Bringing Food to Disney to Cut Food Costs

[Mixie]

Looking for tips to cut back on food costs.

Background info - Staying at ASMu April 4-9. Have not decided if renting a fridge is worth it yet ($10 a day). Not doing the dining plan as DD is a pretty picky eater. Won't have a car so no shopping off site. Will not really be heading back to the room during the day, so I'm looking at breakfast and late night snacks for the room and small stuff to carry during the day.

Would love advice on what you have packed to have on hand in the past. What travels well in a suitcase? What is easy to carry in the parks? What stays fresh for a week if no fridge? What makes having a fridge worth it?

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

Milk, juice and sodas makes having the fridge worth it, IMHO. All of these things are very expensive individually at Disney.

 

[DCbride]

You could always do an order with a grocery delivery service. There are a few down there. One time we did a real budget trip. We packed granola bars, bagels, even muffins in a tupperware container. We always bring juice boxes too.

 

[Tinkershelly]

How about instant oatmeal for breakfasts? It packs very small. Dried fruit and nuts take up little room. Check out Costco or someplace similar for large packages and repackage in snack size ziplocks. Buying ahead of time with a a coupon or on sale is a lot cheaper than buying at WDW and buying over a couple of months makes the expense easier to handle.

Buy one bottle of water each (or bring a reusable bottle) and refill them with tap water and individual size Crystal Light to mask the taste of Florida water. Just remember to wash out your bottles with soap and water and dry them each night to prevent grotty things growing in the bottle.

Also individual packages of cheese (or peanut butter) and crackers or anything crunchy or sweet as a "100 calorie pack" for late night snacking.

 

[Marionnette]

Milk, juice and sodas makes having the fridge worth it, IMHO. All of these things are very expensive individually at Disney.

I doubt that the OP would save $50 (the equivalent of 5 night's refrigerator rental). When you factor that in it's cheaper to buy the individual milk, juice and soda pops even if they cost more at the food court.

Bringing extra food in your suitcase can be worth it IF you have the room and IF you don't have to pay to check your bags. Otherwise, you might be better off just getting breakfast foods and snacks at Disney.

If you do pack food, DO NOT pack perishables because if your luggage gets delayed, you will be dealing with a smelly mess when you do get it.

DO NOT pack liquids. If they leak, you will end up spending your savings on laundry detergent and washing machine costs.

For breakfasts, pack some of those individual cereal bowls. I think CVS has them on sale for $1 each this week. Or bring one box of cereal that everyone likes and pack a few disposable bowls and spoons. Buy juice and milk in the food court the night before. Fill your ice bucket and keep it cold that way. It will be fine in the morning.

Granola bars (without chocolate or icing) travel well. They make good energy snacks in the parks. Bring a couple of refillable water bottles. When you're thirsty just fill from a fountain. If the taste of Florida water bothers you, then bring some Kool Aid or Crystal Light mix-ins to camoflage the taste.

Individual packets of crackers, fruit leathers, cookies, pretzels, etc. all pack well. You can keep them in the room for a quick snack in the evening. Or just have another bowl of cereal.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

Yep I remember smuggling in juice boxes, granola bars, cheese crackers, peanut butter crackers etc...

 

[Whistle]

I would think about what your family likes to eat and go from there:

PBJ sandwiches
dried fruit
nuts (the protein will last longer with you)
snack packs
pop tarts
cheese nips
oatmeal or grits (you can use the coffee pot for the hot water)

Are you driving or flying? Keep in mind if you are flying the extra baggage expense you might have to pay at the airport- if so you might be better off using a delivery grocery service. If you are driving (and are thinking about paying 10.00 a day for the fridge), you might be better off buying your own ahead of time (I think you can get them for about 50.00)

 

[mrsklamc]

Since you're not going to have a car I would definitely say use a grocery delivery service. I've not done it personally but the service fee is actually not bad at all.

 

[pat fan]

In the past we have packed;
p.b.
jelly
bagels
crackers
pretzels
instant oatmeal
cereal
gummies
microwave popcorn
slim jims (Iknow, they're bad for you, but GOOD!)
apples
bananas

The last couple trips we had garden grocer deliver that kind of stuff, plus water and gatorade. Cheaper than paying for an extra bag with the airlines
Instead of a fridge, we have used either a cheap foam cooler (I'm sure GG would deliver one as well) or the recycling can in the room and filled it with ice from the ice machine in the building. Just refresh every am and it's fine (if you have stuff you need to keep cold).

 

[bear_mom]

We placed an order with Garden Grocer on one of our trips and had some snack food/breakfast food delivered along with some milk for breakfast (bell services has a fridge, so it will be kept cold until you have it delivered to your room). We also ordered a cheap styrofoam cooler and kept things cold with ice from the ice machine. It wasn't too difficult to keep full, a trip to the ice machine in the morning and at night.

