Sack lunch suggestions for avoiding CS...

[jaminmd]

If you have a thermos you can actually put hot dogs with boiling water in them in the morning (you can boil water in your coffee pot!). They should still be piping hot later in the day.

Please tell me you're being funny. Hot dogs cooked in water from a coffee pot & kept in a thermos all day?

I'd seriously skip vacation if I had to resort to this to eat/save money.

 

[-Hope-]

Please tell me you're being funny. Hot dogs cooked in water from a coffee pot & kept in a thermos all day?

I'd seriously skip vacation if I had to resort to this to eat/save money.

To each his own I guess. For us it's not about what we have to "resort" to but ways that are essentially painless to make the vacation doable. We had free dining on our last trip and weren't impressed with the CS food. By bringing in our own lunches we'll be saving money on food we don't really care about therefore able to add one or two TS meals that we really want.

I love to travel but live on a budget. I decided long ago that I'd rather go without the extras (like eating out when we can pack a lunch) than not go at all. Last year was our first family vacation where I didn't cook at all (because of the free dining). I was excited by this prospect before the trip but I can honestly say that it didn't improve the quality of our vacation at all. Every family has the things that matter to them, for us dining out just isn't one of those things.

 

[Danibelle]

I think the only limit is that you can't bring in glass containers (like Snapple drinks, etc.). You also can't bring rolling coolers.

Maggie

I think the cooler must be soft sided and small enough to fit into a locker.

As to the hot dogs, would they really be safe to eat after being in hot water all day? I think the fruit, cheese, bread combinations would be the safest to sit in a cooler. Even with a frozen container to keep the temps. down.

 

[jgates]

Dont take my question in a critical manner at all, but Are you guys seriously carrying this stuff around with you? Or are most that are responding bringing a stroller with them anyway to carry a child in & putting it there?

I just have a hard time thinking of lugging around a backpack or something heavy all day long - especially when it is hot & humid out. And if you are paying for a locker, you are losing a small amount of savings there - plus you need to schedule your day to go back to the locker area at lunch or supper time - and time of course is valuable in Disney LOL!

I would like to be able to take a couple of small things along with - and if we have water normally we will take one bottle with in the morning to at least start with. But otherwise the meals on a trip are part of our fun & enjoyment. I do have a few rules to at least temper the costs a bit such as one meal a day has to have a glass of water instead of a soda. That at least saves enough to pay for 1 CS meal each day.

This trip will be hard as we are flying & taking DME to the hotel. So other than cereal & granola bars, etc., I can't bring really anything perishable. Possibly could freeze some bricks of cheese & sausage as they would just thaw out probably by arrival & we have a fridge at CSR.

 

[-Hope-]

Dont take my question in a critical manner at all, but Are you guys seriously carrying this stuff around with you? Or are most that are responding bringing a stroller with them anyway to carry a child in & putting it there?

I just have a hard time thinking of lugging around a backpack or something heavy all day long - especially when it is hot & humid out. And if you are paying for a locker, you are losing a small amount of savings there - plus you need to schedule your day to go back to the locker area at lunch or supper time - and time of course is valuable in Disney LOL!

I would like to be able to take a couple of small things along with - and if we have water normally we will take one bottle with in the morning to at least start with. But otherwise the meals on a trip are part of our fun & enjoyment. I do have a few rules to at least temper the costs a bit such as one meal a day has to have a glass of water instead of a soda. That at least saves enough to pay for 1 CS meal each day.

This trip will be hard as we are flying & taking DME to the hotel. So other than cereal & granola bars, etc., I can't bring really anything perishable. Possibly could freeze some bricks of cheese & sausage as they would just thaw out probably by arrival & we have a fridge at CSR.

We're staying off site in a house and driving- otherwise I probably wouldn't be planning to bring meals, everything has to make sense for your particular situation.

As for lugging stuff around, my kids are old enough (11 and 12) to carry a backpack with their stuff in it. I got them drawstring bags so after they eat their food they can fold them up flat and I can put them in my bag.

 

[Charlefours]

This trip will be hard as we are flying & taking DME to the hotel. So other than cereal & granola bars, etc., I can't bring really anything perishable. Possibly could freeze some bricks of cheese & sausage as they would just thaw out probably by arrival & we have a fridge at CSR.

You can always place an order with Garden Grocer to get food delivered to your resort. It does have a small fee associated with it, but it might be worth it.

 

[reservations4five]

I have done the hot dog in a thermos thing many times- works great!!

 

[julieduyos]

Oscar Mayer cheese pizza Lunchables!!

 

[jaminmd]

To each his own I guess. For us it's not about what we have to "resort" to but ways that are essentially painless to make the vacation doable. We had free dining on our last trip and weren't impressed with the CS food. By bringing in our own lunches we'll be saving money on food we don't really care about therefore able to add one or two TS meals that we really want.

I love to travel but live on a budget. I decided long ago that I'd rather go without the extras (like eating out when we can pack a lunch) than not go at all. Last year was our first family vacation where I didn't cook at all (because of the free dining). I was excited by this prospect before the trip but I can honestly say that it didn't improve the quality of our vacation at all. Every family has the things that matter to them, for us dining out just isn't one of those things.

