Unusual Dining Question

[arthur06]

I am not a DVC member...yet? But my dealings with everyone on this board has been unique. Very helpful and very friendly! :)

My question is do most people on here eat out for supper or eat in there "home" as if it were home. Being a DVC member seems like more a way of life then a vacation? Am I way off base?

[TomD]

We usually cook breakfast in the room and eat out for dinner. Someday we will do a trip where all of our meals are in the room.

[ChelleinNC]

We use the kitchen for coffee, maybe breakfast (none of us are big breakfast people) and leftovers/snacks. We don't cook on vacation :goodvibes

[danielle782001]

We actually do not have many meals in the room at all...We love that the option is there...But I cook all the time at home and it just does not feel like a vacation to me if I have to cook there...We use the kitchen for quick meals and snacks...We stock the frig with milk, water, and juice for some meals and to grab before we leave the room...We also use the toaster in the morning for the bagels and the oven for warming muffins (we buy both at the quick service at the resorts)...It is nice to eat off "real" plates even when eating "fast food" quickly...We love to make coffee in the room and we love the dishwasher....

I know many do cook but it just is not for me :upsidedow

Now the washing machine/ dryer...That we really use!

[wdw1972]

I do some breakfasts in the room - biscotti or english muffin mainly. Other meals are eaten OUT...after all, I'm on vacation!

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We have snacks in the room, but that's it. I figure if I'm on vacation, I'm not cooking. Its nice to have the kitchen there...but the most we use is the coffee maker and the microwave.

[DVC Mike]

Dining at a nice TS restaurant is part of our vacation experience.

We use the kitchen in our 1-BR to make coffee.

[Dean]

I am not a DVC member...yet? But my dealings with everyone on this board has been unique. Very helpful and very friendly! :)

My question is do most people on here eat out for supper or eat in there "home" as if it were home. Being a DVC member seems like more a way of life then a vacation? Am I way off base?I think you'll get as many answers as there are options. And it will likely vary with the unit type (studio vs other) as well. I suspect most eat some meals in the room most trips, particularly smaller or lighter meals. We usually do a light breakfast in, one meal out and then a snack. That meal out is often a late lunch or early dinner.

[snowbunny]

My kids like Publix frozen pizza better than going to a restaurant :rolleyes: We use the kitchen in the unit.

[Anal Annie]

As a family of 3 we can get by using a studio so I do not cook meals. Plus I have no desire what-so-ever to cook or do laundry on my vacation! I do love the kitchenette feature tho. With the frig. we can keep soda, beer and milk for DS and make coffee for us. We fly and use ME so I pack snacks and lightweight non-perishable items for breakfasts...pre-sliced bagels that we can toast (we buy milk, butter & cream cheese at the convenience store on site). I also bring oatmeal packs that can be microwaved and those individual packs of cereal that you just open and add the milk into the container (I bring a variety so there's a choice). I do like having the toaster and microwave available. We also picked up some frozen hot pocket things that we could microwave one night...it got late, we never got around to eating at the parks...we were hungry but too tired to mess with a restaurant...I saw those at the little store on site and said BINGO! There's dinner!:rotfl:

We also don't like to waste time running back & forth between the parks and the villa. I guess we're pretty park intensive types. We usually go first thing in the mornings...stay until early afternoon then go back to use the pool etc. Then we clean up and go back out, usually to another park for the evening. We are not early eaters so it does not work out for us to try to alter our schedules to eat in the villa.

[TLinden16]

I only have breakfast in the room. I like eating out :)

[Silver Queen]

We just bought into DVC last April and will soon be enjoying our first stay as DVC owners. Our intention when we bought was too use the kitchen for coffee, light breakfasts, and snacks. We don't want to take the time to cook on vacation and we enjoy eating out and trying different restaurants. We also like to cook at home and feel that it would be too cumbersome to get all of the ingredients to cook a nice meal in the villa (seasonings, fresh produce, etc.). Maybe after we've gone down for several years our routine will change, but for now we'll be out a lot.

