How many meals do you actually prepare in your villa?

[Golden Rose]

We cook breakfast in the villa every morning. We love our own coffee, brought from home, as opposed to the crud you get at most of WDW. Breakfast is an easy and fast enough meal to put together that we don't mind taking the time for it. (We cook breakfast at home all the time, too, so it is part of our normal morning wakeup routine.)

We keep snacks - fruit, cheese, crackers, etc in the room. My DM and DstepF like to have a late lunch in the room after their morning golf game, but they don't generally do much cooking. We try to have cold cuts, peanut butter, and whole wheat bread, so they are happy with sandwiches. On nights they are tired, they like to do the same thing for dinner, although usually they come out with us.

DH, DS and I generally eat all our lunches and dinners out, except when DM babysits for us!

 

[goofygal1975]

Boar's Head meats, yum!

Yes!! Very Good!!

 

[Tiger926]

Thanks so much for all responses - greatly appreciated! Here are my thoughts:

1. Split stay - My DH reminded me that we are now doing a 1 bed and studio split stay (we had both 1 beds, but changed to save some points), so we would only maybe cook 2 dinners out of the first 6 nights in our 1 bed, and could eat breakfast in room most mornings, so this might save approx. $200.00. Hardly seems worth it to go grocery shopping and prepare meals.

2. Grocery shopping - Like I said, due to allergies/sensitivities, we need to do our own grocery shopping as we have to read all labels, so no grocery service for us. We would have to go grocery shopping several times in order to pick up certain foods. Again, this is time away from parks, resort or relaxing.

3. Meals - Many of the meals mentioned that people cook in their villas, we cannot eat. We can't or don't eat: fish, processed foods such as Kraft dinner & pop tarts, eggs, hot dogs, etc. We don't drink pop, coffee or alcohol either. So, we could pick up a roasted chicken, salad and bread for dinner, but then we would have leftovers, and kids & hubby don't care for leftovers. Wouldn't want to waste food, so this could be a problem. My hubby said absolutely no to BBQ, as it's charcoal and dealing with food safety issues. Not sure this would save money either as we buy very good quality meat as we don't eat hot dogs, and we only eat 100% lean hamburgers.

4. Small appliances needed - We aren't willing to bring our rice cooker, crock pot and breadmaker to WDW for 1 or 2 meals. We make most of our own bread at home, steam our own rice, grill our own food and cook many things in crockpot.

5. Restaurant food - I agree that many restaurant meals are high in sodium, fat and cholesterol, so we order our food very carefully. We eat steamed veggies, grilled meats (limit our red meat intake), veggies/fruits at every meal, drink water, etc. We don't eat condiment laden foods, such as: sour cream, dressings, gravies, etc. We love having the chefs come to our table as they prepare our foods with olive oil, steamed, etc. due to our allergies/sensitivities. If we ate the WDW foods exactly as they were prepared, and as many Americans eat them, covered in high fat sauces, etc., then eating 3 restaurant meals a day would not be good! We also don't order everything that is applicable to us either - sometimes only 1 appetizer or dessert for 4 people. Lots of time we get fruit or sorbet for dessert, and we only drink water, with the occassional milk or apple juice/oj for breakfast.

6. Daily schedule - We are up and out by 8:00 am and back in room for rest around 12:30, and then back out for approx. 4:30-5:00. We could cook a few meals in room, but it would mean an earlier supper. We are always back in room and in bed by 9:00 pm at the very latest. We take it very easy at a casual pace, but our daily schedule is important to adhere to due to our low blood sugar and a napping babe. We love to have dinner at resort, or, back at parks, and then watch nighttime parades/fireworks, if time permits and kids are feeling ok on their schedules. We are going to look at food preparation during this time, as some of you suggested, and see if it would work.

