Would you cook to save $400 on vacation?

[Jen_in_NH]

One of the biggest reasons we bought DVC was for the ability to cook Eating out is fun, but for us, it gets old. It's easier for us to make a big breakfast in the room, snack throughout the day, and come back to the room for dinner.

My parents have met us at WDW for our past few trips. They live about 90 minutes away (for the winter), and will usually bring up a load of groceries and other stuff we sent down with them when they leave for the winter. Last trip, we had them bring up their crock pot. It was wicked easy to mix up a pot of chili, and come home to it after a day in the park. I know some people would hate to do that on vacation, but we really enjoy it. To each their own

 

[At World's End]

Yes, I would cook a few meals to save that much money. We usually stay for 10 days and Disney food gets old, especially the kids meal selections. It is a welcome break to have something different after a few days. Even eating out offsite can save a ton, if you have a car. We spent $80 for burgers fries and milkshakes at Sci-Fi for lunch last trip. A few days later we drove 5 minutes to a Steak N Shake and had much better burgers, fires and shakes for $24.

One of my favorite tips from this boards was this almost-no-prep-required meal:

Buy a bag of frozen ravioli, pour into a 9x13 baking dish, pour a jar of spaghetti sauce over it, top with some shredded cheese, cover with foil, bake in preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Add some rolls, a bag of salad and a box of ice cream bars and you can feed your family for about the same as one adult TS dinner in the park.

Besides, while your food is cooking you can throw in a load of laundry, take a shower, bathe the kids, etc.

 

[daisyduck123]

No, never.

I don't consider it a vacation if I have to cook/clean/etc.
We have a TS ADR every night while in WDW.

**Even when we're in a 2BR DVC Villa....nope, that stove/range does not get used (except for DH making popcorn).

 

[prncess674]

Sorry, we like having a few meals in house while on vacation, not so much to save money but because we like the casual ease of an evening in. We just rented a vacation home in San Antonio for a family vacation. We loved coming home from a hot sweaty day of touring and then just popped a roast in the oven. While dinner was in the oven we all showered and changed into PJs. We ended the evening by eating family dinner around the big table and then played a board games. Eating out, especially with small kids who need to go to bed early can be more work than it is worth!

We also eat out at home, so it isn't like vacation is the only time our family gets to eat out. I guess if vacation is the only time you allow your family a sit down dinner at a restaurant and you cook B, L, D at home then maybe you really need a break, but we enjoy a home cooked meal sometimes on vacation. We also had a movie night with meatball subs around the big TV.

 

[smidgy]

We were right above bell serives in a standard studio on the third floor at Kidani. DH and I would sit up there and watch the humans on the concrete savanna enjoying our snacks.

why were the humans enjoying your snacks? you're not supposed to feed the birds, let alone the humans!!

sorry, I just love catching a "dangling participle".


anyhow, I think most on this thread mean eating a few meals "at home", to save some money, have down time, break up the eating out, various reason. I don't think anyone meant they would be eating cold cut sandwhiches the whole week. or NEVER eat out (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

one thing I haven't seen. we will be in a studio (BLT, then AKL) to us, it's a treat to have the fridge, toaster, sink, microwave.

any ideas of food to cook in just this kitchenette , not a full kitchen. we will be eating some meals out,(we have 4 ADRS and a few CS we like a lot.) but we want to take advantage of the kitchenette. already plan on tuna on toast, and "nuking" some canned food (beef stew, chicken ala king, etc.) don't worry, we won't be eating out of the can at the parks! we also thought of muking some smoked sausage and hubby bought some microwave cups of mac and cheese. it'll be just the 2 of us.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I am looking over my December plans and I see I could pretty easily save about $400 if I decided to cook a few dinners instead of going out. We are staying in a 1 bed at OKW and so have a full kitchen, I'm kind of tempted, it's not that we can't afford to eat out I have the money. I just think of how nice it is to grab a drink, cook something and chill without fighting more crowds at resturants. We are there Dec 17-27th and we will eat out 6 nights Ts, 1 lunch TS, and 1 Breakfast TS, and lots of CS lunches.

We are a group of 5 so cutting 3 meals would be save money and just be more relaxing which sounds good.

If you would cook, what would you cook? I'm thinking pizza, tacos... and something

I like a home cooked meal every now & then. We just returned from a week in Williamsburg at a 2BR timeshare on exchange. We packed a gallon size ziploc bag of frozen homemade spaghetti sauce & meatballs w/ a box of pasta. The day we visited Jamestown, which closes at 5pm, it was so easy to throw a pot of water on, heat up the sauce, etc. Really not a hassle. Not sure I'd do that if we were flying but it saved us a $100 dinner out.