[FOTM_Ring_Bearer]

I'm on vacation so I'm not cooking. But we do make coffee and bring cereal for dd's. I prefer to grab something yummy at the bakery for breakfast. And we'll have snacks in the afternoon with cocktails. I love to sit on the balcony and relax with a beverage. :drinking1

I do love having the washer and dryer in our villa. It's so convenient.

[DiznyDi]

No cooking for us! First one up puts on the pot of coffee. We keep cold drinks in the frig and fill the ice cube trays upon arrival. :lovestruc Love the washer/dryer!

[photobob]

We have snack breakfast in the room and might have a sandwich for supper since we usually have our table service meal for lunch. We may do a prepackaged pasta salad which basically involves boiling water,but we haven't done any real heavy cooking.

[CraftyMouse]

We do about 1/2 and 1/2. By eating in the room some nights we are really able to cut down on expenses. This, combined with our DVC membership and APs, lets us get two trips in for the price of one. I'll gladly take extra time at WDW over some full-serve restaurants!

We don't do any extensive cooking. We make spaghetti, tacos, and other easy dishes. It's really not a lot of work and each time we do it, it saves us at least $80 over a full-service meal.

[Chuck S]

We usually have breakfast in the room, a table service lunch, and dinner varies from counter service to fixing something light in the room.

We usually have sandwich makings and fresh fruit in the room, if we're in a studio. Some more substantial, yet easily prepared items, if we're in a larger unit.

[jodifla]

I am not a DVC member...yet? But my dealings with everyone on this board has been unique. Very helpful and very friendly! :)

My question is do most people on here eat out for supper or eat in there "home" as if it were home. Being a DVC member seems like more a way of life then a vacation? Am I way off base?

We love cooking in our DVC unit! We often have friends join us, so it's like a big party. And since the kids are young, it's often easier than waiting in a crowded restaurant. And since nobody's driving, the cocktails flow freely!

[Inkmahm]

Doesn't matter which size unit we are in because we only ever eat breakfast in our room. That would be cereal or maybe poptarts. We never ever eat lunch or dinner in the villa as we are in the parks!

[Terry S]

We use the kitchen for coffee and storing cold drinks! I am on vacation, I don't want to cook!

[joech]

We don't cook during our vacation.

[MBELSANTI]

We always do the DDP and eat dinner at TS restaurants as DVC Mike said, it is part of the vacation experience. I did this last time, place an order with GG for bagels, creamcheese, butter, juice. We had this for breakfast, plus I made coffee...gotta have my coffee. We then used CS for our lunch and dinner was at TS restaurant. We had some great meals! I am going again over the holidays and will do the same thing by placing a small order with GG. It was worth it to us.

[CraftyMouse]

We use the kitchen for coffee and storing cold drinks! I am on vacation, I don't want to cook!

I completely understand this, but for us cooking in the villa allows us to stay twice as often. I'd much rather stay two weeks and do a little bit of cooking, since the other option is to come home a week early and cook every night! ;)

[BWV Dreamin]

I like to cook some easy meals at my resort. After a while, I get real tired of eating out. I don't know if its the oils, grease, or what it is. After about 3 days, I want my homemade spaghetti, amongst other things. It doesn't take long to cook up boneless chicken breasts, throw together a salad and some rice. It also allows us to go out to the more expensive restaraunts when we cook "at home". :goodvibes

[Alisha&Jay]

We like to go as often as possible too. With 3 kids, we have gone 4 times this year (very unusual). So, to save money, we order groceries and eat breakfast in our villa, pack sandwiches/snacks/drinks for lunch, and eat out for dinner sometimes, sometimes we eat a meal in our villa for dinner too. It is always easy to prepare, I don't really cook! As much as I would like to eat out for lunch and dinner, this way allows us to go more often and save money (plus my DH really enjoys his own homemade sandwiches at lunchtime). Also, our kids are 6, 3, and 2, so sometimes a restaurant is difficult. You know, now that I think about it, our next trip in Dec is a Friday til Tuesday and since we have AP's already and our accomodations are "free", we are only paying for our food, which we would have to pay for at home. Our airline tickets were almost free too, since I had unused tickets that I had to use by next April. With 4 unused tickets, the reissue came to $290, and we also got 1 free airline ticket with credit card points, for a total of 5 tickets for the $290. I love a good deal!:banana:

[Longhairbear]

We started off only cooking breakfast, but have evolved over the years to cooking breakfast, and most dinners in the villa. We save a lot of money, and then can have a few special dinners at the restaurants we like.