7. Dining cost scenarios - Here is a link to my dining cost spreadsheets that we've done so far: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2118653. So far, the Deluxe Dining Plan for 12 nights is the cheapest, will provide us with the most food, snacks, drinks that we will need to feed the kids, as well as will keep us feeling rested and relaxed as we will be sitting and refreshing ourselves in air conditioned surroundings. You have given us all some awesome things to consider. Our ideal eating pattern at WDW is 2 TS meals per day, with most breakfasts in our room, but the regular DP is not enough (plus, we don't care for CS meals that much at all) and the Deluxe is a bit too much, but we make it work with very specific timing and eating at Signatures. We are going to read through this thread again, and see if there are any suggestions that we could make work, but we are limited as we are only in our 1 bed for 6 nights, and studio for other 6 nights, so no cooking during the second week. We would keep the Deluxe for the first 6 nights as we are at BWV, and we love WS restaurants, so not sure what we can do here? Any suggestions?

Thanks for all of the great info, Tiger

 

[dburg30]

When it's just the Mrs and I, we wind up doing frozen pizzas one or 2 nights if we dont have a dinner planned. We eat when we get done for the evening. Other then that we've not used the kitchen much in the 2 DVC stays we've done. BUT... there's always a BUT!

One of the reasons we bought into DVC was to be able to take family members and have the kitchen. We figure that every other year we'll be going and taking a number of people with us. At AKL, what I figure we'll use will be a 2 bedroom that will sleep 8 or 9, and a studio which sleeps 4. So we'll have 12-13 people possibly. That's a LOT of cash outlay for food at WDW. Plus a number of them will drive down so they'll be bringing food with them easier then if they flew and had to have it delivered!

 

[DiznyDi]

No cooking for us! I don't go on vacation to cook.

Prior to the changes (2008) in the DDP we used it every trip. Now it's TIW.

Diet Coke and OJ in the frig. I bring my own coffee that we enjoy on the balcony every morning before starting our day.

One sit-down meal daily; either late afternoon or early evening. Our favorite snacks in the parks: dole whip at MK, banana at AK, lox and bagels at HS, funnel cake at Epcot and a rice krispie bar whenever hunger strikes.

Di

 

[Chuck S]

7. Dining cost scenarios - Here is a link to my dining cost spreadsheets that we've done so far: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2118653. So far, the Deluxe Dining Plan for 12 nights is the cheapest, will provide us with the most food, snacks, drinks that we will need to feed the kids, as well as will keep us feeling rested and relaxed as we will be sitting and refreshing ourselves in air conditioned surroundings. You have given us all some awesome things to consider. Our ideal eating pattern at WDW is 2 TS meals per day, with most breakfasts in our room, but the regular DP is not enough (plus, we don't care for CS meals that much at all) and the Deluxe is a bit too much, but we make it work with very specific timing and eating at Signatures. We are going to read through this thread again, and see if there are any suggestions that we could make work, but we are limited as we are only in our 1 bed for 6 nights, and studio for other 6 nights, so no cooking during the second week. We would keep the Deluxe for the first 6 nights as we are at BWV, and we love WS restaurants, so not sure what we can do here? Any suggestions?

Thanks for all of the great info, Tiger

Be sure you compare any Dining Plan to what you would normally order. If you really normally order only 1 appetizer or 1 dessert and split between 4 people, and not ordering a beverage, it truly may be best for you to not use any plan, but simply pay out-of-pocket. I know for us, as two adult, we prefer appetizers and our normal beverage is water (though we do occasionally order a regular beverage), rarely order dessert, and we have alway come out cheaper simply paying out-of-pocket or using the DDE/TIW discount card, as we get APs.

 

[jodifla]

OP, you seem to have your mind made up, so I'm not sure why you are asking us.

But some of your logic seems a bit tortured. For example, Publix sells meat you can grill, and plenty of fresh veggies for salads and veggie dishes. Completely easy to find unprocessed foods there.

I'm surprised with your allergies you find it easy to eat out; it's normally easier for people with allergies to cook.

