Interesting questions for those who.......

[Scrufsmom]

have spent more then 14 days at their home. When you stay for that length of time do you normally stay in a studio, 1 or 2 bedroom or grandvilla? Also, do you mostly do your own cooking while staying or do you eat out every night? I know it is very costly at the world, but just wondering.

The reason for asking is that I was in a debate today with a coworker of mine who just happens to be a DVC member too. Our debate was whether or not most people who stay, will stay in an apt not a studio. Also, they will do their own cooking instead of spening money at the restaurants.

This poses a great discussion because then if you do most of your own cooking, then do you take advantage of Disney doing your grocery shopping? or do you leave to do your own outside at a store?

I probably should have put this into a survey matt, but I don't seem to get those things to work. Sorry, but thanks for your input.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Our kids are grown so DW and I travel alone. While the bigger units are great, we don't spend enough time in our room to make spending the additional points worth it. Our vacation is not our room.

Aside from breakfast bagels,cream cheese and snacks, we eat all our meals out - DW has this thing about vacation and cooking. While WDW is not inexpensive, there are some pretty reasonable meal deals out there. And if you have a car and don't mind going off property, taking advantage of coupons and various on-line discounts makes eating out almost cheap.

The only thing DW would like to have is the washer and dryer - go figure,she won't cook,but she will wash - so she can pack clean clothes.

Bottom line is that we want too stretch our points so we can take three 7 nite trips a year. We did do a stay longer then 14 days in an OKW studio and never missed not being in a bigger unit.

 

[HookdonWDW]

1BR... some cooking in the room (especially breakfast), but mostly eating out.

 

[gazeborob]

To us, we need to a 1 bedroom. We were there a week, and cooked dinner 4 out of the 7 nights. We will go to the store and do our own shopping. It is a great way to save money.

Rob

 

[Deb & Bill]

We love the king sized bed. Our son gets stuck with the sleeper sofa. We eat out most of the time, but this last time, we at a few breakfasts in the kitchen. Plus I fixed my husband's carbo load dinner the night before the marathon - brought spaghetti sauce from our favorite Italian restaurant at home, plus the rest of the stuff. We ate pizza one night in the room. Mostly we had beverages in the refrigerator.

And the washer and dryer is more important than the kitchen. I must have done about 10 loads (many of them small), but we went home with clean clothes in the luggage.

 

[gopherit]

2br folks here. And we like to "block" our dine in / dine outs over the course of our stay. For example, this next trip, we will eat out for our first dinner, then eat in the next 3. Then out the next two, then in the next 3. Why? Because it meshes well with food longevity / freshness, and that way, I don't have to do more grocery shopping other than every 6 days or so. Typically, I find a way to make it so that I go once at the beginning, and once in the middle of the trip.

As for breakfast, most of those are eaten in the room -- very few character b'fasts, even -- our kids just don't eat very well at these -- too excited! We do better to eat in the room and dine at a character dinner instead --- by then the kids are ready to have a seat and REST, and wait for the characters to come to THEM!

And lunch -- well, for now, we're nibblers and snack-packers. We usually have a good b'fast in the villa, pack some snacks and such, maybe grab a turkey leg or such goody in the park, then have an early dinner seating (5 pm). THat just seems to work for us. So no, we don't do lunch out that often, either.

I would say for our next 14 day stay, we plan to eat b'fast out twice, lunch out once or twice, and maybe do 8 out of 14 dinners out as well.


And as for WHERE we grocery shop -- sorry, Disney -- we have 3 college tuitions to look forward to -- we shop off-site. Typically Publix, or Wal-Mart; only Goodings if we're desperate or very lazy.
I used to bring a lot of food items with us, but then I compared prices -- no real difference (once you get off-site). So I quit doing that! We drive 15 hrs to get to WDW, and every inch of car space is at a premium!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We always reserve a 2 bedroom for our longer trips and hope someone comes along to join the two of us. If not, we change to a 1 bedroom about 3 months out. We always cook breakfast and sometimes a supper, but love the WDW restaurants for our main meal. We always rent a car and do our own grocery shopping at Publix. We often make a couple of grocery runs.

