eating at the resort room

[tinksgilrs251520]

I am sorry that i made people mad or offended people i am just trying to save money and give mya special vacation and thought that the food cost is where I could. I dont plan on doing full fledge cooking just very quick meals
so once agian I am very sorry. I just thought since the boards are a awsomwe place to get really good information and by me asking a offbeat question I am getting to see the other side of things

 

[jaminmd]

OP, I hope you and your family have a magical vacation!

 

[hambirg]

Don't be offended. BUT I think some of the responses here are right on when they say you don't want to spend your precious park time cooking, and getting back to the room for meals is more time consuming then it sounds. Breakfast in the room is great. You'll have a fridge so get milk and cereal, pb&j, and instant oatmeal packets. If you still want things for lunch or dinner. . .keep it simple! I have brought those Easy Mac mac and cheeses, cup of soups, even hot dogs and buns. Keep some fruit and granola bars. . .maybe some chips and salsa. But really you don't want to be cooking anything that is more than just heating up some water or popping something in the microwave. You won't have a proper sink to wash dishes in or anything. Bring some paper plates, paper towels and plastic silverware. Sometimes we would take out leftovers from a meal back to the room and stick it in the fridge in case anybody felt like popping it in the microwave later. . . mostly the husband is a midnight snacker. In truth, I always planned to take too much food and ended up leaving alot for the maids. The one thing we never have enough of is bottled water. . .make sure you have lots of that. HTH

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I'm not trying to upset you but when I first read it, I too thought this was a joke. The only time I cook is when we go camping and I have a full kitchen available. I go on vacation to get away from cooking not to take time out of my vacation to schlep back to the room to make a any meal.

However if you insist on quick meals, do things like Hot Pockets or sandwiches, Chef Boyardee type stuff. Personally I think it would be better to find an extra $30 or $40 a week that you can cut somewhere to stash away for CS meals instead of cooking.

 

[shocker]

Sorry just had to chime in on this one. To the OP I too was blasted on another thread and haven't posted in months. My life's too busy to deal with such nonsense. But, you seemed nice enough so I'll share a few things I did. My situation was different because I flew in (no car) and tent camped at FW (no refrig. or micro. but had a cooler) for about 8 days. I brought 90% of our food with us and all needed utensils and had the resort buffet as backup but never needed it. I used a flat griddle that folds open and a hot pot that boils about 2 cups of water in about 5 min. I scoured the grocery store for shelf-stable versions of foods (like bacon that's fully cooked and doesn't need refrig.) and ready-to-eat foods like vienna sausages (just pop open and eat). I made sure all cans were pop open so no can opener was needed. I practiced at home in the months before the trip to make sure everyone liked what I would be serving (no surprises). I put pots on the griddle top for soupy/saucy items when needed and cooked directly on the griddle top when able. I was able to get super hot water for dish cleaning and took two tubs for that (but quickly found it much easier to go to the laundry room industrial sink to do dishes--which may work for you if at all close). We loved the shake-n-pour pancakes (just add water and you won't even have dishes to clean up), we made spaghetti (not canned but did buy the new "pouches" of sauce so didn't have to fly w/glass countainers), ramen noodle soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, canned soups and ravioli, mac-n-cheese, and so on I'm sure you'd find a lot just walking thru the store. What you can also look for since hotel freezers seem to be non-existant (never stayed at ASMU family suites though) is frozed foods with directions for cooking from "frozen" and "thawed" that will tell you which one's can be stored in the larger refrig. section. Good luck and save all you can I always say "every dollar I save at Disney is just that much sooner I get to go again" and that is why I go more than most.

 

[powellrj]

Sorry just had to chime in on this one. To the OP I too was blasted on another thread and haven't posted in months. My life's too busy to deal with such nonsense. But, you seemed nice enough so I'll share a few things I did. My situation was different because I flew in (no car) and tent camped at FW (no refrig. or micro. but had a cooler) for about 8 days. I brought 90% of our food with us and all needed utensils and had the resort buffet as backup but never needed it. I used a flat griddle that folds open and a hot pot that boils about 2 cups of water in about 5 min. I scoured the grocery store for shelf-stable versions of foods (like bacon that's fully cooked and doesn't need refrig.) and ready-to-eat foods like vienna sausages (just pop open and eat). I made sure all cans were pop open so no can opener was needed. I practiced at home in the months before the trip to make sure everyone liked what I would be serving (no surprises). I put pots on the griddle top for soupy/saucy items when needed and cooked directly on the griddle top when able. I was able to get super hot water for dish cleaning and took two tubs for that (but quickly found it much easier to go to the laundry room industrial sink to do dishes--which may work for you if at all close). We loved the shake-n-pour pancakes (just add water and you won't even have dishes to clean up), we made spaghetti (not canned but did buy the new "pouches" of sauce so didn't have to fly w/glass countainers), ramen noodle soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, canned soups and ravioli, mac-n-cheese, and so on I'm sure you'd find a lot just walking thru the store. What you can also look for since hotel freezers seem to be non-existant (never stayed at ASMU family suites though) is frozed foods with directions for cooking from "frozen" and "thawed" that will tell you which one's can be stored in the larger refrig. section. Good luck and save all you can I always say "every dollar I save at Disney is just that much sooner I get to go again" and that is why I go more than most.

