New charge for Bell Service Delivery

[kaytieeldr]

They need to include an envelope labeled "This package delivered by X. Please give X a tip." I'd happily eat 6 bucks if I knew I could reward the person actually doing the work.

You should need to be in the room for grocery delivery. You can tip the Bellperson then.

 

[Starwind]

Love the misadventures in delivery description! BWV bell service guy mentioned last year that some amazon delivery people were in his words sketchy. He went to the trouble of writing down the phone number for Garden Grocers which many DIS posters have reported using. Sounds like good alternative for ordering groceries.

We have used Garden Grocer in the past with good success. Cold things properly cold, etc.

They have gotten quite expensive though over the years [I have made a spreadsheet and done a side by side compare of the prices for what we want to get at Garden Grocer, Amazon Prime Now [shopping Amazon and Whole Foods], Walmart, Target, and Instacart [shopping Publix and Whole Foods] and GG is by far the most expensive for most but not all items; it is actually rather interesting to see the price differences across the stores....], so for our next trip we are going to try Dizzy Dolphin, who gets great reviews and is a similar "professional" grocery delivery service to Garden Grocer, but their prices are better.

We may supplement with a few non-perishables from Amazon Prime Now, but do not trust them with perishables. On our last trip we used Amazon Prime Now. They did deliver what we requested, in the time window. We tried to meet the driver but they delivered to Bell Services instead, which worked out ok since we were there. Nothing was put in the fridge. Cold items were in one insulated bag, but that would only keep them cold for so long and IMO is not a suitable alternative to actually putting the bag in the fridge or freezer. Also, they put fridge and freezer items into that same bag together. OTOH, mid-trip when I needed a new luggage lock due to the failure of the integrated lock on one of our suitcases, I had one two hours later thanks to Amazon Prime Now.

I also recommend Turner Drugs for quick and professional delivery of the products they stock. They are a local drug store, so are good for filling prescription medications, but also OTC meds/products [which is what we needed mid-trip - cough syrup and cough drops] and they also have a selection of additional items. We found their delivery fee quite reasonable, they delivered when expected and it was properly logged etc. They deliver via the front desk, I am assuming probably because most of their orders contain medications, often Rx ones. If you were to ask at the front desk for a service where you could get an Rx filled Turner Drugs is who they refer you to.

SW

 

[snappy]

After our bad experience last year with the perishables last year with amazon prime now, I agree about getting them elsewhere. I spent hours between waiting for the courier, talking to amazon supervisor to try to contact the courier when she was so delayed and calling amazon customer service to replace the perishables and replacing the crappy beer they substituted for the one with ordered. When the third delivery resulted in the same beer substitute I gave up. The refunds they offered me weren’t worth the time wasted. Time is money at Disney!

Thanks for mentioning dizzy Dolphin. I’ll check them out.

 

[Bigdrumnc]

So I am a newbie....we are going to be staying in animal kingdom lodge in later this month. If I order groceries and supplies from amazon now/prime, do they just get delivered to the bell services desk for us to pick up or do they deliver to the room? I was going to place the order while at the air port so the food would be waiting, we are going straight into the resort off the plane. If they hold the food (which we were told they would if marked perishable ). Does the fee still apply? Thank you ahead of time!

 

[Denise W]

So I am a newbie....we are going to be staying in animal kingdom lodge in later this month. If I order groceries and supplies from amazon now/prime, do they just get delivered to the bell services desk for us to pick up or do they deliver to the room? I was going to place the order while at the air port so the food would be waiting, we are going straight into the resort off the plane. If they hold the food (which we were told they would if marked perishable ). Does the fee still apply? Thank you ahead of time!

The fee is applied if your grocery delivery is left with Bell Services and then you request they bring the delivery to your room (while you are there). If you go to Bell Services and pick up the delivery yourself, the fee is not added to your room account.
Denise

 

[toocherie]

I agree---$6 is not going to kill anyone who is staying at a Disney resort. But it is irritating--my story--I ship my suitcase (I'm disabled and it just is easier for me than dealing with it on the way out in the airport, etc. It's not cheap but that's my choice.) So my suitcase gets delivered to the hotel and logged into bell services just like if I showed up with a car and had them check my luggage until my room was ready. I get my room and call for my suitcase -- it gets brought by bell services and I tip the bell guy. Then I get a $6 charge. What difference in handling is there between Lugless dropping off my suitcase or me dropping off my suitcase? Again--it's not the $6. It's the inequity and the "ability" to say "we're going to charge more for X" even though there is no appreciable difference in the amount of "work" involved.

 

[vacationer1954]

It's the inequity and the "ability" to say "we're going to charge more for X" even though there is no appreciable difference in the amount of "work" involved.

It isn't about the amount of work - it is about how much the work is worth, and for many guests being able to have the groceries they want without paying Disney's inflated costs for a more limited selection is worth a lot. That's what Disney is charging for.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I ship my suitcase (I'm disabled and it just is easier for me than dealing with it on the way out in the airport, etc. It's not cheap but that's my choice.)

Do you literally ship luggage? I can see how that would be expensive. Have you considered just packing everything in a box and shipping it UPS, FEDEX, or even USPS?

 

[toocherie]

Do you literally ship luggage? I can see how that would be expensive. Have you considered just packing everything in a box and shipping it UPS, FEDEX, or even USPS?

I have shipped a box. Using a service like Lugless (you can choose to use either FedEx or UPS) is actually less expensive by a little. I think it was $75 one-way in April--but it was going to cost $30 to check it on the plane. Besides the cost the only other downside is you have to be packed and ship a week before- which actually in some ways is a benefit because then you're not packing at the last minute! They literally put a shipping tag on the handle of the suitcase and you drop it off at either a Fed Ex or UPS center/store. It is very easy. Since Disney has resort check-in I use that on the way back because I usually have someone coming to bag check to meet me (as long as I'm using an airline that participates).