We bought DVC largely because of the kitchen, dining and living room. We like to cook fun, family dinners for us and our visiting friends, and have the wine and cocktails flowing freely out on our balcony...which we can, because no one is driving!

I grew up about 90 minutes from Disney, though, so we spend a lot of time at the resorts, and less at the parks than someone who hasn't been there 100 times.

 

[keishashadow]

zero - as chief cook & bottlewasher, im on vacation - duh

 

[Tiger926]

Be sure you compare any Dining Plan to what you would normally order. If you really normally order only 1 appetizer or 1 dessert and split between 4 people, and not ordering a beverage, it truly may be best for you to not use any plan, but simply pay out-of-pocket. I know for us, as two adult, we prefer appetizers and our normal beverage is water (though we do occasionally order a regular beverage), rarely order dessert, and we have alway come out cheaper simply paying out-of-pocket or using the DDE/TIW discount card, as we get APs.

Thanks for the reminder - as I stated in both threads, we only used what we eat, which is sometimes 1 appetizer or no dessert and bottled water only. My hubby is a banker, so he only deals in real facts for real comparisons.

Good advice, but based on our scenarios, the OOP costs, whether with TIW, other discounts like AP/DVC, or no discounts, are more than Deluxe because we have to buy food for our toddler. In order to do this, we would have to buy an appetizer, such as a bowl of soup, in order to feed him, or, if the child's meal is healthy (such as grilled chicken), we would purchase this, so these costs need to be factored in with all of the other scenarios, but not with Deluxe, as we can order appetizers as part of the plan.

Thanks, Tiger

 

[alice99]

I stock the fridge with essentials, milk, soda, orange juice, soda and water.

We buy breakfast items. One time I made 2 loaves of French Toast (Freihoffers french toast bread is great) the very first night we got there , then froze all of it and we ate it each morning.

I also buy cold cuts, bread and cheese to eat sandwiches in the parks.

Once I did the DDP w/ my daughter, when she was 9. She really enjoyed the restaurants (Japan Teppan Edo was her fave).
But I find the cost prohibitive now that my 10 and 12 year old are adults (??!!)..... who eat off the kids menus anyway.

 

[Tiger926]

OP, you seem to have your mind made up, so I'm not sure why you are asking us.

But some of your logic seems a bit tortured. For example, Publix sells meat you can grill, and plenty of fresh veggies for salads and veggie dishes. Completely easy to find unprocessed foods there.

I'm surprised with your allergies you find it easy to eat out; it's normally easier for people with allergies to cook.

We bought DVC largely because of the kitchen, dining and living room. We like to cook fun, family dinners for us and our visiting friends, and have the wine and cocktails flowing freely out on our balcony...which we can, because no one is driving!

I grew up about 90 minutes from Disney, though, so we spend a lot of time at the resorts, and less at the parks than someone who hasn't been there 100 times.

Nope, we haven't made up our minds at all - we are leaning towards Deluxe dining plan, but we are considering all options. Based on many of the suggestions here and in other threads though, a lot of the food that people cook in villas is stuff we don't eat: packaged pizzas, processed foods, tacos (no Mexican for us), casseroles, etc. We normally eat grilled chicken, rice, steamed veggies, at home, but we can't really cook this kind of stuff in our villa without rice cookers, crock pots, etc. We also don't want to be bringing back over the border unopened boxes of foods and groceries, as this is basically a no-no (we live in a border city, so we are very well versed in this).

You are perhaps misunderstanding me - I know I can find unprocessed foods at Orlando stores, as well as fresh fruits/veggies, but a salad is not a meal for us. We need balanced meals due to low blood sugar, so we can't just eat salads. Plus, my kids don't like tossed salads, and hubby can't eat them, so it's just me. I can't eat that much salad over a few days, plus, I use oil and vinegar, so that is an issue as well. So, again, the kinds of meals that seem to be cooked in the villas, are not things that can easily be cooked. But perhaps we are mistaken on that, and that's why we posted for help.

