Families NOT on DDP... How will you eat?

[smkiya]

We will be staying in a house on our trip, and I am getting a headache figuring out meals and cost, etc. I don't plan on making big meals at the house, but we will have a couple quick breakfasts, lunches, dinners there. Other than that I guess we'll have to eat out. I have 3 character ressies (DD birthday no compromising on this) for our week long trip, and am already over $350 for one breakfast and 2 dinners . How do you guys do it? It's only me, dh, dd5, and ds 4mths, and I want to have fun and not worry too much about $$$, but I don't want to break the bank either. We're bringing $1000 to spend on food and souvenirs and parking, subtract those 3 meals and I'm down to $650. We check in on a Monday at 4pm and check out on Sunday at 5am (using credit cards for drive there and back not included in trip spending), so we will only have 4 full days in the parks and 1 full day in DD.

How did you non DDP families do it, with something to show for your trip other than an empty box of Immodium?

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

we are a family of 6, and the dining plan is a huge waste of money for us. We stay DVC (have also stayed off-site), and we only do a few counter service meals in the parks. We did a couple of TS, as well, but ate in the room more than I expected to. I find the CS meals very over-priced and forgettable. We did do Boma and Chef Mickey's, though.

If you check out the DVC boards, you will always see threads with people discussing their menus. A few of our family's favorites are: chicken caesar salad, spaghetti and meatballs, subs, sandwiches, nachos, etc. We also did mostly simple breakfasts (cereal, bagels). I don't want to do a ton of cooking on vacation. We buy frozen meatballs and jarred sauce, salad mix and frozen grilled chicken strips, etc. I also pack snacks, like peanut butter crackers, to take in the parks. These make a nice, quick snack when we're in line. I find that my kids have more appreciation for the purchased snacks when they're less frequent. Obviously, it also saves money. I think everyone has to find a balance that works for them--I don't want to agonize over purchasing a Mickey Bar, but I don't want to have to file bankruptcy when we return, either.

 

[jodgaff]

We took a trip last Feb. and didn't use the DDP(although we have in the past and it was nice but $$$ with 4 kids and 2 adults) I am probably not going to tell you anything new but this is how we did it.

We were there for a week also and had 3 Char. meals too. We had breakfast every morning before we left or brought granola bars for the ride to the park. We actually packed lunch everyday except 1, and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I just put it in the stroller. I packed a sandwich , a fruit (frozen grapes were a hit and kept things cold), a string cheese, cracker or chip, and a juice pouch for each. We just found a shady table or bench and ate. The kids could kind of squirm and eat cuz we weren't in a restaurant.

For dinners we went back to the room 2 days, and ate counter service meals the others. Some tips you might not know. If you aren't a big eater you can eat from the kids meals too (I did). You can ask for a plain bun and and a slice of cheese a la cart and it is under a $1 and add stuff from the toppings bar to have a vegie sandwich. We also ended up splitting up the kids meals between the 2 smallest.

I think you can do it. We only gave the kids $15 for spending, I got the rest of the surprise gifts at WalMart and Target ($1 Spot) and Kmart and brought them down. I was delighted to see how little we did spend on food (outside of the Char. meals).

Good Luck-

Jodi

 

[smkiya]

If you check out the DVC boards, you will always see threads with people discussing their menus.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will check out the DVC boards. I also read some suggestions for offsite restaurants and pizza delivery. Looking forward to ordering delivery from Giordano's for their deep dish Chicago pizza one night. A lot od disers rave about it. Pizza shouldn't set us back much, but in Orlando who knows.

 

[Ericandus]

We are a family of 5 and are planning to stay off property in January for 10 days. Since we are driving, I am going to try and make some dinners to freeze and take along. I planned to make a lasagna, a chicken casserole, BBQ pork for sandwiches and pre-patted burgers to grill one night. I figured I can pack them for the trip frozen and then if they thaw we will be eating them in just a few days anyway!! This way we can come home from the parks, throw something in the oven, let the kids swim while it bakes, open a bag of salad and eat! Have fun!

