do you bring food to eat in the motel room? I need ideas!!

[wife&mom3]

Are you staying off property? Will you have a car? Is it really worth it to go back to an offsite motel for lunch? We only went back to our room midday when we stayed onsite, as the time it took to get out of the park, to the car, drive to the motel offsite, and do it in reverse to get back to the park took up more time than we were willing to waste.

How about having breakfast in the room instead, and packing snacks for the park?

we are staying onsite at POR

 

[Bephus]

I have two small ones and I always have snacks for trips.
Here are some things that we like to have:
bananas (I think this one is a universal favorite)
pb&j with bread (I love the sandwich rounds, perfect size for little ones)
baby carrots and dip
dried friut (I buy a big bag and divide into serving sized containers as we go)
cereal bars
cereal and milk (the horizon organic boxes are great b/c you don't have to refrigerate until you need them)
goldfish

I also try to bring one indulgence (actually DH ends up picking out that one) but try to do our usual stuff otherwise since there will be tons of indulgences in the parks.

 

[ChristaDeVil]

We take bottled water, sodas, Gatorade, and Capri-Suns. As far as snacks, we don't really bring as much, but we do eat breakfast in the room, so we pack cereal, granola bars, and packaged muffins.

 

[memster]

I too like to have lots of drinks and snacks it saves time and money

 

[pmickus]

We usually do the DDP so only eat breakfast in our room. This year is different my DS is 10 and therefore WDW says he is an adult. No way we will get our $ worth with the plan so we are eating some meals in room and paying OOP.

Breakfast - Cereal, banana bread, Yogurt, fruit, hot chocolate, Sunny D and box of doughnuts (as a treat). Some mornings we go to the food court to get two kids meals (scrambled eggs or waffles/pancakes) to supplement.

Snacks - Each child is given a fanny pack to hold his snacks. I bring a snack box and they get to choose 2 items a day - nuts, fruit jellies, small Pringles can (which can be re-filled with other snacks), granola bars and 2 kool-aid packets to add to free water from the CS restaurants. We also spurge a few days with Mickey bars or other ice cream treats.

Lunch - We are going to WDW in the summer so we will be taking a break mid-day from the parks. Big breakfasts and snack to tie them over before we head back to the room for a late lunch. Cold cuts and sub rolls with chips and fruit back in the room. Spend a couple of hours poolside before heading back to the parks in the evening.

Dinner - We will pay OOP for some CS meals this year. One of the best is Cosmic Rays - the combo meal (1/2 chicken and rack of ribs) along with a salad will feed our family of 4. It is hot in the summer so we don't stuff ourselves. Another trick is order a Double Hamburger from Pecos Bills and I give one patty plus bun to child and I just eat the patty with all the fixn's (less carbs that way). We also plan on ordering pizza by the pool one night. Dominoes will deliver. I call while I'm on the bus and by the time I get my suit on and am sitting by the pool the guys calls me back from the lobby. If you don't mind using the microwave at the food court you can pre-cook sloppy joes and taco meat. Just heat up and assemble in the room. I have even taken a cooked turkey breast to eat. Or pick up a rottiserie chicken with a bag of salad at a nearby Pulbix.

 

[rastahomie]

Adult beverages
Stuff that won't spoil (like granola bars, Hormel Compleats™, chips, crackers)
Soda
Coffee (+creamer +sugar/sweetener)
SALT!!!!

Why salt, you may ask? Because you can utilize the Rastahomie Handy-Dandy Scientific Beverage Insta-Chill System™ to cool your beverages quickly. Just fill up your hotel room's ice bucket about 1/2 way with ice from your hotel's ice dispenser. Add enough water to where the ice starts to float. Then pour in a bunch of salt. Stir it around and then put your bottled or canned beverage inside. 4-5 minutes later = perfectly chilled beverage!

 

[The House of Mouse]

We have breakfast in the room every morning when we aren't on the DDP, bagels with cream cheese or other condiments. I pack a pop up cooler bag in our suitcase to fill with ice and keep the cheese cool!

 

[happymomof1]

bottle of wine, too!

 

[disneyag]

It's kind of a pain to get back to your room for lunch (unless you have little kids that nap.) When our kids were smaller, we'd eat breakfast in the room, then have our big meal in a park at lunchtime, and at sometime in the afternoon we'd go back to the hotel for a nap/swim. Then, dinner was a smaller meal (or, you could do sandwiches in the room.) If you are looking to save money, lunches are generally cheaper than dinners (especially at character meals).

