When you camp at the Fort, do you cook most of your meals?

[mich1073]

I usually buy a roasted chicken from Costco before we go and then make chicken salad and a huge bowl of pasta salad. Then get a sliced ham and easy food. Normally make one crock pot meal or grilled food like cheap steaks and chicken that I cut up and marinate for make your own kabob night. Its all easy food....

And also we normally do some meals at the parks, a beer or three at Epcot , O'hana every few trips and Trails End at least once every trip.

 

[Chickp]

We average buying one meal a day, and then cooking or bringing the rest into the parks with us. Today we had breakfast bars, sandwiches for Lunch, and then about to have Boma for dinner!

 

[2goofycampers]

I think we'll have to try this new place out next trip.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories...disney-updates+(Disney+Updates+-+wdwinfo.com)

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

We have had days where we ate in, or maybe a quick CS out, but we average doing 1 or 2 meals out, maybe one big and one CS meal. When we do eat a large meal out, I almost always have something to take back to eat the next day. It's so nice having the option tho. I may try to just eat out 1 meal a day on average next time we go.

 

[peg110]

It's so nice having the option tho.

^^^ THIS ^^^

Options are the best. If I want to eat in, I can. If I want to eat out, I can! If I stay in a hotel, I really don't have much choice. A condo (or similar) is usually what we would do if not camping. For very much the same reason, it gives options.

 

[ruthies12]

I'm like the others, I do a mix of both and like having options open. I usually pack some stuff in the freezer that are really quick and easy like chicken pot pies and such, that way we have stuff in the camper so if we don't feel like staying in the park we can go back and eat there and if we do feel like staying in the park then we can eat counter service and just take the food back home with us.

I usually like to plan a few character meals and that is it for us. I pack snacks and drinks to take into the parks and feel like that saves a ton of money.

Last trip I only booked one breakfast at trails end and it was on the very last day. I won't make that mistake again! Next trip I'll plan to eat at TE at least twice, if not 3 times!

I think my favorite thing about having the camper instead of a hotel room was being able to stock up on mickey ice cream bars at the campstore and take them home in our freezer. Nothing beats post vacation depression like a mickey ice cream bar.........

 

[ruthies12]

 

[5kidsmommy]

I have a confession. I've never had a mickey bar or a dole whip. Do they have frozen bananas at WDW? Growing up those were my favorite treats at DLR.

 

[ruthies12]

I have a confession. I've never had a mickey bar or a dole whip. Do they have frozen bananas at WDW? Growing up those were my favorite treats at DLR.

The Mickey Bars are excellent, quality chocolate over decent ice cream. The dole whips are highly skippable, it is reconstituted powder and it tastes like it. I think it is the pinapple that people love but I don't like pineapple so I get the plain vanilla ice cream and by itself it is gross. I can't comment on how it tastes with the pineapple though.

They do have frozen bananas! They have them at a lot of the carts that sell the mickey bars.

 

[Maggie at the Fort]

We eat at the camper sometimes but almost never actually cook there. We eat most breakfasts at the camper and several lunches or dinners depending on when we come back for breaks. Because I don't want to spend Disney time cooking and cleaning, I bring things that are easy and quick: pre cooked taco meat to make taco salads, hard boiled eggs, hummus, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, mayo and canned tuna or chicken for tuna/chicken salad, cheese and crackers, sandwich stuff. My kids love those sorts of light snacking meals and it is easy for us. You just have to plan ahead so more perishable items get used earlier.

 

[MattFromPA]

We cook 90% of our food at the camper or cabin. Pack sandwiches for lunch in the parks. We usually do a Trails End breakfast once a trip. Tried dinner there once and was not impressed. We fly Southwest and bring 50 lbs of dry food with us.

I must say, as well as Disney does many things, food service isn't always one of them. We ate at Be Our Guest with friends, and won't be going back. The adult entrees weren't bad but the portions were small. Kids meals were laughably small and overpriced. Ohana was good the one time we tried it, but that was five years ago.

Quick service at Wilderness Lodge was also below average. If you can't whip up a chicken sandwich and fries at least as well as McDonald's, then it may be time to outsource food service to someone who can.

 

[monkeybug]

I have a confession. I've never had a mickey bar or a dole whip. Do they have frozen bananas at WDW? Growing up those were my favorite treats at DLR.

What? If you're there between May 4th and the 12th I'll buy you one of each! lol!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Now that I have more camping experience, we prep food at home and bring. This weekend was a group event we went to, so we had some folks prep 2 meals (B & D). Friday dinner was walking tacos and we had plans for breakfast this morning but since it was packing up morning, opted for McD's. Lunch Saturday was sandwiches.