I think you are missing the point others were trying to make. She is in a hotel room, you were outside. You have natural ventilation, the smell of cooking bacon and spaghetti would stay with the room and the neighboring rooms. Heating up water for noodles or oatmeal no big deal, microwaving bacon is another story.

 

[plutolovr]

If you're going in September, it's quite possible that Disney will offer free dining again. If they do I would try to get it if I were you. Even when I have had a villa or a FW Cabin, I never cooked, just did breakfast and maybe grilled a burger or two on the grill at the cabin. It's just too much hassle. The dining plan, even if you have to pay for it, is a great way to cap your food budget costs.

 

[HayGan]

If you are planning on eating dinners at CS places then breakfasts and lunches are very easy to prepare with what you already have in the suite. When we stay in places with kitchenettes we get frozen waffles, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit and precooked bacon for breakfast. The waffles do fine in the fridge (jut don't cook them as long in the toaster.) Everything else can be made with the microwave - you can even make the waffles in the microwave although they aren't crispy.

Lunches can be sandwiches that you take with you to the park along with a piece of fruit or nacks that you put in individual serving size baggies. If you want lunch in the room, you can have soup and sandwiches or other microwaveable meals.

As others have said, don't bring along crock pots and similar appliances. You can easily use what you have and have some great meals in the room.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I'm a little disappointed in some of the responses here. First and foremost, we should act as a community that welcomes new friends. There are ways to answer a question without coming across as harsh and judgmental. I think some of us failed in doing that, so my apologies go out to the OP.

Unfortunately, the OP has asked a question that is frequently posed by those who wish to poke fun at the thrifty ways that people here might employ to in order to make their trip more affordable. The subject of "cooking in the room" is very much a hot button topic.

As DMRick pointed out, Disney does not discourage the practice. But there are some things that you may want to consider if you should decide to prepare some meals in your room.

Number one: Smells linger. Those onions that I cooked up as a part of last night's dinner are still stinking up my house this morning. And I even lit candles last night to drive the smell off. If you decide to cook in your room, please be considerate of your neighbors and the next occupant. Choose foods that do not have strong aromas.

Number two: Garbage disposal. It's one thing to toss a packet of coffee grounds into the waste basket in your room. It's another thing to dispose of your uneaten spaghetti and garlic bread there. Use a grocery bag or even a plastic merchandise bag and remove the garbage from your room. Dispose of it in a large garbage can in the food court.

Number three: Exercise caution. There are very few hard, even surfaces near the electrical outlets in a regular hotel room. Keep any hot appliances away from flammable objects. Avoid using the outlets near the sink if at all possible.

Number four: Do not use appliances that should be plugged in all day, such as a crockpot. Unplug your coffeemaker and toaster before you leave the room for the day.

Number five: Clean up your appliances and dishes in a sink other than the one in the bathroom. The drains are not designed to strain food particles out like the one in your kitchen is. Plus, do you really want to wash dishes in a sink that people have been spitting out toothpaste and rinsing out whatnots?

The best choice for dining in your room would be to use foods that can be heated in the microwave (food court or Family Suite), prepared with the addition of hot water (from your coffeemaker/hot pot) or foods that require no heat at all (sandwiches and salads).

 

[DMRick]

Plus, keep in mind the food court has a microwave (and it's a hot one..instant mac and cheese was almost impossible, as it boiled in abut 20 seconds!) and a toaster, as well as available hot water and a place to sit. YOu can buy parts of your meals reasonably, and eat the rest without worrying about spilling on the carpet, etc.
I agree, this board is a perfect place to get thoughts on stuff..and that's what everyone is doing..giving you their thoughts. I've been there when someone 'cooked' their meals, and I even understand the need to save money, but other than breakfast, it's really a pain to come back to your room to eat.

