Grocery Store w/Town Car - Why?

[lsteadman]

I am curious about the reason for a grocery store stop before going to your Disney Hotel (exception of Wilderness Cabin Guests). What do you purchase at the store that you can't get at Disney?

I was just reading various post regarding towncar service and notice quite a few people make the grocery stop. The only reason I could see stopping at the grocery store would be if you needed some pampers, "emergency" medicine, or for women "monthly maintenance needs."

When I am on vacation, I am on vacation - I don't want to buy snacks to take into the park. I sacrifice my daily "Chai Tea Latte" from Caribou so I can spend that $5.00 on snacks/water at the park. I don't want to take groceries with me to my hotel room.

Help me understand; basically, I am being nosey for any of you who want to share.

 

[goofy4tink]

When we stayed in the 'regular' resorts...Polynesian, AllStars, POR etc., we used to stop and get some water, maybe some wine, snacks, chips, juiceboxes. We try not to eat every single meal in the parks, so having a little something in the room is nice. Now that we stay in the home away from home resorts, we have full kitchens. We like to have peanut butter, milk, butter, bread, soda, bottled water, juice, 1/2 and 1/2, cereal, pop tarts.. that sort of thing. We can cut down on our food bills quite a lot by stopping at a store enroute to WDW or having it shipped via a grocery service.

 

[beccasmom]

Another thing I would add is that the prices at Disney are really ridiculously high. I don’t mind paying a premium on items during vacation – it goes with the territory – but I do have a limit. When I can buy a 2-liter bottle of Coke for 89 cents (or less) at home and they are charging me $3.50, I have to draw the line! We bring a lot of things with us – coffee, iced tea mix, even bacon (I freeze it and pack it carefully so it is still cold when we arrive). We usually purchase eggs, bagels, donuts, cheese, milk and some snacks (crackers, nacho chips, etc.) at the OKW general store. We pretty much avoid purchasing any sodas by relying on making a pitcher of iced tea every day and drinking milk. We also purchase some beer. We don’t eat every meal in our villa, but I like to make a quick breakfast and have some coffee before we begin our day. I do not consider myself cheap, but the price they charge for foodstuffs is insane IMHO and I try to get away with the bare minimum while still allowing my family to have the snacks they enjoy. And it is difficult to compare apples with apples because the sizing is very different in many products than we have available at home. But when the sizing is comparable, I do compare (it’s in my genes! ) and more often than not, the package is returned to the shelf. So I would guess that is one reason why some folks feel compelled to shop at Publix and Wal-Mart.

 

[the kabuki]

With a family of five-3 kids- going to the grocery store is a must. There's no way I'm paying $2.50 for a bottle of water!!! Figure I can spend that $ on soveniers instead

 

[lsteadman]

I read bacon, eggs, cheese.......light bulb They have full kitchens! Duh! Okay...now I see the reason for the stop at grocery store.

DVC = timeshare. Okay makes more sense. I thought people where bringing hot plates and crock pots with them to the regular rooms with no kitchen.

I am little slow on this one.

 

[kirbsam]

We usually stop for a gallon of milk, bread, a little lunch meat,peanut butter, chips, cheese and crackers, some fruit, and some cereal, among other things. When we get back to our room we like to snack, or have a sandwich or have a soda or something. For a family of four staying at wdw for a week, the cost of breakfast everyday and lunch everyday at the parks or restaurants is a lot of money. We don't eat dinner in our rooms, but usually like to have some cereal before our day begins.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

We stop for breakfast items- Quick things to eat on the run. Saves time in the morning for my girls to eat a cereal bar, or bowl of cereal.

Also- no way I'm paying $2.50/bottle for water. 4 people-2 bottles/day= $20.00/day=$160/for 8 days. WOW!

Plus having soda, beer in the room is just more convienent to me, than schleping to the food court, with my mug, whenever I need a drink.

