Anyone a lunch packer?

[Scifidiner]

I make and take a lunch every day to work. I refuse to do it on vacation. In fact, I make my lunch daily so I can afford to splurge on vacations.

 

[grumpy28]

Just finished packing our lunches to take for the car ride tomorrow. We'll be leaving at 4 AM, so had to get it ready now. Driving down and 1. like to save money, 2.like to eat a little healthier, since I know I will be eating pretty bad there and 3. it helps me use up odds and ends that will go bad while we are gone! Granted, we are lucky that we can drive(a long 9 hours) and pack a cooler for the road. We do not pack lunches while in the parks, but we do share meals or order kids meals, or eat a big breakfast and skip lunch, then have an early dinner. We also pack some quick breakfasts for the hotel, so that helps with both the budget and the waistline!

 

[PlutosPal31]

We opt to stay in a Villa, with a Kitchen. Reason is more about the food options available. We make breakfast everyday and have beer, wine, drinks cool and ready in the refrigerator. We'll typically have reservations for one meal per day, but that's it. My stomach couldn't handle eating 2 or 3 meals out every day for a week or two.

Same for us. Small breakfast/lunch in room, and a somewhat bigger dinner in the parks. I’ll pack small snacks for kiddos....fruit pouches, cheese, crackers.

 

[michael's mom]

Sam

Not obvious at all ! I'll probably buy sandwich containers from the dollar tree then chuck them after our trip . This is the FIRST no stroller trip as I have 2 teens and one able bodied 7 year old, so everyone will carry their own lunch ( maybe not the 7 year old, she's not to bet trusted) I'd rather snack while waiting in line then sit and blow $300 .

same here! First time without a stroller. Bought a cooler backpack for hubby to carry and kids will have drawstring backpacks. My plan was to pack lunch most days and can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that plastic storage%. Great idea! My kids won’t eat sandwiches so it’ll ost likely be rolled deli meat, cheese sticks. We’re a nut free family so those go to snacks aren’t an option. So glad you posted!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

There are so many QS options that won't break the bank so we never lug food around in the park.

 

[wgeo]

This is a great thread. We always used to bring in lunches but the past few trips have done QS for lunch instead. It's expensive - usually ends up around $60 which won't break the bank, but honestly it's a lot more than the food is worth. The issue is that the quality of the food is just so bad, it's hard to stomach spending the money on bad food. I'm thinking for the most part we'll go back to bringing lunch food in again just so we can eat better tasting and healthier food. Except of course our Animal Kingdom day - we are very excited to try Satulli Canteen, but otherwise I'm thinking bringing in lunch.

 

[jsmla]

There are so many QS options that won't break the bank so we never lug food around in the park.

It's not solely the expense. I just don't find the Disney eats all that great. I've made at least four trips (week long +) trips each year for the last ten years or so and am underwhelmed with 90% of what's available inside the parks. I enjoy a couple of the Epcot venues and both Satu'li and Flametree in AK but that's pretty much it. I switched to table service for the past few trips and pretty much had the same meh reaction to most of my meals. For me, anyway, the just okay food is not worth the time, effort or expense.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

It's not solely the expense. I just don't find the Disney eats all that great. I've made at least four trips (week long +) trips each year for the last ten years or so and am underwhelmed with 90% of what's available inside the parks. I enjoy a couple of the Epcot venues and both Satu'li and Flametree in AK but that's pretty much it. I switched to table service for the past few trips and pretty much had the same meh reaction to most of my meals. For me, anyway, the just okay food is not worth the time, effort or expense.

So see there are budget friendly QS places to eat.

 

[Asherry25]

We are lunch packers, and also choose to eat in our condo for dinner before returning to the parks. We’re a family of 4, and my youngest has food allergies. We pack for both economic and time reasons.

This trip, we’re using an insulated tote bag that fits in the back of our umbrella stroller. We generally do sandwiches, but sometimes the kids just want cooked pasta, diced ham, etc.

For the first week, I spent a total of about $130 at the grocery store for 3 meals a day, and that included some craft beer. We ate one meal at DLuxe Burger ($50), and one lunch at Via Napoli ($75). So, those two meals cost the same as my entire week of meals.

Making easy meals means we can afford to vacation at Disney for two weeks for the fifth time in 6 years. I’ll take that trade off.

 

[Klayfish]

We are lunch packers, and also choose to eat in our condo for dinner before returning to the parks. We’re a family of 4, and my youngest has food allergies. We pack for both economic and time reasons.

This trip, we’re using an insulated tote bag that fits in the back of our umbrella stroller. We generally do sandwiches, but sometimes the kids just want cooked pasta, diced ham, etc.

For the first week, I spent a total of about $130 at the grocery store for 3 meals a day, and that included some craft beer. We ate one meal at DLuxe Burger ($50), and one lunch at Via Napoli ($75). So, those two meals cost the same as my entire week of meals.

Making easy meals means we can afford to vacation at Disney for two weeks for the fifth time in 6 years. I’ll take that trade off.

Yep, this is exactly what we do. Just got back tonight from a 17 day trip. Haven't added it up, but for our family of 5, we spent about $500 at the grocery store, maybe less. We have a very large insulated cooler bag. We use ice packs, Thermoses, Tupperware, etc...and bring any food we want. Pasta, chicken, salads, veggies, soda, you name it. The insulated bag fits perfectly in the seat of an umbrella stroller. We just leave it in stroller parking until we're ready to eat.

 

[BLAZEY]

We always do breakfast in the room and carry snacks into the park. We have to fly as we are from the west coast of Canada, but I do bring cereal, muffins, poptarts and snacks in our luggage. Then buy milk at the gift shop. In the parks we find DH and I can easily share a meal and kiddo get a kids meal. Fill water bottles and maybe buy a snack or 2. Daily spending for food in the park for us is about $35-50. Bonus is the room in our suitcase at the end when we have eaten all the food.

 

[Skellingtonj]

Me either. Pb&j and jerky or something like that just does not sound appealing.

Same. I pack some snacks but that’s it. We go enough that we can stop and eat and not feel like we are missing anything