 

[smkiya]

For dinners we went back to the room 2 days, and ate counter service meals the others. Some tips you might not know. If you aren't a big eater you can eat from the kids meals too (I did). You can ask for a plain bun and and a slice of cheese a la cart and it is under a $1 and add stuff from the toppings bar to have a vegie sandwich. We also ended up splitting up the kids meals between the 2 smallest.

I didn't know that, I see a kids meal in my future, ditto with the frozen grapes. Thanks!

 

[stella27]

I could have written this post! We aren't doing DDP for our 6 night stay, and I have a reservation for CRT breakfast. Well, with 2 adults, 2 kids and our baby (free), that will be approximately $150 for one breakfast!!

I also have ressies for Tusker House breakfast and Hollywood & Vine because I think the kids will love that. Oh - and an ADR for princess breakfast at Akershus. I loved Tusker HOuse the most; DD and DS will love CRT; and hubby mentioned that he really enjoyed breakfast in Norway!
But DARN, that's expensive. the other character bkfts (besides CRT) will be about $60 each - still high.

We are staying 3 nights at Swan and 3 nights Beach Club, and I obviously have some prioritizing to do on character breakfasts. Since we haven't even discussed lunch and dinner.

 

[brymolmom]

How about bringing a meal with you to the parks? That's what we do when we're offsite. We bring a cooler full of frinks, fruit, sandwiches and a couple 'goodies' too. We either pull that out for lunch...OR do a CS lunch and then grab it for dinner while we hold our spot for Spectro. Definitely cheaper than buying and no lines and yummy! You can easily get away with spending about $50 -ish for the WEEK and have 6 picnics to take along. That leaves you plenty left from your budgeted amount for the other meal per day AND some mickey ice cream bars too.

 

[kevschickee]

This is the 1st year we have the dining plan so for the other years we ate off site like The Olive Garden and Red Lobster. I refuse to cook on a vacation because if I do it doesn't feel like a vacation to me.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

we ate in off-site restaurants a number of times, too. We were there for 2 weeks. My gang loves Golden Corral--there isn't one near us at home, since we moved last year, so it was a big draw on vacation. I would have liked a seafood meal, but we didn't get there.

We ordered Girodano's (sp?) and made the mistake of getting the thin crust pizza. It was very forgettable, except for the price--$56 for 2 large pies! I think one was cheese, too. We thought that was insane, and the pizza wasn't anything to write home about. Maybe we should have tried the deep-dish, because people rave about Girodano's, but we were jsut scratching our heads. And there are literally dozens of restaurants along I-192, so no need to go back to a place that you didn't care for.

Our favorite off-site place was Medieval Times, but the OP may not be interested. We did it mostly for DS12, although we all enjoyed it.

 

[fauna74]

We don't do DDP simply because it would charge $40 a day for my picky 12 year old to eat off of the kids menu.

We definitely eat breakfast in the room, I just pack some pop-tarts and granola bars. The bulk of our TS meals are at lunch - it's cheaper than dinner and easier to get ressies (anyone on the DDP has to get that TS dinner to make the plan pay). Plus we get into the parks EARLY so we are ready to sit down and relax by lunch time. Splitting meals and drinks are also a good idea. I usually bring some paper cups and split the big bottles of water btwn my kids. My kids aren't soda drinkers, but I would think this would work really well for that.

 

[Darcy03231]

Our rental house had a gas grill. Here's what we did:

First day there made a big potato salad, tossed salad and macaroni salad. Most dinners consisted of meat on the grill and the salads.

Since we were there for two weeks we also did some casseroles in the foil throw away pans. We also did some crock pot meals (meat balls in spaghetti sauce for meat ball subs and spaghetti & meatballs, pulled pork for sandwiches, mexican chicken).

We did a big breafast each morning and then packed snacks and water for the parks. Since we were there in the summer we came back to the house around 1 pm for something to eat, swim, rest, etc.. We had an early dinner and then back to the parks at night until they closed. We found this worked well for us and we really didn't spend a lot on food in the parks.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I also did a big mac salad at DH's request, so he could have something to grab for a snack. The other popular item for us was "break and bake" cookies. While these aren't budget, they're easy and the kids really loved having them. As I see it, I'd rather spend a little extra to add to the fun (and ease my work--my vacation, too!). I also brought those easy mac packets, for my younger kids.

