Do you bring food when staying at a resort?

[Anonymous]

Nope. Snacks yes. Meals no. It's a vacation.

[Anonymous]

We bring snacks, breakfast foods (bananas, muffins, etc.), and some drinks, but I would not want to be holed up in the room for dinner every night (or lunch, for that matter). It's vacation.

Make sure you bring paper (or reusable) plates, napkins, cups, silverware, and a cutting board and knife.

[Anonymous]

I'm on a budget, but the biggest Factor is probably whether the food is good. If it's really good, we might splurge for the meals but if it's basic or worse, I'm happier bringing my own tasty and healthier food. Or if there's a microwave there's a chance to eat the kind of premade meals we rarely get at home so it's still novel.

[Anonymous]

We eat meals out, but always bring a few snacks because the kids get hungry between meals. Apples, peanut butter crackers, cheese/crackers/salami. You could do a charcuterie spread one night - no cooking and kids think “snack dinner” is a treat!

[Anonymous]

If you have a microwave I usually bring Mac n cheese cups for the kids. Mine eat a ton on vacation because they are often expending more energy than usual - so I bring packets of oatmeal, Mac n cheese, bananas and apples, sometimes a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter even if it’s just for snacks or a second dinner. Lots of hungry boys in my household.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Either drive somewhere else for dinner, or just decide not to care and enjoy the dinner on site. You booked the resort for a vacation, but watching your every dime is the antithesis of relaxing.

For some of us who grew up on a tight budget it's nearly impossible to just not look at prices on a menu. My husband is like this on vacation and it stresses me out. My kids love room service and I do enjoy a nice dinner out but paying $15 for a room service bowl of cereal with a banana makes me annoyed and does not set the tone for the day that I want on vacation. Good food is more enjoyable to me when it's not outrageously priced and I don't feel taken advantage of. I usually bring apples and oranges, etc. and try to supplement meals without it being a big production.
I realize my husband relaxes in a different way than I do and I try to not explicitly talk about menu prices while dining at all because I know it reduces his enjoyment. I also try have at least one morning where the kids can order some $100 eggs and toast in the hotel room because it somehow seems like the highlight of staying in a hotel for them. If I know in advance it's easier to tolerate.

[Anonymous]

No, I do often buy bottled water a a local store vs. paying hotel prices for multiple bottles/person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Either drive somewhere else for dinner, or just decide not to care and enjoy the dinner on site. You booked the resort for a vacation, but watching your every dime is the antithesis of relaxing.

For some of us who grew up on a tight budget it's nearly impossible to just not look at prices on a menu. My husband is like this on vacation and it stresses me out. My kids love room service and I do enjoy a nice dinner out but paying $15 for a room service bowl of cereal with a banana makes me annoyed and does not set the tone for the day that I want on vacation. Good food is more enjoyable to me when it's not outrageously priced and I don't feel taken advantage of. I usually bring apples and oranges, etc. and try to supplement meals without it being a big production.
I realize my husband relaxes in a different way than I do and I try to not explicitly talk about menu prices while dining at all because I know it reduces his enjoyment. I also try have at least one morning where the kids can order some $100 eggs and toast in the hotel room because it somehow seems like the highlight of staying in a hotel for them. If I know in advance it's easier to tolerate.

I know it’s ridiculous, but I love room service breakfast, too! As the person in my house who cooks, serves, and cleans up after 98% of all breakfasts day after day, year after year, nothing makes me feel more “on vacation” than eating some overpriced bacon and eggs, in my PJs, that somebody else cooked and will do the dishes!

[Anonymous]

Only chocolate pudding

[Anonymous]

NP, I love the idea of mac and cheese cups I hadn’t thought of that. I once brought canned tuna salad and crackers. Another time we premade salad bowls and had the dressing in another container. What about noodle soups that can be microwaved, or hearty canned soup. Just being a microwaveable bowl and can opener. And it’s okay to not splurge on overpriced dinner. You can use that money on something more fun.

[Anonymous]

Do you have an electric kettle? I would bring that and some cup on noodles and oatmeal packets, so you have breakfast and lunches in the room and dinner splurge at the resort.

[Anonymous]

We bring food! Kodiak cakes has microwaveable oatmeal and muffin cups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! We bring whatever beverages I know everyone will want, shelf stable breakfast items (fun things we don’t have at home like muffins or donuts) and all the items we will need for a charcuterie board for one night’s dinner. Then typically we go out to a restaurant at least once (but drive off the resort) and leftovers provide lunch for the next day. We splurge each day on a treat like an ice cream cone in the afternoon.

I’m all for spending a little extra on vacation but paying double or triple the normal price for Sysco frozen food drives me crazy.

This isn’t really a splurge, is it? How much can a cone be?

[Anonymous]

If it’s Great Wolf Lodge I’d bring breakfast and lunch. The food isn’t very good there.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely bring food if you have a real fridge. I would also consider bringing a small appliance. My choices would be my ninja bullet to make smoothie for the kids and frozen cocktails for me. I might also bring our george Forman grill. A melt grilled cheese makes a bowl of soup or a salad into a meal!

I would also make some things ahead like pasta salad, cut up fruit, sausage biscuits and cookies. I would prep like I do for a party at home. Spend a bit more for things like lots of berries instead of just apples and bananas. Make some dishes that we don't have often like Buffalo chicken dip or spinach artichoke dip. These can be made at home and then warmed in the microwave. So you feel like it is special because you splurge on items you don't have all of the time, but you are spending way less than eating at the resort restaurant.