 

[mickeyluv'r]

WE've done the food in the room thing and discovered this: it doesn't really save all that much, and sometimes ends up costing more!

At WDW, time =money. If you are driving to WDW, then it makes more sense to stop at a store on your way. If however, you are flying in, it makes less sense - ESPECIALLY - if you check in to the resort before hitting the grocery store. Also, if you are thinking you'll go back tothe room to get lunch, you will be locked into doing just that. Again, you lose too much time.

Generally, we find it's just better to share quick serve meals.

My two exceptions are bottled water, coffee in the room - and maybe - at some point in the trip - bringing back a few muffins or something. Maybe a dessert - if you'll have afridge. If not, then maybe a bag of chips or some little snack. In order to have coffee in the room, we'll pick up a bottle of milk - perhaps inthe resort gift shop. Sometimes we'll stow leftovers if we're headed to the room right after dinner. Often, we even end up tossing those.

In the last three years, we have bothered even less with having meals inthe room. The dining plan is more than enough food for us. Also, so many of foods that are in the 'prepared and won't spoil' category are highly processed stuff that is just SO unhealthy. Like Pop Tarts, yuck! I also remember when my mom used to make us drink canned orange juice in the 70's. That stuff was SO nasty! Even healthy sounding granoloa bars are often loaded with corn sweeteners.

Three food itmes that can be tricky to find on property: certain drinks (like: Pepsi products, diet ginger ale, any juice beyond apple or orange), fresh fruit, and any yogurt beyond Yoplait (I think that's the brand DIsney buys). So if you have certain foods that you can't live without, or a medical condition - then you might want groceries. Disney fruit is usually limited to the cheap stuff: apples, Sunkist oranges, melon, bananas. Real FLorida oranges are available just off property! (on 192 is a great stand that looks like a giant orange!) (Dont' buy the ones they sell at the airport!) (Indian River is just a short drive from Orlando, and a neat day trip!)

DO try a DIS search - since the advent of DDP these threads have become more rare...but once auopn a time - there were LOTS of great huge threads about all the foods you could prepare in your room. (using just the coffee maker for hot water or perhaps the food court's microwave)

If you are going to buy some premade meals at the grocery store - I suggest Publix - esp the one at the intersection of 192 and 535 (Kissimmee corner of WDW). they have a big sections of really nice looking prepared meals. At least the last time I was there.

I suggest avoiding Walmart, unless you plan ot eat a LOT of food or can REALLY limit your family to all eating the smae thing. Walmar tends to stock LARGE boxes of items. You won't save money if you end up throwing away half of what you buy (or bringing it home?) be really careful to buy ONLY what you know you will eat.

One last tip - if you don't plan on grocery shopping...stores now DO have shelf stable milk. Parmalat is one brand. It won't save money over just buying the bigger cartons on property, but milk is the only perishable item on your list, then it is worth doing.

We DO still drink bottled water. Dasani is just FL water ina bottle, so you if that's your water brand, you might as well just buy a few bottles and refill them from the tap.

 

[Stephanator]

I fly so I get alot of the things others have metioned upon arrival for snacks/sandwiches, etc...

For sandwiches, in addition to PB&J and coldcuts, I also buy those foil pouches of tuna fish (no draining required) and make basic tuna salad with packets of mayo, mustard and relish we pick up along the way.

We also like to make sandwiches with bagels, cream cheese and lunchmeat (turkey, roast beef, ham, whatever). The bagels tend to hold up better and there isn't alot of condiments to have to bring with you. You just need a place to keep the cream cheese/meat cold.

Anything in portion cups is nice to have too. Just be sure to have some utensils to eat with.
Pudding, applesauce, mixed fruit cups, etc...

 

[kymom99]

We have come full circle. First trip we drove and brought things in a cooler (stayed Value). My son was 4 so I brought applesauce cups, juice boxes, cans of pop for us grown ups, things like that. The next 2 trips we flew so we were at Disney's mercy. My husband would do things like buy a jar of salsa and a bag of chips from the gift shop for $100! So much for my carefully planned budget! This year we are driving again because flights are so expensive and I like to be able to bring the comforts of home. Also my son is old enough for us to be brave enough to drive straight through and not have to spend a night in a motel. I will likely bring or pick up at a grocery store on arrival:
milk
fruit
snacks
Mt. Dew (for the hubby)
juice
yogurt
water
cereal
anything else that strikes our fancy

Making oatmeal with water from the coffee pot sounds like a great idea too. I'll have to try that.

