Originally Posted By ImNotAllThereMyself DH and I have always brought munchies, and our own meals to eat at DL during the day. That way rather than eating crappy food all day, like hot dogs or whatever, we get one nice meal for dinner, and we are eating pretty healthy stuff for the day. I was wondering if anyone else does this as well. If so what are your "vacation" recipes, or take in park snacks? Just looking for some new ideas and things to try. Also we have never eaten anywhere in the park besides, NOS and Main street. What restaurants ( sit down style, more than burgers) do you recommend?
Originally Posted By joeysmommy Carnation Cafe is my new favoite. My kids love the PB&J masterpiece and I love the loaded baked potato soup. Ask if Oscar is there to meet him and have a photo with him. He's last surviving CM hired by Walt.
Originally Posted By MomluvsDisney I routinely bring snacks and small meals for myself and my DD (toddler). I also bring in water bottles and usually never purchase anything to drink unless I am splurging on a Mint Julep. I being in the crystal light singles, to flavor any water bottle fill ups that don't taste good (But to be honest that rarely happens to me). In the past I have brought cut vegetables, whole fruit, snack bars, trail mix, applesauce, sandwiches, pudding cups, crackers (especially goldfish, my DD favorite), pretzels, chips, dried fruit, cookies, juice boxes (I actually freeze the juice boxes to use as ice packs. By the time they are no longer frozen, anything needing refrigeration ia usually allready been eating), shelf stable organic milk, fruit cups, fruit leather, tuna packets, tuna kits (tuna packet with fixings and crackers) rolls, hard salami (no fridge required) and other things that slip my mind at the moment. I like sharing the chicken dinner from the Plaza Inn with my daughter (more then enough to do so). Additionally, I sometimes splurge and eat at Cafe Orleans. I like making a meal of the excellent French onion soup and an order of the Parmesan Pommes Frites. The Mickey beignets are wonderful as well. If you feel like splurging you can get the Monte Cristo Sandwich. At Cafe Orleans, they offer two versions of it! Oh and if you like the mint juleps (which I love!) you can have unlimited refills during your meal at Cafe Orleans.
Originally Posted By dlkozy White Water is fairly inexpensive for Disney and is always a nice quiet getaway from the heat and crowds. Located in GC.
Originally Posted By joeysmommy Yes! Whatewater snacks is also a great little getaway from the park..but not too far. I love the french dip sandwich.Yummy!
Originally Posted By ImNotAllThereMyself MomLuvs- Those are very similar to what we have done. I love the idea of freezing the juice boxes. my mom used to do that, but I had totally forgotten about it. We take a camel pack of water that we fill with ice at the hotel , and then have several gallon's in the car to fill before we get to the park. it is an excellent way to stay hydrated. and my daughter can't throw it, like she does with a sippy. I think we will be doing the salami again this time though. it is a good meat source, adn the best part is you can eat stuff in lines and just sitting whereever. Thanks. Pudding used to be available in tubes like go gurt yogurt. Those were the best. because they never broke open in the backpack. (we have had puddingsplosions...) I have done chicken salad. I grill a few chicken breasts before we leave, and make little baggies with the cut up veggies i like in it then.. the morning of i cut up the chicken and pack it in a medium tossable bowl. then go to wendy's (usually before hand) and get a baked potato and ask for extra sour cream. or pick up a couple packs of mayo and forks at a restaurant in the park. then mix in the veggies and stuff, adn eat with tostada shells (if they get broken it is ok. if tortila chips get broken, they are powder) We have done the tuna. we have done ceasar salad wraps as well, just pack all the stuff you need in one cesar salad wrap into one gallon ziptop bag, then add dressing when you are ready, shake, pour onto tortillas, wraps or pitas roll and eat. all you throw away is the ziptop bags, and foil that you wrapped the tortillas in. ( more good use of getting extra somethings at a fast food place.) My daughter doesn't use the caramel dip with her apples, but I love it. so I keep them. and use them for trips. same with ranch, and various other dips from restaurants. they make peanut butter in little travel packs that are perfect for dipping apples and celery in. We just found Cafe's Orleans recently, adn LOVED the food, adn the laid back atmosphere. we will be staying at ho jo's right next to mimis and will probably be splitting a breakfast there in the mornings.
Originally Posted By ImNotAllThereMyself Thanks everyone. I had never eaten at whitewater snacks. ( i didn't think i could pass the credit check to walk through the hotel...) we will have to check it out this time. Ursula.... When I am on vacation. I try everything in my power. not to eat at mc donalds. it used to be because we lived in a small city adn we had mcd's, taco bells, adn jacks, but no innout, or rubios, or other better fast food places. So when we were out of town we would avid places we could readily get otherwise and go for something new. Now it is just that I would rather eat somewhere else. Heck. i found that Ihop and millies end up costing almost the same. Plus I love the chicken tortilla soup at millies.
