Does anyone have good ideas for in room meals?

[Coll0610]

You didn't say where you staying, but most of the food courts in the onsite hotels have microwaves that you could use. We stayed at VWL and the store there had a freezer case with frozen pizzas and frozen dinners. They were more expensive than at the regular store, but cheaper than eating out. Also, don't forget about cup-a-soup and the other soups and pasta dishes that come in their own containers that you can heat them in.

 

[leebee]

If you are thinking about doing restaurant take out , what about getting take-out menus from the chains at home? Do a "yellow pages" search (yahoo's works well) to see what chains are in Kiss/Orlando, near your hotel, etc. If you already have their menu, you could phone in your order before leaving the park, then pick up your food on the way home. we did take out from Olive Garden several times, and it takes 30-45 mins for an order, so calling just before you leave from the park would mean your food would be ready when you got there. Olive Garden gives you a huge container of salad for every entree ordered, plus tons of breadsticks. We discovered that one order of spaghetti (approx. $9) fed 2-3 kids, and there was plenty of salad and breadstix left for other meals, snacks etc. Also, because we had access to a microwave, we purchased ready made meals at the grocery store and just warmed them up at the hotel. Goodings can get pricy, but at $4-$6 for an adult meal (roast pork w/veggies and potato, fettucini alfredo w/broccoli, veggie/shrimp stir fry w/rice, etc, real food, not chix nuggets) it was far more affordable than a restaurant, and the kids could watch tv while eating, we could relax, unwind from the park, etc. Restaurant dinners after a day in the parks with kids truly can be torture!

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says...............................................................I am sorry that I skipped all the previous posts, so everyone has probably already said this, but here are a couple tips. Bring a hot pot, it's really a hot electrical coil, with a plastic built pot, that you can use to heat up soup, chili, Dinty Moore Beef Stew, and if you just heat water, it's great for Cup o Noodles, or Top Ramen if you have bowls. WE are bringing a really old toaster for muffins and toast, and will dump it to make room for WDW stuff when we leave! Minute Rice is great in a hot pot! Grab a package of hot dogs, they boil great in a hot pot! Never tried it, but I bet you could scramble eggs in a hot pot, you just need to stir a lot so the uncooked eggs get a chance to hit the hot coils. And if you have a car, you can always send out the sacraficial lamb for dinner, to bring back a bucket of chicken, or a large pizza, or a bunch of burgers, all cheap when you compare it to on site prices.

 

[dutton]

Do you know exactly where Olive Garden is in relation to DD? We plan to arrive a day early to drive around and become familiar w/that area--thanks for your help. I live in a small town w/no chain rest. but I will be going to Savannah in early Nov. and they have an Olive Garden which I love!!So I could get a menu there!

 

[SNOWBOARDER]

Please be careful, with cooking in the room. With all of the excitement that goes on with a vacation, it can be very easy to forget to turn something off, knock something over,etc. Any savings that you realize by cooking in the room would be quickly negated by the damages that would have to be paid to the hotel, if something were to happen, not to mention the safety issues, so please be careful, but, most of all........ Have fun!!!

 

[LiLPrincess]

I was thinking about a styrofoam ice chest to keep the soda cold. But after reading all these responses I'm starting to think about other uses for the ice chest.

Do you think it stays cold enough for lunch meat or yogurt?

 

[robinb]

Oh yes, a styrofoam cooler stays really cold. We kept cheese, milk, OJ and beer in ours. Just fill it with ice in the morning before you leave and at night when you come back. Drain the water before filling with my ice. It's kind of a pain because you have to take a bunch of stuff out. I usually use a couple of plastic bags from my grocery stop to haul ice with. It's much easier than dragging the cooler to the ice machine and they can be a bit fragile.

 

[tp_magill]

Originally posted by LiLPrincess
I was thinking about a styrofoam ice chest to keep the soda cold. But after reading all these responses I'm starting to think about other uses for the ice chest.

Do you think it stays cold enough for lunch meat or yogurt?

