Help with options from MCO to AoA/Grocery Stop

[areno79]

Hello,
DH and I are staying at WDW this coming December. We typically in the past have taken DME from MCO to the resort and gotten a Garden Grocer order, but I'm concerned we won't meet the minimum order amount since this time it's just the two of us. I also am having a hard time justifying a $40 order + $14 delivery fee when we really only get water and breakfast-type foods.

I'm considering not taking DME, and exploring other transportation options from MCO to AoA, with a grocery stop in between. However, our flight on SW gets in around 8pm on Friday 12/2, so we have limited time to work with if we do want to go to the grocery store.
Here are my options (please feel free to chime in with advice, or something I may not be thinking of):

A) Take DME from MCO, order from Garden Grocer. Approximate Cost: $50 (for GG order)
B) Book a one-way car service from MCO with a grocery store. Approximate Cost: $75 + $25 food
C) Take DME from MCO, then Uber from AoA to the nearest grocery store. Cost: Uber $20 + $25 food
D) Rent a one-night car rental from Alamo, stop at the grocery store on the way to AoA, then return the car the next day to the Car Care Center sometime in the afternoon. (We are doing RD at AK on 12/3, then hopping to HS in the afternoon.) Cost: $30 for a mid-size rental, + $25 food.

I'm tempted to go with option D, but then there's the whole Car Care issue and dropping the car off on 12/3 at some point before they close.

What would you do??

 

[Alesia]

I would go with option A.

 

[Hopefully]

Another option A here

 

[goofy4tink]

A. Many car services won't include a grocery stop unless it's a round trip booking. The cost of renting a car pretty much negates the savings. I usually just send in an order. I don't care that there is a charge. My time is money....I hate the thought of wandering around an unknown grocery store, shopping. I could be in my room, getting settled and then heading to a park.

 

[Starshine]

If the price is right, I'd go with Option D, BUT return the car to the Dolphin instead since you will be at HS that afternoon anyway. Drop off the car and then boat or walk to HS.

 

[Sandi]

Depending on what the "breakfast type food" is, I'd consider just throwing a bag of cereal or breakfast bars in your checked bag and getting water and milk at AOA. I don't buy water -- the cups of water you can get everywhere is fine with me, but I know others don't like the taste, smell, whatever. While the food items are more expensive at the resorts, for a small amount, it is worth the convenience.

Otherwise, I'm with the "A" group.

 

[Lisa F]

I would go with A. the other options have you spending more money total so that it doesn't FEEL like you are spending too much on just the groceries. look at the overall costs. The only one that is a $10 money saver is C but it is the longest time suck, requiring you to go all the way to the resort and then back out (round trip) for groceries. I would say it adds at least an hour to the other plans for that and it's not worth it for the $9 savings ($45 vs. $54) over plan A. My time is worth way more than $9/hr on vacation and for 2 of you it's $4.50/hr, lol.

that said I am going with my own plan F - I am squirreling bottled water and granola bars in my luggage (across 3 bags, you can check 2 each on southwest!) and then that will leave room for souvenirs like the chewbacca stein when I return.

 

[areno79]

I would go with A. the other options have you spending more money total so that it doesn't FEEL like you are spending too much on just the groceries. look at the overall costs. The only one that is a $10 money saver is C but it is the longest time suck, requiring you to go all the way to the resort and then back out (round trip) for groceries. I would say it adds at least an hour to the other plans for that and it's not worth it for the $9 savings ($45 vs. $54) over plan A. My time is worth way more than $9/hr on vacation and for 2 of you it's $4.50/hr, lol.

that said I am going with my own plan F - I am squirreling bottled water and granola bars in my luggage (across 3 bags, you can check 2 each on southwest!) and then that will leave room for souvenirs like the chewbacca stein when I return.

Wait...why didn't I think of that?!?! I am flying SW too, but forgot about the 2 free checked bags. That's actually a great idea!

Thanks everyone for the feedback. We are getting in a little late on Friday (8pm) so there will be no parks for us. I'm just scared because our last DME experience it took us 2.5 hours after landing to finally get to our resort. That was in 2009 though. We will need to eat dinner when we land. DH wants to eat at Wolfgang Puck Express in DS, but I think taking DME it would around 10-10:30 before we could even get to DS. Otherwise we'll just eat in the AoA food court.

I did price out a rental car for the week (we are going to Universal mid-week), and it came to almost $200 for a compact. I was trying to do the math to figure out if it made sense to just rent a car for the week. Otherwise we're planning on taking Uber from WDW to US and back again.

 

[Lisa F]

Wait...why didn't I think of that?!?! I am flying SW too, but forgot about the 2 free checked bags. That's actually a great idea!

Thanks everyone for the feedback. We are getting in a little late on Friday (8pm) so there will be no parks for us. I'm just scared because our last DME experience it took us 2.5 hours after landing to finally get to our resort. That was in 2009 though. We will need to eat dinner when we land. DH wants to eat at Wolfgang Puck Express in DS, but I think taking DME it would around 10-10:30 before we could even get to DS. Otherwise we'll just eat in the AoA food court.

I did price out a rental car for the week (we are going to Universal mid-week), and it came to almost $200 for a compact. I was trying to do the math to figure out if it made sense to just rent a car for the week. Otherwise we're planning on taking Uber from WDW to US and back again.

I think you can do much better on a compact with alamo. I am paying $194 for a mid-size SUV. let me tag you on that thread on the transportation board.