Trying to eat as cheaply as possible

[perditax]

I used to always do a Garden Grocer order just for water and other beverages, but decided against that or an Amazon order because of trying not use any credit cards. I guess I could pay by debit card, but I'm not really comfortable with using the debit card online. I'm trying to pay cash for everything I can at this point.

Use your debit card to buy Amazon gift cards wherever you buy groceries. They'll be there with the Visa, Olive Garden, Etc gift cards.

 

[mds88]

Earl of Sandwich is a great bang for your buck. I have also heard Wolfgang Puck Express is very affordable. Both are at Disney Springs.

 

[eeyoresmom]

The fajita platter at Pecos Bill's (when you load it up at the topping bar), is definitely shareable.

 

[elaine amj]

We are staying at SSR for our next trip. Since we have a kitchen for the first time, I am planning to pack in my checked bag:
-bread/bagels (shoebox or the like will work)
- instant oatmeal
- 1 box of cereal (will get milk at the resort)
- a lot of fruit and veggies; apples, oranges, carrots, cucumbers, etc (my teen DD has started asking for fresh fruits/veggies after a few days of vacation food)

Hearty snacks like
- Ritz peanut butter snack crackers
- trail mix/granola bars

Also thinking of adding a carton or two of eggs in our carryon. Not sure if that will pass through security?

To cut costs, I would also suggest:
- anything dry that can be adapted to cook in the microwave (sidekicks-type stuff?)
- ramen noodles (the cup style all u have to do is add water. For the package style, fill a bowl with about 2 cups of water, add the seasoning and the noodles, and then microwave for about 5 mins.
- soups would be really easy to heat up in the microwave (packing a couple of microwave-safe bowls would make this easier)
- sandwich fixings

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

Publix Insta-Cart might be an alternative to Garden Grocer. I was looking into it for our recent trip but didn't use it since we decided we only needed a few non-perishable items. Your first delivery with Publix is free, and the prices were better.

 

[lauritagoddess]

Use your debit card to buy Amazon gift cards wherever you buy groceries. They'll be there with the Visa, Olive Garden, Etc gift cards.

That's definitely a good thought. I think I'll going to go look tomorrow and maybe go the Amazon pantry route.

- ramen noodles (the cup style all u have to do is add water. For the package style, fill a bowl with about 2 cups of water, add the seasoning and the noodles, and then microwave for about 5 mins.
- soups would be really easy to heat up in the microwave (packing a couple of microwave-safe bowls would make this easier)

My son would definitely like ramen noodles. I don't let him have them that often at home, he would think of it as a treat. And I love soup, I'd be happy to have some back in the room.

 

[jcdean]

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.g...ons/dvc-resorts/PVB_Grocery_List_03102016.pdf

You will certainly find better prices with Amazon or garden grocer, but if you are uncomfortable with those services you can have food delivered from the dvc store The prices for single serving items are astronomical. Luckly, lhings like frozen pizza, bagels, milk and 6 packs of drinks are much more reasonable (by Disney standards).

 

[lauritagoddess]

Plaza - meals are very good, and absolutely huge.
Y&Y - the chicken fried rice has been mentioned; its a giant meal on its own.
Tangerine Cafe - huge portions in the platters, and you augment that if you wanted with an order of their french fries, which are also quite good.
Dole Whips are delicious and certainly shareable size wise.
Gaston's - cinnamon rolls, just sayin'.

Those refillable popcorn buckets would probably be a good deal if ya'll enjoy Disney popcorn.

The chicken fried rice is sounding really good and is pretty cheap according to the menus on Allears. I'm trying to keep options like this in mind so we can have some food in the parks balanced out with what we have back in the room.

Just make sure nobody's hungry. I would think a trip where you were constantly hungry would be miserable.

Very good point.

Remember, the Polynesian's Moana Mercantile will have more "real" food than a normal gift shop because of the villas so you may be able to pick up things there.

True. At least we'll have that as an option if we need it.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

That's definitely a good thought. I think I'll going to go look tomorrow and maybe go the Amazon pantry route.



My son would definitely like ramen noodles. I don't let him have them that often at home, he would think of it as a treat. And I love soup, I'd be happy to have some back in the room.

Just an fyi the studios don't have glass dishes for warming stuff up in the microwave, so get the stuff that can be cooked in the bag, or pack something you can use to heat stuff up in the microwave. (I'm assuming the Poly is like the other DVC studios with just paper plates etc. and just glass mugs).

You could pack cheese, even pre-cook stuff like chicken strips or something, freeze and put in your carry on (assuming your flight isn't too long). If you could do breakfast and one other meal in the room, you can purchase one meal or snacks out during the day so you don't feel like you're totally missing out.

 

[robinb]

Also thinking of adding a carton or two of eggs in our carryon. Not sure if that will pass through security?

You'll be able to buy eggs at SSR.

BTW, it's easy to poach an egg in the microwave.

 

[amberpi]

Also thinking of adding a carton or two of eggs in our carryon. Not sure if that will pass through security?

You're going to have to put that carryon under the seat or in the bin. Either way, be very careful as it could easily leak, should egg get on another passengers belongings, it would be very unpleasant.

 

[robinb]

Speaking of eggs ... I bet you could bring hard boiled eggs in your carry-on!

 

[karmic]

Eggs-really- in a carry on LOL

You're going to have to put that carryon under the seat or in the bin. Either way, be very careful as it could easily leak, should egg get on another passengers belongings, it would be very unpleasant.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Well, if we've reached raw eggs in a carry on stage, I hear the you can make a wonderful salad at the toppings bars at certain places.

 

[elaine amj]

Well, if we've reached raw eggs in a carry on stage, I hear the you can make a wonderful salad at the toppings bars at certain places.

