cheapest or weirdest thing you have ever seen in disney restaurant or food court.

[mickeymouse1017]

Sorry to sound cheap but I do the ziploc bag thing with DD2. While I don't make things off of the buffet to take, I do take the uneaten food from her plate for later, especially the fruit. She is usually too interested in the characters or the surroundings to pay attention to the meal so I will take it with me and she will eat it after we leave. Although I try to be very discrete about packing the food up, I am sure that anyone that sees me things that I am cheap. But as I said, I don't go there planning to indulge for future meals. I just hate to see the uneaten food on her plate go to waste.

 

[ro80]

The cheapest "thing" I've ever seen was my niece and her husband on our big family trip last May. Not once, but twice, they whipped out their calculator in the middle of the restaurant (Big River Grill and Fulton's) to make sure they only paid for what they got to eat! We were a group of 13 people and all we had to do was split the bill by 13. Talk about embarassing!!! Especially in a restaurant like Fulton's. I wanted to crawl under the table and the waiter kept coming back and forth wondering what was going on. Needless to say, our big family trips are over. If you have to count every little penny, they WDW is not the place to go. Not to mention, my niece's husband went to Disney with a totally EMPTY wallet!!! I'm the total opposite of a cheapskate (sometimes I spend too much and will admit to that!!) but it's not fair to ruin it for everyone else and make them feel uncomfortable....

 

[PIERCEDRN]

I think its MUCH weirder to spend money like a complete fool! We are not at all cheap but its unfathomable when our friends MUST stay at concierge at the Poly, because they like the cookies when they return from the parks. They don't usually take advantage of anything else with concierge as they are at the park...so they pay $200 or more a night for cookies...wow! must be tasty! BOB

 

[Cass]

So they don't have breakfast in the lounge? or a liquor or two with their cookies?

 

[sotoalf]

If you have to count every little penny, they WDW is not the place to go.

Bingo! That's the problem. If you can't afford to go, you shouldn't. Common sense.

 

[Who'syourMickey]

Bingo! That's the problem. If you can't afford to go, you shouldn't. Common sense.

Hey, who are you to say who should go and who shouldn't go? Not everyone is going to disney for just a theme park. People who are sick or needing a boost come to disney as a form of therapy. It is a place of fun and fantasy in a world where sometimes you need to get away from your reality.

We drove 24 hours straight, stayed at the Howard Johnson's and ate CS, but I am sure at those prices we brought sandwiches, purchased a couple orders fries and shared a bottled water that we brought in a backpack. We still had fun. It was a healing experience for our kids. It makes me uncomfortable to think that classist "haves" are getting their entertainment from watching people who have less struggle with the high costs of going to DW, then to say that they have no common sense if they can't afford the high prices there. We did a family of 8, 1 day at disney and 3 days at the beach for $1,400. It was a budgeting accomplishment of huge proportions. I'd like to see some of you be able to provide your children a disney trip like that on so little. Maybe you would have some respect.

And btw...maybe if a few more of the budget disney people were in government we wouldn't have the massive hemmorage of overspending and waste that we see today.

 

[Who'syourMickey]

There are the people who notice people struggling and help. I've read stories about people who buy an extra mickey hat to pass out to a wish child or trading pins.

I understand though, some of the stories on here are over the top. If you have to steal to get to disney, that isn't being a positive role model for your children. It would be really really hard to do a budget trip with a large group that wasn't on a budget. I wouldn't ever have gone to disney without any money in our pocket. Tickets for 8 and food, & souveniers seven years ago we took $300 for the day. By bringing our own food we were able to rent a stroller, get the little children mickey hats, and get the water bottle fans (2 to share) because it was hot.

 

[ro80]

I don't think Sotoalf was trying to offend anyone here and that's not why we're posting. This thread is about the "cheapest and weirdest thing we have seen or experienced". I for one have stayed at the value resorts with my family as well as off-property several times. When my kids were young and we were more or less just starting out, we didn't "have" to stay at the top of the line resorts, and honestly, didn't really care to. It's not about the status, but about quality time with my family. I've been married for 21 years and we just now figured out a way to become DVC owners. We had to work hard for it. The point was, and knowing everyone is in a different situation, that with a group of people that big, the only way to do it is to split the bill by the number of people. There was absolutely no need for the calculator to get whipped out. If the restaurant was too expensive for them, they could have politely declined and nobody would have given it another thought. It was a very embarassing situation for the rest of us. Ok, enough of that - what else have people experienced?????

 

[Who'syourMickey]

If your embarrassed that your family member has to whip out a calculator to pinpoint the exact cost of their meal because they are on a budget, that is YOUR problem, not their's. Did you ever think that it's you that needs to chill and not feel like crawling under the table? I'm sure they were fine. God, to have family members like that. We have family members who would take whole families and groups with children out to dinner and pay their bill sometimes, just as a surprize. You would go with just barely money to go to reunions and things...they know this...and they would just say "I'll take care of it" when the bill comes. People don't depend on that, but it happens often with families with this certain aunt and uncle of mine. How's that for a story on how to make things a little less uncomfortable?

