how many people get the dinning plan while camping

[tiggerdad]

i had zingers growing up on the north side of chicago.

Chicago!?

And you're still alive!? Must of been the Zingers...

 

[MudQueen22]

We purchased a meal plan on our first trip and discovered that we basically left money on the table.

Since then, we have calculated the approximate cost of our meals vs. the cost of the meal plan for that trip. For the last two trips, we saved a few hundred by declining the meal plan even if we had planned to purchase separately every single entitlement we would get.

If we ever calculate the meal plan vs. OOP and we determine that the meal plan is a savings, we will get it. So far, it has not been.

I will add this:
We can only possibly take our camper to WDW during the summer. We are educators, our travel schedule is determined for us, and our other breaks aren't long enough for us to travel from TX to FL and back and have sufficient time at WDW. Until we retire, it's summer for us. This means that we don't want hot crock pot meals. We don't want to grill and have heavy, beefy meals in the Florida heat.
We tend to eat very light on a summer WDW trip. Having said that, we do like Disney's foods and snacks. We find that paying oop is reasonable, especially considering that we are eating light and often sharing meals since we aren't as hungry.

 

[garneska]

For the OP and on topic question. I have to echo what @MudQueen22 said. You have to calculate and see if it is worth it. I am a big eater and if i plan it out i can make a small amount of money on the dining plan but it has to be all planned and sometimes the most expensive thing at the restaurant. I find it easier to pay OOP and less planning. On more than one occasion i have had people buy my meals because they have food credits left.

 

[garneska]

As for Zingers i had to look it up first to make sure i was remembering correctly and i was. Charlie Brown and Snoopy did commercials and Zingers were actually made by Dolly Maddison.

 

[loves to dive]

We don't get the dining plan when not camping so nope. When we camp, we rarely eat out, hubby likes to fire up the grill and since he cooks I'm good with it. I will say, one of the things I like about going to WDW is the food so I wasn't a fan of eating in the RV almost all our meals but it got him there so I went with it.

 

[Stratman50th]

As long as you Yankees keep that ol nasty Scrapple stuff north of the Mason Dixon, we good.

Scrapple on one side of the line and Zingers on the other.

So my grandmother used to make scrapple from scratch. She was born in Hawkinsville GA in 1918. Family moved to Jacksonville FL in the mid 1920s. Pretty southern. Nobody in that side of the family ever lived above the MD (Mason Dixon or Maryland border with PA- one in the same).
I love good scrapple, but I love Spam too!

 

[Teamubr]

As long as you Yankees keep that ol nasty Scrapple stuff north of the Mason Dixon, we good.

Scrapple on one side of the line and Zingers on the other.

Do I need to keep my toasted ravioli, pork steaks and Maulls BBQ sauce on this side of the line? Michael may have something to say about it.

As for the dining plan, I'm with most of the others. Never considered it when staying at the Fort since we can bring our own food. I did have a trip bumped last year in the early days of Covid, when they were offering a free dining upgrade if your trip was impacted. We were supposed to come in for a conference and stay at Coronado Springs. We rebooked at POFQ with the free dining. I had all my ADRs setup and that trip was also cancelled because of Covid. I was a little excited about using the dinning plan for that trip. I always wanted to say "Yes" when asked if we were on the DP. If it hadn't been free, I wouldn't have considered it, even for those non-Fort stays. We don't eat the way the plan is configured and it isn't a cost savings for us.

j

 

[Sjm9911]

We purchased a meal plan on our first trip and discovered that we basically left money on the table.

Since then, we have calculated the approximate cost of our meals vs. the cost of the meal plan for that trip. For the last two trips, we saved a few hundred by declining the meal plan even if we had planned to purchase separately every single entitlement we would get.

If we ever calculate the meal plan vs. OOP and we determine that the meal plan is a savings, we will get it. So far, it has not been.

I will add this:
We can only possibly take our camper to WDW during the summer. We are educators, our travel schedule is determined for us, and our other breaks aren't long enough for us to travel from TX to FL and back and have sufficient time at WDW. Until we retire, it's summer for us. This means that we don't want hot crock pot meals. We don't want to grill and have heavy, beefy meals in the Florida heat.
We tend to eat very light on a summer WDW trip. Having said that, we do like Disney's foods and snacks. We find that paying oop is reasonable, especially considering that we are eating light and often sharing meals since we aren't as hungry.