 

[Tiger926]

It's ever so amusing that when people ask for opinions, they go out of their way to be offended by them (how dare you have an opinion that's not mine! ). Also, you have to love the ones who haven't a sense of proportion and have to put words in others' mouths. Sounds like a nerve was hit.

I would love to see how you get from:

to:
Really? That's what you got from my statement? It would be so interesting to see how you got to that particular leap of logic. Do you really feel that because *I* feel a particular condition is right for me, that I must therefore think that *my* opinion is what everyone else should think as well? That's pretty childish and provincial, really (you may also have a future in government!).


All ears, dearie, do your best.

Not interested...maybe someone else wants to play.

It's definitely the way you state your opinions and the way you say what's right for you.

You are coming across as extremely snobbish and patronizing.

At the same time, your posts make it 'all about you'.

I'm sure you are a fun person who can afford to go to WDW or wherever even if you do choose to eat in your hotel room for inexpensive breakfasts.

But perhaps you should take a step back and realize that you are in public view and stop throwing darts at other people?

But let's get back to the OP and the original question:
If I needed to save, I'd probably do a combination of things - eat in, find offsite places, do lunch at my favorites instead of dinner.

For my family, we just do what works best for us. So, we make a budget and go from there.

Tiger

 

[mombrontrent]

why were the humans enjoying your snacks? you're not supposed to feed the birds, let alone the humans!!

sorry, I just love catching a "dangling participle".


anyhow, I think most on this thread mean eating a few meals "at home", to save some money, have down time, break up the eating out, various reason. I don't think anyone meant they would be eating cold cut sandwhiches the whole week. or NEVER eat out (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

one thing I haven't seen. we will be in a studio (BLT, then AKL) to us, it's a treat to have the fridge, toaster, sink, microwave.

any ideas of food to cook in just this kitchenette , not a full kitchen. we will be eating some meals out,(we have 4 ADRS and a few CS we like a lot.) but we want to take advantage of the kitchenette. already plan on tuna on toast, and "nuking" some canned food (beef stew, chicken ala king, etc.) don't worry, we won't be eating out of the can at the parks! we also thought of muking some smoked sausage and hubby bought some microwave cups of mac and cheese. it'll be just the 2 of us.

What about BLT sandwivhes, you can even buy the pre-cooked bacon and zap it in the microwave for a few seconds.

 

[pigletto]

why were the humans enjoying your snacks? you're not supposed to feed the birds, let alone the humans!!

sorry, I just love catching a "dangling participle".


anyhow, I think most on this thread mean eating a few meals "at home", to save some money, have down time, break up the eating out, various reason. I don't think anyone meant they would be eating cold cut sandwhiches the whole week. or NEVER eat out (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

one thing I haven't seen. we will be in a studio (BLT, then AKL) to us, it's a treat to have the fridge, toaster, sink, microwave.

any ideas of food to cook in just this kitchenette , not a full kitchen. we will be eating some meals out,(we have 4 ADRS and a few CS we like a lot.) but we want to take advantage of the kitchenette. already plan on tuna on toast, and "nuking" some canned food (beef stew, chicken ala king, etc.) don't worry, we won't be eating out of the can at the parks! we also thought of muking some smoked sausage and hubby bought some microwave cups of mac and cheese. it'll be just the 2 of us.

We have a studio for 4 nights at OKW and then again at BWV for 8 nights. We're getting the dining plan for our 8 nights at BWV, but we plan on going OOP for the 4 nights at OKW. It will be mostly CS but we do plan to have breakfasts and maybe a few lighter dinners in the room.

One thing we found that we LOVE is breakfast sandwhiches. We toast an English muffin, add cheese and tomato, and a slice of deli ham. The egg is cooked in this little circle shaped microwave egg cooker for 1 minute. We just mix it first so it is scrambled. The egg cooker was found on an end cap at the grocery store.
The breakfast sandwhiches are easy, not messy, and really filling. When we've had those in the morning we're good until 2 or so where we have a big counter service late lunch and something light in the evening.

 

[dvcgirl]

We've never cooked to save money as the sole reason, but for convenience and only for breakfasts and quick lunches when taking breaks back at the studio or villa. I could see cooking if we were staying longer than 10 days though, and if we went during a really crowded period, just for a break from the crowds.

Breakfast though...we always have coffee and breakfast in our studio when at Disney. In 2009, we were there for 7 days with nine 8 adults and 3 kids...in 2, two bedroom studios. We even did eggs....waffles the whole thing.