 

[mickeyfan2]

Outside of the Nemo show at AK I sat waiting for DH to get back. A family sat next to me and opened a can of cream of mushroom soup and the entire family passed the can and spoon around so that all could eat. Then they opened a can of fruit and did the same thing. Cold cream of anything soup out of the can is just gross!

 

[cinmell]

] A family sat next to me and opened a can of cream of mushroom soup and the entire family passed the can and spoon around so that all could eat. Then they opened a can of fruit and did the same thing. Cold cream of anything soup out of the can is just gross!

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

Well, when my two DD's were born, I chose to stay home with them for ten years. No regrets at all, but our budget was tight! Our first Disney trip was budgeted down to the penny. We used DH's frequent flyer miles from his business travel and stayed offsite.
Breakfasts were at the all-you-can-eat Ponderosa buffet. Lunches were small snacks we brought into the parks, and/or PB&J sandwiches from the backpack. Dinners were offsite. Our only splurge was going to the Aloha Dinner Show at the Poly. But we were at Disney World! My kids know that we couldn't eat Disney food every day, but appreciated the vacation all the more for it.
Now we stay any where we want, get the DDP, and my 28-YO DD still wants to come along whenever she can (this Sept.--Yay!)

 

[ro80]

No need to get defensive here, it's not very disneylike....reread my post. Every situation is different, this was ours and you were not there. Nine out of ten people would be embarassed by the same situation whipping out a calculator in a restaurant like Fulton's and I would not bash them. It is not my problem and I am not holier than thou and never claimed to be. How about tapping on the brakes and moving on....we're here for fun and info here on the boards not to get confrontational. I was just stating my experience which is what this thread is all about. I never made any comments about any other experiences previous posters had whether I agreed with them or not. That's not my place to do that. I read them and go on to the next - no need for commentary. Any more experiences from other disers??

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

That is gross Mickeyfan! Ewww!

My cousin was planning to do that though, for our trip last month....bring canned goods and eat them. Luckily her mother sent us a check to cover the dining plan for her!

To my cousin, food just wasn't an issue. She knew she wanted to spend money buying things, and not on food. To each his own. She was glad her mother paid for her plan though!

 

[Who'syourMickey]

You know, I loved canned corn, canned fruit, and canned soup. Yum!

 

[Who'syourMickey]

No need to get defensive here, it's not very disneylike....reread my post.

I don't think it is very "disneylike?" to have "fun" at the expense of other people less fortunate than yourself. And I doubt that the family who shared a meal out of a can at the park would think this thread is very "fun".

Threads like this might make people who are at disney on a budget feel uncomfortable and unwelcome, like others are laughing at them.

 

[patsal]

I don't think it is very "disneylike?" to have "fun" at the expense of other people less fortunate than yourself. And I doubt that the family who shared a meal out of a can at the park would think this thread is very "fun".

Threads like this might make people who are at disney on a budget feel uncomfortable and unwelcome, like others are laughing at them.

Being on a budget is one thing, doing things that are compromising ones health--sharing something by eating off a spoon and dipping it where others are as well--or having a hot egg salad sanwich is not helathy. I know budgetting and I understand first hand how much fun we had on trips when the kids were little and we were very poor. We'd save up and scrimp and share and everyone was happy for the experience of being wherever we were. I'm not picking on the poor or making rash jusdgement calls--we are all differetn and all have differetn tastes, I do question the healthfullness of some practices--the person eating the egg salad well I was more concerned that a great day of vacation could be ruined by a big case of salmonella. Bring snacks and food with you if you have to, but I feel badly for you if you have to lug a large cooler around and it prevents you form enjoying your day away.

 

[ro80]

I'd be the first to have Chef Boyardee out of a can if I had to and would not complain if that's what I had to do. I love it cold or heated. I would have absolutely no problem with that and I'm not knocking anyone here who has to travel under those circumstances. I don't have "fun" at the expense of others as you say. We have all been in a situation where money was tight and please don't acuse me of being judgemental. Who was I judging here??? I simply stated an experience of my own and did not mock anyone elses. You are totally off base and misunderstanding my reply. This is not a personal attack on you or anyone else, so stop taking it that way. There is nobody here to "defend". Again, I was talking about my own experience, not anyone elses. If we keep getting people who bash others by their replies, there would be no Disboards. Let's move on to the next one please....

 

[allyphoe]

The cheapest "thing" I've ever seen was my niece and her husband on our big family trip last May. Not once, but twice, they whipped out their calculator in the middle of the restaurant (Big River Grill and Fulton's) to make sure they only paid for what they got to eat! We were a group of 13 people and all we had to do was split the bill by 13.

Ah, but you see, the cheapest thing I've ever seen is the person who orders appetizer, entree, desert and drinks then says to the person who had salad and water, "Your half is $XX."

Personally, I can do the math in my head - you just add an extra 25% (7% tax and 18% tip) and round up to the nearest dollar.

 

[Stacy_C]

Ah, but you see, the cheapest thing I've ever seen is the person who orders appetizer, entree, desert and drinks then says to the person who had salad and water, "Your half is $XX."

I completely and totally agree!! You hit the nail on the head!