[mouseof4]

that was a excellent point on the breakfast menu! think how the employees feel! i mean they pay really low for hourly employment and tehn they charge a arm and a leg to eat eggs! i bet those workers just shake there head:madmad . here is a thought can we bring a like the bottom of a slow cooker like 12 inches long big enough to cook 2 eggs and a toaster and use it in the room? you have a fridge so you can kinda cheat there put all your things in there?;) just a idea. we do the poptart, granola for breakfast when we go and take the diaper bag and load it up so we never need snacks in the park really as far as drinks and chip

[tinkerbell]

hmm you know I dont know if you could bring something like that, it might be considered a fire hazard by disney. I hope someone answers this that knows for sure. Its an interesting idea.

[jmouse]

Maybe I am the odd one, but when I go to Walt Disney World Resort, I am on vacation. I expect resort pricing on their food and activities. I expect the actual cost of the food items are a small fraction of the price paid for a meal. Also included in this cost are the other overhead costs, including the restaurant structure cost, the employee cost, entertainment cost if a character meal, etc. If I want to go cheap, I can always stay offsite and eat at the less expensive eateries offsite (fast food, Denny's etc.). If I want to watch my wallet when staying onsite, I can always go the Pop Tart, cereal, juice route in the room.

I have found that Disney food portions are large. Sharing an adult meal or getting the child's portion works well and is less damaging to the wallet. The value resort food courts are a good value for all meals if you keep this in mind.

If I want to cook in my room, there is always the option of staying in a Ft Wilderness cabin or a DVC villa. The Ft. Wilderness cabins cost a lot less than a DVC villa and provide a full kitchen, thus allowing you to cook as many meals as you like to save money on eating out.

Just some more ideas.

[wdwspider]

Originally posted by jmouse
Maybe I am the odd one, but when I go to Walt Disney World Resort, I am on vacation. I expect resort pricing on their food and activities. I expect the actual cost of the food items are a small fraction of the price paid for a meal. Also included in this cost are the other overhead costs, including the restaurant structure cost, the employee cost, entertainment cost if a character meal, etc. If I want to go cheap, I can always stay offsite and eat at the less expensive eateries offsite (fast food, Denny's etc.). If I want to watch my wallet when staying onsite, I can always go the Pop Tart, cereal, juice route in the room.

I have found that Disney food portions are large. Sharing an adult meal or getting the child's portion works well and is less damaging to the wallet. The value resort food courts are a good value for all meals if you keep this in mind.

If I want to cook in my room, there is always the option of staying in a Ft Wilderness cabin or a DVC villa. The Ft. Wilderness cabins cost a lot less than a DVC villa and provide a full kitchen, thus allowing you to cook as many meals as you like to save money on eating out.

Just some more ideas.

Jmouse, for once... I totally agree with you word for word.

You take a vacation to leave worries like Money and cooking behind. When you try to penny pinch your vacation, is it really a vacation?

Not saying that eating at the McDonald's vs. the Rainforest isn't a vacation, but it should never become a bother or worry as to what you should eat and how expensive things are. OK, so I could not convince myself to buy the $50 light up hat at night. :laugh It still didn't stop me from buying the $15 light up spinner, a Bucket of Popcorn, two drinks, a stuffed pluto, and a balloon. I guess moderation is the main thing. Vacations are for fun and splurging a little more than you get to at home.

[tinkerbell]

:laugh :laugh my DH is saying that jmouse and WDWspider are both right with out any doubts!! Of course his favorite thing to do at WDW is eat.
I know we spend a lot on our trips to WDW. But they mean so much to us. there are little things we might save on ..like I have brought 3 liters of coke with us, and the cereal bars and snacks. Actually the reason I started bringing cereal bars wasnt to save money but to save time and try and get the girls to the parks while they were still clean *grin*.
I have always thought that even though we drive now, not using the van while we are there and using Disney transportation was a nice savings. specially since Fl. gas prices are always much higher then texas gas prices. Eating a late breakfast or *brunch* works too. One thing my DH and I firmly believe is that we get our moneys worth

[mickaholic4077]

The value resort food courts have toasters and microwave ovens,so if you bring things like frozen waffles,you can toast them,and all the condiments(butter & syrup) you might need will be there for the taking.

[tinkerbell]

Originally posted by mickaholic4077
The value resort food courts have toasters and microwave ovens,so if you bring things like frozen waffles,you can toast them,and all the condiments(butter & syrup) you might need will be there for the taking.

lol just beware of the condiment police *flash back to last August at the CBR*!!!

