Garden Grocer.com Order Placed--The Husband Gets His Mountain Dew!

The husband’s sister came to town the other day and was surprised to hear that her “little” brother still insisted on Mountain Dew, that Mountain Dew cannot be found anywhere in the Disney bubble, and that we get Mountain Dew delivered to our resort!  She asked how and I got to explain about Garden Grocer.com.

Garden Grocer.com is an on-line grocery service that delivers items directly to your Walt Disney World Resort (other destinations are available as well.)  We just placed our order yesterday for our upcoming trip.

I logged into the site using an email and password as a returning customer.  First time customers can create an account with an email and password.  I loaded items into my cart and then proceeded to check-out.  Prices are higher than I would typically pay, but not outrageous.  There is a $14 delivery fee for orders $40 to $200.  Orders over $200 have a $2 deliver fee.  There is also an option for a gratuity or tip.  Customers can pay with PayPal, a credit card, or call and pay for the order via phone.

We ordered apple juice boxes, small cereal box assortment, sunscreen—lotion and spray, fruit bars, and of course, for the husband, Mountain Dew!  Our total came to $60 with delivery, tax, and gratuity.

At check-out, I got to select my Disney Resort which then had the address and the phone number of the resort automatically appear in the fields.  I then got to select a delivery time which are in two hour increments.  I selected the date of our resort arrival and a delivery time of 8:00 am to 10:00 am.  Since we are coming to our resort after disembarking from the ship, we will be at our resort that morning.

This is our third time using Garden Grocer and I am still impressed with the ease of transaction and level of customer service.  A confirmation email was sent immediately after placing the order and a follow-up phone call came next.  The sweet voice informed me that we did not have to be present for the grocery delivery, that it would be stored at Bell Services at our Disney Resort and refrigerated if necessary.  She also said that we would receive a text message confirming the delivery to the resort.

Hints and Tips to make using Garden Grocer even easier:

• Once you create an account, log in anytime to add items to your “favorites” or to your cart.  Then, once you are ready to place your order, it will take less time.
• You can edit your cart, so go ahead and add items to your cart while browsing and then remove later.  It is easier and faster than trying to find the item again if you decide you want it.
• Place your order several days prior to your arrival date.  Delivery slots are limited and do run out.  Discounts are sometimes available for orders made a month or longer before arrival dates.
• There is a “sale” section, so be sure to check it out for bargains and deals that you might want/need. 
• If your Garden Grocer delivery is at your resort, but your room isn’t ready, just let Bell Services continue to hold the items until your room is ready.  Bell Services can also deliver your order right to your resort room, but you must be in your room to receive the order.

We can check another item off our “to do” list in preparation for our upcoming trip! 

And, the husband is pleased to know he will still have access to Mountain Dew while we travel to Walt Disney World.  Just ask him how many people ask him about where he got his soda while he drinks it in the morning and while waiting for the parks to open. 

Our GardenGrocer.com Order Has Been Placed For Our Upcoming Trip to Walt Disney World!

What does a long stay at Walt Disney World plus baggage fees and weight limitations equal?  A GardenGrocer.com grocery order!  GardenGrrocer.com is an on-line store that allows guests to order various groceries and have them delivered to their Walt Disney World Resort (except the Swan and Dolphin).  Ordering is fast, convenient, and the service rivals Disney’s.

We placed our GardenGrocer.com order yesterday for our upcoming trip.  Since we have used GardenGrocer before, I just logged into my account with an email and password.  If you are a first time customer, create an account with an email address and password.  I then put items in the cart, just like I would at a brick and mortar grocery store.  

The prices are a bit higher than I would normally see (or spend) at local grocery stores but not outrageous.  And, by having the items delivered we will save money by not purchasing at even higher prices at our Disney resort.  

There is a $14 delivery charge for orders between $40 and $200—the minimum order is $40 and orders over $200 are charged $2 for delivery.  Sales tax is also added and there is an opportunity to add a trip or gratuity that is divided into thirds for the three people who handle your order.

When checking out, you get to select your Walt Disney World Resort and then the site pre-populates the address and phone number for your resort—pretty smart!  Next is the selection of a delivery time.  Two hour delivery windows are available starting with 2:00-4:00 pm.  (The last time we used GardenGrocer.com earlier delivery times were available as we were coming off the ship and were at our resort by 10:00 am and our items had already been delivered.)  Click here to read about our previous experience with GardenGrocer.com.

