We did it, economically speaking!

[DisneyBB]

We have done both over the year. Depending on how the £/$ rate is and personal circumstances. We now have to holiday at the peak time which means that we pay top money for flights from the UK. We don't like eating large meals and find it impossible to eat in the TS with dinning. We like the freedom away for bookings, so we tend to eat CS once a day (if in the park), breakfast in flat and either tea in the flat or tea out.

If out shopping we love Sweet tomatoes and it wins hands down on any CS resturant in Disney.

We don't think of eating a major thing in our holiday and we would quite happily take snacks/sarnies into the park. Not done the sarnies yet, but have taken in bagel for a light tea.

Each to their own, I would not enjoy paying $$$$ for food.

 

[Cmbar]

Don't knock it until you've tried it.

Scenario 1: Mom, I'm hungry. Well here's a sandwich prepared exactly the way you like it - with the exact snacks and drink you like. Enjoy.

Scenario 2: Mom, I'm hungry. Well, let's trudge across the park, wait in a long line, figure out something you might eat, pay $$$ for pretty darn lame food (which, again, you might eat).

Scenario 1 isn't always so bad.

Love this response!!!

We waste so much money at WDW on our kids who would much rather have a PBJ made by mom!

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to be cooking a three course meal at Disney world, but I also don't have one bit of a problem eating Breakfast and lunch of my own making. Besides those Chicken Nuggets and hamburgers get old after a while. If it is a choice between fixing my own food and an extra day at WDW I'm picking the extra day of vacation. I don't love food that much!!

 

[JCLNJ]

We make several meals in our room. It's not that its the money more the time it takes to eat out. Our kids are 16 and 14 and would rather be riding the attractions not sitting in a restaraunt for hours. We also don't like the fact that you are tied done with reservations and have to be someone at a certain time. Our last trip we ate 2 dinners out and had bought food at Winn Dixie.

 

[hellerjw]

Glad to hear somebody has actually had the will power to do this. We have always eaten out every meal and easily drop $1000 on food each week we are there.

I had already planned to try to eat breakfast and some lunches/dinners in the room our next trip but knew we couldn't go cold turkey the first time and eat every meal in the villa.

We go 2 or 3 times a year and most of the Disney dining has started getting old to us (save Jiko and a few other places). I have to have at least one breakfast at the Poly, a visit to Jiko and usually a turkey leg or two but other than that my meal requirements are pretty simple. Like another poster said you can only eat so many hamburgers and chicken nuggets. We plan to do more off-site and in-villa dining the next few trips and see how that goes.

 

[thefirebuilds]

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I mean, I don't really care, and to each his own, but for me it would be a horrible way to vacation. I'd go hungry before I'd bring sandwiches into a park (and sitting at a table meant for paying guests is just wrong in my opinion). For us the dining is part of the vacation, and I'm certainly not going to prepare my food & eat it in the room like I would if I was home on a weeknight.

That said - you don't have to break the bank to enjoy some nice meals even at WDW

Perhaps if more people sat at tables that they were really paying for already through park admission and ate white bread disney would get the idea that the average family cant afford $50 for a meal for 4 people. But I digress

The food is a big part of it for us too, that said I don't mind saving a few bucks on breakfast or lunch a few days.

 

[momof3poohlovers]

I am glad to hear it worked out so well! We already eat breakfast in our room. We may be eating lunch in our villa as well if things get tight. I don't think I will bring food into the parks though, we will probably just leave and have lunch/take a nap in our villa before going back to the parks. I can't see myself cooking dinner though. It's my vacation too!

 

[edk35]

Glad to hear somebody has actually had the will power to do this. We have always eaten out every meal and easily drop $1000 on food each week we are there.

I had already planned to try to eat breakfast and some lunches/dinners in the room our next trip but knew we couldn't go cold turkey the first time and eat every meal in the villa.

We go 2 or 3 times a year and most of the Disney dining has started getting old to us (save Jiko and a few other places). I have to have at least one breakfast at the Poly, a visit to Jiko and usually a turkey leg or two but other than that my meal requirements are pretty simple. Like another poster said you can only eat so many hamburgers and chicken nuggets. We plan to do more off-site and in-villa dining the next few trips and see how that goes.

My husband and oldest son are like this. They are not so much into the food and would just as soon eat something quick and easy (cheaper) than do a sit down every day. My dd and myself get sick of counter service after awhile with just one a day. Sometimes just her and I will hit a TS for lunch and the three guys do a counter service together. Sure we have a few TS faves but our trips are also NOT all about the food either. My oldest son could eat mickey bars and popcorn for a week and not complain.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Last April, my three adult sons came on vacation with us. I made a $220 Garden Grocer order, which fed all of us breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5 out of 6 nights. One night we went to Biergarten for dinner....dropped $225 for the one dinner!(We all did get one beer, but no other extras!). Until my kids chip in and pay for their food, well I'll be a cookin! Now, the next trip is a cruise and DDP (for the hubby and me!) Food already taken care of!

 

[bwvBound]

We did it! We bought all of our groceries for our one week stay at OKW, at a Publix and ate every one of our meals at home in our villa. We also brought drinks, snacks, and sandwiches with us into each of the parks.

Good for you! We are not quite doing all meals yet ... but we are taking in lunch/snacks and being creative with the limited grocery options available in the resort stores.

Yesterday I enjoyed shopping the food areas in Epcot. Brought back Udon noodles from Japan ... and enjoyed them last night for dinner using a simple Miso soup paste (previously purchased; stored in our Owner's Locker) and today for lunch with a quick satay sauce (peanut butter from resort grocery, soy sauce packet picked up in the park and curry/paprika/garlic from the spice wheel kept in our OL). Life's good!

 

[desmar9]

We were down in December, family of 6 -all kids over 15 and we spent about $250 at Publix. We ate most of our meals in the room, had two lunches out, a couple of small snacks and I really don't feel that we "did without" at all. In fact, I'm darn proud of the money that we saved. Not to mention when we did eat together in the room, everyone helped out and we spent some quality time together that we don't always do with our busy schedules at home. We will definately do this again next time we all go down. ** By the way, the kids didn't mind not going out either, much to my surprise.

 

[Mom B]

We're just back from a week at SSR, just the two of us, and we did DDP all the way (and THEN some, had a couple extra TS meals, although we didn't use up all our CS or snacks). But the next trip will be all the kids and grandkids, and since we pay for transportation, lodging and park tickets for the whole bunch (about 13 of us) we don't provide meals...they'd have to eat at home anyway! So we/they will be stocking up on the groceries and eating in most of the time next trip. Again, that's the beauty of DVC...we have choices!

 

[Laurabearz]

We did it! We bought all of our groceries for our one week stay at OKW, at a Publix and ate every one of our meals at home in our villa. We also brought drinks, snacks, and sandwiches with us into each of the parks.

The security people are looking for guns, not for food!

Now if we just had free tickets like we did from 1992-2000!

We once took a 9 day no park trip and boy oh boy did we feel like we were cheating the system. Of course we did eat out...

I like eatting out, but for our next trip we are planning on eating breakfast and dinner in the room, but I draw the line at sandwiches for lunch