It really doesn't make sense to us to purchase packaged foods at Publix, as this stuff is very high cost - it is here in our Canadian grocery stores. Plus, these foods are usually full of ingredients that we can't eat, but perhaps I'm mistaken? We only minimally shop in U.S. grocery stores when on vacation, but much of the foods there are quite a bit different than our foods here in Canada - even the same brands have different ingredients in them. In regards to the grilled meats, I know we can get that, as well as roasted chicken, but again, there is the leftover issue, and food going to waste. So, although we are considering cooking a few meals, we have some limitations for which it may not work.

Regaring allergies/sensitivities - it is very easy to cook at home with allergies/sensitivities, of this you are correct. But at WDW, we find the chefs are amazingly accommodating, and so they make us very healthy foods that totally work for us. We only eat at a few buffets, because at buffets it's a bit harder to accommodate, but grilled meats, fresh fruits/veggies and rice usually work for us.

If we were in the same 1 bedroom villa, for 12 nights straight, then it would be much easier to do this, but with a split stay, one of which is a studio, it is looking to be a harder proposition than we thought, but we are still considering all options, as we always do.

Thanks for all info - it's a very interesting thread. My DH and I are grateful for all opinions!

Tiger

 

[jodifla]

1. Deluxe 6 nights & Regular DP 6 nights $1535.34
OOP/Snacks/Extra (Sea World, RFC, T-Rex) $250.00
Tips $250.00
Total $2035.00

Is the $2035 just for the food for the two weeks??

 

[Tiger926]

1. Deluxe 6 nights & Regular DP 6 nights $1535.34
OOP/Snacks/Extra (Sea World, RFC, T-Rex) $250.00
Tips $250.00
Total $2035.00

Is the $2035 just for the food for the two weeks??

Yes - 3 meals per day, tips, snacks and mugs (we would only buy 1 mug, so we didn't count this in our other scenarios). The OOP/snack/extras includes groceries for breakfast and snacks, plus food for our toddler.

We need to eat 3 meals per day, plus snacks and multiple bottles of fresh, cold water as we go in July (we cannot drink Orlando water). We do not drink pop, coffee/tea or alcohol, so this is not included in our amounts, and we only order what we can eat/drink.

I agree that it is a large number, but we go for 2 weeks at a time, once per year, so our expenses are higher right off the bat. We could totally eat breakfast in our villa, but lunch and dinner are a bigger problem. We buy APs (we get 2 trips each year on them), so spending hours each day going back to our villa for both lunch and dinner with 2 small kids just isn't worth it to us. We are planning on going back to our villa each day for several hours for swimming and naps, around lunchtime, so dinner could be prepared here, but we usually go back out around 4:30-5:00, and this would be a bit early for us to eat, so we would then have to adjust our park touring schedule with our eating schedule, and that might mean that the kids are up too late. Lots for us to consider as long trips, make for big expenses - LOL!

HTH, Tiger

 

[dgaston]

Although I don't quite understand not bringing the rice cooker and crockpot, if that is what you use at home, you could also ship those ahead to your resorts. That would especially be helpful during your studio stay. There is a microwave and small refrigerator in the studio which are very helpful in food prep and storage.

I would also suggest investing in a Brita pitcher to lower the cost of water.

There is something about your posts which seems to be telling us all of the things you won't do, rather than the ones you're open to.

 

[Tiger926]

Although I don't quite understand not bringing the rice cooker and crockpot, if that is what you use at home, you could also ship those ahead to your resorts. That would especially be helpful during your studio stay. There is a microwave and small refrigerator in the studio which are very helpful in food prep and storage.

I would also suggest investing in a Brita pitcher to lower the cost of water.

There is something about your posts which seems to be telling us all of the things you won't do, rather than the ones you're open to.

