They are full-featured convenience stores, so if nothing else, you can consider this a place to grab a snack at prices that are decidedly lower than Disney's in-park prices. The selection is exactly what you expect from visiting convenience stores all over the country.
The prices don't just line up favorably when it comes to food; the gas prices are themselves just fine. You'd expect them to be inflated here on property, but surprisingly, they are cheaper in many ways than other "regular" gas stations in the area. The Hess stations, in fact, may be among the best options for gas in the Orlando area.
Curious, I dedicated a few minutes last Saturday to snapping photos not only of the Hess station and its prices, but also a nearby gas station. I chose as my comparison the most evil of local stations, a Mobil right next to the Crossroads shopping center on SR-535 (put another way: just outside the Lake Buena Vista hotels near Downtown Disney). It's branded as "2nd City" and it has a convenience store as well, but I consider it evil primarily because it doesn't advertise its gas prices.
The sign out front is simply silent on gas prices. The prices are there on the pump, all right, and they were a full dollar-twenty higher per gallon than the Hess, which I had left a mere five minutes earlier.
Hess:
Second City:
I don't get how they can have no sign out front. Suncoast Energys [sic] by the Orlando International Airport received national negative press for doing the same thing (and charging more than $5/gallon, then the nation's most expensive gas), causing the city to pass a law that they had to start putting the prices on a sign by the street.
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Kevin Yee is the author of numerous independent Disney books, including the popular Walt Disney World Earbook series and Walt Disney World Hidden History.
