Arg!! Party of 11 What to eat, where to eat??

[Dostert9]

Just wanted to get opinions. We are staying in a rental home so we *could* eat in every day. You don't have the best choice with items when you order online at Vons but I will be for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. So far I have stouffers lasagna and mac and cheese and BBQ for 2 out of 6 dinners. I am just stumped for some reason LOL. We would like to eat out the last night so we don't have to clean up but not sure where. I will have 2 adults and 9 kids (young adults) ages 5, 7, 10, 13, 16, 18, 19, 19, 19. One has a peanut allergy and HF Autism. I guess with so many different palates I am just stumped for ideas. If you got em throw them at me
Don't want to spend $15 or more a person on dinner meals plus tax and tip will drown us.

 

[pinktink83]

wait, so you'll be leaving the park to go back to your rental to eat dinner? And then returning to the park?

I would bring one of those huge crockpots and make crockpot meals every day. That way you can set it up before you leave and it will be ready to eat as soon as you get back. And no other dirty dishes to clean! Just buy paper plates, etc. Then you can quickly eat and return to the park! Cooking dinner yourself will take too much time. And maybe just have some prebagged salads and storebought rolls on the side.

A google search will find you many good crockpot meal ideas!

ps. If you're really serious, you could even put the ingredients together beforehand and freeze them in ziploc bags. Then you don't even need to prepare them at the hotel. Just cut off the bag and dump in crockpot! Bring along a big cooler to keep them frozen! (I assume you're driving, not flying!!)

 

[Jynxed]

The Cheesecake factory has a huge menu with lots of choices.

 

[Dostert9]

We r flying!! Yikes!

 

[Sherry E]

I always think that Vons has tons of items - it's basically the entire grocery store online, including bakery items, fruit, meat, frozen everything, flowers, medicine, etc. What were you hoping to find at Vons that you didn't find?

 

[Dostert9]

LOL probably because I couldn't find the things I usually buy here. Isn't Vons Safeway? I'm sure I will figure it out. Will have to go down the online aisles.

 

[OregonMickeyLover]

We really enjoy the Bertolli's frozen dinners. You literally just open the bag, throw it in the pan, and within 10-15 min. you have a meal! They also have a nice variety, and so you could accomodate the variety of tastes. And now other brands make them as well. Just a thought!

Traci

 

[pinktink83]

We r flying!! Yikes!

Oh boo. Well, maybe you could still pack the crockpot and buy the ingredients at the store?!

Quick cheap meals that feed a lot people:

spaghetti
fried chicken (from grocery store deli?)
pizza
shepards pie
sub sandwiches
sloppy joes
hot dogs
burritos & cheese crisps
stir fry
raman noodles w/ frozen veggies added
grilled cheese w/ ham and egg
waffles, french toast, etc

 

[DizNee Luver]

We had 10 of us last summer & ate 2 meals a day at the parks/resort/DTD....so I understand the expense & pleasing everyone!!

Go to allears.net & check out menus & prices. That way you can pick the place to do your dinner at. You'll know what the choices are & the cost.

Places we liked (but may or not be in the $15/per person limit):

PCH Grill at the PPH
Celebration BBQ (all you can eat)
Storyteller's at the GCH
House of Blues (in DTD)
Hungry Bear in Critter Country (new menu!!)

We had food allergies, autism, ages 3, 3, 5, 9, 21, 23, 25, 48, 49 & 75.....so we ran the gammut of ages & needs.

What's nice about the BBQ & Hungry Bear is they are both outside & our 3 yr old twins that are autistic seemed to do better at these locations.

PCH Grill is usually very quiet (low crowds) when we go & we've found this to work well too. The meals are good sized & my hubby & I share our dinners....so that could save you a bit of money. PCH Grill & Storyteller's lets the kids make their own pizza....which is always fun to watch!!

Have a *+*+*Magical*+*+* trip!!

 

[tlovesdis]

You can eat for less than $15 a person if you do the quick service type places (Rancho del Zocala - Mexican), Redd Rocket's (pizza, pasta, salads), Tomorrowland Terrace (burgers and chicken), Hungry Bear (new menu heard they ahve fried green tomato sandwiches and sweet potatoe fries now), Plaza Inn (fried chicken, pot roast, pasta, salads) and I'm sure a few others.

You most likely cannot do a sit down in the resort for less than $15 a person. Places like Blue Bayou, Cafe Orleans, Rain Forest Cafe, House of Blues, ESPN, etc are pricey.

One of our favorite places to grab something yummy and cheap is the Golden Horshoe! They have chili cheese fries that are delish!

 

[Kittyskyfish]

Hey, find out if your rental has a crock pot! You'd be open to a whole new world of dining if it did!

Pot roast w/ carrots and potatoes mmmmmm
BBQ pork or ribs
Chicken and biscuits

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I wouldn't be surprised if your rental had a big pot in the kitchen. That'll work great for doing massive amounts of soup, pasta and chili (all 3 are relatively cheap). Be sure to pack lunches/snacks and bring those into the parks. If you feel like splurging (balancing the cost by eating cheaper than $15/day for one or two of the other days), I would recommend Celebration Round Up and BBQ because the food is all you can eat (drinks [except water, of course] cost $3 extra per person, but those come with free refills). Lunch is $20/adult and $10/kid.

 

[Dobie]

Make your own sandwich bar.
Chili dogs!


Also, if you have a car, try Bucca di Beppo. It is really fun, and CHEAP...they serve HUGE PORTIONS family style...you could feed an ARMY there...and EVERYONE loves spaghetti and meatballs, right?????

Plus, there is a very good chance that the old teenagers won't want to come back to the rental for dinner every night, so you can figure out how much money to give them. Then, you could fix less food.

 

[Caryn H]

I love the crock pot idea. A recipe we really love is london broil with enchilada sauce - cook on low for eight hours (it will shred easy with fork) serve with cheese in a tortilla, maybe some salad on the side. Also, I love Carnation Cafe at DL, you have to try the baked potato soup, or even the corn dog cart on main street, I believe they had meal deals (corn dog, chips and water or soda) for around $5.

 

[Dostert9]

Thank you everyone for the great ideas! It's much appreciated!