Split stay and driving with frozen food?

[kaguilbeau]

We usually like to freeze a couple of dishes to bring with us (lasagna, BBQ brisket, etc) when we stay in condos on other vacations. I thought of doing this for our WDW trip - but realized we are staying at POP the first night before checking in at a villa.

What's your experience in bringing frozen food? I'm thinking if I have a 12 hour drive and another day before I can get this in the fridge that It will still be cold and could be eaten as one of the first couple of meals once in our villa.

How long does something stay frozen if packed on ice and in a full ice chest?

 

[disprincessatheart]

the fridges at pop - if you pay for one (they're not included with a room unless you pay an extra $10 per day) are very small mini fridges. You won't fit much in there so you may find what you bring won't fit. You'd be better off getting extra ice for the cooler you'd likely have. I really don't know that anything would stay frozen in ice for a 12 hour drive though. You might just be better off buying a frozen lasagna, etc at a grocery store once you arrive.

 

[bookwormde]

For that length of time you would need a real top quality cooler or some dry ice (frozen CO2). The more full and tighter packed the cooler is the better.

Bookwormde

 

[thepops]

I think dry ice, especially if you keep the cooler closed the whole time, would do the trick.

 

[htw]

We just came back yesterday and did that very same thing. We used regular ice. We spent the first night at the French Quarter and left the frozen food in the ice chest. Our frozen food made it fine, but we reheated/cooked it the first few nights of the trip at SSR. We brought frozen spagetti -meat sauce and taco soup. That was fine. We brought a slow cooker so that it was ready for us at night when we walked in. We baked crawfish stuffed chicken on the third night at the resort and it was great! We had left overs for a day or two. My dh said that he would probably use dry ice if we were staying longer than six days. Our ice chest is one of those cube- long-lasting things with a handle. We are very careful about that sort of stuff and thought it worked out fine. Have a great time!

 

[kaguilbeau]

We baked crawfish stuffed chicken on the third night at the resort and it was great!

Are you from Louisiana too??
I thought of bringing one of those, but we have seven people. I might need two!

Thanks so much for sharing that. We'd only need to keep it partially frozen until the second day when we can move it to the freezer. So i think we'll be fine.

 

[htw]

Yes, we're from Lafayette, too. I think you would probably need 2 if you have some big eaters. Of course, it depends what else you are serving with it. My chicken was pretty much thawed out which is how I cook mine anyway. I got it from Hebert's in Maurice. Hope you have a great time! We sure did. It was our first time at SSR as DVC owners.