Okay in June my family an I will be going on vacation to Disney World. We will be staying in disney in a resort, but we did not purchase the meal plan. I could not justify spending the amount of money and not getting that amount worth of food. So we will be taking food for breakfast and maybe a few dinners. Our room has a small frig an a microwave. I am looking for ideas of foods to take and stuff i can make while there. I have breakfast covered but am looking up ideas for dinner. Remember it will be at least a 9 hour drive an will need to take foods that you do not need to keep cold, etc. So can meats, etc and only way of cooking will be a microwave.
Thank you for helping.
Did you know they have grocery stores in Orlando? I have heard they have fast food and other restaurants.
Seems like you are planning a lot of work for nothing.
I would go to the grocery store when you get there... sure, it might be a bit more expensive, but since you are driving, you will have easy access to any shopping you want to do off-site.
You may also be able to find pre-cooked meals and such, or a nice deli for sandwich meats, cheeses, and things that wouldn't travel very well.
Bring a large empty cooler and when you get there go to a store and stock up on drinks, sandwich stuff (lunchmeat/cheese) milk, juice, etc. and cover it with ice. Bring or buy a bag full of bread, bagels, fruit, cereal and snacks.
As far as microwave (warm) food you can do those individual microwave soups, or hot dogs, or any other "ready to microwave" products your family will eat.
The way we did Disney was usually light breakfast in the room, a big lunch in the park (like burgers or chicken or ribs in a sit down restaurant) and then sandwiches for dinner in the room before going back to the park for the nighttime stuff. We barely touched the microwave.
go to a grocery store when you are closer to the resort. Get some stuff to make good sandwiches. Since you are driving you have the option to go offsite to get meals and groceries. I am sure it is cheaper a few miles away from the resort. It is too much to bring it all from home.
You are overthinking things.
We always stayed at the Polynesian and loved every minute if it. We stayed twice in the concierge tower where food was readily available 24/7 but they had a specific breakfast, snack? Lunch, afternoon snack , happy hour, dinner type snack, and dessert hours. Yes we paid extra but it was worth it.
Bottom line... Stop at Grocery, get a cheap ice chest you can leave behind, stockpile it with water, drinks, milk, juice, etc.
Part of the fun of Disney is to go to a character meal or two and have a vacation.
Don't plan all meals for in room on your dollar. Enjoy the experience. If you can't afford to go.... Don't go. It is expensive .
I would just find a good local deli and go there for some sandwiches and side salads. You can bring drinks with you, and maybe chips, bottled salsa? From a local grocery store, you could get fruit (apples or oranges, since those keep pretty well for a few days), maybe some snap peas (that can be eaten raw as snacks), baby carrots, etc. A lot of grocery stores also have ready-made hot meal sections. The one near our house has Chinese food, Italian food, a made-to-order gourmet pizza counter, and a big salad bar. You could feed your family there for very little, and eat pretty well!
I'd just plan picnic-style dinners. Probably there are areas where you can go sit at a picnic table outdoors, right? After a full day at Disney, you all won't want to have a big sit-down dinner anyway, I'm sure. When we went to Disneyland, my kids had zero interest in eating once we got back to the hotel - they just wanted to play in the pool until bedtime!
We normally go to a grocery store our first full day on vacation. That way we kind of have an idea of what we need - how many meals we want to cook. But we also have a full kitchen most places, so I can cook meals. I don't know how I would plan to cook out of a microwave. I guess frozen meals maybe? Not sure how much freezer room you will have in the little refrigerator.
For what it's worth, everyone I know who uses the dining plan says it really pays for itself, if you plan to be in the parks that often.
If you need to eat dinner at the parks, you can always get kids meals which are cheaper and plenty big and include grapes,carrots ,yogurt or fries and small drink . You can ask for a cup of water too and always add crystal light or something to it if you prefer.They will give you a free cup or cups of ice water at any quick service location .Go to allears .net (Debs unofficial guide to disney ) and look at the menus ahead of time so you know where to go to get the meals you would like .Don't forget to stop in the Cool Spot in Epcots Future World to sample free soda pop from around the world ! By the way , its not easy to go back and forth to your room for dinner . If you have small children that need to nap daily you will probably have to so you can enjoy the rest of the day . Don't forget to check out the new parade at the Magic Kingdom with Anna and Elsa, Rapunzel,etc Its really wonderful ! I believe it is at 12 and 3:30 ! Have Magical Trip !!!
We always go to the grocery store after we check in to the hotel or right before we get there. That way you don't have to move it several times.
Easy Mac, ravioli, canned veggies, sandwich supplies, etc.