 

[larryz]

Spam Slices -- individually wrapped, just the perfect size for a sandwich on Wonder bread! Of course, don't forget the mustard!

Vienna Sausages -- great finger food and lots of fun to eat, besides. See the note above on mustard.

Underwood ______ Spread (fill in your favorite meat-like substance). Quick sandwiches (see notes above on Wonder bread and mustard).

Zatarain's pre-cooked Red Beans and Rice and Jambalaya packages -- can be heated by soaking in a bathroom sink full of hot water. Make great fast meals and taste delicious! (and you don't need Wonder bread or mustard, but you can add shredded cheddar cheese to both!)

ALL of these are shelf-stable and don't need refrigeration, saving cold space for those all-important "cold ones" and the milk...except the shredded cheese.

 

[Bullseye]

We always rent a car so we hit Walmart on S535 and since its vacation we load up on a lot of junk food like pop tarts, chips, cookies, PBJ, Nuts, lunchmeat, soda, water, and we supplement that with some fresh fruit cause you can only handle junk food for so long.

 

[scrappinannie]

We're staying at POR in May and driving from Michigan. It will be an 18-20 hour drive one way for us, so we're bringing a cooler and then will transfer some of our refrig foods to the mini fridge once we get there. We have a 3 year old DD who says she's "hungry" every 10 minutes, so snacks are a must, for both our sanity and our budget! I like to hit up Big Lots for snack type foods and will do so before we leave for the World. On my list:

fruit snacks
gold fish crackers
nutri grain bars/yogurt bars
pre-packaged cereal bowls
instant oatmeal packs (just add water)
bananas
capri suns
Refillable water bottles from home

I may also pick up a small container of milk and OJ once we get there. Not sure yet, we'll just kind of wing it. Sometimes DD will want milk with her cereal and sometimes she won't, so really we just want a few things to throw into our bag to take into the parks and maybe to have something to munch on in the evenings. I don't anticipate us spending a ton of time in the room, but since we're driving, whatever we don't eat we'll just pack up and take home. It's all stuff we eat normally anyway. I also bring along paper plates,a roll of paper towel, & some plastic silverwear.

I like Big Lots cause the stuff is so cheap. You don't always have a ton of choices (like they may only have one or 2 flavors of something), but I've gotten teddy grahams there for .66 cents a bag and 100 calorie snack packs of nutter butters for .75 cents a box. Can't go wrong with that!

 

[Tara922c]

I am going to pack a box of cereal, plastic bowls, and spoons in my suitcase, and buy a thing of milk when we get there. All of us could live on cereal, and just plan to eat it the mornings we dont' have an adr. Last year we stayed in a villa and had sandwich stuff, and cereal. I will also bring snacks for the parks for dd3. I will just bring goldfish, and things like that. I make sure it is something that is going to travel well, and not melt!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We've used Garden Grocer and ordered cereal, bananas, donuts, milk, orange juice, bottled water, granola bars, dried apricots, rice cakes, bread, peanut butter and brought bowls, spoons, napkins, etc.. We had a few breakfasts on the dining plan and ate the rest of the time in the room before we left for the park. The other stuff was fine for munching during our afternoon pool break or when we got back to the hotel late at night and just wanted a little something.

I agree with the poster who said a good snack can be a counter service meal split up, we do that also sometimes.

 

[Planogirl]

It depends on where we're staying.

If we are just in a regular room, I just bring snack food like cookies, rice crispie treats, bananas and so on. And favorite soft drinks and water too.

If we have a fridge, I get milk, maybe some cheese cubes and more fruit too. If we have a full kitchen I might get a frozen pizza in case we get late night hunger pangs and some Chef Boy R Dee for our always hungry teen.

We don't do full meals in a hotel room unless we're just wiped out though. And then it's always simple serve yourself stuff.

 

[coneygoil]

My mom always makes sour cream muffins with the old Dixie Landings recipe. They are so delicious. We also bring tea bags to make tea at the food court. Also bring just regular snacks like bananas, peanut butter, goldfish crackers, etc. If you have a fridge in the room, you can bring cold snacks too like pudding.

 

[KellyNY]

Cup a soup, instant oatmeal, we use hot water from coffe maker or food court to prepare those. Granola bars, couple apples. Those all fit perfectly in bags and do not need fridge.