[CraftyMouse]

Also, our kids are 6, 3, and 2, so sometimes a restaurant is difficult.

Wait until they are 16, 13 and 11 and ordering off an adult menu. It gets pretty pricey! Okay, so I don't have the 11yo that you will, but even with DD16 and DS13 our table-service meals average at least $100 each (granted this is before our TIW discount). That's a LOT of money for one meal. If we do 1/2 eating out and 1/2 eating in then we get to take a second 2-week trip for what the first one would cost if we ate out every night. We have APs, we drive and our accomodatoins are paid for. Give me a little time in the kitchen and more time at WDW anyday! (Besides, DH and the kids cook some of the meals, so it's not all on me!)

[BEASLYBOO]

I love to cook! no matter if I'm on vacation or not. If it's a 5 or 6 day stay we will eat breakfast every day in the villa. We generally do a late lunch at the villa 1/2 the time (we get tired of the burger etc.) and make sandwiches and salads.

We'll do dinner out probably 3 nights and we drive in so we often eat outside of Disney, Orlando has some really good restaurants. I also love later dinner ADR's because quite frankly after a very nice sit down dinner, I'm not riding or walking my butt off anymore!

We generally have a two bedroom and always cook but if It's just for a week-end and we're in a studio we eat out.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Wait until they are 16, 13 and 11 and ordering off an adult menu. It gets pretty pricey! Okay, so I don't have the 11yo that you will, but even with DD16 and DS13 our table-service meals average at least $100 each (granted this is before our TIW discount). That's a LOT of money for one meal.

Okay...we are obviously doing something wrong here. What is your secret for $100 TS meals with two teens? That is the most expensive part of the trip for us. We have a DS17 and DD15 and we can't get away from dinner without spending $200-$300 an evening and that is with our TIW discount too. Then again, we are foodies...we do app's, entrees, dessert and sometimes a little wine. That's probably our problem right there. :rotfl:

[dianeschlicht]

Over the past 11-12 years we have done all of it! Sometimes we make EVERY meal in the kitchen and shop accordingly. Other trips we might only plan breakfasts and snacks and eat out for our other meal. I guess that is actually the norm for us. When we have the dining plan, we don't even bother to go grocery shopping at all!

I can see us doing all three scenarios in the future as well. When we have guests along who are on a budget, we tend to eat in a lot. If it's just the two of us, we'll have breakfast in and dinner out. If it's the whole family, we will do a combination. Always breakfast in and some meals in as well, but also some dinners out.

[hakepb]

For me, it's not so much about about maximizing the kitchen as much as maximizing the use of our private balcony.

What sounds like a better vacation:
Spending time in a busy restaurant?
Spending time relaxing on your private balcony?

No, we do not "cook" just snacks or pizza delivery in room,


The most unexpected added joy of DVC has been enjoying my morning cup of java on my balcony:
In my little sunbeam, watching guests stroll into BWV
At SSR, Overlooking a hole of golf with boats crusising to OKW
Overlooking a Savannah (AKV)

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We do breakfasts, snacks, and a few simple meals. I find that we don't waste as much time, not to mention money, when I cook some. Of course, there are 6 of us, 4 "adults", so very pricey on food at TS! Also, having a 2yo, it's just easier, as a restaurant is hardly a relaxing experience.

We do spaghetti, chicken caesar salad, sandwiches. Nothing fancy. it makes the restaurant meals all that more special. We also bake cookies (the refrigerated dough kind), and have fruit and snack foods. Dh loves his coffee, and lots of lemonade all around--I make a pitcher every day.