 

[fran99999]

I buy Breakfast bars, water, snacks fresh fruit ( to wash before eating). I bring in my bag some microwave popcorn. We like to sit and watch tv before bed and talk about the day and have popcorn to unwind. I also have milk. I noticed at disney the kids drink way to much soda and this being in the room i use as an excuse to get them to drink. I tell them I dont want to walk to the food court just for a glass of soda, just drink the milk.

I bring diet soda and my last years mug as I am a Pepsi adict and WDW only sells Coke. SSSHHH dont tell Mickey on me please.

 

[hAm53]

very simple choice for us . . .
while one's in the shower, the other scarfs down b-fast, and vice versa. this saves sooooo much time in the morning.

 

[NJDisneymom]

when traveling with kids it really is a good idea. small/quick breakfast items, milk, diapers, etc. are all great to have in the room. I don't take things into the park with us, but to be able to give a just awakend hungry 5 year old a nutrigrain bar before we get to our 9am PS can be a lifesaver.

And if you stop at Walmart or someplace like that you can buy a cheapy stroller to use in the parks (and then leave behind if you wish).

 

[kidangel]

Kids, it seems, eat constantly - they "graze". And they're less likely to be bugging me for chips if they had a bagel in the hotel room twenty minutes ago. Snack prices at WDW are high, and with five of us...it just doesn't make sense not to stop, especially when the mods now have free fridges.

We usually get bagels, cream cheese, a few yogurt cups, some apples, cheese slices, chips (for bed time snacking), granola bars that the kids can carry in their little backpacks, and crackers and spray cheese. We always get spray cheese - you can't get it in Canada, and we LOVE it.

We might also include some of the single-serving boxes of cereal - grocery store price is six for about 3 bucks, vs. more than a dollar each at the food court - a half gallon of milk, bottled water, a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. If we know there's a coffee maker, we get a package of coffee. We don't get pop, as they can fill their mugs at the food court.

My kids like to eat the minute they get up in the morning, and it takes five people a long time to get ready to face the world. This way, they can eat something while we shower and dress, and then we're ready to go straight to the bus (with a stop at the food court to fill our mugs). We manage to delay a "full" breakfast until nearly 11, in which case it doubles as lunch/brunch.

This is similar to how we eat at home, and it saves time and money. And it's super-great not to have to listen to the kids asking for something every time we pass a vendor -they have their granola bars and crackers to stave off the munchies!

By spending about $65 at the grocery, we can save a whole lot of money on breakfasts and snacking for the week.

 

[PrincessDana]

Why did we do a grocery stop??

MOUNTAIN DEW!!

 

[the kabuki]

Why did we do a grocery stop??

MOUNTAIN DEW!![/QUOTE

PEPSI!!!

 

[Dopey Sharon]

PEPSI!!!

DIET Pepsi!

 

[Dopey Sharon]

very simple choice for us . . .
while one's in the shower, the other scarfs down b-fast, and vice versa. this saves sooooo much time in the morning.

Also, we get some snacks, for when we go back to our room for the night.

 

[findbyme]

I'm trying to decide on rental car or town car but I will tell you this. Buying and/or bringing food with us has saved us a ton of money when we have traveled to the Carribean. This is our first trip home but I will definitely stop outside parks for the foodstuffs we use everyday. I NEED coffee in the morning and don't want to go looking for it outside the room.

 

[the kabuki]

Having done both, get the rental car. We did this for the first time on our last trip, and I will never be without a rental again. It was terrific. The savings on the water, drinks, snacks alone paid for at least 1/2 of it. And no waiting for the buses, standing in the aisles, carrying sleeping kids. It was great. Getting around the area was no problem either, tons of signs. Parking lots were easy, trams to car aren't that much farther away than the bus stops. Plus I could get my PEPSI, no Coca-Cola for me Yuck!!!

 

[skiwee1]

DIET Pepsi!

Diet Pepsi here too! I cannot go 14 days at WDW without my Pepsi fix.

 

[JFrey4240]

We pick up milk, water, beer, wine. Saves tons of $$$. We enjoy having a drink at the end of the day on our balcony. We also pick up snacks, granola bars and everything to make PB&J.

 

[PLUTO2]

What store does FL Tours usually stop at?