The upside to this is that you can request very specific items by brand, type, etc. Dizzy Dolphin also lets you note whether you'll take substitutes in case your preferred brand isn't available.
Dizzy Dolphin may be the right fit for you if you're looking for specialty items. It advertises that it will pick-up from Panera Bread and can track down specialty items like gluten-free, vegan and kosher items as well as specialty cakes, gift baskets and even donuts from a popular local donut shop. Reviews on popular Disney message boards note that their pricing can be higher than other shopping services, but none had any complaints about the service. Dizzy Dolphin states it will provide you a final quote prior to delivery, and all orders need to be paid at least seven days prior to delivery.
Bottom Line
TPG staff can personally vouch for the ease of ordering groceries at Disney World from Amazon Prime Now and Instacart, both of which delivered within a couple of hours of receiving the order. Whether you need your items right now or can plan well in advance, there's no question that ordering groceries for your next Disney resort stay can save you both time and money.