[mgriff75]

We don't cook. But we do make a grocery run for sodas and snacks. It seems like we can never eat all the food when we use the meal plan, so we bring some of it back to the room and put it in the fridge. We have lots in the fridge by the end of the week, especially when we have had a couple extra TS meals OOP. We use up those CS credits & put the food in the fridge for breakfast. I'm not into dessert right after my meal but dessert at midnight hits the spot. Obviously this only works well if you are eating at a restaurant near your resort, its ok to bring something up to BWV from one of the restaurants around BWV or BCV, but I wouldn't bring back food from the parks.

Matthew

[CraftyMouse]

Okay...we are obviously doing something wrong here. What is your secret for $100 TS meals with two teens? That is the most expensive part of the trip for us. We have a DS17 and DD15 and we can't get away from dinner without spending $200-$300 an evening and that is with our TIW discount too. Then again, we are foodies...we do app's, entrees, dessert and sometimes a little wine. That's probably our problem right there. :rotfl:

Well, I was definitely erring on the low side and I wasn't including tax and tip. I would say that we spend about $150 for most table-service dinners, but some come in much lower (lunches, non-buffet/non-character breakfasts, etc.). We also don't usually get both appetizers and desserts as we can't eat that much. Each of usually gets one or the other. We also don't usually get alcohol with dinner. Instead we keep a few bottles of wine in the villa and have our adult beverages back in the room. This, alone, saves us a ton of money! Occasionally we'll order a glass with dinner, but not often.

I will also add that DS13's teenage appetite hasn't quite kicked in yet. I'm sure our totals will go up in the next few years. Of course then DD will be off to college to that might even things out a bit.

[WilsonFlyer]

For me, it's not so much about about maximizing the kitchen as much as maximizing the use of our private balcony.

What sounds like a better vacation:
Spending time in a busy restaurant?
Spending time relaxing on your private balcony?

No, we do not "cook" just snacks or pizza delivery in room,


The most unexpected added joy of DVC has been enjoying my morning cup of java on my balcony:
In my little sunbeam, watching guests stroll into BWV
At SSR, Overlooking a hole of golf with boats crusising to OKW
Overlooking a Savannah (AKV)

I so can't wait to experience this in 9 days. I'm like you. With everything DVC is, I think I'm looking forward to this more than anything else.

I so hope we get a DTD view week after next at SSR. I remember thinking to myself in April, when my wife and I looked at the models, how wonderful it would be to have a cup of coffee on my balcony with my DW and DD (3.5) and just watch the magic of Disney from there.

I wanted to experience this and I didn't care what it cost me. My wife has a whole head full of reasons why we bought in. This was mine.

Sometimes, it's the simple things in life that make us the happiest. :thumbsup2

[anonymousegirl]

I'm not a member yet, but should be signing the papers in a few weeks:banana: but I know that at first I won't be doing much cooking. If we stay at in a studio, that pretty much limits us to light breakfasts and snacks (DH is a foodie who really dislikes convenience foods like frozen pizza and microwave anything). A 1 bdrm would allow for proper cooking, but right now I am in comando-style park touring and I want to experience some of the great TS meals at GF, CR, Epcot, etc. In a few years, when I've slowed down we'll probably cook more meals and spend more time at the resorts during the day, just relaxing.

[brandylouwho]

Well, we have 2 picky little wiggly kids and the kitchen is such a helpful aspect of DVC. We eat breakfast in every day, lunch may or may not be in (depending where we are). Dinner is often in too...since the little ones don't sit well through a TS meal and who often fall asleep early.

But we don't eat like we do at home. We aren't cooking great meals. Heck, they aren't usually even healthy. On vacation we eat pizza, spaghetti w/ sauce from a jar, sandwiches and stuff like that. So no real cooking for this mama on vacation.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Well, I was definitely erring on the low side and I wasn't including tax and tip. I would say that we spend about $150 for most table-service dinners, but some come in much lower (lunches, non-buffet/non-character breakfasts, etc.). We also don't usually get both appetizers and desserts as we can't eat that much. Each of usually gets one or the other. We also don't usually get alcohol with dinner. Instead we keep a few bottles of wine in the villa and have our adult beverages back in the room. This, alone, saves us a ton of money! Occasionally we'll order a glass with dinner, but not often.

I will also add that DS13's teenage appetite hasn't quite kicked in yet. I'm sure our totals will go up in the next few years. Of course then DD will be off to college to that might even things out a bit.