Thats the thing im learning now, how to cook less or easier with the crock pot. I get not wanting heavy food in the summer. Easy tacos, chicken breast and salsa, onions in the crock pot, tacos when you get back. Pulled pork or chicken, add some nice rolls and some slaw. No big heavy meals, i wouldn't be able to walk the parks! While i may love a good pot roast, and think i have my Mississippi one down pretty good, i would never be able to get off the chair after eating it. I find i eat less in the camper, i may drink more though.

 

[tiggerdad]

Do I need to keep my toasted ravioli, pork steaks and Maulls BBQ sauce on this side of the line? Michael may have something to say about it.

We got pork steaks ravioli here, so that's cool to keep, but you do a great job with them. Maulls wasn't bad I'll admit. I'm still partial to Sweet Baby Ray's.

Back to OP,
Crackpot meals are the staple of our dining when staying at FW. We throw it together and head to the parks. Mid day break from park and food is done. Can eat, rest a bit, then head back to park for evening show. Can finish crackpot meal off for supper that night.

If I grill I usually will cook several meats at once. Burgers, steak, chicken, and refrigerate. Then for meals you only got to cook the sides and warm up the meat.

 

[bama_ed]

Look here Johnny Reb Scrapple is really good just because it doesn't go well with that nasty Okra You need to try it before you knock it. Yes it looks disgusting . It turned me off it as a kid based on the looks alone but once my Uncle John made me try I is was hooked.

I have tried it. Had it at a diner in Philly. Never again.

Look here Johnny Reb Scrapple is really good just because it doesn't go well with that nasty Okra

Okra is outstanding fried or in gumbo. Oh, and I'm a Polack from Ohio.

Here in Delaware especially here in Lower Slower Scrapple is King

My work here is done.

Do I need to keep my toasted ravioli, pork steaks and Maulls BBQ sauce on this side of the line?

You may live in Illinois but you work in Missouri which is part of the SouthEastern Conference.

So bring the ravioli and pork steaks please.

Bama Ed

PS - for our OP, how are you staying at the Fort? Cabin? Trailer? RV? Tent? If you are going to be in the parks mostly, it may make more sense to just eat there and maybe just do breakfast at the Fort. We tend to spend several off-days around the Fort and Disney Springs (not in the parks) so eating our own food makes more sense in that situation.

 

[tiggerdad]

Look here Johnny Reb Scrapple is really good just because it doesn't go well with that nasty Okra

 

[Sjm9911]

 

[MudQueen22]

Thats the thing im learning now, how to cook less or easier with the crock pot. I get not wanting heavy food in the summer. Easy tacos, chicken breast and salsa, onions in the crock pot, tacos when you get back. Pulled pork or chicken, add some nice rolls and some slaw. No big heavy meals, i wouldn't be able to walk the parks! While i may love a good pot roast, and think i have my Mississippi one down pretty good, i would never be able to get off the chair after eating it. I find i eat less in the camper, i may drink more though.

You make a good point. During our summer camping trips, I usually make crock pot tacos at least once.

Disney is simply different. It's a special treat and a splurge for us. We go camping in our home state (Texas) quite often, but Disney is something we only do every 2-3 years. Where we might go out to eat on a camp trip once or twice while in our home state, we enjoy the different restaurants in WDW everyday. We enjoy going to the places we can't go at home, and getting food that is normally not available to us.
Also, we spend a lot of time in the parks. Our camper was truly just a personally owned, very tiny condominium to us while we were at WDW. We really didn't spend much time at the campground, and especially not at our campsite. I think we may have sat at the picnic table twice in ten days. (We did visit the pool and playgrounds a few times.) We don't really like to leave for lunch. (But that's us.)

I think if we could go to WDW each year in our camper, I would be more inclined to eat our own food. (That's a retirement goal. )

 

[JETS70]

Just read thru this thread. I agree, the dinning plan is just not feasible when camping at the Fort. The last time we did the dinning plan while staying at a resort, IIRC we left several snack credits on the table. If you have transportation available, and you don't feel like cooking, or paying the high price of Disney table service meals, we like to visit a couple of places just outside Disney that we don't have close to home. Good food and much more reasonable prices.

Instead of shopping for groceries and putting them in the house, we just put the normal amount of groceries in the camper. Basically we don't spend much more on food while staying at Disney than we would if we were at home.

Seriously, I don't even budget groceries on a camping trip since we would be eating groceries at home.

Well stated Michael and Ed. Man has to eat whether he is at Disney or at home. I like what I eat at home......why not enjoy those same meals while camping.

Now, also, and say what you will, but since the introduction of the dining plan the food quality of Disney has gone WAY down!

Absolutely agree. Even the simplest meals such as chicken strips. Quality has declined and price has skyrocketed.

