Extreme Meal Planning/Packing - Harborside at Atlantis

[MichaelColey]

We just returned from a week at Harborside at Atlantis. We had read how expensive the dining options were there (and they were) and how expensive the groceries were (and they were), so we planned on packing pretty much all of our food and cooking there. We're a family of five, with kids 8, 6 and 1. I have status with American Airlines, so checked bags were free (although it still would have been worthwhile at $25 per bag).

Basically, we worked up a menu (trying to keep as much nonperishable as possible), put together the list of all of the ingredients, grouped it by nonperishable, frozen/refrigerated, and things we would need to buy there, and figured out how to pack it all up.

We would arrive late afternoon on Saturday and leave before lunch the following Saturday, so we had 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 7 dinners at the resort.

For breakfast, we generally like bacon/sausage, egg and cheese muffins or burritos. The kids like OJ and yogurt, too. For lunch (for a week anyway), we're okay with sandwiches (ham and cheese or PBJ) and chips. For dinner, we planned:

1) Spaghetti and salad
2) Two nights of fish, risotto, mac & cheese and salad
3) Cheesy pasta with chicken and green beans
4) Soft Tacos
5) Baked chicken, dressing with gravy, green beans, mac & cheese and salad
6) Eating out one night. (We ended up doing breakfast for dinner instead.)

In addition, we brought/bought snacks (corn nuts, popcorn, jello and chocolate), food that our 1 year old likes (tomatoes, oranges, black olives, yogurt) and drinks (milk, water, tea, koolaid).

We ended up with one suitcase entirely full of nonperishable items. For the bread and english muffins, we put them inside a box and put the box in the suitcase -- it traveled perfectly. For the frozen and refrigerated stuff, we filled two small coolers and put them inside our suitcases. It was all still frozen/cold when we arrived.

All we had to buy when we got there was gallons of bottled water, milk, eggs, OJ, fruit, tomatoes, salad and fish.

We used up almost everything. When we packed up on the last day, the main thing we had left in the fridge was condiments. Besides that, we had a little cheese and sandwich meat left, one can of manderine oranges, some microwave popcorn, and a few other things.

We normally wouldn't go through such extreme measures, but with the cost of food there, it was totally worth it to us. We spent about $100 on groceries (half of that on fish) there, plus probably $150 or less in groceries that we brought.

 

[pjrose]

Wow, impressive planning and likely very impressive savings. Add to that the relative comfort of eating at "home" and the kids having familiar food instead of running into possible difficulties at restaurants.

I'm fascinated with the one-year-old's food likes - tomatoes, oranges, black olives, yogurt!

 

[tschwa2]

Do you ever feel the need to "declare" any of your food when going though customs? I remember when I was getting off the plane in Brazil and one of the questions addressed fish products from certain countries. I wrestled with the decision to declare my canned tuna or not. The line for nothing to declare was very long and the something to declare line had no one in it. I don't speak Portuguese and the customs agents didn't speak English too well but looked at me like I was crazy when I showed them my Chicken of the Sea. I wonder what they would have said to a suitcase full of food.

 

[MichaelColey]

I think fruits and nuts are the most common restrictions, but we didn't have any of that.

The 1 year old (almost 2) eats most of what we eat, but he loves those four things (yogurt, tomatoes, olives and mandarin oranges) so we brought/bought some for when/if he didn't like what we ate. He likes almost anything, but he LOVES those things. And he has a voracious appetite (like both of his older siblings). He would regularly eat close to a pound of food at each meal shortly after he turned one.

FWIW, the TSA did go through all three bags that had the food in, rather extensively. (They always put those "inspected by the TSA" flyers in when they do.) In the one suitcase that was entirely food, we had two boxes of stuff (taped shut) and tons of cans, boxes, etc in a layer on top of that. To keep stuff from shifting around to much, I taped it all together. When we unpacked, they had undone it enough to get it all out. The boxes (containing bread, pringles and other stuff that would have been crushed if they were loose) had been opened and resealed with TSA tape. The stuff that was taped together on top was all taped back together with TSA tape.

On the way home, none of our bags appeared to have been inspected.

 

[glypnirsgirl]

WOW = great planning!

The only time I did anything even close to this was the year that I used one of the Dream Dinners franchise operations to make a week of meals and FedExed them to Orlando after making sure that they were frozen solid before the trip. It worked great. I still had to buy groceries there, but the all of the meal prep for dinner was done.