 

[RevJATB]

To the OP, we too are on a tight budget, but having said that, we are also budgeting for food for our trip because we want this to be a vacation for everyone, my wife and myself included. We've done the eating meals in-room thing before, and it does not make for an enjoyable trip for us. We too will be staying in one of the Value Resorts because we really want to stay on property and the Deluxe or even the Moderates are simply not in our price range. Wish they were, but that's just not going to happen for us right now. However, if we were having to stay in a Value Resort AND try to eat most of our meals in-room as well, that would just be too depressing. We have taken care of room cost and tickets and now we are taking an entire year to save for our meals while we're there (a little bit every month).

There are lots of things you can do to save money on eating that will not require trying to cook your own food in-room. On site, there is the Earl of Sandwich at DTD that has great food at low prices, and there is actually a McDonald's on site, not far from POP and AK. Also, the Orlando area McDonalds have incredible theming, not to mention an incredible gourmet menu! Go to http://www.mcfun.com to find out more about them! There is also the "extra bun" trick: order a double cheeseburger and order an extra bun: voila! Two cheeseburgers! (This happens so much the CS registers have an "extra bun" button on them.) And you can always order ice water with meals instead of soft drinks. It's free and much better for you anyway. The site mousesavers.com has lots of other ideas to cut down on expenses. If you cut some corners here and there, you can all have a more enjoyable vacation, and still get to eat out, which is the most fun part of a vacation as far as I'm concerned!

 

[RevJATB]

I forgot to mention: the in-room pizza delivery is not a bad price at all. They make a 16" pizza, which is the same size as a "Giant" pizza at our local Pizza Inn, and the in-room delivery price at Disney is no more expensive than a Giant pizza at our local Pizza Inn! Also consider the portion sizes, and the fact that you can split entrees. It can be done!

 

[cseca]

I forgot to mention: the in-room pizza delivery is not a bad price at all. They make a 16" pizza, which is the same size as a "Giant" pizza at our local Pizza Inn, and the in-room delivery price at Disney is no more expensive than a Giant pizza at our local Pizza Inn! Also consider the portion sizes, and the fact that you can split entrees. It can be done!

Actually just FYI there are offsite pizza joints that delivers as late as 2am too. The resort pizza place closes at midnight I think. And since you have a mini fridge and microwave you can order a large pizza with sides and have some leftovers the next day (or two).

Or you can make salads. As in buy rotiserrie chix, salad bags, dressings, croutons and voila! Yummy salads. Or heck, I don't know whether you're flying or driving. But you can always slow cook something in advance and then freeze them. I think as long as you pack them well (use those freezer ice packs, styro, etc.) they will keep until you get to the resort.
Then pop them in the fridge. That way no need to cook. Just buy a loaf of bread, cheese, drinks, salad trimmings, and you'll get yummy sandwiches enough for several days. Between those sandwiches, salads, pizza delivery and bringing your own bfast items you should be able to save a good bit of change...

 

[pjlla]

I will try to avoid most of the controversy here, but I want to share what has worked for us in the past. We have had a couple of trips (not to WDW) where we were trying to keep the budget tight (and watch our waistlines) and we packed/bought foods to eat in the room.

When we drove to Washington D.C. we packed a cooler plus a rolling backpack full of foods. The cooler had dozen + hardboiled eggs (peeled and covered with damp paper towel in a tupperware), fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes traveled fairly well), yogurt, cheese sticks, cream cheese, jam/jelly, juice boxes/milk boxes (including rice milk for my DS with allergies), veggies sticks and dips, diet soda, and water bottles. THe backpack had bagels, crackers, summer sausage (not exactly healthy, but shelf stable), granola bars, cookies, pretzels, peanut butter and such. Plus I packed a roll of paper towels, a tiny bottle of dish liquid, salt, pepper, a few plastic utensils and four cafeteria-style trays I bought at Target. That is what I would serve the dinners on and the kids (they were about 10 and 8 at the time) thought it was fun! They were no problem to wash with a paper towel and soap. And I didn't have to buy a mountain of paper plates and contribute to a landfill somewhere!

We ate most all snacks and a few dinners in our room from these bags. I did not choose to carry along lunch with us when we were touring, so most lunches were things like Subway or McDonalds. The few dinners we ate out were about 20% more expensive than the same restaurant at home in NH! These things that we brought, combined with the free breakfast that the hotel offered saved us probably $300+ that week. I think on one night at the end of the week we ordered pizza delivered to the room. The kids thought that was GREAT because we live in a very rural area without any food delivery of any sort available.