Paying was also easy with choices of credit card, PayPal, or print and phone which means the guest would call to place the order if they were uncomfortable shopping on-line.

I got an email confirming the order AND a phone call!  The phone call confirmed the order, explained that I would receive a text message when the items were delivered at the resort, that we did not need to be present for the delivery, that the resort would hold (and refrigerate if necessary) the delivery at Bell Services,  until we picked them up or had them delivered to our room.

There are a limited number of delivery slots per day available and the GardenGrocer.com web-site indicates how many delivery slots are available for each day.  That is part of the reason we placed our order even though we are still weeks away from our trip—I didn’t want to wait too long and not have a delivery available for our arrival day.  If that happened, you could always choose a different delivery date for later in your trip.

Our order consisted of sunscreen—both lotion and spray.  Reason being that these items cannot be packed in our carry-on luggage and since we plan on going to a water park first thing (before our checked luggage gets delivered to our room) I wanted sunscreen available.  And, while I plan on packing some, it will be nice to have extra on hand for our 12 day stay.

Mountain Dew—twelve 20 ounces bottles to be exact—was also in our “cart.”  This is the husband’s favorite flavor of soda and since Disney is a Coke only consumer, Mountain Dew cannot be found on property.  I have packed bottles before—one for each day of our trip—but since we are staying longer I was concerned about baggage weight limits.  It was easier to order the Mountain Dew for delivery.  He will put the bottles in the refrigerator in our resort room and each morning enjoy his caffeine fix and flaunt it in front of other guests at the bus stop.

Fresh pears, 100% orange juice boxes, applesauce, and plastic spoons round out the rest of our order.  As you can tell, the items are mostly for breakfast or snack consumption.  I already have various bars, PopTarts, and cereal (which we prefer to eat dry) packed for the trip.  These are lightweight and will give us more room in our luggage for the trip home after consumption.

When I told the boy about our order, he inquired about peaches.  I told him I would pack some in my shoulder bag as they are our summer travel go to fruit (and clementines in the winter).  We love to indulge with a juicy peach while on a flight or at the airport leaving other travelers to wonder why they didn’t think of that.

I can check GardenGrocer off the pre-trip “to do” list.  Oh, and the moleskin as I purchased it at the store the other day.  The misting spray/fan bottle is still hiding as is the husband’s glasses strap and waterproof watch (which he had for December’s trip). 

Garden Grocer.com Was a Hit!

During our July, 2011, summer vacation trip, we used Gardengrocer.com for the very first time and had groceries delivered and waiting for us at our Walt Disney World Resort.

Our order, which met the $40 minimum, included a Mountain Dew—for the husband to drink as Disney is a Coco-Cola only domain, fresh pears, fruit snacks, orange juice boxes, granola bars, cereal bars, fruit snacks, and a bottle of sunscreen.  I placed the order prior to use leaving for our trip—click here to read more.

Well, we were more than impressed with the service, the quality, and the convenience of having these items waiting for us at the resort up on check-in.

I mentioned at the check-in desk that we had a Gardengrocer.com order and had the confirmation e-mail printed and in my folder with other important papers.  They checked and said the delivery was already at the resort.  We picked it up at luggage services along with our luggage that was being delivered to our room.  They even had it in the refrigerator keeping the fresh items cold!

And, talk about follow-up after the sale!  We received e-mails, text messages, and phone calls on our cell making sure everything had been delivered, was the quality we had expected, and, in general, ensuring that we were satisfied.  We were!

The Gardengrocer.com website is easy to use and navigate.  If I were going to use them, I would again do my browsing and “adding to my cart” before making the actual purchase, just in case I forgot something—this can be done over the course of several visits to the web-site.

While I usually pack the items we ordered, our trip plans in July included a cruise on the Disney Dream before our stay at the Walt Disney World Resort and luggage space was tight.  I also, didn’t want to lug around Mountain Dew for several days before landing at our resort—we picked up enough bottles at Orlando International when we got off the plane to get him through our cruise.  Next time, I might even weigh (no pun intended) the cost of checking luggage vs. making an on-line purchase with Gardengrocer.com.  Could we check fewer bags and make up the difference with a grocery delivery?  Which would be more cost effective?  (Things I think about!)

If we do need to make another order, Gardengrocer.com will be our go-to grocery delivery service.  Two thumbs up!