 

[KathyR]

We stayed 20 days last year in both a 1 and 2 bedroom (brothers family joined us for a portion of our trip). It was such a nice relaxing trip that I am repeating it this year w/just our family in a 1 bedroom

We typically eat 2 meals a day in our villa and often all 3. We do our own grocery shopping at Publix which works great for us. It usually takes a few trips to the store/trip; because, I try not to have too much food left over. A lesson I learned early on by buying too much food and drinks, so we plan out meals and shop accordingly. We cook most every day, eat most breakfasts in, and sometimes have sandwiches instead of cooking. We eat just like we do at home with the exception of eating out on average once a day, but we are on vacation. I don't want to be a slave to the kitchen, but I will say most of our meals are in our room.

 

[Pa@okw95]

We always stay in a suite-or condo unit where-ever we go. The days are long gone for us staying in regular room. What we do however is leave on the weekends and stay somewhere else, then come back again--I refuse to pay more for the same unit just because it is the weekend. We have been known to pay for two rooms at the same night so the transition back will be easy. For example we have reservation that begins on Sunday night at OKW, but we will also have rented another unit somewhere else for Sunday night also so that we can just keep our things at the other place a bring them over at leasure either Sunday night or Monday morning. The most expensive room we were in during one of these same night rentals was the honey-moon suite at the GF-we had that Sunday night as well as a reservation at OKW Sunday night- so it is not the money with me but the principle of paying more for the same room just because it is the weekend. We buy just breakfast food and snacks when we are there, eating all other meals out. A major part of our vacations is relaxing at the unit or pool area, and eating out is a big part of our vacation. The parks have become very much less attractive since the changes have taken place.

 

[LR_BCV]

The longer we go, the more room we want. Unfortunately that doesn't mesh well with the more points needed

I can't really see us ever getting less than a 1BR unless it is just the 2 of us for a short trip (say 3 or 4 nights).

I get sick of eating out all the time. Even if it is just preparing soup and sandwiches, I'd prefer to have a few meals in the room. This works out well because I also prefer to eat at some of the more $$ restuarants. I'd rather eat out less often at the pricier places than more often at cheaper places but that's just me.

And I definitely like to go to the store myself to buy the groceries. I will usually go twice, once at the beginning and once in the middle. I'm an early riser so the 2nd trip doesn't usually interfere with anything - I'm usually back by breakfast time.

Laura

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I haven't had the privelege of spending 14 or more days in the World...but when I do it'll be more like Pam@OKW...

Finding cash stays for the weekends and then probably the second week in a 1 bedroom. So far I've found lots of ways to cook meals using the tools at hand in a studio but I think it would get a little old at two weeks. On any trip I would only eat breakfast out once or twice, whether in or out breakfast would be robust, lunch would probably be light and either in or out or not at all, dinner would be eaten out only if there is something special about it.

The reason for the cash stays is two-fold...I only have 150 points, and there are DWorld and non-DWorld locations I'd like to try out.

 

[mom2alix]

We usually travel with guests so we've always been in 2 bedrooms.

Food-wise I usually have a few breakfast type snack things (fruit, cereal bars, etc.) We nibble in the morning and then I will reserve the last seating for a Character breakfast buffet every couple of days which covers us for breakfast AND lunch.

On the days we don't have a character breakfast, we do breakfast in the room. I had a really good experience with buying a "package" at one of the grocery stores that included 6 eggs, half a pkg bacon, and hashbrowns. It was really reasonable (compared to eating out) and we had no leftovers to worry about when we packed for home.

We do almost all our lunches in the room, (if we're even hungry for lunch). Since we have to head back there for naps anyway, we either make sandwiches or grab something at the take out area.

Dinners are always out. It's vacation!

I also agree with the others about the washer/dryer. It really makes the trip easier. We pack fewer cothes (less to carry on the plane) and I like to keep the towels washed daily maid service or no maid service. (Hey we all have our little quirks! )