Congratulations on your inventiveness!

elaine

 

[ronparise]

Im impressed...I generally stay fairy close to home and drive...its just 2 of us and no planning..We just empty the refrigerator and pantry into coolers and plastic bins. and of course there are leftovers to haul back home

Im not sure I can do what you did, but I really like elaine's FedEx solution

 

[SOS8260456]

I like both ideas. I have to save this thread. We have never been out of the country yet, but one of my worries about Atlantis has always been the meals. We have a family of 5 and the main reason we get to go on so many vacations is because we do eat in quite frequently. Put that together with tender stomaches and I have been unsure about making the trip (not that I would purposely not go, the opportunity just hasnt presented itself yet). Anyway, lots of good ideas.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[pjrose]

We are not planners, but still eat relatively inexpensively on vacation.

We generally do light cooking, e.g. rotisserie chicken and pre-made mashed potatoes and canned gravy. Leftovers with the addition of a pkg of tortillas, some cheese and cans of beans and salsa = fajitas the next day. The bones and leftover skin get cooked with some carrots, onion, and celery to make the basis for chicken rice or noodle soup. Pasta and a jar of sauce are easy. So is ordering a pizza. I think that's four dinners right there.

If we're stateside, we'll investigate the pre-prepared goodies at a big grocery store - usually lots of good stuff. Some Asian take-out is always good too, and there are generally leftovers.

We might have one or two dinners out, but often stick with the specials that include salad and/or soup, and generally skip appetizers, desserts, and drinks other than beer and coffee.

Lunch is soup and grilled cheese, leftovers, or maybe a sandwich or burger or fruit salad at the pool or beach.

Breakfast is whatever cereal or toast anyone wants to grab.

I can't imagine planning what to eat more than a day or so ahead, if that, but our methods save money, and let us relax at "home," and take only minimal cooking.

 

[ampaholic]

We are not planners, but still eat relatively inexpensively on vacation.

We generally do light cooking, e.g. rotisserie chicken and pre-made mashed potatoes and canned gravy. Leftovers with the addition of a pkg of tortillas, some cheese and cans of beans and salsa = fajitas the next day. The bones and leftover skin get cooked with some carrots, onion, and celery to make the basis for chicken rice or noodle soup. Pasta and a jar of sauce are easy. So is ordering a pizza. I think that's four dinners right there.

If we're stateside, we'll investigate the pre-prepared goodies at a big grocery store - usually lots of good stuff. Some Asian take-out is always good too, and there are generally leftovers.

We might have one or two dinners out, but often stick with the specials that include salad and/or soup, and generally skip appetizers, desserts, and drinks other than beer and coffee.

Lunch is soup and grilled cheese, leftovers, or maybe a sandwich or burger or fruit salad at the pool or beach.

Breakfast is whatever cereal or toast anyone wants to grab.

I can't imagine planning what to eat more than a day or so ahead, if that, but our methods save money, and let us relax at "home," and take only minimal cooking.

I agree - a Costco rotisserie chicken, Idahoan Garlic Smashed Potatoes w/ gravy (we'll buy a side at KFC if available) and sauteed asparagus or spinach followed by a dinner of chicken tacos and then lemon chicken orzo soup - makes three dinners for us. Toss in some milk, Cheerios and eggs and voila the week is nearly over.

 

[vacationhopeful]

When I took my 11 year nephew to AKV last month, the ONLY food we brought the entire 7 day stay was the last night's dinner at Boma, the TUG get-together at the Golden Corral and a box of Entenmann's Chocolate Donuts as a treat midweek. No sodas, no snacks, NOTHING. We did pack some food coming home.

Planning is the key and FREE SWA bags help.

 

[Passepartout]

Congratulations to all of you who plan that far ahead and are able to stick with it, reduce out-of-pocket expense and vacation more often. If more families took your guidance, they would be able to get away more often and draw closer.

I remember when I was maybe from age 6 to well into my teens, my family vacationed in what were called at the time 'light housekeeping cottages' on the Oregon coast or British Columbia. I recall very few meals taken 'out.'

When DW and I fly to a vaca (we have no status and don't check bags) at a minimum I have coffee, seasonings, snacks- popcorn/nuts- frequently a 3L box of wine, tortillas.

If driving, the sky is the limit. A cooler with meat, eggs, butter, milk, cheese. And on and on. I'm not the greatest meal planner and we end up bringing leftovers home.

We will usually have a nice lunch out on a beach or sidewalk cafe during the week, and the final night a 'farewell dinner' someplace nice.

At timeshares, move-out morning is almost always french toast. That gets rid of any eggs, milk, bread that's left before we start the dishwasher and walk out the door.

Not as extreme as Michael, but we aren't a family of 5 either. Good job, guys!

Jim

 

[MichaelColey]

We have a family of 5 and the main reason we get to go on so many vacations is because we do eat in quite frequently.