On another trip I shipped food down via UPS.

We prefer to eat breakfast in our room as it saves time and money.

Emily

 

[Marionnette]

The problem with shopping services is that they have minimum orders ($40 for Garden Grocer) and delivery fees (GG=$12 for orders under $200, WeGoShop = $17 minimum for orders under $50). If you don't have a large order then the fees can make that attempt at cost cutting ineffectual.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

We take snack stuff like crackers, gummies, and oatmeal in our suitcase.

 

[minniebeth]

I know you asked about what food to bring specifically, but another suggestion on cutting food costs, especially not having the DDP is to share all your meals and snacks at the parks or resorts that you are going to. The majority of the meals and portions are large. We even share smoothies, etc.
If you are still hungry a little bit later on, get something else and share it again. It's a fun way to try new things too.
If you are doing Table Service restaurants, try to do no or fewer buffets or family style options where they charge a per person plate.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[asoko]

I also packed a styrofoam cooler. Ice in every morning and night, worked like a charm. Got broken in the flight, but used the tape from the magical express tags to tape up, worked like duct tape.

I pack mainly snacks, breakfast bars, instant oatmeal, cereal.

We saved money in the hotter months by having water delivered from Costco. In the cooler months we didn't drink nearly the same water so had a bunch left over, might have been cheaper just to order when we wanted.

I would take a look at allears.net. They have menus with prices and figure what eveybody will eat and how much it will cost. DH and DS(7) need a hot breakfast. DD(6) and I can get away with a bar or muffin. We kept the grapes, cookies the kids didn't eat from meals as a snack for later.

 

[pat fan]

There are a lot of ways to save on food besides bringing stuff(although I always think it's a good idea to bring the basics!).

Split meals.
Cosmic Rays has meals that are for sure split-able.
Get a double cheeseburger with fries (pretty much anywhere) and split that.
Have a turkey leg for a light meal. Not everyone is a fan, but for us, a turkey leg and a frozen coke is a must have meal!
Have something light for bkfst. in room and then hit a buffet for lunch and you'll only need a light supper.
There are fruit vendors all over now and it's pretty reasonable. Pack a pb&j and some pretzels and buy some fruit and have lunch in a quiet spot in the park.

 

[weewuvvdisney]

We reserved a fridge through the swaps on this board.

We ordered from Garden Grocer. We ate breakfast in the room every day except one. We either packed a lunch and ate out for supper or did the reverse. We bought fruit and veggies which was great because they get expensive if you buy them from the food court. We love our fresh f & V's and found that we hadn't had enough in the past trips at at DW. We bought snacks.

We bought cold cuts for sandwiches the first two days and after that we made other things. It saves time in the morning getting ready. It saves time in the parks. We didn't have to find our way to restaurants and to wait to be served.

We brought a lunch bag for each of us and some freezee things to keep everything cold.

So, since we were able to save money this way - we ate at the restaurants that we enjoyed.

Oh by the way - if you order perishables from Garden Grocers, they will be kept in fridges in luggage services until you arrive.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Mixie]

Great advice - I knew you all would know!

Breakfast is a must with us - so I figure that's for sure the one area we can cut costs by having cereal, etc brought with us.


If I pack some snacks in my backpack - when they search my bag would they make me toss them before coming in the parks???

 

[mrsklamc]

No- it's actually not against the rules. It used to be, but was 'winked at.' Now, it's allowed.

 

[bookgirl]

Pringles travel well in suitcases and if you empty a couple ahead of time you can fill them with chip ahoys or other cookies.

A bottle of pb & jelly will travel well (plastic jars). Then buy a loaf of bread at the resort.

Fruit snacks, granola bars, and pop tarts will travel well for snacks.

Packaged oatmeal or cream of wheat. (take a travel mug and go get hot water at the food court) and cereal (milk from food court) will cover breakfast.

The jelly and milk can be put in a insulated lunch bag with ice once opened. (tip: get a square bottomed one one, it travels flat but sits up well when filled, fill it part way with ice and then with cold water. Your items will stay colder because you have more cold liquid to botlle surface area and your ice will not melt as fast)

I second refilling water bottles (any counter service will give you a free cup of ice water and since it's through the soda machine it is filtered), and those little flavor packets are really tasty.

All of this is easy to pack and travel with and will give you a little bit of savings.

 

[MSSANDRA]

For oatmeal- Value Resorts do not have coffee makers so only hot tap water or food court for that.

Consider a soft-sided cooler for your room. Can pack in your luggage and get milk, juice etc at night. Sick in some bagels and peanut butter if no allergies for a protein breakfast. SHARE meals in the park. So many are large enough for two.