So pleased with myself: $182 for all meals with alcohol for five nights

[DCbride]

Definitely jealous! Your trip sounds lovely!

 

[Quicklabs]

How did you have lunches and dinners? I'm assuming you kept going back to your resort when it was meal time?

I'm flabbergasted that you only spent $182 for the 2 of you. I have $750 budgeted for the 2 of us, and I'm concerned that's not enough!

We went back to the resort for mid afternoon/dinner time. We definitely needed some downtime from the parks, since we usually hit rope drop and stayed til about 11 p.m. or so. I often had things prepared in advance (eg. I can make taco meat and the hamburger patties at the same time; I cooked the Carribean chicken and just pan seared the remaining two chicken thighs at the same time. Cooked up the sausage, caramelized extra onion and green pepper for the spaghetti, cooked two more pieces at the same time for lunch and had the vegetables in reserve.) That way, lunches were usually just microwaved. Staying at the VWL made it easy, though I've done the exact same thing at the Boardwalk.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm impressed! But also a little confused. I must be mistaken on what a kitchen consists of in a DVC studio. I thought they just had microwaves? Do they even have a freezer?

 

[Marionnette]

I'm impressed! But also a little confused. I must be mistaken on what a kitchen consists of in a DVC studio. I thought they just had microwaves? Do they even have a freezer?

They also have toasters and a regular coffee maker (not the pod devices that the hotel rooms have). My guess would be that the OP did whatever skillet cooking in the 1-bedroom and then froze what she needed for the studio stay. DVC also has charcoal BBQs for members to use if they want to grill. I don't remember if there is a freezer in the studio refrigerators. If they have one, it would be very small.

 

[SWofDisorder]

Amazing planning and the meals sound delicious. I never want to go back to our room for lunch so we eat out at WDW but now I see it is worth it and the savings are huge. I think we could do this.

 

[deedisneydream97]

Very impressive. We also do breakfast in the room...even with a studio. A $1 microwave egg poacher from the dollar store works great (as long as you remember to poke the yolk a few times with a fork, put a tablespoon of water over each egg and cover with something). English muffins in the toaster, some cheese...cheapo egg mcmuffin. We pack those collapsible soft-side coolers in our suitcases...works great for keeping stuff cool during studio stays (smaller fridge and now some of the newer ones don't have freezers!!), but we keep it in the tub because they can leak. We usually go back to the room for lunch (sandwiches, fruit, beer) and eat poolside. We usually have dinner out, but not always. In our one-bedroom we've done shrimp over linquini, steamed lobster, steaks on the grill (poly and I think VGF have gas grills and the charcoal can be a pain, but we love grilling at BLT by the lake), burgers and dogs on the grill, baked potato can go in the micro and so can corn on the cob (look on you tube...it came out pretty good). Steam fresh veggies are easy too. A couple of rotisserie chickens can be a dinner and some great chef salads. We've done bacon a couple of times, but hate the smell. We usually rent a car for the week because we like to come and go as we please.

I've also put a lot of effort into losing nearly 30 lbs. so I am hesitant about eating too much counter service and sit down meals. Plus it is usually just the two of us, but just doing simple breakfasts and a couple of easy dinners can really save a family some bucks. Just being able to buy a case of bottled water for less than $5 is a big savings. I don't drink Disney tap water.....they say it is filtered, but I just don't like the taste. I even use jug water when making coffee in the room.

OP....how did you handle the transfer of food and luggage between resorts?

 

[Quicklabs]

Mom2rtk, Marrionette is right. I froze some cooked ingredients (like the taco meat and the pork chops) from the 1BR VWL villa, and then microwaved them later at the Poly studio. I also transported some leftovers from the VWL fridge (rice pilaf, fruit, milk, etc) to the Poly, as well as several gallons of water. Isn't it cool to save some serious bucks? Plus, I just prefer my own cooking to most of the restaurants (exceptions for Via Napoli and the No Way Jose at Beaches and Cream ). Love the peace and quiet of our room, too.

Deedisneydream9, congratulations on sticking to your diet. We've done the rotisserie chicken thing, too. Totally agree about the water. We use at least a gallon a day; I can't stand the smell or the taste of the tap water.

The luggage transfer couldn't have been more simple or gone more smoothly. We called bell services at VWL about 15 minutes before we were ready to leave. I had refrigerated stuff, freezer stuff and other dry, nonperishable food packed in separate bags and marked (I saved the grocery bags from my trip to Publix). They took us and the bags by van to the Poly, and all the stuff immediately went into refrigeration or freezer or hold as needed. When we got in the room, they delivered within 10 minutes. Everything was very cold or still frozen. I wouldn't hesitate to let them transfer my foods. They do this all the time and take excellent care of everything. We really lucked out with the personal service in a van, but I wouldn't count on this for next time. We were the only transfer that morning, so that's why they were able to do this for us.

 

[CounselorX]

Sounds like great value and great things to eat, but that also sounds like a lot of effort for a vacation. lol

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Love it!!!! You should certainly be proud of yourself. I also love to cook, find it relaxing, so this is something I'll keep in mind for the future. Honestly, the husband & myself get so sick of eating out at Disney...home cooked always tastes so good! Any tips if we are staying in a studio only rather than having time in a one bedroom?

 

[hsmamato2]

good job on planning and saving.... but for me,it sounds exactly like what I do at home daily... but it is definitely doable! (been there,done that,past that lol)

 

[disfanforlife]

Good for you and thank you for sharing your tips! I would like to try that sometime, but our next trip is also our first one for DH and I alone, so I am looking forward to trying some different restaurants that we normally wouldn't go to with our kids.