LOL! They ARE really good toppings! Now here's a thought...bring my raw eggs, boil them in the microwave, then take them to the parks so you can use the toppings bar to make a nice salad with protein too!

All kidding aside, the toppings bar is awesome. Get a burger for your son and a kids burger for yourself. Then fill up on the toppings! Last trip, my girlfriend and I split a burger at Restaurantasaurus (sp?)and filled up on sauteed mushrooms, etc from the toppings bar.

 

[Lisa F]

I can (as I say it proudly) do Disney with two kids for less than $30/day on food. And that is with a teen aged son who is a big eater. But, you have to plan it like a military operation.

We fly Southwest so bags are free. one of our suitcases is exclusively food and one of our carry on bags is a soft sided rolling cooler.

Packed bag: Loaf of bread, boxes of cereal, plastic bowls, peanut butter and jelly, tuna packets, mini donuts, poptarts, cans of pringles, apples, apple slicer or knife, ziplock bags, granola bars, nuts, cookies, random snacks. Mio water flavoring. I also take a small empty soft sided cooler.

Purchase half gallons of milk at resort.

Carry on: Lunch meat and slice cheese, yogurt sticks, cream cheese if I brought bagels in checked bag. Empty Quart sized ziplock bags.

After I go through airport security
I ask a food vendor to please fill two ziplock bags with ice and I put that in the cooler with the food.

Breakfast: Cereal, poptarts, donuts or bagels - in the room

Lunch: sandwhiches with pringles and cookies brought to the park in my little cooler - free Ice water with Mio flavoring.

Dinner: Alternate between $16 pizza at resort and approx. $45 CS meals.

I do splurge on refillable mugs for trips a week or longer but I only buy two (for the kids) and I drink water.

Now, with so many grocery options, I have given up my lunch meat cooler in favor of Amazon Prime delivery but I still pack dry goods because who wants to pay $4.50 for a box of cereal when I can get the same box on sale for $1.50.

you are a dynamo!

 

[Nancyg56]

I agree with the others who suggest a grocery delivery from somewhere. You will remove the stress of trying to pack perishables or squishables in your baggage.

You could pack some plastic take out containers though, so you could use the microwave. The meals at many CS restaurants are huge, and the men in our family will many times share. If you drink water with your meal, I bet you could have a nice meal in the park. Make it your one to have and have the rest from your room. If you do not choose to share, maybe uyou could put your leftovers in a container for the next day. I would not cart leftovers around all day, but if it was your evening meal, you could easily get it back safely to the fridge.

Honestly, I would enlist my son to research options for the two of you. I know my 15 YO DGD would consider this a challenge and she would love every second planning how to manage a fun trip, stretching evey penny of my food budget. If I placed her in charge of planning this "operation" I bet her budget woudl be less than what I gave her to use, and she would have studied every CS menu, looking for value and quality, lurked on the budget board for ideas, and then created a list of CS suggestions as well as a packing or order list for the room.

 

[disneyholic family]

I can (as I say it proudly) do Disney with two kids for less than $30/day on food. And that is with a teen aged son who is a big eater. But, you have to plan it like a military operation.

We fly Southwest so bags are free. one of our suitcases is exclusively food and one of our carry on bags is a soft sided rolling cooler.

Packed bag: Loaf of bread, boxes of cereal, plastic bowls, peanut butter and jelly, tuna packets, mini donuts, poptarts, cans of pringles, apples, apple slicer or knife, ziplock bags, granola bars, nuts, cookies, random snacks. Mio water flavoring. I also take a small empty soft sided cooler.

Purchase half gallons of milk at resort.

Carry on: Lunch meat and slice cheese, yogurt sticks, cream cheese if I brought bagels in checked bag. Empty Quart sized ziplock bags.

After I go through airport security
I ask a food vendor to please fill two ziplock bags with ice and I put that in the cooler with the food.

Breakfast: Cereal, poptarts, donuts or bagels - in the room

Lunch: sandwhiches with pringles and cookies brought to the park in my little cooler - free Ice water with Mio flavoring.

Dinner: Alternate between $16 pizza at resort and approx. $45 CS meals.

I do splurge on refillable mugs for trips a week or longer but I only buy two (for the kids) and I drink water.

Now, with so many grocery options, I have given up my lunch meat cooler in favor of Amazon Prime delivery but I still pack dry goods because who wants to pay $4.50 for a box of cereal when I can get the same box on sale for $1.50.

this reminds me of our trips when our kids were much younger and we were on a tighter budget..
i also carried a great deal of food with us and also bought food in the resort stores that carry larger sizes (like full loaves of bread, packages of bagels etc).

for breakfast, we had cereal with milk and bagels with cream cheese in the room.

for lunch, i carried a small softside cooler with us into the parks filled with many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...
we would purchase drinks to go with our sandwiches (my 6'7" husband could pack away a full loaf of bread sandwiches at a meal)..

i also had snacks for the kids in the parks - ziplock bags filled with plain cheerios (their favorite at the time), as well as plain bagels..

for dinner, we had tuna or salami sandwiches - i brought both with us...
the salami was less than healthy, something we never ate the rest of the year, but they had a lot of it at on our trip to disney (and as you can imagine, it is joked about to this day 25 years later)...

i have to ask DD to remind me what else i took with us

 

[robinb]

The meals at many CS restaurants are huge, and the men in our family will many times share.

I think it's great that sharing works out for your family . Our family does not think that meals at WDW are "huge". I don't think the OP should go into expecting to share meals unless her family is already the sharing kind.

 

[recmouse]

I don't think it was mentioned here and might be cost effective as well... I shipped boxes of food from home directly to my resort. Cereal, snacks, drinks... whatever we could get in that box! It was waiting for us when we got there.