Exactly right. We could travel less (or cut expenses in other areas) and spend a lot more on food (eating out more, less planning, etc.), but this (and cheap TPUs) is how we justify so much travel.

At timeshares, move-out morning is almost always french toast. That gets rid of any eggs, milk, bread that's left before we start the dishwasher and walk out the door.

That was my plan this time, but I ended up finding a box of Cinnamon Roll Pancake Mix at Target after I had made up the list and we brought that instead (and cinnamon and pancake syrup, which we brought back unused -- the mix had a vanilla cream to put on the pancakes). Plus, we used the last of our bread for sandwiches on the last full day and the last of the milk and eggs (and sausage and english muffins) for breakfast on our checkout day.

When we travel domestically, there's almost always a Sams or Costco (or at least a Walmart) nearby, so we pack much less, plan a bit less, and buy most everything.

FWIW, other than the cost of the timeshare and the food we brought, here were ALL of our expenses:

$100 for groceries and fish we bought there
About $100 for the taxi to/from the airport
About $200 for the flights (we used FF miles, so this was taxes and fees)
About $25 for 8 days parking (using a Groupon)
$260 for my and DS8 to do the Shallow Water Dolphin Experience
$110 for Internet for 6 days

It really was an affordable and VERY fun vacation. (I've submitted my review of Harborside, but it hasn't been posted yet.) We could have skipped the dolphin experience to save even more, but it was a good experience for my son.

 

[heathpack]

This does not seem extreme in the slightest to me.

We really like to go out to eat. But since we moved to LA, dining out while on vacation has lost some appeal. LA is such a great food town, often better than what we can find in our vacation locale. We eat in at timeshares somewhat to save money, somewhat because we'd rather spend the same amount of money home in LA for a better dining experience and somewhat out of logistics (no way can we eat 3 restaurant meals per day, we may be too lazy or otherwise occupied to eat out). Tyoically we eat one meal out per day when traveling and eat the rest of our meals very simply in the room.

In our recent Hawaii trip, I had a very tight schedule that was literally written out a schedule on my IPad. I would come up with a few restaurant options for each day, but sometimes it would be obvious that a restaurant meal would not work for a particular day or meal. Then I would pencil in an idea for a simple meal- it helped me to have an idea of what to bring and what to buy when we arrived.

I know that type of research, planning and organization is antithetical to many people's idea of a vacation. But we like to see and do the most we possibly can, to us it really helps us maximize our enjoyment when we travel, we are usually contrained by an inability to be away too long.

H

 

[Passepartout]

.....But we like to see and do the most we possibly can, to us it really helps us maximize our enjoyment when we travel, we are usually contrained by an inability to be away too long.

H

You sound like us to a degree. Or DW anyway. I used to be the 'fill up the days' type, too, but since I stopped collecting a regular paycheck, not so much. We've been going back to favorite places instead of a succession of new destinations. I find curling up with a book on the deck or around the pool is a great substitute for 'one more museum'.

DW, still working- and unlikely to stop- craves the maximum of new experiences.

Jim

 

[SOS8260456]

When I first starting taking my children to Orlando for 4-5 weeks each summer, I gave them a choice. Stay in PA and get your pizzas and McDonalds, etc or head to Disney and we live in hot dogs, grilled cheese, etc. There was no choice for them... Of course, I don't literally make them live on hot dogs and grilled cheese. I just try to cook as regular as possible. We save our 1 or 2 special dinners for when my husband joins us the last 10 days or so.

I know that if we were to head somewhere other than Disney, I would have to plan on eating out a bit more, but it is good to see that we wouldn;t have to soley rely on that.

When people find out that we head down there for such a long period of time, their first comment is about how can I afford to feed my children while away. I just say, we'd have to eat if we were home and they know better than to even ask for food in the parks.

Lisa

 

[pjrose]

. . . We've been going back to favorite places instead of a succession of new destinations. I find curling up with a book on the deck or around the pool is a great substitute for 'one more museum'.
. . .

We generally go to favorite places we've been many times, so we've seen almost everything more than once. We'll still do some outings, but there's no rush rush rush.

Curling up with a book by the water is my favorite thing to do. Eat, sleep, swim, read, repeat in random order.

I would like to hit more places we haven't been, but on the other hand it's comfortable going to favorite places and not having the learning curve of what's where, what to do, etc., and not being disappointed when/if the place isn't up to expectations.

 

[normab]

.

When people find out that we head down there for such a long period of time, their first comment is about how can I afford to feed my children while away. I just say, we'd have to eat if we were home and they know better than to even ask for food in the parks.