 

[momx2]

Ok, I'll admit it....we are going on vacation next week and we are low on funds! We have had our trip to DC planned for over 6 months, including a congressman getting us tours, so we don't want to cancel. This spring we have had many, many dr and hospital bills, hence being low on funds.

The kids are aware of this so we are staying free for 6 nights with AmEx points in the Sheraton Suites in Alexandria. We are driving, only having to pay for one night in a hotel. I am packing food for the car for the drive down. I am also going to be cooking food today and freezing it to eat at least 3 dinners in the room. We will be eating all breakfasts in the room and I figure will eat lunch out in DC while touring.

Today I am cooking taco soup and taco seasoned meat for two meals. We will only have a micro and a fridge. I am also bringing my own toaster and electric skillet for eggs and toast (I can't stand eggs in the microwave). We are also going to have hotdogs and barbeque sandwiches with mac and cheese and baked beans.

I have $30 in gift cards and a $5 off coupon to Outback, which we will use in Alexandria for dinner one night. So that's 4 nights worth of dinners. I will only buy 3 out. Maybe take out pizza or something cheap one night and 2 good dinners out or I'm thinking about cooking and freezing another meal if I can come up with one, hmmmm....

 

[OceanAnnie]

I am looking over my December plans and I see I could pretty easily save about $400 if I decided to cook a few dinners instead of going out. We are staying in a 1 bed at OKW and so have a full kitchen, I'm kind of tempted, it's not that we can't afford to eat out I have the money. I just think of how nice it is to grab a drink, cook something and chill without fighting more crowds at resturants. We are there Dec 17-27th and we will eat out 6 nights Ts, 1 lunch TS, and 1 Breakfast TS, and lots of CS lunches.

We are a group of 5 so cutting 3 meals would be save money and just be more relaxing which sounds good.

If you would cook, what would you cook? I'm thinking pizza, tacos... and something

If I had a full kitchen, I probably would cook a few meals. Not a lot, and not something super involved. But a full kitchen? That's really nice. Yep. I would.

I'd probably do mostly breakfasts and maybe a dinner or two. That would save a lot of money right there. I would rather eat in for breakfast anyway. Other than that, we'd be out most of the time.

 

[ConnieB]

Ok, I'll admit it....we are going on vacation next week and we are low on funds! We have had our trip to DC planned for over 6 months, including a congressman getting us tours, so we don't want to cancel. This spring we have had many, many dr and hospital bills, hence being low on funds.

The kids are aware of this so we are staying free for 6 nights with AmEx points in the Sheraton Suites in Alexandria. We are driving, only having to pay for one night in a hotel. I am packing food for the car for the drive down. I am also going to be cooking food today and freezing it to eat at least 3 dinners in the room. We will be eating all breakfasts in the room and I figure will eat lunch out in DC while touring.

Today I am cooking taco soup and taco seasoned meat for two meals. We will only have a micro and a fridge. I am also bringing my own toaster and electric skillet for eggs and toast (I can't stand eggs in the microwave). We are also going to have hotdogs and barbeque sandwiches with mac and cheese and baked beans.

I have $30 in gift cards and a $5 off coupon to Outback, which we will use in Alexandria for dinner one night. So that's 4 nights worth of dinners. I will only buy 3 out. Maybe take out pizza or something cheap one night and 2 good dinners out or I'm thinking about cooking and freezing another meal if I can come up with one, hmmmm....

But see, the way I'd look at this.....10 years from now your kids are NOT going to remember whether they ate taco soup or a restaurant meal, but they WILL remember the tour and other fun stuff you and MOST OF ALL they will remember that it was a loving family vacation. I can remember a lot of vacations with my family from 40 years ago, but I can remember very few dinners (and those are all holidays/birthdays so the meal itself was part of the celebration). We quite often vacationed at relatives home's to save money. It's seldom the meals that we remember but the events and family togetherness that becomes a cherised memory.

 

[momx2]

But see, the way I'd look at this.....10 years from now your kids are NOT going to remember whether they ate taco soup or a restaurant meal, but they WILL remember the tour and other fun stuff you and MOST OF ALL they will remember that it was a loving family vacation. I can remember a lot of vacations with my family from 40 years ago, but I can remember very few dinners (and those are all holidays/birthdays so the meal itself was part of the celebration). We quite often vacationed at relatives home's to save money. It's seldom the meals that we remember but the events and family togetherness that becomes a cherised memory.

That's the way I look at too! Some of our best vacations were us taking most of our food with us. As time has gone by, we have started vacationing beyond our means. It is an easy habit to get into and a hard one to get out of. I hope we begin to break that habit this trip. We are so excited about the trip and will be watching National Treasure 2 today to get ready for the Mount Vernon tour. Planning is at least half the fun!