On a different trip out west the year before that we didn't bring any foods because we were flying, but the morning after our arrival in Albuquerque we hit the local Walmart (I had brought along a sturdy insulated collapsible cooler). It was easy to hit it early because our bodies were still on east coast time. We bought soda, beer, bread, fruit, pb & j, popcorn, (can't remember everything). That got us through lunch and snacks in our room for a few days. We were there for a wedding, plus my BIL managed to score free breakfast for the entire party for the duration of our stay (an unexpected nice surprise!). Plus my SIL and I attended a shower the first night of our arrival, so that meal was covered for me. We all attended the rehearsal dinner (DD was in the wedding party), and of course there was the wedding dinner. So other than DH feeding himself, my two kids, and my niece and nephew on our arrival day, we didn't fork out any other $$ for food (beyond our Walmart trip)!

We left Albuquerque and started our drive west. We ate ALL snacks and many lunches in the car along the way with food we had in the cooler. Sure, it wasn't very exciting or even terribly nutritious, but it was a REAL time saver and $$ saver. Lunches were things like pretzels, fruit, and cheese sticks or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fruit. It was so nice to be able to just keep driving (I was the driver for the entire trip) even when someone was hungry or thirsty. We made just a stop or two along the way for gas and potty (we had a sight-seeing stop scheduled every day, so that usually took care of us for the potty break). We drove about 5 hours a day, usually broken up between a few hours first thing in the morning and a few more hours after dark. We managed to spend three days in NM with family at the wedding, a day at the Grand Canyon, an long afternoon and night in Las Vegas, a day at the Hoover Dam, and three days in Disneyland!!

When I had originally budgeted for food for this 10 day trip I was hoping to keep it to about $80 per day. But I knew that would be difficult because we were having a character meal at Goofy's Kitchen and that alone would use more than a day's budget. But I was willing to really sacrifice other meals to make this happen.

As it turned out, we had our character meal, plenty of fun snacks, etc. and came in just under $80 per day! Of course, the free breakfasts that my BIL scored us helped SO MUCH! So it can be done!

Good luck, whatever you decide to do................P (wow... I really rambled on.... sorry!)

 

[frisco]

Besides the oddity of bringing these things into a hotel room (fire risk), I have to admit, the question is a bit odd as well. Just cook what you'd normally cook at home.

 

[sandgrace]

The question by the OP is not odd at all, I think that they were asking if anyone else had cooked things in their hotel room, and if so what foods were easy to cook in the hotel room setting.

In this troubled economy saving money on food is not odd at all, and this also includes food while vacationing as well. I have never thought about cooking food in my hotel room, but if you can do it to save money it's worth it.

We all know how expensive eating at Disney is, so the OP should not feel bad about asking that question at all, those who made fun of them should. I'd love to know ways to save money on food at Disney so that I can go more often! JMO.

 

[Mom23Disneybelievers]

We do the DP, and use the cs for lunch and the ts for dinner. I could not imagine also eating breakfast in the park or hotel restaurant. We didn't even use most of our snack credits. The large amounts of food/desserts already make us feel sick after a few days.

I am all for eating snacks and breakfast items in the room. Here are some quick meal ideas. (Especially since you will have a kitcheonette..sp? )
breakfast: yogurt, cereal w/milk, fiberone bars, nutrigrain bars, bagels w/cream cheese, single serve applesauce, fresh fruit,
lunch: sandwiches, soup, yogurt w/granola, chef salad (buy bagged salad add meats/cheeses you would use for sandwiches), easy-mac (I have found a healthier version at the health food store), fruit, mini-carrots and dip,
Dinner: take out pizza with a salad
If you have the plug in griddle with you...you could make grilled cheese, pancakes, eggs......But...then you are going to have to clean up, so it may not be worth your vacation time to cook AND clean.

I would also suggest keeping it light...all of the fatty/high salt/high sugar meals from the restaurants (hey, they taste good for a reason, right?) can get to your stomach after a while) So, the less "processed" the items you keep on hand are...the better.
I feel bad about the negative responses that you have received. I know that the Suites are marketed as being a "cost saver" for families....by having the kitcheonette. I say utilize it. That's what it is there for. Make some quick breakfasts, snacks, and lunches. It's not going to ruin any one else's vacation if you are being considerate with what you are eating...
I understand why you asked the question on the board...because there are people that are incredibly thrifty here...and are very creative...and think "outside the box" in order to save money. Sometimes I am shocked by what people do to save money...I laugh a little to myself....it is kind of entertaining (and I mean that in the best way possible....I don't have a very exciting life )

Have lots and lots of fun!!!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

The question by the OP is not odd at all, I think that they were asking if anyone else had cooked things in their hotel room, and if so what foods were easy to cook in the hotel room setting.