They would prefer Zingers (you Northerners might have to look that one up)

Kentucky is in the SEC so I don't count myself as a northerner. Sam's Club used to sell them by the case. They were a staple in the snack drawer. Sam's no longer carries them. I think they have become a casualty of the pandemic.

And just a question about food and camping in general. Do many of you find yourself over planning meals for camping trips whether at the Fort or your other favorite camping destination? It seems like now I have to take a cooler just to bring home the groceries that we did not use.........

Steve

 

[Stratman50th]

And just a question about food and camping in general. Do many of you find yourself over planning meals for camping trips whether at the Fort or your other favorite camping destination? It seems like now I have to take a cooler just to bring home the groceries that we did not use.........

Steve

We don't necessarily over plan, but we do prepare a lot in advance. We make meals at home that can be reheated or cooked in the crock pot or microwave. We freeze them as flat as possible in Ziplocs so they stack in the RV fridge. Then it's just a matter of "what do you feel like tonight?" Nice to come back to a nice home cooked meal. Lunches and breakfast are the same as at home, deli meat and cheese sandwiches, etc. etc. We normally plan a couple of eat out nights depending on where we are. Works for us.

 

[bama_ed]

And just a question about food and camping in general. Do many of you find yourself over planning meals for camping trips whether at the Fort or your other favorite camping destination? It seems like now I have to take a cooler just to bring home the groceries that we did not use.........

Steve

If anything, Steve, I'm guilty of under-planning meals at the Fort or anywhere else.

Given all the planning that already takes place for a Fort trip, as an example, I rely on the fact that Winn Dixie or Wal-Mart is only 10-20 minutes away from the Fort and I'm probably heading in that direction at some point anyway. So I bring some staples from home and generally the first night or two meats to cook on night #1 but in the course of a week's stay, I hit the stores at least twice.

And for the non-Fort trips, we're state park/CoE campers and most of those usually have a store within a few minutes nearby. But like you, I am loathe to take anything but the staples back home which makes for some interesting meals in the day or two before departure (breakfast foods for dinner as an example) to use up what we have before we head back.

Bama Ed

 

[PaHunter]

Just read thru this thread. I agree, the dinning plan is just not feasible when camping at the Fort. The last time we did the dinning plan while staying at a resort, IIRC we left several snack credits on the table. If you have transportation available, and you don't feel like cooking, or paying the high price of Disney table service meals, we like to visit a couple of places just outside Disney that we don't have close to home. Good food and much more reasonable prices.





Well stated Michael and Ed. Man has to eat whether he is at Disney or at home. I like what I eat at home......why not enjoy those same meals while camping.


Absolutely agree. Even the simplest meals such as chicken strips. Quality has declined and price has skyrocketed.


Kentucky is in the SEC so I don't count myself as a northerner. Sam's Club used to sell them by the case. They were a staple in the snack drawer. Sam's no longer carries them. I think they have become a casualty of the pandemic.

And just a question about food and camping in general. Do many of you find yourself over planning meals for camping trips whether at the Fort or your other favorite camping destination? It seems like now I have to take a cooler just to bring home the groceries that we did not use.........

Steve

Well for the Dismeet trip DW and I planned breakfast, lunch, dinner. Included in that was Dismeet get together...I swear we came back with more than we left with and we never went shopping. Yes I tend to over plan my meals a little and will have to plan better now. This coach does not have a residential fridge like the fifth wheel had.

 

[Sjm9911]

I do plan almost every meal in advance. I dont have too many leftovers, if i do its dry goods at the end of the season or stuff in the freezer for just incase. I do usally have lime 3 milk crates of dry good though. Every trip i pack pasta, sause, mac and cheese, rice, etc in case the fridge goes out. I have yet to use it. And i forget i allready stocked it last trip. So over the course of the camping season it builds up. Good think is when the pandemic hi ,i had food stores and plentiful cleaning supplies. Lol.

 

[garneska]

@JETS70 i am not sure it is over planning. it is called planning enough. Because we have to store our RV, food has to come home and we usually dont have a lot of room for it. I try really hard to have nothing left. It takes practice and backup plans like, extra grocery trips or if at disney and not as easy to get to the store, extra meals out. though we have gotten a lot better at it. the last two trips we did not have too much coming home.

 

[tiggerdad]

And just a question about food and camping in general. Do many of you find yourself over planning meals for camping trips whether at the Fort or your other favorite camping destination? It seems like now I have to take a cooler just to bring home the groceries that we did not use.........

Steve

Yes Steve, I find this is the case for us as well. Have tried to figure this out, but seems it happens every time.