Staying at West Haven in Davenport, where to get groceries?

[KATIESMOMMY]

We bit the bullet and for the very first time we are staying off property. We rented a pool villa in Davenport, at the Sanctuary Lake of West Haven Resort community. We are driving in from Indiana and will be arriving Thanksgiving day. I will need to go shopping and honestly have no idea where to get groceries and necessities. Thanks for the help!

 

[Keacc]

We have stayed at West Haven and liked it. There are two PUBLIX grocery stores fairly close. When you ext West Have, turn right and follow that road past Champions Gate. There will be a PUBLIX on the left. Or you can go about 1 mile west to Rte 27. Go north on Rte 27 about 1-2 miles and there is a PUBLIX on the left. They have everything.

 

[NH-to-FL]

We have stayed in the Sanctuary many times. In addition to the two Publix locations mentioned by Keacc above there is a third Publix a bit further east past I-4 on Osceola Polk Line Rd. It can be a bit cheaper than the Publix at Champions Gate. Though you can't argue with the convenience of the Champions Gate Publix. An quick and easy stop on the way home from the parks.

In addition there is a Walmart Supercenter on 27 just north of the intersection of 192 and 27. We occasionally stop there on the way home from the parks by heading west on 192 when leaving the parks. A bit more traffic dealing with 192 but worth it to stock up on basic items.

For another option there is the Target in the Posner Park just south of I-4 on 27. Also in Posner Park is a JC Penney, a Best Buy, a book store, a couple of restaurants and other stores.

Enjoy the Sanctuary. It is a lovely area and close enough to the parks. We always enjoy our time there.

 

[NH-to-FL]

We have stayed in the Sanctuary many times. In addition to the two Publix locations mentioned by Keacc above there is a third Publix a bit further east past I-4 on Osceola Polk Line Rd. It can be a bit cheaper than the Publix at Champions Gate. Though you can't argue with the convenience of the Champions Gate Publix. An quick and easy stop on the way home from the parks.

In addition there is a Walmart Supercenter on 27 just north of the intersection of 192 and 27. We occasionally stop there on the way home from the parks by heading west on 192 when leaving the parks. A bit more traffic dealing with 192 but worth it to stock up on basic items.

For another option there is the Target in the Posner Park just south of I-4 on 27. Also in Posner Park is a JC Penney, a Best Buy, a book store, a couple of restaurants and other stores.

Enjoy the Sanctuary. It is a lovely area and close enough to the parks. We always enjoy our time there.

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

Thank you for the information. Its getting close!

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

I read somewhere a long time ago about some short cut into the parks, anyone want to give best directions in?

 

[NH-to-FL]

As to your shortcut question I will confess to being a traditionalist. I enjoy entering under the welcome sign! From the Sanctuary we get on I-4 at Champions Gate, head up two exits to World Drive and follow the signs to the parks. Door to parked in 15 to 20 minutes depending on the park.

From the Sanctuary for MK, DHS, and Epcot entering via World Drive is the most straightforward. There is a back way into AK via Sherberth Rd. but I am not convinced it is any quicker then via World Drive. Perhaps a local can chime in and clarify.

 

[ilovefh]

I don't know that it's any quicker to get to MK, DHS or Epcot, we typically take I4 when heading there. But the directions for a back way from West Haven are...

Take a right out of West Haven.
Take a left at Champion's Gate Blvd.
Pass I4. At the lights after I4 take a left onto Lake Wilson Rd.
Take that all the way until the end which will be 192.
Take a left onto 192.
At the first set of lights (right before McDonalds) take a left onto Sherberth Rd.
When you reach the next light take a right onto Osceola Parkway.
Follow the signs from there.

We take it to DAK, but not normally the other parks. According to Google Maps it is 18 mins via I4 and 27 mins via the back way to MK.

 

[RabFlmom]

Did you plan on buying groceries on Thanksgiving Day? Don't plan a trip to Publix, they will be closed for the holiday. Winn Dixie usually stays open til 2 or 3PM here on the coast. My son lives in Davenport and takes I-4 to get to and from most of the parks he works at. It is much quicker than doing 192 which is very busy getting into the park area using Sherberth Rd. .

 

[NH-to-FL]

Thanks RabFlmom for your reminder about the holiday store closings. I have gotten so used to 24/7 shopping that I sometimes forget that there are still a few holidays that still give retail employees a break. And I agree about the traffic (and traffic lights) on 192.

 

[aleksandr]

We stayed at a house in Davenport earlier this year. Be prepared for sticker shock when shopping. Being from New England, I thought groceries were more expensive up here, but wow is Publix expensive! As others have said, try to stick to the one off of Osceola Polk County Line Road (which if I recall correctly is actually the same road as Champions Gate Blvd, just on the other side of I-4).

There is a nice brick-oven pizza shop near the Champions Gate Publix. And, my van got rear-ended in that Publix parking lot

If you plan on doing a lot of driving, I'd recommend picking up a Sun Pass transponder and opening a Sun Pass account. If you are just sticking with I-4, you won't need it, but I did a lot of driving on 429, the Turnpike, etc., so having the Sun Pass was a huge time saver. The trip from Davenport to 192 near Animal Kingdom via 429 is relatively quick, and there is a Super Target right at the intersection of 192 and 429 which I used quite regularly to pick up things for the house, or even groceries when I wasn't liking Publix's prices.

