So excited! we will be staying a t a value!

[cheermom1]

When I started planing I thought we would stay at the fort b/c of money. However when i did the #'s It will cost us about $650 more to stay at a value. I know you are thinking that is a huge difference right?? Well the thing is we have 8 people in our party sop we will have to have 2 rooms and the suites only sleep 6 so we have to have 2 rooms.

So anyway I am excited b/c I don't have to stay in the pop up.

Now I have a question how do most people do meals? I want to save money on food since we are splurging on the rooms. I want to make sure I do everything the way it is too be done. so can we get a fridge and microwave? Honestly i don;t really know. Mainly b/c I thought we were going a few years ago but that didn't happen so I didn;t want to look into anything then. Which is why I have such a high post count but don't know some if these things.


Thanks

 

[Lynne M]

Only the family suites at the values come with fridges and microwaves; you can rent a fridge for a regular room for $10/night, but microwaves are not available.

Give the Budget board a try, you'll find loads of tips there on saving money on dining.

 

[cheermom1]

Only the family suites at the values come with fridges and microwaves; you can rent a fridge for a regular room for $10/night, but microwaves are not available.

Give the Budget board a try, you'll find loads of tips there on saving money on dining.

Thank you i thought I would post here to see that I was doing the right thing according to the resorts but i will go to the budget board thanks.

 

[autismgoesdisney]

Hi and congrats on the room! We stayed value twice before and were happy with our stays!

You can rent a fridge for $10 a day. However, depending on when you go, they may have free dining! It is the BEST IMO!

 

[cheermom1]

Hi and congrats on the room! We stayed value twice before and were happy with our stays!

You can rent a fridge for $10 a day. However, depending on when you go, they may have free dining! It is the BEST IMO!

We will be there from july 2 to the 6. I don't know if they will or not but that would be great!

that would save us so much if I could get the free dining but i have a feeling due to the time we will be there it will not be available.

 

[candielips]

There is a microwave in the foodcourt that you can use.

 

[Huff]

There are several fridge swaps available at the Values especially at POP. These are fridges prior dis boarders left for others to use. There are sign up sheets and instructions to use one for your stay. Search for fridge swap threads and see what you find. If you find one for your dates they are free of charge.

 

[Lulu'sMom]

cheermom, I think it's great that after all this time you and your family are finally going to WDW! Happy planning!

 

[I Love Pluto]

Muffins for breakfast - no refrigeration needed

Peanut butter & a loaf of bread - Lunch

Dinner - We purchase at our resort

Snack - Bring boxes of animal crackers, pretzels, fruit snacks

See -- you CAN save a lot of money. We only buy ONE MEAL a day!

 

[rentayenta]

Congrats on the upgrade. Pop looks like a blast.


Share. We save a ton by sharing meals. We can tour better when we're not stuffed to the gills and we don't waste a lot of food. Wasting food drives me bonkers.

 

[Rosanne]

Congrats on the upgrade. Pop looks like a blast.


Share. We save a ton by sharing meals. We can tour better when we're not stuffed to the gills and we don't waste a lot of food. Wasting food drives me bonkers.

I agree. We often share meals. Otherwise we end up wasting food. Also, if you are driving (as we often do), pack your own drinks (including water), breakfast bars and I always pack a bunch of those individual serving fruit cups you get in four packs. We are also big fans of bagels even if we don't bother toasting them because they are so filling. Raisins, prunes for fruit.... on the drive down I always have fresh fruit for the girls to eat like berries so at least we can leave home eating healthy. Pretzels... oh, too much to mention. You know your group best. I'm sure I've mentioned things others have mentioned but my brain is forgetful today.

We are always and forever on a budget. I was poking a bit of my fun at myself the other day with a colleague. I said that I supposed it's a little odd that I go to Disney every eight months and refuse to spend more than a dollar on my packed lunch for school. Priorities

 

[candielips]

We are always and forever on a budget. I was poking a bit of my fun at myself the other day with a colleague. I said that I supposed it's a little odd that I go to Disney every eight months and refuse to spend more than a dollar on my packed lunch for school. Priorities

That is why you are able to go to WDW so often.

One other note to OP. If you are wanting to do any sit down meals, look at lunches instead of dinners to save yourself a few extra $$$.

 

[Sue M]

We fly, so I pack a couple of bags of bagels in our luggage for breakfast. You can buy some creamcheese at the resort store. They always have a section with food, drinks, etc.
We eat lunch & dinner at the parks or a resort. Allears.net has a pretty complete listing of all WDW counter & table service menus, with prices, so you can look to see which ones have the best value.

 

[cheermom1]

Thank you ladies I have a so many ideas right now. I can't wait

 

[DianeW]

I bring a box of cereal in my luggage, plus plastic bowls and spoons. My dh buys our milk at the food court in the morning (sometimes with a snack credit, as we always do the dining plan). I also pack granola bars for snacks. Poptarts, instant cocoa packets and fruit cups are also easy to slip into a suitcase.

I don't know if you are driving or flying (we fly to WDW and drive to Disneyland). When we drive, we bring a cooler full of drinks, yogurt cups, string cheese, etc. We stay at the Disneyland hotel, which already has a fridge in the room, but if you stay at a value at WDW and don't want to rent a fridge, you can just keep your cooler full of ice and store your items in there.

Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[cajunbaby1]

Go right now to the Budget Section and look for the fridge swaps. They are resort specific and usually have a title like "POP fridge swap" or whatever. On the 1st page you can see what dates are available & if they fit your timeframe just PM whoever is running the swap to let them know ur interested.

The gift shops sell milk and other things if needed.
Bring cases of water for ur group.
Soda and snacks for room (will save on getting it out of the machine)

Ice machines on all floors for coolers.
Can often get combo meals at counte services to share with another.
Check out the menu section here or on AllEars.net so you can get an idea of cost for meals

Most of all have fun

 

[Pats Dragon]

Pop is our absolute favorite resort after our recent trip that was perfect. The refurbished rooms are great! You can bring an ice chest and snacks. We enjoyed bringing breakfast food like pop tarts, bagels, cereal etc. We ate lunch out usually but you can split entrees and carry nuts, trail mix, cookies and candy to munch on. One of our favorite meals was cheese and sausage and crackers at a table at the pool. We bought a salad at the food court to share.

 

[DCbride]

Not sure if you are driving or flying, but if driving you can bring so much food/drinks with you. Or even stop at a store near disney. Another saver...we always leave the parks around 1 and return for the evening, so if it is a budget trip, we like to do a big lunch offsite. Sweet Tomatoes is my new favorite place! All you can eat for $9, is hard to beat!

 

[nanalisa]

Not only can you share meals but I often order an appitizer or side dish as my meal. Even at Le Cellier I ordered the side or mac and cheese as my lunch.