Lisa

I am curous how you handle the parks without buying food? Locally theme parks have picnic areas so you can bring in coolers and eat your own, but I didn't think Disney and Universal have any such accomodation. Have I been missing something?

 

[MichaelColey]

I am curous how you handle the parks without buying food? Locally theme parks have picnic areas so you can bring in coolers and eat your own, but I didn't think Disney and Universal have any such accomodation. Have I been missing something?

We do the same thing when we go to Disney. (We were there four weeks in August, our longest Disney trip so far.) We eat breakfast before we leave the room, and usually put something in the crock pot for dinner (or plan something that's quick to eat). For lunch, we'll pack sandwiches, chips and drinks. We'll either eat on a bench in the shade somewhere, or will go into one of the less crowded quick service restaurants and eat there. As long as I'm not taking seats that "paying" customers need, I don't feel bad using a table for a few minutes. We always clean up after ourselves and don't leave a mess.

 

[SOS8260456]

Hey, we were there the same time! We were at Bonnet Creek for the first 2 weeks and the SSR for the last two. Left Orlando on 8/24 to stop at Ocean BLvd, Myrtle Beach for 3 days.

We get annual passes. One year we head down in July/August and the following year June/July. Since we go so often, we rarely do full park days. My children are told to eat before we head out and I do have a small cooler bag that I got from the Grand Floridian one year when they did a private dining experience for us. I can fit 4-6 bottles of water/juice with some fruit and snacks on top of the drinks. I also have a disney bag that I carry that keeps rainslickers, tissues, blah, blah and I throw in pretzels, or cheeseits, etc in that. The cooler bag actually fits into the DVC bag. So we have some snacks and drinks with us. We might get a popcorn or drink at the parks, but that is rare. When we all get hungry hungry, it is time to head back to the room for a more substantial meal. We can get through maybe 5-6 hours at a park this way.

My kids call me the "bag lady" when we are down there.

 

[SOS8260456]

After we got into timesharing, my husband and I decided that we would like nothing better than to have our timeshares become our retirement home and timeshare at least 6 months of the year when that point in our lives happens.

I, however, got anxious, and decided to use our timeshares as the equivilant of a summer home for several weeks each summer. I am lucky that now is my busy time and that the rest of the year whatever work I do can be done from a laptop. So when people say I'm on vacation for several weeks, I say, no, I just have a change of location for several weeks.

 

[MichaelColey]

Hey, we were there the same time! We were at Bonnet Creek for the first 2 weeks and the SSR for the last two. Left Orlando on 8/24 to stop at Ocean BLvd, Myrtle Beach for 3 days.

I think we were at SSR the fourth week, so we were actually at the same resort one week. Small world. Or big forum.

 

[shagnut]

I'm impressed. That's all I can say, I'm impressed. shaggy

 

[Elan]

Yeah, I'm impressed too. Even though it's obviously a worthwhile thing to do, I just couldn't do it. Too many unknowns. Would it all go through TSA? Would it remain frozen? Would I have a big mess of open/spilled something in my suitcase? Anyhow, kudos for pulling it off.

Just curious - how much do you suppose the $150 worth of groceries would have been locally?

 

[SOS8260456]

Would it all go through TSA? Would it remain frozen? Would I have a big mess of open/spilled something in my suitcase? Anyhow, kudos for pulling it off.

I was wondering if there were no problems getting it through TSA because of your status at AA or if regular AA passenger would be able to pull it off.

 

[dioxide45]

I can understand that dining while traveling with a family can be very expensive but I don't think I would go to this trouble for just my wife and I. even if we were going to someplace with high food costs (Europe, Caribbean).

My wife and I don't eat out much at home and we enjoy dining out while on vacation. Plus I don't want to have to be cooking most of the time while on vacation. Making up some breakfast is usually enough while she is still waking up.

While in Hawaii we did buy some steaks at Costco and did grill out a couple times, Still, in many cases at least one meal a day is usually eaten out. We usually get groceries for breakfast and some lunches while we pick up drinks and snacks.

Now when we drive to Myrtle Beach in April, we will try to buy ahead of time bottled water, sodas and any other non perishables. We will be making the driving trip in two days, so we don't want to fuss with a cooler to keep the cold stuff safe.

If we plan to eat at any chains, we usually ask for those restaurant's gift certificates for Christmas. I have also purchased some online where you can get a 10% discount on them. This worked exceptionally well for Hard Rock Café (we both love going to Hard Rocks, 29+ and counting), we were able to buy gift cards for 10% off and then also get our usual 10% discount on dining and merchandise through AAA or the Hard Rock Café Pin Collectors Club. So we were able to stack the discount for 10% off the 10% off.