 

[NH-to-FL]

There is a nice brick-oven pizza shop near the Champions Gate Publix. And, my van got rear-ended in that Publix parking lot

If you plan on doing a lot of driving, I'd recommend picking up a Sun Pass transponder and opening a Sun Pass account. If you are just sticking with I-4, you won't need it, but I did a lot of driving on 429, the Turnpike, etc., so having the Sun Pass was a huge time saver. The trip from Davenport to 192 near Animal Kingdom via 429 is relatively quick, and there is a Super Target right at the intersection of 192 and 429 which I used quite regularly to pick up things for the house, or even groceries when I wasn't liking Publix's prices.

Sorry to hear about your van getting rear ended. I've seen some scary driving in the area. I used to think that the Boston area had crazy drivers. All one can do is to stay alert.

I second the SunPass transponder if you are going to be spending time driving around the area. Otherwise make sure you have plenty of dollars and quarters for the tolls.

And there is another Super Target in Posner Park on 27 just south of I-4 which we find easier to get to from the Sanctuary than the one up on 192.

 

[aleksandr]

Sorry to hear about your van getting rear ended. I've seen some scary driving in the area. I used to think that the Boston area had crazy drivers. All one can do is to stay alert.

I second the SunPass transponder if you are going to be spending time driving around the area. Otherwise make sure you have plenty of dollars and quarters for the tolls.

And there is another Super Target in Posner Park on 27 just south of I-4 which we find easier to get to from the Sanctuary than the one up on 192.

I noticed your username--we are also from NH

As this was our first time in Davenport, I didn't find out about Posner into much later in our stay.

 

[NH-to-FL]

I noticed your username--we are also from NH

As this was our first time in Davenport, I didn't find out about Posner into much later in our stay.

Hello alesandr, glad to meet another NH Dis member. Yes, it can be challenging to explore a new area while you are focused on a Disney vacation. Though we have been visiting West Haven long enough that we are starting to know our way around. You know you have been visiting an area enough when you learn the layout of the local WalMart.

I am curious, will you be returning to Davenport again? We will be headed down in late November.

 

[aleksandr]

Hello alesandr, glad to meet another NH Dis member. Yes, it can be challenging to explore a new area while you are focused on a Disney vacation. Though we have been visiting West Haven long enough that we are starting to know our way around. You know you have been visiting an area enough when you learn the layout of the local WalMart.

I am curious, will you be returning to Davenport again? We will be headed down in late November.

Most likely in April/May of next year. Whether we'll be in Davenport we haven't really thought about yet. We spend about a month in Florida every spring for the past two years now. The first time we rented a condo in Daytona. While it was nice with the close beach access, it felt like something was missing. Daytona isn't the most happening place in April/May. So, this year we wanted to try to get closer to the Disney area, even though we only spend about 5 days at Disney during our stay. Davenport was nice--it avoids the hustle and bustle of the more touristy areas, making us feel like we weren't always living with the heightened anxiety/activity level of being on vacation, yet it is close enough that we could quickly drive to Disney or other touristy areas.

The house we rented was very nice, but lacked some things that would have been nice to have. We may just stick with what we know though, and end up in the same place in Davenport.

 

[NH-to-FL]

After many years of 7 to 10 day vacations at the BWI we opted for going off site for similar reasons. We are taking longer vacations with less activity. And cost. We have APs so we spend a fair amount of time at Disney though with less intensity. We are usually rope drop morning people and stay until we get tired or the crowds get too crazy. If we miss something we just go back another time. Much more of a relaxing vacation.

 

[NH-to-FL]

We arrived late yesterday afternoon. This morning we decided not try the Supercenters on Black Friday so we hit the Champions Gate Publix for a few essentials. Still pricey but convenient. Katiesmommy, I hope your drive went smoothly.

 

[Woodview]

Why did you find Publix pricey ?

The other option would be WallMart & about the same price structure .

 

[NH-to-FL]

Why did you find Publix pricey ?

The other option would be WallMart & about the same price structure .

Let' see, what did we get... some meat, some produce, milk, soda, and a few odds and ends. The roaster chicken wasn't too pricey and the soda was on sale. We usually shop up at the Cagans Crossing Walmart. And pick up a few things that Walmart doesn't carry, like a wider selection of organic items, at the Publix on 27 at Sand Mine Rd.

And I should have been more specific that it is the Champions Gate Publix that we feel is a bit pricey. The other Publix in the area are not as pricey.

 

[ilovefh]

Why did you find Publix pricey ?

The other option would be WallMart & about the same price structure .

Walmart is by far the cheaper option in the area. We live in the Champions Gate area and we only buy our Boar's Head cold cuts and cheese and produce from Publix. Everything else we get from Walmart. We've compared prices and typically we can save between 30-40% by shopping at Walmart. A few items that I can remember prices for off the top of my head: the bread we buy was $2 cheaper at Walmart as were the same size box of Cheezits.