Here's Where to Buy Groceries for Your Orlando Vacation
Buying groceries may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you plan your Orlando vacation, but we think it may be a good idea for a lot of visitors.
After a few days of eating restaurant food or paying for over-priced snacks in the hotels & parks, you may want the simple comfort of having some of your own food back in your room or vacation home. Also, keep in mind that Walt Disney World parks allow you to bring your own food into the parks.
If you want to know where to buy groceries for your Orlando vacation, there are two simple options. Go get it or have it delivered.
Orlando Grocery Stores
Every town has a place to buy groceries. In Orlando, there are a few options that may appeal to you more than others.
Our first recommendation is Publix. Everyone in town knows this Florida grocery chain. Publix has a reputation for quality and good customer service. We prefer shopping at Publix because the produce seems better than other grocery chains. Check out the weekly Publix ad (available on their website).  There are deals, specials and Buy One, Get One (BOGO) deals each week that can substantially reduce you bill.
Publix is very coupon friendly, accepting competitors coupons and stacking them with other savings.
Now you can find better produce at some smaller markets or farmer's markets, but those generally aren't available near the vacation destinations. We plan on doing a story on local markets later this year.
Next on our list is SuperTarget. The regular Target stores don't have groceries, but SuperTarget stores have a large selection of produce and other fresh groceries that you may need. The quality of the produce seems a level below Publix. However, SuperTarget stores often have lower prices on packaged groceries. If you're looking for staples, this may be a better recommendation. Also, it has everything else you expect from a Target store.
Our third recommendation is Winn-Dixie. It's an older chain that is having a hard time keeping up with the competition. We don't have any knocks against Winn-Dixie, but we'd choose Publix if both were in the same area.
Finally, we know a lot of people like to shop at Walmart. There's no way in the world I would recommend Walmart to you because I won't go there. People get murdered in the parking lot at Walmart stores in Orlando.
I mentioned a site called People of Walmart on the podcast. There's a link below (NSFW) to show why we don't recommend this chain.
Grocery Delivery Options in Orlando
If you don't have transportation or just don't want to take the time to go grocery shopping on vacation (which we understand), a delivery service may be a good option for you.
We mentioned Publix above, and that chain recently started providing grocery deliveries. We haven't tried it yet, but we're confident enough with Publix that we can recommend it as a good option.
Garden Grocer is a local online grocery store with a history of providing deliveries in the Orlando area, particularly to the Walt Disney World resorts. Check their page for any delivery restrictions before you order. Some of the resorts only allow deliveries at a specific time, which may or may not work for your schedule.
Another favorite for guests is to shop for staples on Amazon and have your items shipped to your vacation home or hotel. It's a great option to save time and money on the price of groceries and other items you may need on your vacation.
Before you choose this option, check with your resort to see if they charge a fee for receiving deliveries. Some Walt Disney World resorts used to do this for free, but the policy changed last year and now they charge a fee per package.
Related Links
You can use these links to find out where the closest grocery location is to your vacation home or hotel.