My fellow studio people.....

[luckyman_apd]

What do you guys do for meals? We have used a TiW card in the past, and have found some cheap ways to get some supplies like the hess express (now a speedway) by BWV. Curious as to what others do when staying in a studio to keep costs down. We are going for 8 days in July in a studio. That's a long time to eat Disney Quickserve. I really do get sick of some of the menu items. My neighbors will be there as well and are thinking about getting an order delivered (did that once in a 2 br years ago) but not sure how much can kept in a studio. Not a ton you can do with a microwave without a real freezer. Let's face it, the kitchenette fridge doesn't really have a freezer in it.

We've done things like Mac n cheese and peanut butter & jelly for the kids.....especially in the summer when we spend a lot of time at the resort and pool. Just curious to other peoples ideas and creativity.

 

[JWG]

We do breakfast in the room:

• Cereal
• Toast
• Fruit
• Juice
• Bagels

We do snacks and occasionally do lunches depending on the total trip plan:

• sandwiches
• Mini frozen pizzas
• popcorn
• pop/beer
• chips
• hotdogs
• etc

We also have a few off property restaurants we like and some of those deliver if you don't have a car (i.e. Giordano's Pizza). Some of the table service restaurants we may have leftovers from as well.

We've done TiW, but as the price has gone up from $75, to $100, to $125, to $150 - we've stopped and now leverage the DVC, AP, and Chase discounts instead.

 

[ziravan]

If flying, we pack a duffel bag with non perishable food items. We keep a tabletop stove in our Owner's Locker.

We buy bread, milk, and eggs, and bottled water in the resort store, and then we're in business.

We also keep two collapsing frozen bags in our Owner's Locker with inside containers that can hold ice even after it turns to water. This lets us bring drinks and sandwiches to the parks.

That's enough flexibility to eat in as much as we want without sacrificing variety or taste.

If driving, we stop by Publix on arrival day and we also eat out on the economy. Our nearest Five Guys is an hour away at home, so Five Guys is always a treat.

 

[com_op_2000]

DW usually makes a one pot meal:
Stew
Soup
Lasagna
As we usually stay in studios, these work out great for reheating in the microwave. We will eat breakfast out and then depending on what we are doing that day either lunch or dinner in the room every day.

 

[RobynPrincess]

We eat breakfast in the room, nothing else

 

[OneOftheB's]

We only eat breakfast in the room, er studio. We'll go with something like cinnamon & raisin bagel + peanut butter or a Cliff bar and either juice or milk for the kids.

 

[WolfpackFan]

We just do breakfast in our room - English Muffin for DW and an Atkins bar for me. Mostly just eat CS for rest of meals except we do try to do one TS meal per trip.

 

[Anal Annie]

I know a lot of people bring or keep crock pots in their Owners Locker but we only do breakfasts "in". If we fly we get a grocery order from Garden Grocer with beer, diet coke, frozen waffles, strawberries, bagels, cream cheese, coffee creamer, syrup, margarine, chocolate milk, sometimes pop tarts (handy to bring to the parks for breakfast on the go). We used to get cases of water delivered too but a couple of years ago we switched to leaving refillable Brita water bottles in our Owners Locker. I always bring coffee with us - I get these Maxwell House coffee pre-filled coffee filter things to bring (kinda like large tea bags) - they fit into a ziplock baggie. If we drive we bring a day or so of starter items with us then eventually go to the store & buy most of the same stuff as above. I also usually pack a few park snacks to bring with us - vending machine type crackers, granola bars or trail mix type stuff. If we're flying carry-on only & space is tight I may just include that stuff with our Garden Grocer order. I keep Captain Morgan in our Owners Locker - I replenish it on the trips we drive or if we check bags when we fly.

I have no desire to cook on vacation nor do we want to have to plan to schlep back to the room to eat meals during the day. That eats up time. The toaster is my main way to "cook" in our studios. One summer I got a little fancier when we went to HHI. But we had more time in the mornings as we weren't trying to make rope drop anywhere. I toasted English Muffins and poached eggs in the microwave & used that microwavable bacon & we had breakfast sandwiches. But when we're trying to make the next bus to park opening I just want quick & easy. If you want some "hot" sandwiches in the room you can MacGyver BLT's and Tuna Melts with a combo of the toaster & microwave....

 

[luckyman_apd]

We've done a lot of 3,4,and 5 day weekends over the last 2 years but 8 days this summer and we're going to get sick of the cs options. Also in the summer we don't spend time in the parks during the hottest hours of the day. I'll eat lunch meat sandwiches but the wife and kids won't. We have 1 sit down meal planned, a be our guest lunch scheduled but that's it. Trying to stay budget friendly this trip.

