Getting all of your bucket list food items in Disney World can be one of the most exciting parts of your trip, but it can add up!
One way you can save some money on your vacation is by buying groceries to have at your hotel. But did you know you can have them delivered? Instacart is an app that allows you to order groceries right from your phone and have them sent to your hotel. We used this service when we stayed at Disney’s Art of Animation recently — come see how it went and why we’ll never do food the same way again at Disney World hotels!
We used Instacart at Disney World during our Last to Leave Challenge. You can watch that fun video right here:
All you need to do is download the app and you’re on your way to convenient grocery delivery. Here’s how we did it.
Choose Your Location and Store
Once you get the app, the first thing you have to do is choose a location. We added the Art of Animation address and were given a list of store options to choose from. We chose Publix, a typical grocery store in the area, but there are a lot of stores to decide between!
Costco, Total Wine, Aldi, and Walgreens are a few of the options we were given. When you’re deciding on a store, the app gives you an idea of how long the order will take to arrive from each one, in case you are hoping for a speedy delivery.
Select Your Items
Once we chose Publix, it was time to add things to our cart. The app is organized into categories to make browsing easier, or you can type what you’re looking for into the search bar.
We decided to get a pack of water, to save ourselves from having to buy $3.75 bottles of Dasani around the parks.
Once you’ve chosen everything you want, head to the checkout!
Choose Delivery Time
At checkout, write any delivery instructions you might have. We specified to take it to Bell Services, which is where the hotel can keep your items refrigerated. Then, choose a delivery time.
We chose the standard delivery, but you can pay a fee to get it sooner. At Art of Animation, Bell Services kept our groceries cold, so you could choose a date and time that is close to your arrival at the hotel and have it ready for you when you get there. Then, you have the option to specify what you would like the shopper to do if anything you asked for is sold out.
For example, we asked for Ritz Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers. If they had been sold out, we were given the option to Replace the crackers with a different item of our choosing, get refunded for them, or have the shopper replace the item with their own suggestion.
Pickup Your Order
After you place your order, you will get notifications of its status. Once our shopper was on the way, we were given an estimate for their arrival.
The shopper also messaged us within the app to notify us that it was coming.
Once it was delivered, he sent a picture to confirm that it was in a cooler at the hotel.
We picked up the order at Bell Services, which had us fill out a yellow ticket to verify the name on the order.
Keep in mind, you can call the hotel and schedule Bell Services to deliver the items to your room, but it is a $6 delivery fee.
And there you have it — groceries conveniently delivered to the hotel. Keep in mind, a lot of Disney hotel refrigerators are small and don’t have a dedicated freezer, so check to see what you have the accommodations for before ordering.
Overall Thoughts
Deliveries start at $3.99, but when we placed our order, the app was running a promotion that gave us our first 3 deliveries free, we just had to tip the shopper! In this instance, it was definitely worth it. The app is convenient to use and not having to make a grocery store stop in the middle of your vacation was a huge bonus, especially if you’re not bringing or renting a car.
Having to buy everything within the Disney bubble can get very expensive, so even with a delivery fee, this is a great option to cut down on some costs. Delivery fees will vary depending on your order and location, however, so it might not make sense for everyone. Check the app for a deal like we got like the first delivery for free!
It may sound easier to stop by the grocery store, but we were pleasantly surprised by how easy this was. We didn’t expect that it’d change how we eat at Disney hotels, but this is a money-saving option that we’ll continue using in the future.
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Have you had groceries delivered to your Disney World hotel room? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
Sounds like a good option, especially being able to choose the store.
I just wonder will someone at the store tip me for doing my grocery shopping in person? ?
Sounds like this worked out great for you.
As Instacart and other delivery services grow in popularity, I’m curious if Bell Services at many hotels can keep up with the demand.
As another reader commented- DVC members often fully stock their kitchens with a week full of groceries, including those that require refrigeration. Just how many guests can the Bell Services refrigerator accommodate?
I use instacart and shipt regularly and pay the annual fee, so we had free delivery when we recently stayed at Disney Port Orleans. Our only issue was the shopper had multiple orders, so our delivery arrived much later than expected. We ordered a case of water and a case of soda, so we didn’t mind paying the $6 to have it brought to our room. The groceries ultimately saved our vacation because my husband had a major migraine, needed caffeine, and only drinks mtn dew. Having cold soda and cold water in our room kept our vacation on track. We did leave 3-4 cans behind because he couldn’t finish them before we left. Hopefully, the hotel staff got to enjoy them 😉
This is a great service BUT if you are visiting from the UK you will need to use PayPal as your method of payment and you must change your address to your hotel (you can do this before leaving home)
Why may you ask, well it’s simply because the instacart will not accept uk addresses, so will not accept your regular bank card or credit card. The easiest way is to use PayPal but change the address otherwise it will not work
How do I know this, because we used it on our last visit and had to do the above. Many thanks to the cast member at Riverside Resort who told us about instacart, but didn’t mention the address thing as to be fair they most likely didn’t know as visitors from the USA have accepted cards/addresses
Deliveries start at $3.99. What amount of groceries does that include? We are DVC members and stay in rooms with full kitchens and will prepare some of our meals there. So we will spend $100 or more on groceries. In the past we have used Green Grocer and have been very satisfied with that service. But the grocery items are more expensive compared to if you shopped yourself. So I am wondering how Instacart compares with, say a Green Grocer? As an aside we will bring some items like coffee or granola bars or bags of granola in our luggage. And I have also heard of people buying groceries through Amazon and having them shipped to your resort. With WDW costs increasing, spending $100-$200 on groceries can pay for itself very quickly.
I have used Green Grocer several times on past visits. The last time my oranges were rotten and the milk was spoiled. So no more Green Grocer for me. Instacart sounds like a good option, particularly since I can pick the store.