Thanks. I have already mentioned that I'm from Canada - can't ship ahead items as that would cost a fortune, so that's not worth it. It is more about not being able to do the same things as you all can do as you are from the U.S. We can't bring unopened food home, have a split stay, so we have to watch storing food, etc., so we need to work within these limitations.

We just changed our ressies to get a 1 bed Value Jambo House, so now we have a 1 bed for the 10 nights/11 days. We are grateful for this!

We are now looking at cooking or preparing meals in our villa for breakfast and a few dinners. Lunches will always be at a TS restaurant as we will need that midday break from the scorching son.

We are grateful to all for your opinions. We are now looking at a much smaller food budget - yeah!!

Thanks, Tiger

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I don't want to appear as Captain Obvious here, but in the days before the rice cookers, how's about using a pan to make the rice. It might be hard to believe but I still use a pan to make my rice. Steamed vegies aren't that hard either. Again, a bag or box of plain rice is the same here as it is in Canada. Bottled water, depending on what brand you prefer is bottled water. Pardon me for saying this but WDW is in the United States, not Korea, your continuious referring of processed American foods and what Americans eat, is now insulting! I was born in Canada, I am now a naturalized American, but we go home often to visit family and sorry but Canada puts out their own fair share of processed stuff, I don't eat it there anymore than I eat here.

No matter what options you choose, I'm sure you'll have a lovely vacation and will manage to find some form of potable sustenance, affordable and not. Good Luck to you all!

 

[Chuck S]

A good option for you may be an owners locker. You could store a rice cooker and other non-perishable essentials for future visits.

But, on the other hand, rice is pretty simple to cook without a specific appliance, as long as you have a pot with a lid.

 

[twinklebug]

We cook each night at home (except for Sunday as my dad cooks), as I come from a restaurant family. We eat very healthily as we have allergies/sensitivies/bowel issues, so we don't eat packaged, processed or prepared foods, except for things like crackers and cereal (when it's not organic). We try to buy organic as much as possible too, so we don't eat stuff like: Kraft dinner, pop tarts, hot dogs, soda pop, etc. We eat fruits/veggies each and every day as well.

We usually go to WDW for 2 weeks in the summer as I'm a teacher, so we have been working out different dining scenarios. We've pretty much done it all in regards to dining and prefer 2 TS meals per day. We can eat breakfast in our room and have done so many times. This time, we started looking into cooking a few dinners in our villa as it would save money, but once we started looking at it, we aren't sure if it will work for us.

I read through many posts on cooking meals in villa, but a lot of the food is stuff that we don't eat, or, it's processed and will be a problem for our allergies (I am allergic to corn syrup, so canned sauces, etc., are a problem for us). We drive from Canada, but we aren't about to pack our Crock Pot for a few meals, nor do we have room to load our van up with groceries. Also, the actual grocery shopping for items will be problematic in Florida, as we have to read all labels, and since we are Canadian, this will take awhile as your products are made differently.

So, for those who cook in your villa, why do you cook? Is it to save money, make your favourite meals, save time, etc? We only have 2 kids, one of which is a baby, and one who is 5, so their food costs are pretty good, although we don't care for many of the kids offerings such as chicken strips, etc., so we get steaks, chicken and pasta most of the time.

For us, we actually like to go and sit in restaurants (we like the Deluxe plan) as it gives us time to rest and cool down as July is hot! Because we have allergies, we also get to speak to the chefs, which is great. The other thing, is that over a 2 week period, the savings of cooking a few dinners and eating a bunch of breakfasts in our villa, is not astronomical - we thought it would be higher, but we are pretty good when ordering out as we only order what we can eat, don't drink pop, don't get desserts all of the time, drink water, etc. So, for a few hundred dollars savings between eating in our room for a few meals in combination with TIW, as opposed to Deluxe plan, we aren't sure that those savings are worth having to grocery shop, prepare food, etc. Plus, with the Deluxe plan, we are getting more food, snacks and water, which will be more than enough food to feed the kids.