Gotcha! Yeah, we can throw down pretty well at the dinner table. On vacations we seem to grow an extra stomach to accomodate all the goodies! :rotfl: I'm sure if we didn't go all out our bill would probably be a little more palatable.

[OlderMan]

We do all breakfasts and most dinners in the villa.It's much cheaper than paying for a meal that our DD's (10 & 11) just pick at.We also take advantage of the grills at our resort.* Usually chicken, burgers, steaks etc. and all the sides for whatever we cook.Like I said, it's MUCH cheaper than TS.

[ruddydvc]

We always have breakfast (cereal, toast, etc) and sometimes lunch and snacks in the room. We will usually eat dinner out though sometimes we have ordered or picked up take-out to eat in the room.

[Golden Rose]

We've new enough DVC members that we haven't actually stayed on points yet, but I already know what we'll end up doing. DH, DS, and I will eat breakfast in the room (and we are breakfast eaters these days.) We will have lunch in the parks any day we go to the parks; I'm certainly not coming back to the room just to eat! We will have dinner out as well, most nights, but we'll have enough real food around the kitchen that if we're just too tired to head back out, I'll cook in the room.

Our trips will generally be with my mom and her SO. They don't do the parks much anymore... and my mom is one of those people who snack all day and eat only very small meals at actual mealtimes. There will be real food (easy protein, fruit, veggies) in the kitchen at all times so that she can go eat whenever she is hungry. It should work really well for her. They'll still join us for dinner, but order very lightly.

We'll keep coffee, milk (for DH), cream (for our coffee), bottled water, and wine in the room, as well. That will keep us from having to spend much on beverages around the world.

So I'm betting we'll have a split group - three of us who mostly use the kitchen for breakfast and beverages, two of us who use it to replace almost all meals.

[bobbiwoz]

We just had our first breakfast character meal out on Wednesday and yes it was pricey! We had 7, 3 were children.

We usually eat breakfasts in the room, and perhaps have grilled cheese sandwiches augmented with soup once or twice. We keep lots of fruit in the room, especially when the DGC are with us.

This was our fourth trip with the DGC, and we found that we bought too much food to start with. I hope we eventually get it right! I brought home a sack of apples, and another of oranges. Some of the family is still there, so I don't know exactly what will be wasted.

Bobbi:goodvibes

[janni518]

Having our first DVC trip this spring. I anticipate eating breakfast in "at home" and lunch out. I think supper will vary. The only person in our party who really cares about food is the dh, so we'll do a TS or 2 to keep him happy if he wants to.

We also tend to be nibblers eating more like 6 times a day, instead of trying to fill up as much as possible 3 times a day.( I can't imagine it'd be fun to be running around the parks on a hot day with a belly full of rich food. I ate some turkey leg last time and wound up having to go sit on a bench for half an hour. :sick: Luckily the kids were old enough to go off on their own.) If I had my way, we'd eat at home for every meal, we waste so much time and money, not to mention food when we go out. It makes me feel guilty, but can you imagine running back to your rooms all day? May try to carry a few light snacks this time but I refuse to haul a big bag around now that the kids are older.

I suppose for many of you that have been DVC members for a while, your pace is a bit slower and allows for more of the dining experience. That may become the case with us as we settle into membership and I'm totally open to change. It's what keeps life fresh and interesting.:woohoo:

[Uncleromulus]

We make coffee each morning, and once I microwaved some Jimmy Dean Sausage and egg bagels for breakfast. Other than that, we haven't used the "at home" cooking facilities since we joined DVC in 1992.And we always stay in a one bedroom unit, never a studio.

[jblrn2b]

We are new members so I am not exactly sure what we will do. In February its just me and my two boys without DH in a Studio so I know I won't cook at all but will stock the fridge with coffee/cream/milk/soda/wine I guess - maybe a box of cereal.

In June we are going with another family - my best friend from college. They don't go out to eat much so maybe we will use the 2BR to cook? It depends on what I can talk her into.

If its just our family going, we will stay in a studio and never cook - which is just fine with me. I love eating out!