Originally Posted By MomluvsDisney ImNotAllThereMyself-If you go to Mimi's cafe site you can enroll for their Mimi's club and they will send you a coupon for a free breakfast a mimi's (I would try the pain perdu..so yummy. You can signe up everyone with a seperate address, but they will only allow one coupon per party per day. (With Mimi's right there at the hotel, this is handy for a real breakfast to start a day at the park...) Once word of caution..there is a limited time frame on how long the coupon is good, so do not enroll until the week you leave, but it can take up to 24 hours to show in your mail box.
Originally Posted By MickeyMommy Make homemade chocolate cookies in advance and freeze them. Then then they are nice and fresh for the trip. And what is better than a huge stash of homemade cookies in your room??? It keeps you from the temptation of all kinds of expensive park snacks. And I agree with the others, White Water Snacks is great - you beat the crowds, the prices are fair, and the portions are big enough to split.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>(we have had puddingsplosions...)<< LOL (Never had one of those, but I had a yogurtsplosion in my backpack not too long ago.)
Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove Echoing the yummy goodness of the Pain Perdu at Mimi's, except I've always gotten the Berry Pain Perdu. No matter. It's beyond scrumptious and you will not be sorry. I remember back in the days, with our first batch of kids, we went a couple of times and brought Lunchables. Man, they're probably out of style or existence by now, but they hung in there until lunchtime and they had those little green peppermint chocolates (After 8, maybe?) and that yummy spicy sauce (white with green flecks) to dunk your meat and cheese into. Good times... Right now we just bring in a few awesome chocolate flavored power bars or those yummy chocolate chip fiber one bars (from Costco) and water bottles and we are good to go. We're so distracted by just being happy to be there, that food kind of takes a back seat. Having said that...we can never seem to pass up at least one stop at Carnation Cafe each day...
Originally Posted By tapdancemom We mostly stay at the Candy Cane Inn and they have a decent breakfast buffet, minus the oh so yummy yellow muffins of days gone by. That usually holds us quite a while. We carry in water, granola/trail mix bars, and fruit for snacks. Carnation Cafe has a great baked potato soup and we enjoy Plaza Inn or French Market for chicken dinners and as mentioned before they're big enough to share. Millie's across from Disneyland does the "kids eat free with adult" that helps out.
Originally Posted By crazycroc If you want to sample stuff in the park, but don't want to spend as much, try the kids menu. It's usually the same portion. Especially at the walk up window type restaurants.
Originally Posted By AZDLDad Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland, we have always made our one "splurge" meal here. Sit right next to BTMRR and watch the trains in the shade and quiet. Wife and I split a larger plate meal. We feel it is a good value. Restrooms right there too. Another mid-day favorite to beat the heat and hustle and bustle is to catch a show at the Golden Horsehoe while you dine, cool off and rest yer feets. We too take in snacks like many mentioned in previous posts.
Originally Posted By quincytoo Are those yummy muffins from CCI gone??? Those were GREAT Last few years we have discovered Hojo's with the entertaiment rate and have thus discovered Mimi's....OMG YUMMMY We used to bring in snacks consisting of, trail mix, granola bars, yogurt tubes, juice boxes, fruit (from CCI breakfast buffet) and water bottles We used to get two adult meals and two kids meals (sometimes if we were STARVING, we would also get a side salad) and found that was more then enough for us (party of two teenaged boys and two hungry adults) Now ordering two breakfasts at Mimi's to go gives us more them enough for breakfast PLUS huge yummy muffins for mid day snack
Originally Posted By cptmemo I didn't think about the dry salami. Will def. be taking some on our trip in September. Last time we had jerky, trail mix, pb crackers and cheese crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks, applesauce cups, string cheese, and juice boxes frozen. We also took cereal and bowls for breakfast in the room before we went. It was nice to have stuff to snack on, and then have 1 sit down meal a day, and then usually a light meal from White Water at some point. We still spent a fair amount on food while we were there, but hardly anything on snacky type foods and drinks (also had bottled water and bottled soda).
Originally Posted By Linda1633 There are a few places that give you a 10% discount by using your Disney Visa or showing your AAA card. Lots of times my husband and I share something and later have a snack, usually ice cream. If you are willing to go over to GardenWalk there is a Johnny Rockets. If you go online you can get a coupon for one few hamburger.
Originally Posted By Jenasweetemotion MomluvsDisney- Thanks so much for the info for the free breakfast at Mimi's cafe, we have never tried the food hear but with one meal free I will definitely make my way over there.
