Garden grocer or UPS??

[soonerlpn]

Just wanting some opinions. Should I send a box down early via UPS with snacks, breakfast foods, hygiene products, etc...or should I go for the Garden Grocer? For the people that sent a box down early..how big and how much did it cost to send? I am in Oklahoma, I guess that would make a difference! It will just be myself and my DS5..so it wouldnt be that much but with some airlines beginning to charge for the 2nd bag I am thinking that it would be more cost effective to do one of these options...Opinions anyone??

 

[pooh2001]

We pack a suitcase with some goodies and then use trhe space for soveniers on teh return trip home. We also use UPS. Send the box UPS about 5 days before we arrive at WDW.

On box on all sides - even the bottom write:
YOUR LAST NAME & ARRIVAL DATE


Address the box to:
YOUR RESORT NAME
Walt Disney World
ADDRESS OF RESORT plus ZIP CODE
Hold for: YOUR LAST NAME
Arrival on: YOUR ARRIVAL DATE

Track the package with the UPS tracking # on the web.
Even though it said it got to WDW - add another day for the package to get to your resort. WDW has it's own delivery system.

When you get to your resort- tell them you sent a UPS package to yourself.
It may take the resort a few hours to find it in the store room. That is the reason you placed your name and arrival date on all sides of the UPS box.
It will be easier for the resort to find.

I also decorate the outside of the box with a sharpie marker. Also easier for the resort to find, if you tell them what to look for when you arrive.

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

We did this last year and it worked out great! I sent ahead all of our toiletries, cereal, bowls, spoons, snacks, laundry det., sun lotion. We used up most everything. We sent it from the UPS store it was $15.14. My receipt doe'nt say how much it weighed, but their website tells you how much the shipping cost (www.theupsstore.com) We used ground shipping and sent it out 7 days before leaving. We usually rent a car and take a trip to the local store for a few items and end up spending more than we need to. This trip we saved time and money by doing this. We picked up our milk and water at the Hess stations inside Disney there is a few of them. Linda

 

[karliebug]

garden grocer charges $12 for delivery and you can also order fresh/cold items like milk,yougrut, cheese,fruit, bread,bagels,etc. It is cheaper than mailing it and less worries, IMHO

 

[MommyBuzz909]

If you just want water (like me - I'm picky about the water I drink) Costco charges like $1.50 for delivery and an extra $.35 if you're not a member.....

 

[MrsMork]

garden grocer charges $12 for delivery and you can also order fresh/cold items like milk,yougrut, cheese,fruit, bread,bagels,etc. It is cheaper than mailing it and less worries, IMHO

How much do you usually tip on top of the delivery charge? I would assume the delivery charge goes to the company, so a tip to the employee would seem necessary. Do you base the tip on the amount of the bill?

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

You want to go on Garden Grocer and see how much it would come to for the items you would need plus the delivery charge. And then get together the items you would ship (we already had some items at home like sun lotion, mouthwash, laundry det, and other toiletries plus the snacks and breakfast items) so it was easy to weigh these items to figure out the shipping plus the cost to purchase the breakfast items and snacks, since I did this ahead of time I knew what I had would be eaten. As a previous poster pointed out gg also delivers dairy products which you can't do from home, so without a car you would have to purchase them in your hotel, not sure how much that is. Our shipping cost of $15.14 was for enough for 4 people so I would think yours would be less than that. Linda

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

How much do you usually tip on top of the delivery charge? I would assume the delivery charge goes to the company, so a tip to the employee would seem necessary. Do you base the tip on the amount of the bill?

Do they deliver to your room or just to the front desk? Linda

 

[MrsMork]

Do they deliver to your room or just to the front desk? Linda

I have not used them, so I do not know the answer to this question. I was just trying to compare cost of shipping vs. using them. If the deliver charge is $12 and then you tip $10 that raises the delivery to $22. I would like to hear from those who have used this service how much and how they determine how much to tip the delivery person.

 

[all4fun]

Do they deliver to your room or just to the front desk? Linda

Wegoshop and Gardengrocer will both deliver directly to your room. On the last trip we used gardengrocer we were out playing when they came, so they left the items with bell services, who stored them in their fridge until we got back, then bell svcs brought them to our room. edit to add: I don't remember how much we tipped but would guess we did $1 a bag and there were several bags, so at least $5.

hth

 

[Candice30]

i usually ship a box to myself as i love to bargain shop and buy things all year round for my upcoming trip. i checked out garden grocer and a couple of others and for the things i usually ship, the cost difference was huge as i usually get a great deal on the items. i say check it out for yourself. go to one of the sites and add up the costs of your items and then the delivery charge and tip and see if you come out better than buying yourself and shipping. like i said, for me, the savings on shipping my own box was enough to cover tips for the week, or snacks in the parks for a week so well worth it for me. i usually ship a small box with the same items you listed and it runs me around $30 for the items and $15 to ship. the only perishable for me is milk so i just buy there. a 16 oz in the parks i believe is around $2 or $2.50 which is enough for 2 people to have cereal. i think some hotels now have larger cartons of milk but don't know any of those prices.

 

[disneyfan61]

We used Garden Grocer last April & they were great!! They delivered to the resort before we got there so we just picked it up at bell services. We like to order fresh food (muffins, donuts & fruit) for breakfasts in the room so I would not want to ship these things too far in advance. I just placed my order with them yesterday for our May trip. Good luck with which ever way you go. I do highly recommend Garden Grocer

 

[soonerlpn]

Thanks for everyones responses! I went to the website and everything looks good..but I have one last question..It doesnt say anything on there , that I could find anyway, that explained what their min delivery order was and how much is their delivery charge...TIA

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

Thanks for everyones responses! I went to the website and everything looks good..but I have one last question..It doesnt say anything on there , that I could find anyway, that explained what their min delivery order was and how much is their delivery charge...TIA

Garden Grocer charges $12 for a delivery charge, not sure about the min. order though. Linda

 

[mpdisney]

minimum order is 50 dollars.

 

[Kitzer]

If you have a car, theres both a super walmart, super target and a Publix near the Disney properties.

 

[soonerlpn]

No..we wont have a car, thats why I am trying to decide between Garden grocer and shipping..

 

[Villainess]

We're doing both - shipping down formula, diapers, wipes, baby food and toiletries, etc (I have 2 under 2yrs so I don't have plane seats for them and I have to pack their stuff in my 2nd suitcase - we're going for 15 days). Then we're ordering water, fruit, milk, juice and breakfast stuff from Garden Grocer. Their prices aren't much more than my local grocery store.

 

[J&J'sMOM]

We used GG last year & will definately use them again! They
delivered right to our room-everything fresh!

 

[kalaim@charter.net]

I'm planning on doing both also. I might try and bring fruit though in my suitcase! I hope that it will be ok. Garden Grocer fruit seemed a little high.

All non perishables will go down in a box and then I'll get milk and water, cheese, yogurt from Garden Grocer.
And beer too!!