 

[librarygeek]

I just went to Orlando with a group of 12 people, and to eat out every night would have added up extremely quickly. We had a suite with a full kitchen, so we did some meals there. I'd say maybe half of our dinners were at the resort, the other half we ate out. We did stuff like lasagna, frozen pizzas, salads. And we did breakfast in the room every morning.

 

[LSchrow]

when we stayed in a regular (not DVC) room, we ate out. almost constantly. we've used the DDP, TIW, and without any dining plan or card. we've tried in-room, as well as off and on-site eating.
every one is different, but we found the perfect fit for us is a mix (note that i don't cook normally: i save that for the talented people who can also, we are rather light eaters).
we eat a small b'fast such as cereal, toast, pastry from the BW bakery, with OJ and the mandatory coffee, etc in the room (normally a DVC studio or 1-bedroom). lunch is a sandwich (cold cuts, PB&J, tuna) , soup, or a frozen dinner (i rarely eat both b'fast and lunch tho the rest of my family might).
we eat a bit more than half of our dinners out: flippers at the crossroads for delicious pasta, house of blues using a restaurant.com cert, (we've tried a few places using the certs), our favorite WDW restaurant: coral reef when we have TIW or a day of the DDP, swolphin restaurants, BRG, or others that have DVC or AP discounts.
the mix of both eating in and dining out keeps us from feeling overstuffed or deprived - i would vote for saving $200, and eating out half the time

 

[Pembo]

We have stayed at a condo our last 2 trips. I love being able to eat in. We always eat breakfast in bc we are cereal people. We usually eat lunch in the park and have sandwiches for dinner on our afternoon break. It's nice to have snacks in the room too. Oreos for all $3 as opposed to one Mickey Bar for $3.

 

[pigletto]

But see, the way I'd look at this.....10 years from now your kids are NOT going to remember whether they ate taco soup or a restaurant meal, but they WILL remember the tour and other fun stuff you and MOST OF ALL they will remember that it was a loving family vacation. I can remember a lot of vacations with my family from 40 years ago, but I can remember very few dinners (and those are all holidays/birthdays so the meal itself was part of the celebration). We quite often vacationed at relatives home's to save money. It's seldom the meals that we remember but the events and family togetherness that becomes a cherised memory.

I totally totally agree. And I will even go farther to say that the meals I do remember were either A) big family home cooked meals (holidays etc) or B) going out as a treat. So the special dinners.
If we ate out three meals a day for an entire vacation I would likely only remember one or two for the whole trip.

 

[ConnieB]

That's the way I look at too! Some of our best vacations were us taking most of our food with us. As time has gone by, we have started vacationing beyond our means. It is an easy habit to get into and a hard one to get out of. I hope we begin to break that habit this trip. We are so excited about the trip and will be watching National Treasure 2 today to get ready for the Mount Vernon tour. Planning is at least half the fun!

Ok, just for giggles, I asked my daughters who turned 15 last week, what they remember about their very first Disneyland trip when they were 9 1/2...so not even 6 years ago. The ONLY meal they remember was at Ariel's Grotto. It was the first night we arrived and it was so they could meet as many Princesses as possible. They can't remember a single thing on the menu. BUT...they remember some very cute and funny tidbits about each Princess and what was said between the Princesses, lol. In fact, they can't recall any other food at all for this trip, but thousands of tidbits about the special pixie dust and rides and everything like that.

Then I decided to go a little more recently....our last trip was 3 months ago.....ok, they do remember a couple of meals but not what they ate so much as some story about the place or the server.

OP's original question was about saving $400 by eating in the room.....and all I can think about is what we could do with that $400! This year we're "doing" Disneyland so staying off site is much easier and much much cheaper....heavens $400 would be about 7 extra days in the hotel so think how much longer our trip could be (we have APs so obviously that's not an issue....and if we cook at the hotel then food wouldn't cost us any more than it does at home so that's not a budget concern either). So OP's $400 would net us almost an extra week of exploring Disneyland....or the beach...or other things around the area (there ARE other things right?). Yeah, that's worth a few minutes of cook time each day for us.

 

[DVCBELLE]

I haven't read this whole thread but I would never cook at WDW and we are always in the villas...

normally I would say if you want to cook then go for it but in this situation there are several things I would consider: will you have a car to go get the groceries?

Have you thought about the time it will take to go back to the villa and cook - and then back to the parks?

If you are going to be there Christmas week - there is a good possibility if you leave the park you won't get back in on some days.

I think that you might find going to the villa to cook and trying to get back to the parks will be extremely time consuming! OKW is a good trek from every park!