We don't do chips and soda at home, and didn't on vacation, either. The kids had the cookies and fruit, and I think we made s'mores one night on the grill. especially with little kids, you're not likely to be doing commando touring, anyway. And I've found through the years that what's memorable to a child, isn't what you spent a fortune on--it's dumb little things.

 

[ScotsMinnie]

We are not long back after 15 days in a house offsite so obviously no DDP for us.

We have, in fact, never done to DDP so we are used to doing it ourselves. Apart from a ADR at 1900 Park Fayre we would always have breakfast at home. Cereal, toast and juice and some fruit were the usual choices.

If we were in a park at lunch time we would grab some lunch in the park. There are plenty of places to eat (think they are called counter service) and you get a good choice. They are not too expensive. For dinner we would usually eat out of the park. Either something at the house or at one of the many restaurants around our house. We also used the Golden Corrall as it was very reasonable but we only went there if we had had an early or small lunch as the food was more than plentiful. A couple of night we just had salad and some chicken at home.

The prices to eat at Disney are quite high but you will find lots of reasonable places around the 192 or international drive depending on where you are staying.

We also bought a 12 pack of bottled water at the supermarket and every night put them in freezer 3/4 filled with water (no caps on). In the morning we would put on the caps and you have a good supply of cold water all day as it melts gradually.

If you are at the supermarket there are lots of coupon books you can use too.

 

[tloveswdw]

You will be fine! Our family of six would never pay off the DDP, we are vegetarians, and there are not that many times we want to sit for an extended times.

So, basically a full 8 days in the park, we ate counter service maybe 4 times, 2 character meals, and a decent number of snacks, (not quiet one a day).

We were in a cabin, and enjoyed eating breakfast in the am before heading out. Then, we packed a bit of food, never once a real meal though. We came home in the heat of the afternoon- ate our big meal, naps or pool time, and then packed up for the evening park trip. We generally all ate a small meal when we got home, (as early as 9 late as 2 am LOL).

We did pizza, pasta, salads, veggie dogs, grilled cheese, grilled veggies, fajitas... all easy. Brought a lot of our snacks from home, and hit the grocery when we got down there. We brought or bought pop, juice, and beer... Oh, we all have/use our own Sigg/Kleen Kanteen bottles, so we were not buying a lot of drinks.

I never felt like I was doing a lot of cooking. It was easier than being home

 

[la79al]

We just got back from a week at the beach and before we left, we made about 5 different casserole type dishes then stuck them in the freezer until we were ready to go. The night before we left we moved them to a cooler and they were still frozen the next day when we got there. It was really convenient because we could pull them out in the morning, then stick them in the oven when we got back from the beach, while we were all getting cleaned up. By the time we all got out of the bath, dinner was ready. And I don't consider sticking a casserole in the oven cooking so it was still a vacation . It was kind of nice to not be stuck with fast food or even restaurant food all the time.
That being said, our first trip to DW we stayed offsite and I think we ate one whole meal in our kitchen. But we are open to close park people. I can only assume with a baby, you won't be.
Get a case of water, stick some frozen/really cold bottles in your stroller basket each day. Pick up some of your favorite snacks and take them along too. Make breakfast easy-cereal, toater waffles, etc.
Keep in mind that breakfast is usually cheaper than lunches and dinners. Head over to the restaurant board to see which CS meals are big enough to share. Give DD a little of yours and a little of DHs and she won't need her own.
Take full advantage of your stroller to carry food into the park. Save your money for souvenirs that will last for years, not food that won't.

 

[ScotsMinnie]

Agree with the PP that most CS meals are big enough for sharing. We are not used to American size portions so I always shared mine with one of my girls. But if you don't have a huge appetite then sharing is definetely the way to go. We also found that we couldn't eat a lot during the day in the heat. The DDP would be wasted on us!!!!