My point was that cooking hot dogs in a coffee pot & lugging them around in a thermos all day is gross. That water doesn't get hot enough to cook hot dogs. Then putting partially cooked hot dogs in a thermos? Really?

I understand that people pack lunches to save money, eat healthier, etc., but some of these ideas are gross. Ready made Boboli pizzas while waiting for a parade? Those are meant to be cooked & eaten, not assembled on Main Street. Yum, cold sauce out of a tube with cheese thats been sitting in the hot Florida sun all day.

There's frugal & there's off the wall - IMO these are off the wall.

 

[-Hope-]

My point was that cooking hot dogs in a coffee pot & lugging them around in a thermos all day is gross. That water doesn't get hot enough to cook hot dogs. Then putting partially cooked hot dogs in a thermos? Really?

I understand that people pack lunches to save money, eat healthier, etc., but some of these ideas are gross. Ready made Boboli pizzas while waiting for a parade? Those are meant to be cooked & eaten, not assembled on Main Street. Yum, cold sauce out of a tube with cheese thats been sitting in the hot Florida sun all day.

There's frugal & there's off the wall - IMO these are off the wall.

Again, to each his own. I really don't want to argue so this is my last post on the topic but I would like to point out that hot dogs are pre-cooked so when we cook them at home we're just warming them up, assembling a pizza with cold sauce is just a homemade lunchable and a frozen water bottle will keep that cheese cold. Not every idea in this thread will work for my family but all of them are helpful and none of them are gross IMHO.

 

[hearts8701]

smuckers crustables P&J are great no mess with these i throw some in the kids backpack frozen they defrozen in a couple of hours apples oranges chex mix i also freeze yoplait whips yogurt

 

[disneyholic family]

we always stuck with PB&J inside the parks because i was always worried that anything else would spoil in the heat...
along with the PB&J sandwiches, i always had a backpack full of snacks - cherrios (the kids love to snack on the plain ones), bagels, peanut butter and cheese crackers, fruit, veggies (carrots/celery)....i know there were other things in there, i can't remember what..

everyone carried a big water botter that was half frozen so that it would stay cold (in a special carrier that you put on your back like a backpack)..

 

[jgates]

Thanks for the suggestions - I am not going to criticize any of them as regard to content as I am one of those people who like to eat cold corn from a can (ANYONE REMEMBER THAT THREAD FROM A FEW YEARS BACK?????) - although definitely not at Disney!!!

I did look at Garden Grocer but I might be cynical as it seems their prices are pretty steep. About double what I pay here for soda, etc. - plus the delivery charges (we definitely wouldn't need $200 worth to get the free delivery).

We don't have to pay for our bags on Delta so I'm definitely packing a 'box' inside one of the suitcases with cereal & granola bars. Still debating some frozen cheese - it's a long flight from Wisconsin to Orlando - especially with a layover. We can pick up milk at CSR & put in our fridge. First night, assuming no delays, we are planning to go to DTD - may walk to the Hess & pick up soda there.

 

[luckyfin]

Please tell me you're being funny. Hot dogs cooked in water from a coffee pot & kept in a thermos all day?

I'd seriously skip vacation if I had to resort to this to eat/save money.

Actually- I wouldn't consider it at Disney World because part of vacation to us is the delicious park food. And actually, I'm a vegetarian . However, I would think about doing this for my child in other places- trip to the zoo or whatever. I don't see what the big deal is.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

.

 

[ceecee]

We split a lot of counter serves and don't find it that expensive. Plus that is part of our favorite parts of vacation...eating out! I wouldn't want to carry stuff around all day either, I guess if you have a stroller it wouldn't be bad.

 

[kpm76]

We split a lot of counter serves and don't find it that expensive. Plus that is part of our favorite parts of vacation...eating out! I wouldn't want to carry stuff around all day either, I guess if you have a stroller it wouldn't be bad.

That was going to be my suggestion DH and I always share CS and honestly, it is probably not any more expensive than packing your own. There are some fairly healthy options as well.

We have DVC with a full kitchen so when DD was 18 months I grocery shopped and bought foods that she eats at home (fruits, veggies, turkey, cheese, pasta etc) and I did carry that stuff with us or we went back to the resort to eat. I would never, ever consider preparing hot meals in a regular hotel room with water from the coffee pot. Just not my thing at all.....

 

[luckyfin]

Oh my gosh, I totally regret writing that. I know it sounds crazy, and its something that I would not do just because it seems like a pain in the butt. But there are people out there that do these things! For those of you with a sense of humor, check this out. http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Food-in-a-Hotel-Room

 

[jgates]

That is downright scary..............

 

[torinsmom]

Please tell me you're being funny. Hot dogs cooked in water from a coffee pot & kept in a thermos all day?

I'd seriously skip vacation if I had to resort to this to eat/save money.

I have a little girl whose mom send these "thermos dogs" all the time. She LOVES them. I would never bring more than snacks into the park, but I have nothing against those who do. Hot dogs are cooked already and I used to eat them cold straight out of the fridge.

We tend to either share meals or get kids meals. The adult combos are way too much food in the summer heat. Ice water is free and we make great use of that