Grocery Delivery While On Vacation

​Have you ever been on vacation and realized you really needed a case of water or milk? Each resort or hotel is different. Some offer a mini-fridge in the room and some don’t. You might be able to buy the milk or water at the hotel, but at an upcharge. Usually all big city locations offer grocery delivery, but there are a few things to know before you place an order.

1. Research before you go if possible or ask your travel advisor. We love to recommend our picks from experiences we have.
2. Do you have a mini-fridge or even a full fridge in your room? This will help determine just how much cold items or even frozen items you can order.
3. Depending on the service there may be a minimum number of items or minimum dollar amount you must buy to get delivery.
4. Check the delivery charge. Sometimes these can be cost prohibitive or even sometimes waived if you meet certain conditions.
5. Check to see if the driver requires a tip or if they will leave it with concierge and you can tip in the app or website. If they leave it with concierge, remember they want a tip as well.
6. Check with your hotel or resort to see if they will store your delivery and if they charge a fee for that service. Some resorts charge a fee to store a package delivered by mail, but if delivered to concierge may not get hold charge.
7. Is there a service that will deliver to you because of your memberships? Like Amazon Prime Now or Amazon Pantry?
8. Does the delivery service deliver items other than food? Like OTC medications, clothing, electronic cables or accessories and more?

Each of these questions can determine if this is worth having anything delivered. Don’t worry if you didn’t research it ahead of time. You can do it easily from your phone or even asking concierge desk for recommendations. 

On a recent trip, I planned to order fresh fruit, milk, ice cream and a few other snacks. We had a full fridge and I wanted to have food available without leaving the room to get it. Using Amazon Prime Now, I knew I needed to purchase $35 for free delivery within a 2-hour delivery and that I could upgrade that to 1-hour delivery for a fee. I place the order and it was delivered to the concierge where they had a fridge to put the cold items. When it was in the van, I received a link to watch the van as it started their drop offs. I also was notified when they made the drop off and where it was delivered. Inside the app, I tipped the driver. It was easy and still cold when I picked it up.

Then suddenly we needed a surprise item on the trip that I couldn’t get in the store at the resort. It was going to be a pretty good drive to find, so I pulled up the Amazon Prime Now app, located what I needed. I didn’t have to wait for it to be delivered, but instead went on with my vacation and picked it up when I was back at the resort. It saved us time and money and I didn’t have to take time away from my family to do it.

While grocery delivery isn’t for everyone, I enjoyed trying it out for my needs for this vacation. The fruit was fresh and a hit on the hot afternoons. Having a bowl of cereal in the morning also was a quick way to get the kids up and moving out the door. Not all of my vacations are like this, but when they are, I will be using grocery delivery!

For more vacation planning tips contact the Whitney World Travel team!