 

[rt2dz]

We’re a family of 5 (soon to be 6), stay onsite, but do not use DDP ever. I find that it isn’t a good value for us. Even if it is free dining, it costs more than a good room-only discount and paying out of pocket for meals. DS#2 has food allergies, in addition to being a picky eater, so CS doesn’t work well for us. DS#3 is a fairly big eater, so before he turned 3 he had to have his own meal purchased for him. DS#1 prefers the items off the adult menu. And we like the signature places. Plus, there is only so much fast food we (the kids and I) can take—DH is just fine with it.

Last October we stayed in the cabins and had a full kitchen. We did not eat breakfast anywhere but there. Most days, we then tend to have a late lunch/early dinner combo meal and combine that with a few snacks. Some I bring with me. Other times we grab fruit. Then, of course, there are the occasional ice-creams and popcorn bucket. Then, if someone was hungry, really hungry, we’d grab fast food. Other times, we fixed dinner back at the cabin if we had an early day and a normal time lunch. Before the cabins, we’d just have quick breakfast in the room. Occasionally, since we always have a car, we go offsite for a meal.

I have a friend who owns a non-Disney timeshare in Orlando. They go for a week each year, but only do about 5 days at Disney. They eat breakfast at the timeshare, pack a lunch and store it in a cooler shoved in a locker, and eat dinner on the way out back to the timeshare.

 

[dyna]

We never do the DDP onsite or off way to much food for us an we just don't like taking so much park time for TS.

Offsite if on harley instead of in car I go to Walfart get sausage eggs an frozen waffles/or biscuits for breakfast. I fry up the sausage soon as we get back to our unit so that all I got to do is heat that in microwave. Biscuits I get the packs of bisquick that ya add water too I can mix that up as quick as the oven preheats fry eggs while the biscuits bake usually have breakfast on table in less than 15 mins.

In a car in Dec I will take some premade casseroles frozen, browned hamburger that I can add to other things later have either lunch or supper at the unit every day.

On harley we tend to eat out a little more than in car but in June TGIFridays had buy 1 entree get 1 free we ate off the 10.00 or less menu it was just enough food for DH an I. Olive garden we got 3 meals off eating there an went at lunch ate off the lunch menu which was about 5.00 cheaper than supper. I did add a veggie with the leftovers.

Arbys had buy 5 reg roastbeefs for $5.00 we got 2 meals off that an a snack.

The few times we ate in the parks we usually shared a meal. Or I got a kids meal.

Oh I will add that DH always does the dishes when I cook if DD was to travel with us then they would trade off on the dishes.

I take inventory of what we still need to buy while DH unloads soon as everything is unloaded we go to store if needed on harley it always is. I put the stuff away an cook while DH unpacks his stuff he cleans up the dishes while I unpack my stuff. Then we ready for FUN!

 

[kevschickee]

We never do the DDP onsite or off way to much food for us an we just don't like taking so much park time for TS.

Offsite if on harley instead of in car I go to Walfart get sausage eggs an frozen waffles/or biscuits for breakfast. I fry up the sausage soon as we get back to our unit so that all I got to do is heat that in microwave. Biscuits I get the packs of bisquick that ya add water too I can mix that up as quick as the oven preheats fry eggs while the biscuits bake usually have breakfast on table in less than 15 mins.

In a car in Dec I will take some premade casseroles frozen, browned hamburger that I can add to other things later have either lunch or supper at the unit every day.

On harley we tend to eat out a little more than in car but in June TGIFridays had buy 1 entree get 1 free we ate off the 10.00 or less menu it was just enough food for DH an I. Olive garden we got 3 meals off eating there an went at lunch ate off the lunch menu which was about 5.00 cheaper than supper. I did add a veggie with the leftovers.

Arbys had buy 5 reg roastbeefs for $5.00 we got 2 meals off that an a snack.

The few times we ate in the parks we usually shared a meal. Or I got a kids meal.

Oh I will add that DH always does the dishes when I cook if DD was to travel with us then they would trade off on the dishes.

I take inventory of what we still need to buy while DH unloads soon as everything is unloaded we go to store if needed on harley it always is. I put the stuff away an cook while DH unpacks his stuff he cleans up the dishes while I unpack my stuff. Then we ready for FUN!

I LOVE TYPOS LOL