Garden Grocer questions

[kristie73]

So this will be our first trip to WDW and POR. I've been reading about how people use Garden Grocer to have food/drinks delivered to your room. We are flying so I feel limited on what we can bring with us. I am going to try to pack goldfish crackers, cereals, muffins, poptarts, donuts, trail mix, etc, but drinks...I was thinking of ordering from the Grocer. Like juice boxes, milk, bananas, yogurt, water, etc. So if I'm ordering from the Grocer, and I order milk, yogurt, along with other items, does the resort know to store them in the fridge for you?

It is a $40 limit and I feel like I'm barey getting that. Plus I think my hubby wants to order beer. We are only staying a week for 4 of us. Plus we are eating out for lunches, and dinners mostly. So are we even going to drink the packs of juice, milk, water? And their stuff does seem kind of expensive, but this is the point of having a fridge in our room. I felt like just sucking it up to pay the money to not worry and mess with bringing it back from the Hess Station?

So I guess I just want to hear what others do? How much drinks do I order? That 4 of us will drink up in 7 days (2 of those are travel days).

 

[pat fan]

How much drinks do I order?

I didn't see when you are staying, but we go in July, so we drink quite a bit!

We normally order at least one case of Gatorade (usually 2), a case of water, a 6 pack of ginger-ale (ya never know when a tummy upset might occur!) and maybe a 6 pack of Coke Zero.

We have had great luck with GG. I never ordered cold stuff, so I can't help you there. We get fruit, breakfast stuff, chips/pretzels and whatnot. We don't drink alcohol, but I can tell you that whatever you think is expensive at GG will be at least triple that at WDW. Get your booze at GG, not WDW .

 

[fitgirl36]

So are you packing the snacks to save money? I don't think their prices are totally outrageous but for the convenience of not having more to haul on a plane I think it is worth it. Yes, bell services keeps items cold if needed. We used them on our last trip for drinks, snacks and baby items. We like propel so it was nice to take one with us then discard the bottle and not have to worry about a refillable mug. It was nice to have snacks in the evening to munch on so we will be using GG again. Have a great trip!

 

[nkereina]

Their prices are definitely marked up. In addition to the $40 minimum, I believe there is a $12 delivery charge. It doesn't sound like you'd be ordering a lot, so I don't know if it's worth it. You may be better off buying things as needed in the gift shop, and just paying the prices there rather than buying things you aren't sure you need.

IMO, the grocery delivery services are best for those staying at DVC who have the kitchenettes, or for those who are on a tight budget and want to eat in the room a lot. Meals at Disney are big so if you are eating out a lot, you may not need as many snacks as you think. Plus, you can get big cups of water for free at any QS location.

Another option you may consider is taking a cab to the Hess station on property, or one of the surrounding grocery store chains. I'm not sure which ones are nearby but I know there are some local grocery stores and a Walmart. After you factor in the delivery charge and mark ups at GG, you may come out a little less by doing this.

If you do order with GG - you have to either call or add a note at check out about the beer. You can't add it to your cart on the web site. Some people have reported having to fax a copy of their license to GG to prove their age, but I haven't heard of that lately. And bell services do keep things refrigerated.

 

[MartDM]

Contact Amy at WeGoShop. There is no minimum order and she will shop wherever you want her to; you just give her a list & she takes care of the rest. The bill is the grocery store total plus the delivery fee.

We used Garden Grocer once and not only was it expensive, but many of the items we got were not of the best quality (produce was bruised & on it's last legs, frozen veggies were freezer burned, etc). We've used WeGoShop a number of times since and have always been beyond pleased with the items and the customer service!

Plus, you can just have her pick up all those other items you were going to haul along in your luggage - you'll only be paying the additional cost for the items, not additional delivery charges - so you can save yourself some packing aggravation.

http://www.wegoshop.com/location/wgs-location15.htm

 

[lovesdumbo]

I have had good service ordering from Garden Grocer. In addition to snacks and drinks I often order a bottle of liquid soap-find it cleans my eye glasses better than bar soap and I order spray sun screen so I don't have to worry about it in my luggage. If I were placing an order with them I would order gold fish from them so they don't get smashed in the suitcase.

I had found that in the past the price if a 1/2 gallon of milk from Garden Grocer was the same as it was at the resort gift shop.

 

[SusieBea]

I just wanted you to know that its $30 for a 6 pack of beer in the resort gift shop; it's $5 a can whether you break up the 6 pack or not.

We used GG once and would use them again. My order was exactly correct and was there exactly when they said it would be. Bell services at Kidani kept the cold things cold until I requested they be brought to the room.

 

[Ambassador]

We are hoping our GG order works out well today. We had a so-so experience with them a few years ago, but thought we'd give them another try.

 

[Sandi]

We've had excellent service with Garden Grocer. We typically use them when we're staying at a DVC resort or Fort Wilderness Cabin. I've been very pleased with their service. There is a mark-up, but they are providing a service and, to me, it is worth it. I usually will order yogurt and some other things that need refrigeration. The resorts have always stored those things appropriately. The bags GG drop off say whether refrigeration is needed and the resorts took care of it.

The refrigerators at POR aren't that big. With juice boxes and other things that don't need immediate refrigeration, that's fine. But think about what all will NEED to go in your frige and don't order more than it will hold.

 

[akl-fan]

Not sure about POR but AKL has always refrigerated our cold items when we have had them delivered by GG. That said we just go to Publix ourselves now. It is a nice shop, not too expensive and I can choose things for my self rather than the limited items on the GG website.

 

[Sandi]

I just looked at the GG website and it doesn't show POR as allowing for bell service to hold your items. So, I'm not sure that they'll be able to refrigerate anything. My suggestion would be to schedule the delivery for a time when you'll be there to accept the delivery personally. You might want to call GG to get clarification on this.

 

[magathy]

We used GG during our last trip and were very happy with the service. It was a bit pricier than going to a grocery store ourselves, but saved us a TON of money overall. Here are some of the things we got:

BREAKFAST:
-oatmeal packets could be made with hot water from the beverage center
-fruit
-yogurt with granola or cereal

SNACKS:
-fruit
-hummus and baby carrots or pita chips
-crackers and peanut butter

We aren't big juice or soda drinkers, but we did get a case of water. The water at Disney has a funky taste IMO so the bottled water was nice.

Oh, and I think they waive the fee if you order a certain amount, but I may be remembering that incorrectly.

 

[wdwrich]

We used GG in the past and have been very happy with the service. Having our own light breakfasts in the room saved a ton of $$ even when compared to the resort counter service place. Bottled water and snacks from GG will be cheaper than buying the same stuff in the store at your resort as well.

But to us the biggest savings is in the time we don't have to spend shopping for the stuff ourselves whether in the resort shop, the Hess convenience store or an off-site supermarket. With all the money invested in a WDW vacation, our time is worth so much more that the few dollars difference in price for the groceries from GG vs. an off-site grocery.