 

[ludari]

When I stay 5 or more days I like to order food from one of the grocers that deliver to the resorts. I like to order breakfast and sandwich fixings because I can always make a sandwich and take with me or even have a sandwich later in the evening if I get hungry.

 

[mousestruck]

We check an extra bag filled with snacks and breakfast items (since it's free on SWA), and pick up milk and eggs in the resort store. We eat breakfast in the room almost every day - cereal, oatmeal, English muffins, bagels and egg sandwiches (using microwave and toaster). We have water bottles shipped from Staples. When the kids were younger, we would make PB&J sandwiches for lunch. Now we do a lot of quick service for lunch, though we get sick of it, too. We buy TIW, as we like to plan about 6-7 TS meals for an 8 day vacation and get our money's worth. Occasionally we'll even pick up frozen pizza from the resort store. A lot of our vacation budget goes to food, but that's a big part of our Disney experience.

 

[Sleepy425]

Check out the Hamilton Beach sandwich maker. If you do a search you can find very creative ways to use it for things that aren't just egg sandwiches.

 

[DenLo]

We order in pizza from an outside restaurant. i cannot remember the name but got it from the concierge, it was excellent pizza. Pick up a salad in a bag which includes dressing you easily have a meal for four.

 

[automaticsoap]

My stays are on the shorter side, generally 3-5 nights, so I only do breakfast and afternoon snacks in the room.

 

[ldo]

in addition to above, EZ stuff for kids, spaghettios, instant or pop top mac/cheese, grilled chicken in the packet to add to bagged salad, cheese sticks, block of cheese (or shredded cheese). heated with tortellina (With or without chicken) to make quesadilla. You can actually freeze the cheese and chicken and take it in a small cooler bag in your luggage. You can also take a pack of frozen hotdogs in the same cooler pack. All the frozen stuff, if packed tight will last fine for 8+ hours. in luggage.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Couple ideas. All will require some fridge space, because meat is what it is.

• You can make a really decent microwaved salmon (fish will take fridge space, obviously), then rice. Buy a melon, and you can keep that out (not in fridge).
• Fajitas. This works: http://momspotted.com/2009/08/chick...ess-then-15-minutes-from-start-to-eating.html
• Debatable if this is breakfast or dinner, but you stuff a pepper with egg: https://studentrecipes.com/recipes/quick-food/egg-stuffed-pepper/
• Beans and rice with smoked sausage. You can buy a beans and rice mix, or canned beans and BYO spice mix. We usually package the spice in 4 ounce mason jars, but the Zataran's mix with a sliced smoked sausage loop is a perfectly legitimate approach to quick microwave food.

Also, most resorts have grills. This opens up getting a nice pack of sausages or hot dogs with rolls. I recommend appropriating ketchup and similar packets in the months leading up to your trip, and packing them in your checked bag; again a mason jar is quality protection.

 

[Kwaschitz]

Is there a Trader Joe's nearby? They've got some great frozen meals in bags that are able to be made in the microwave (some of the asian entrees as well as things like fettuccine alfredo) with little to no difference in flavor from making them on the stove/in the oven. Although we are far too lazy (or busy focusing our energies elsewhere and don't want to come back to our room) and tend to stockpile Disney gift cards throughout the year and then purchase a deluxe dining plan when we go. Paid in advance in small increments like that, it allows us to not feel it and to do pretty much whatever we'd like.

 

[Barbydoll8]

I've used the grills at the resorts and grilled out while staying at a studio. This may sound weird but you can use the iron to make grilled cheese sandwiches. You just need tin foil. Wrap the sammy in tin foil, butter first and then hit the iron on High. Toast for about 2 min each side - Voila- grilled cheese or grilled ham & cheese. It's a bit squished but it works.
I have hear of people doing spaghetti & meat balls mostly in the micro wave in a studio. Soup & toast, breakfast, and then just snacks and deli type meals.
Not sure if you'll have a car but Publix makes a good rotisserie chicken that can be used for dinner and then chicken salad for lunch the next day.

 

[MrPTato]

Breakfast in the studio for us and then QS or TS for the rest. We (me/wife) have our own lunch and split dinner. We will not eat at the same place twice per trip as to keep with a variety.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We also do breakfast in the room. Eat mostly evening meals offsite Olive garden etc also take outs from Olive garden and places like that are cheaper. Lunch in resorts or parks. Some kids meals are large enough and some main meals you can share. We buy drinks, snacks etc in walmart. Having a rental car saves money on food!