You can wait until the last minute, but the delivery slots will start filling up, and you may not get a time that is best for you. We have used Garden Grocer and Wego Shop, and with GG, time didn't matter because we were waiting at the resort for our son and famuily to arrive anyway, but with Wego (a smaller operation), we had to wait about three hours after check-in because we didn't place our order until about a week before arrival. No big deal for us, but I imagine that many people are antsy to get out and about.