In this troubled economy saving money on food is not odd at all, and this also includes food while vacationing as well. I have never thought about cooking food in my hotel room, but if you can do it to save money it's worth it.

We all know how expensive eating at Disney is, so the OP should not feel bad about asking that question at all, those who made fun of them should. I'd love to know ways to save money on food at Disney so that I can go more often! JMO.

While I agree with the bolded statement and I do send a box of snacks, cereal etc. to our resort for us. I really think it is a bit off to take a bunch of appliances to set up a kitchen somewhere in a hotel. If you are camping then of course that is expected, but even if you are staying in a suite with a kitchenette I find it very odd to bring a frier, Forman grill and a crockpot. This isn't a vacation home. It is a nicer hotel room in a hotel. I don't feel bad for saying it either. I guess that makes me terrible to some but there is no way I want to be your neighbor in a hotel where you are frying up some food every night. YMMV.

As for money saving food tips. If you are flying have groceries delivered to your resort. Get stuff like cold cuts, oatmeal, pb&J bread, cheese sticks, yogurt, easy mac, muffins, cereal and milk. For us, it is not really the money thing as much as the time issue. Our kids are young. They like to eat as soon as they open their eyes. So, if I have stuff like I mentioned in the room I can set them up with cereal etc. while dh and I start getting everything ready for the day. I can also get them dressed one by one as they finish eating. We don't have to wait for the 6 of us to get ready to have something to eat. It's also nice in the afternoons sometimes if we are just relaxing at the resort. My kids love pb&j but not the kind they sell at WDW and I don't like them eating uncrustables. (full of junk) So, I make them the sandwich that they like. It saves us a few dollars, but mostly the kids just like it. Oatmeal is nice in the morning too. You can make it in the room and if you are like me, one of my guilty pleasures is sitting in bed, watching tv and eating. Of course I only get to do that once in a blue moon and usually only when we are on vacation. Another thing I do is send down snacks like chips etc. We normally don't eat that much stuff like that but on vacation all bets are off. We like to snack in the room at night. So rather than pay $$$ for a bag of chips at the resort I send them down also. I do however buy fresh fruit for us. Since I have not done a grocery delivery - I always mailed a package- I usually just buy it at WDW. There are many cost saving ideas for food at WDW. I know it can be very expensive but I would leave the appliances at home. Good luck!

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

If you are staying in an ASMsuite they have a fridge, coffee pot, and microwave. It is a kitchenette if you will. You can't bring appliances with you. It is not intended for that. It is not a suite with a full kitchen. If you are looking for a full kitchen I would look at the Ft. Wilderness cabins. They are wonderful. They have a fully equiped kitchen that is meant for cooking in.

Please let us know the source of this information. I have never seen a sign or anything banning these items.

I stayed in one of those suites last summer with my nephew. It was awesome!! Since my nephew has some "eating issues" I wanted to make sure I could feed him when he was hungry, and not just when we were out.

I had a toaster with me. I had groceries delivered. So, breakfast was waffles,english muffins or pop tarts in the toaster. If we were there for lunch or dinner, I had lunch meat and bread for sandwiches. My newphew is a big fan of baked beans and tomato soup, so I had those as well and heated them in the microwave.

You can decide for yourself whether you want to use those appliances. But, remember that you are on vacation... why not take it easy on yourself and just make stuff you can put in the microwave?

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Please let us know the source of this information. I have never seen a sign or anything banning these items.

I stayed in one of those suites last summer with my nephew. It was awesome!! Since my nephew has some "eating issues" I wanted to make sure I could feed him when he was hungry, and not just when we were out.

I had a toaster with me. I had groceries delivered. So, breakfast was waffles,english muffins or pop tarts in the toaster. If we were there for lunch or dinner, I had lunch meat and bread for sandwiches. My newphew is a big fan of baked beans and tomato soup, so I had those as well and heated them in the microwave.

You can decide for yourself whether you want to use those appliances. But, remember that you are on vacation... why not take it easy on yourself and just make stuff you can put in the microwave?

Sorry but bringing a toaster and busting out a fryer, grill and crockpot are two different animals.