I'm sorry if this is a long and confusing post, as we are just trying to wrap our heads around cooking in our villa - we love our 1 bedroom, but not really for the kitchen. We like the break from cooking as we cook every night at home, but once you factor in grocery shopping and preparing meals in our villa, we aren't sure that it would be time well spent? Anyone else like us?

Tiger

Tiger, I say vacation the way you want to vacation. It sounds as though you feel you should be cooking in, but are talking yourself out of it at every turn. It's your turn to relax... that includes cooking if it's a chore to you.

For me, it's not a bother to eat in. It's just the kids and I & I don't cook big meals (it's not the cooking that gets me, it's the dishes afterward hehe) Eating out is more of a pain to me as we have to make scheduled seatings and then make them. On a typical vacation, f we eat out one meal every other day it's more than enough. On vacation the last thing I want to do is to be told where to be and when... erm, with exception to the airlines .

Do what feels right for you.

 

[Tiger926]

I don't want to appear as Captain Obvious here, but in the days before the rice cookers, how's about using a pan to make the rice. It might be hard to believe but I still use a pan to make my rice. Steamed vegies aren't that hard either. Again, a bag or box of plain rice is the same here as it is in Canada. Bottled water, depending on what brand you prefer is bottled water. Pardon me for saying this but WDW is in the United States, not Korea, your continuious referring of processed American foods and what Americans eat, is now insulting! I was born in Canada, I am now a naturalized American, but we go home often to visit family and sorry but Canada puts out their own fair share of processed stuff, I don't eat it there anymore than I eat here.

No matter what options you choose, I'm sure you'll have a lovely vacation and will manage to find some form of potable sustenance, affordable and not. Good Luck to you all!

It's not an insult at all - I guess you missed my posts where I say we have allergies/sensitivities and are therefore, major label readers? We have been travelling to WDW for 9 years now, and have encountered major problems with the differences between U.S. and Canadian products. Obviously not with things like bottled water, but with cereals, breads, etc. It is what it is. Perhaps you haven't checked and compared products such as we have, so once you do so, you will notice the differences in products. Please don't read anything into my posts, and make this an US vs. Them debate, as that is not what it is. I love travelling to WDW, as well, I live in a border city, so I know exactly what the differences are between U.S. and Canadian food products. Product differences for people with allergies/sensitivities is a very valid, time consuming and frustrating proposition. I have lived this for most of my life, so I know exactly what I'm speaking of and believe me, if I didn't have to worry about it, I wouldn't!

Tiger

 

[spiceycat]

you do what is right for you.

one of my big allergies is pepper. you ever seem a chef not used pepper - believe me it is hard.

so the wait for food for me is long- over 2 hours for a steak. That is unreasonable - so cook it myself. Since allergic to pepper - don't even have that item.

like the food courts at value and moderate - most don't use seasoning - so they are great!!! Now if they do - again it can be a long wait.

waiting for food is not what I want on vacation. Everyone is different. If you want to eat in the restuarants and it certainly sounds like you do. Your food allergies are taken care of by WDW chefs without a long wait - then why not.

some of us don't have alot of choices - not because we couldn't eat in restuarants - but spending my time in WDW it is the parks and rides. Not in a restuarant waiting for the food to arrive. So when want to eat go back to my DVC resort.

all chefs seem to use pepper like salt. and it is a hard habit to break. that say if I eat pepper (for a family meal) then for the next 48 hours going to be sick - and I mean sick. Until all the pepper is gone from my system not leaving the bathroom. Then will take my allergy medicine to make sure nothing worst happens.

so believe me for me there is much worst than going back to my DVC resort to eat.


also read the labels EVERYTIME regardless - allergic to rye and oats. Rye gives me mirgraine headaches. believe me the manufactures do change their ingredients without notice.

so be on the safer side - especially with allergies - read the labels everytime. Don't take anything for granted.