Grocery Store?

Not sure if it's the best spot, but we usually hit up SuperTarget for our groceries and essentials. It's pretty close by,but don't ask me how to get there

I think it would depend on where you're staying. If I were on the Animal Kingdom side I'd take Sherberth Road over to Irlo Bronson; if I were closer to Downtown Disney I'd head over to International Drive. There are supermarkets convenient to both locations and probably some in between. Last trip (staying off property) we ended up at a Publix near I-Drive. It was a pretty good supermarket.

Gooding's at the end of Hotel row is the closest and not expensive and always empty. We go there all the time.

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I did the Walmart in Kissimmee on Vineland Rd both times I was down there this year and why I even went the second time is beyond me (really I just didn't know it was the SAME WALMART since I was staying in a condo in Kissimmee so I had no idea it was the same thing, haha!) because it's PACKED all the time from what I've been able to tell. Definitely do not recommend whatsoever.

The Publix in Celebration is cute as a button, though. REALLY wish we had stopped in there in March instead. I'm positive it wouldn't have been quite the madhouse.

I've been to the SuperTarget on 192 (Tori & I went there on our Feb 2012 trip. Its where we got Gary!) several times. They have a HUGE Disney section at the front of the store for t-shirts, souvenirs, etc. Grocery prices weren't terrible but a bit on the high side. I've heard there is a Publix across the street from SuperTarget but its very pricey. I've been meaning to check out the Goodings store at The Crossroads area but we never seem to make it over. I avoid central Florida Walmarts like the plague! Dirty, rude patrons, meh selection. No thanks!

Oh to have been a Starbucks in the cup holder for that trip....

I didn't know there was a Whole Foods around there; good to know!!! I love Whole Foods!

Trapped! Trapped like rats!

Actually, that's a tricky route. I think I'm getting to be extremely comfortable driving around Disney property and I still feel like I'm going to miss the turn off for AKL until I'm right on top of it.

You must mean this turn. It's a pain, you have to remember its the next right after blizzard beach. And they only have that one little freaking sign.

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We go offsite (Vineland) to Church on Sunday Mornings, and we pass a couple Walmart's and a Target. Or is it a couple Target's and a Walmart? Whatever, we stop in to Walmart to pick up what we think we might need.

Since we arrive Saturday Morning, usually, this works out for us. We drive, so we have the truck, usually just need those perishables that won't make our 9 hour-ish journey, like milk for the kiddos. (Or should that be 9-ish hour?)

Yep, that's the one! Heaven help you if you're in the left lane...

Circling back around the original subject matter, I really want to check out the Publix in Celebration and the Goodings at The Crossroads. Just for kicks and giggles.

We've used Gooding's in the past, and more recently the Walmart in Kissimmee. However, when it's just the two of us and we are looking for milk, water, beer, wine, and snacks we hit one of the three Hess gas stations in WDW. It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than the gift shops in the resorts.

As an aside, Gooding's is actually on Disney owned property.

That's what I would do if I were driving down (and have done when travelling via Auto Train). Purchase all the nonperishables at home and just get milk and such down there. For just a few perishables I don't mind paying the outrageous prices at the resort gift shop.

I pack most of our stuff in the truck. But milk and stuff, since we go offsite to church the day after we arrive anyway, it is just easy for us to stop by and pick up the cold stuff.

Totally! We don't go back out if we run out of something. We buy it onsite, if we can. It takes a ton of time to leave the property for any reason. We load the bed of my truck. I mean, it is crammed full. It takes careful consideration when loading, to make sure that everything will fit. And this includes food items. I feel like people laugh at us when we move into our room.

Not a chance! One of my old hobbies (where I met Kristen K actually....) was living history/medieval re-creation. There was a joke that most people's ideas of camping involved a backpack, whereas ours involved a U-Haul. It ain't lyin' when it's true!

This has become the strangest thread.....

Camping with a U-Haul! Although, we grew up camping. My parents had a Ford Club Wagon extended version, so it was pretty much a U-Haul. And it would be CRAMMED. But, showing my age, it was before seat belt laws, so we always made room for gear by giving up seats and sleeping on the floor toward the front of the van.

And, that is kind of what this feels like! I would NEVER have room for pretty things too!! And actually, as the girls get older, we need less things. I am not sure that we would have ever made it if we had to fly. Even still. I have to hand it to those who do fly with little ones. They are PACKING MASTERS! I do not have that skill. I pack my truck full AND run to the store.