This is a little complicated, but I've used it successfully for a couple of years now:

I measured the inside of my cooler, then went to Wally-World and bought a brand-new, bathroom sized, white, plastic trash can. (I measured first to make sure it would fit and the lid would close.)

This gives me a dry compartment down in the ice (not high, like a tray). The ice in the cooler surrounds it, and the inside stays just as cold as the rest of the cooler. Butter even stays hard! That way your meat, salad, etc stay dry and the bottles and cans can float around outside.

You have to make sure no stray ice gets in, and you have to drain the water from the cooler or the can will float, then tip. But except for that, I love my dry-well!

8 and a wake-up!

 

[robinb]

Wow! You're "dry-well" sounds great. I just use ziplock bags .

 

[tp_magill]

Originally posted by robinb
I just use ziplock bags .

Yah, I'm a great lover of zippies, too, but I've had too much food ruined by a leak. And I hate having stuff like salad, meat, etc all sloshing around in a soup. Not exactly hygenic!

 

[leebee]

Dutton-

Sorry it took so long for me to reply- we've been gallivanting! Let's see, I believe there is an Olive Garden at CrossRoads SHopping Center, which I think (could be wrong) is sort-of "across the street" from Downtown Disney. Also, there is one on Irlo Bronson, east of WDW. Since you'll have a spare day, check out the restaurants at Crossroads, and pick up some take out menus. We'll be travelling w/an 8 yo, 3.5 yo and a 1 yo in Dec; I forsee many in-room meals!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi all

We just returned and thought I would tell of some of our experiences. I took our trusty little microwave (set it up on t he luggage rack). I put the box of food on a shelf and since we get a handicap room there was a tiny refrigerator included.

Some of our in room meals included

Breakfast Corned Beef Hash
Bagels and Cream Cheese
Fruit
Juice
Oatmeal
Vienna Sausages
Sweet Rolls
Cold Cereal

Dinners Very good quality hotdogs and buns
Dinty Moore microwave meals
Rolls and butter
Ham and Cheese sandwiches
Microwave Mac and Cheese
Chow Mein/Noodles
Ravioli and breadsticks

Snacks Fruit
Chips
Oreos


I am sure I am missing somethings but it went well. We did not have to fight the crowds in the food courts in the morning or evening and were able to have some quiet down time instead. You can pack the paper plates, napkins, silverware and such inside the microwave to save on space and if you are staying for more than a couple of nights it is not too cumbersome. We ended up staying 12 nights after adding 2 more days to our 10 day ressie. We had seen on tv while down there that they were desperate to fill rooms early in the week and we wanted to do our part to help out. LOL

The restaurants across from the Marketplace entrance included Taco Bell, Perkins (highly reccommend), Olive Gardens, Chevy's. another Italian place next to the grocery, McDonald's and a few others that I cannot think of yet. Jungle Jim's did not impress much. Once was ok but we did not repeat. If you have a car getting there is easy. You just turn on the street across from the entrance (Hotel Blvd?) and stay in the left lane to go across the main road at Crossroads. You can also go left or right on that road to find lots of other places also. If you do not have a car you could take a bus to Marketplace and take a cab from there to save money or even walk if you are able.

Any questions? I might be able to help after I catch up on my sleep. zzzzzzzzz

Slightly Goofy

 

[Halle]

Betty Crocker makes pasta Bowls, Rice and MAshed potato bowls.. Add water and microwave they're excellent!

 

[wmears13]

Here's an idea we used last summer for a quick, easy but out-of-the-everyday menu world.

When you stop by the store, pick up a package of the pre-cooked (grilled) sliced chicken breast or deli-roast chicken, a package of flour tortillas and a bag of ceasar salad mix (w/ dressing & lettuce). Put the lettuce on the tortillas, add the chicken and the dressing and.... wala! You have Chicken Ceasar Salad Wraps!

 

[PCgal]

I am planning on takeing my george foreman grill and eating cereal and stuff.