Like most people, I like saving money. And as we all know, just getting to Disney World is a pretty penny! I’m well versed on grocery delivery to Disney Resort Hotels, but I hadn’t actually taken advantage of it myself. While visiting last month I decided to fix that and placed my first order using Walmart+.
We were staying at the Art of Animation, another first for me, and I HIGHLY recommend it! The Family Suites here have small kitchenettes, and I was traveling in a group of 6 people, so I thought it was the perfect time to try to keep our food budget down. (My full review of Art of Animation will be my next post, coming very soon!)
Using that knowledge I had, I signed up for the free trial of Walmart+. By signing up I received free delivery, with no penalty for canceling. I loaded my cart with food and drinks I thought we would use throughout our week’s stay, while trying to be realistic and not over purchase. For us this included bottled water, apples and bananas, some chips/crackers, breakfast bars, orange juice, sunscreen, and some adult beverages. Since my order included alcohol, I knew I had to meet my delivery in person, so I planned the pickup time accordingly. As our arrival day was a resort day, I selected 2-3pm.
We were hanging at the pool, enjoying the warm sun missing from the Upper Ohio Valley this time of year. I kept my phone handy as I wasn’t sure how the arrival process would work. At 2:10 I received a notice on my phone that my arrival was expected soon. So I threw on my coverup and headed to the arrival area. It was a bit chaotic as grocery delivery was much more popular than I realized. Cars kept coming with orders from all over. Target, Walmart, Garden Grocer, etc. I watched my phone for updates, and longingly watched the cars to see if it was my delivery. 30 minutes later, and no delivery in sight, I gave up and went back to my lounge chair. At 3pm I received a notice that my delivery was delayed. Ok… clearly I don’t know how this works!
A few minutes later I received a more clearly worded notice that my driver was on the way and included GPS locator to watch for his arrival. Had this not been my first time with ordering, I would likely have known to wait for THIS notice before heading to the front. Learn from my mistake and wait for the official notice before heading down! When we went back to the meeting point, we watched for our driver pull up. We see him, confirm our identity then gather our groceries. Here is when we realized that we really underestimated our ability to carry all of this to our room. Well, we COULD have used bell services, but we didn’t. Our arms were full, and I took several breaks, even calling in reinforcements to lighten the load. In hindsight, I would have brought some larger bags down with me, or even one of our unpacked suitcases down to haul back the beverages. Or just tipped Bell Services. Again- learn from my error!
Overall I was very satisfied with the order process, and with my better understanding I will certainly utilize grocery delivery again. With a bottle of Dasani costing $4 in the parks, we definitely saved money! I did remember to cancel my trial membership so I wouldn’t incur a fee. I’ll try out another company next time and will be sure to let you know how it goes!
Comments