Just thought I would post an post-trip report to this thread! I ended up going to three of the stores listed in this thread: Super Target on 192, Goodings at The Crossroads and Publix at the Water Tower near Celebration. We also ended up driving by the Whole Foods mentioned earlier but didn't go in.

Goodings: I'm very sorry to say this Mr. Hub but this place was just gross! We went here twice and both times because we were in a hurry and it was the closest store. Once was for drinks for our welcome dinner and once was for some medical supplies. More on that in a moment. This place has got you trapped and they know it. It's tourist prices and if you're walking or using a shuttle, you're going to pay through the nose. The staff was friendly enough but the interior of the store felt dusty, grimy and cluttered. Okay, I will give them a half a point for being open at 24 hours; I appreciated that when I needed it. Pros - Walkable from Downtown Disney hotels, friendly staff, open 24 hours. Cons - Tourist prices, store felt dirty, very limited selection. Score - 2.5 out of 5

Super Target: Still pretty darned awesome, in my opinion. This store knows that it's catering to Disney tourists but I didn't get the feeling that I was being gouged while they did it. This store has a full grocery and an outstanding deli/bakery section. I picked up 4 sub sandwiches from the deli case for 20 bucks and fed 7 people for lunch at Blizzard Beach including 2 teenage boys and 2 guys with big appetites. I also picked up a Mickey baseball cap for 9 dollars that I wore almost constantly. I saw the same cap in the parks for nearly twice that much. The only downside for me is that its going to take you about 20 minutes to drive there from any resort hotel except Animal Kingdom Lodge. Overall, this is still my pick for off-site grocery & sundries shopping. If you have a Target Red Card, that 5% off is a nice little bonus. If you know you're going to have to go off-site and do some shopping, it's easy to make an afternoon or evening from the trip. There are several nicer chain restaurants in the area (Sweet Tomatoes, Texas Roadhouse, Joe's Crabshack, Chevy's, Carrabba's, etc) that make a decent alternative to eating at Disney. I also saw a new Marshall's store going in across the street, so this area is growing.
Pros - outstanding selection, decent grocery prices, huge range of quality Disney merchandise. Cons - Same hours as your usual Target, far from most Disney resort hotels, traffic congestion can be an issue. Score - 4 out of 5

Publix at Water Tower in Celebration: This review requires a little bit of back story of a medical nature, so squeamish folks be warned! Like most women (and brides), I got a manicure and pedicure the day before we left for Florida. Turns out I ended up with infected big toenail from getting a pedicure. It was pretty ugly by the 2nd day we were in Florida but I was too busy to do much for it other than grit my teeth, soak it twice a day with Epsom salt, dig out the gunk with a sterile needle and use an antibiotic cream. I got through the wedding doing that but it still wasn't getting better. By Wednesday I was ready to concede that I needed to get it looked at since I was getting on a ship and leaving the country the next day. So off to the Minute Clinic at CVS we went! 80 dollars later, I had a prescription for Keflex and "Wow, that sucks. Keep doing everything you're already doing" from the nurse practitioner. And they say nurses make lousy patients....I digress. The NP gave me the option of getting the scrip filled there at the CVS or going down the street to the Publix where it would be filled for free. I'm a big fan of free, so Publix it was. I'm sorry that I can't review the grocery section of the store but what I saw was lovely and clean! The pharmacy and pharmacists were pretty darned nice, too. And yes, my prescription was really free. So really this is an honorary mention of niceness for Publix but I'd definitely go back!

Becks I never said it was a place I would do a full weeks grocery shopping, but it was never dirty or cluttered when we have gone in there and its always well stocked. We go there for soda's, water , the quick munchie and such, cookies & chips. I don't think it's bad at all. Price wise, it's not much more then what we pay here at home normally, so I can't complain about that, but we say the same about when people complain about the price of meals in Disney. It's nothing for us to drop $150 at Redstones here at home. Sorry it didn't work for you Becks. If the Wal-Mart or Publix was right there too, yes I would do that instead. But like you said, they are a 20 minute hike farther.

Perhaps I was in there after a particularly busy day? Goodness knows we had crowds to contend with in other places! Believe me, I was profoundly grateful to find a place that was open at 1:30 am when I was desperate for something with topical benzocaine in it.

I used to go to Goodings in the late 90s and early 2000s - but hadn't been there in a long time until a stop a couple of years ago. Compared to earlier visits, I found Goodings to be run down and dirty. I thought it sad to see how bad it had become - not much in the way of product - ended up leaving without purchasing anything and headed to WalMart which I hate to say was cleaner and brighter....