[mickaholic4077]

Oops,forgot about the CP!!!!:nooo: :nooo: :D :D

[goofygal1975]

Some people, though, like me, are on a tight budget. I stay on site at the value resorts when I can get the AP rate only. I *have* to watch how much I spend on items such as food. While I realize that it *is* Disney and they charge an arm and a leg(and for the most part it is worth it...like a character meal)...it still can be hard. I do what I can by bringing my own water, our own snacks, and we bring bagles and a cooler for cream cheese. I will use the resorts toaster soemtimes..but mostly just eat it the way that it is.

Its very nice to go on Vacation and totally enjoy it and not to worry about money. But some people just dont have that option. And the food can get expensive. (like at football games!)I am lucky that I can go to Disney and stay on site at a *very* cheap rate. We purposly dont go out to eat much at home, or do much that will cost a lot of money, so that we can save and stay at Disney...which is our favorite place to be!! Please dont take this as whining!! I'm really not. I am very happy that we can take weekend trips here and there, we usually eat one character meal a trip and just go cheap the rest of the time!;)

I do not think that bringing anything to cook with is allowed. I have to admit this...:bandit When we went in June, and my mom and grandma came with us in an adjoining room....as many times as i told her not to, my gma brought a toaster!! It really came to great use, and we always made sure it was cooled off before packing it away! But I just *knew* that we weren't supposed to have it! I cant remember where I have read it, but I know they dont like you bringing in appliances...even coffee makers i believe, for fire saftey reasons!

[Dana]

It takes me a year and a half to two years to save my money and do Disney the way I want to. The way I enjoy it is to do everything I want and not worry about the cost of it. I don't go anywhere in my "off" year nad save all my change and buy Disney dollarss here and there to ensure a 100% paid for and fun trip. None of these trips are paid for with credit cards and such...all in cash. I always put aside some of my tax refund and a little each pay check. It builds up. I don't want to cook, do wash, or any of my normal activities on my trip. I want to soak up Disney. This is just my preferred way of doing Disney and the reason I can't go every year. Everyone has their own way.

[JM0318]

If you tell Disney up front that you have a special need. You can bring things in. I know that if you have diabetes, just tell them at guest relations and you can bring in what ever you need. Just remember you have to tote it around with you or make sure it is in small enough containers to put in a locker. But for the most part they will not say anything to you about bringing in Drinks or food to the park with you. :cry: And the same is true with the resorts.:whistle: :dazed :hmmm
:heart :) :heart

[mickaholic4077]

I think the conclusion we can all draw from all the diverse opinions is everyone has the way that they do Disney that's right for them,and no one should put down or otherwise disparage how someone else does it. I know for myself I would never be able to do Disney the way Dana can do it,but that's okay.( I wish I COULD do it your way!!) I love the fact I can go any time. Maybe if I could only go every couple of years I would do it that way too,but I am satidfied with the way I go.

[JOANN]

jmouse,
You are not the odd one. Everything you said was sooooo true!!!
Infact, love going to EPCOT. Just so we can eat our way through the countries. My DH feels the same way, I think he goes to DW just to eat. And why not , your on vacation!!!!:) JOANN

[goofygal1975]

We are not people who eat out a lot, so how we do it works great for us!! I love to eat Breakfast at Chef Mickeys once a trip...since we dont eat big breakfasts back at home! (and like a lot of people, the rest of the time just eat breakfast in our rooms and snacks at the parks.) Thats what we enjoy to do!!We do eat lunch and dinner out at the parks and I have no problem with those prices. They really aren't that bad! I gladly scrimp on the "big" meals at WDW, since we dont go there to eat anyways, and get our favorite stuff, chicken tenders and cheeseburgers:laugh Then we get to have more special weekends or day trips !! ;) We do however *have* to have a mickey bar each, and we *have* to get popcorn each trip! haha

I love to hear stories of everyone's experiences at the different places around the world, though, even though thats not what we enjoy or go there to do!

[mouseof4]

i agree there is no right or wrong way to do disney. i mentioned the cooking pan only for teh reason someone said in another post on the prices its to expensive so the idea popped into my head of that option. we have small kids who do notwant to sit and wait for breakfast they want to hit the pool the parks etc etc . to excited to see a charcter to wait and eat eggs if its a long wait, so breakfast on the go works great for us, unless we do a charcter breakfast which they loved. so no matter how you do disney the important thing is it works for your family and you have fun, everyone is on diffrent budgets and has diffrent life styles!! :D