Past fort adventures (many years ago) usually involved breakfast and lunch or dinner at the fort but not both. Future adventures will anticipate at least one meal out a day since that tends to be what ends up happening anyway. I hate toting home leftover or uncooked food.

 

[sssteele]

I have a confession. I've never had a mickey bar or a dole whip. Do they have frozen bananas at WDW? Growing up those were my favorite treats at DLR.

I love Dole Whip and add a rum shooter for an adult treat.

 

[peg110]

Quick service at Wilderness Lodge was also below average. If you can't whip up a chicken sandwich and fries at least as well as McDonald's, then it may be time to outsource food service to someone who can.

WOW, That is a statement there.

While I haven't eaten at the WL QS, I would say that my expectation if I were to go there would be that it would be outstanding. Since WL is a "Premium" resort, I expect everything about it to be Premium, particularly when the charge premium prices.

If I spend $1 on a hamburger (for example) and it's "Meh..." I don't get to upset, but when I spend $9 on a hamburger, it better be a great hamburger, if not, I will complain. I know it may still be fast food, but the quality should be in line with the costs. Certainly if McDonalds is anywhere in a benchmark, and you can't achieve above that, you are in rough shape.

PS- in all fairness, I thoroughly enjoy McDonalds sandwiches but they are anything but healthy or even good for you, but they do taste good. I do however try to avoid them whenever possible. Not because of taste or convenience, but because of quality and health factor. Kind of like Soda, I love it but rarely drink it for much the same reasons. Tastes Good, very bad for you.

 

[rajak73]

being able to stock up on mickey ice cream bars at the campstore and take them home in our freezer.

That's funny because that is exactly what we did the last trip! Came home with 4 in the freezer. Now for the question, we eat breakfast in the camper, maybe some instant oatmeal or I may make cream of wheat, if we are in the parks, usually just CS at whatever park we are in. We had trails end a couple time last trip, we had the pleasure of being able to stay 16 days at the Fort so we did eat at the camper on days off most time. DW made some snacks before we left, cookies, rice crispie treats, etc, she also made some runzas and we brought some homemade frozen soup from home, etc. Also one night, cooked a Prime Rib from home on the Portable Treager. Nothing like roughing it in the camper! LOL

 

[MattFromPA]

WOW, That is a statement there.

While I haven't eaten at the WL QS, I would say that my expectation if I were to go there would be that it would be outstanding. Since WL is a "Premium" resort, I expect everything about it to be Premium, particularly when the charge premium prices.

If I spend $1 on a hamburger (for example) and it's "Meh..." I don't get to upset, but when I spend $9 on a hamburger, it better be a great hamburger, if not, I will complain. I know it may still be fast food, but the quality should be in line with the costs. Certainly if McDonalds is anywhere in a benchmark, and you can't achieve above that, you are in rough shape.

PS- in all fairness, I thoroughly enjoy McDonalds sandwiches but they are anything but healthy or even good for you, but they do taste good. I do however try to avoid them whenever possible. Not because of taste or convenience, but because of quality and health factor. Kind of like Soda, I love it but rarely drink it for much the same reasons. Tastes Good, very bad for you.

I just used McD's as an example of efficiency and consistency more than anything I guess. I will tell you, you would have complained at the Wilderness Lodge that day. Mediocre by any standard and especially for what they charge. Makes me glad that we don't rely on their food service at all when we go.

 

[peg110]

Mediocre by any standard and especially for what they charge. Makes me glad that we don't rely on their food service at all when we go.

Absolutely agree. Not just Wilderness lodge, but ANY place. If you are going to charge a premium price, I expect a premium service. When I don't get it, particularly if it's well below premium (or even sub-par), you can bet I will speak up. Either with my voice or my wallet (taking business elsewhere). This is not to say I am a complainer, but if you don't speak up, they will take advantage of you.

 

[Badger88]

We usually have one sit down meal at least at Trails End or in the parks but enjoy grilling (on our own little grill) at the site. We've done a lot with tin foil cooking.

 

[Shanti]

Or do you let Disney take care of the cooking?
Our original plan was to cook most meals at the campground, but then I got to thinking about how much I enjoy not cooking while on vacation, and now I'm considering the dining plan.
I was just curious to hear what most veteran Fort campers choose.

No, when we camped we ate Disney food. We flew in, so just weren't set up for cooking.