Has anyone ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner (or another big dinner) in one of the Villas?

[nickys]

We cook a bit. Always a cooked breakfast (bacon, sausages, eggs, waffles etc).

For dinners we do a Publix run, to the one near AKL. We do pasta with bolognaise sauce, make meatballs, steak and chips, stir fry meat & veg with rice and noodles, sausages with mash and veg, lasagne, baked cupcakes and cookies (that was hard without scales, ended up using the "cup" measurements and using judgement over how much butter to use, worked better than I thought).

We also did a roast chicken once with stuffing. That's probably closest to OP's original question. We did check the roasting tins and pots and asked for a couple more and extra utensils.

We don't cook every dinner, and last trip over Christmas we ate out far more than we usually would. Normal would be maybe cooking for 2 out of 3 evenings.

 

[LAKid53]

@BuddyThomas here is the SSR kitchen, smaller than the OKW kitchen, but functional. The little silver Keurig I brought from home.

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So I'm not the only one who packs a Keurig. I upgraded from the K15 to the Compact, since it has a 30 ounce reservoir And buttons to select cup size. Got tired of constantly filling the K15...and many times overfilling. It's only a little bigger than the K15. And I picked up some generic my k cup filters, since I drink tea and like my loose teas.

I like your idea of baskets for supplies. I've been using Publix reusable bags.

The back of your vehicle must look like mine...packed to the brim. Lord knows what I will do when it's not feasible to drive anymore.

 

[LAKid53]

Here is the kitchen at BLT. Again, very functional and I like the funky little triangular plates there, shown here with some fruit topped peanut butter french toast and ham.

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But those "cereal" bowls.... They hold maybe a scoop of ice cream.

The pull out storage cabinet for supplies is great.

 

[LAKid53]

As a family of five, we always cook breakfast and supper during our stays. Lunchtime is a bit of a toss-up depending on what we're doing. We'll usually eat out for supper maybe twice

A hot dog at Casey's is always on our list....

 

[LAKid53]

And here I thought I was the only one or one of a few who cook in my villa.....

MMy daughter always tells me I bring too much. But she also likes opening the fridge and eating some of mom's homemade spaghetti, polishing off the rest of the tuna pasta salad, eating humus and carrots, guac, glass of milk, scrambled eggs with cheese, etc. And she likes not spending money on meals. We're not the opening to closing kind of Disney guests - more than 4-5 hours at a park and we need a break and a nap. Plus, the kids want to visit the pool and hot tub and would rather have a lazy evening in the room, with mom cooking dinner, of course.

 

[epcotisbest]

I have some kitchen pics from Disney HHI, Vero Beach, Wilderness Lodge, AKL Kidani and Beach Club Villas, but they are on a back up hard drive at home.

So I'm not the only one who packs a Keurig. I upgraded from the K15 to the Compact, since it has a 30 ounce reservoir And buttons to select cup size. Got tired of constantly filling the K15...and many times overfilling. It's only a little bigger than the K15. And I picked up some generic my k cup filters, since I drink tea and like my loose teas.

I like your idea of baskets for supplies. I've been using Publix reusable bags.

The back of your vehicle must look like mine...packed to the brim. Lord knows what I will do when it's not feasible to drive anymore.

I use the little Keurig when we go camping and one day realized I could just bring it along on our Disney trips and have been doing it ever since. Have a K425 at home and it works great but is a little big to be lugging around in the trunk of the car, which, yes, is packed to the brim when we go anywhere.

 

[LAKid53]

I have some kitchen pics from Disney HHI, Vero Beach, Wilderness Lodge, AKL Kidani and Beach Club Villas, but they are on a back up hard drive at home.


I use the little Keurig when we go camping and one day realized I could just bring it along on our Disney trips and have been doing it ever since. Have a K425 at home and it works great but is a little big to be lugging around in the trunk of the car, which, yes, is packed to the brim when we go anywhere.

I've got a K475 at home. The K Compact fits nicely in a canvas tote bag...and it goes on the road with me to Disney, Uni or anywhere I drive. I used to poo poo them, until I used one at Uni. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot apple cider and hot water, all from one device.

 

[correcaminos]

I don't cook everything I would cook at home for that reason, but a few spices, garlic cloves, olive oil and mustard can be used to create a lot. Plus, I keep a freezer full of marinara, soups and the like, so I can throw a container of some sauce or soup in my cooler to bring to Disney. I always make some tuna pasta salad to bring - and it goes fast.

If we drove it would be one thing but it is harder to fly with everything. If I could do cooking ahead on some things i might do more, but really me not cooking and deciding meals for the trip is my idea of relaxation. If my husband could cook, it might be different, but I do get tired of doing and picking it all so we keep it light and cool free.

 

[LAKid53]

If we drove it would be one thing but it is harder to fly with everything. If I could do cooking ahead on some things i might do more, but really me not cooking and deciding meals for the trip is my idea of relaxation. If my husband could cook, it might be different, but I do get tired of doing and picking it all so we keep it light and cool free.

Yeah, I'm in deep doo doo if I get to the point I can't drive to WDW anymore. Guess that's when I'll join Owners Locker so they can store what I drag to Disney every trip, for a fee, of course. And place an order with Garden Grocers.

 

[Bullseye1967]

We almost always cook breakfast. Usually just eggs, bacon, hash browns kind of thing. My parents stay at Bonnet Creek every year and eat a full dinner in their unit almost every night.

 

[correcaminos]

Yeah, I'm in deep doo doo if I get to the point I can't drive to WDW anymore. Guess that's when I'll join Owners Locker so they can store what I drag to Disney every trip, for a fee, of course. And place an order with Garden Grocers.

We're too far for me to want to drive. If we were about 500 miles closer I'd consider it. We don't even do OL for our stuff. We do carry on only. Truly for us light breakfasts (cereal, oatmeal etc) and light meals like sandwiches, bagels, no-cook meals work. That's not far from how we eat at home anyway - we jut save one bigger meal for the parks. We made it work. One of those you make it work if you have to I think. We do rent a car though and get groceries as needed or have it delivered with Prime Now or Instacart. I think we prefer it this way. Or I tell myself that because I really don't want to cook LOL

 

[DisDadWoz]

When we stayed at OKW for about a week for a swim meet we knew we would not be at the parks/resorts for eating so we brought everything for meals from steaks, chicken, lasagna and breakfasts/lunches. We had that fridge stocked! It is a full size regular kitchen in the units so it worked almost just like home. Including our stocked "Bar" of wine and drinks for everyone who came to stop by that week. On a normal vacation we tone it down a bit but still cook just about every breakfast and a couple of dinners so we have enough $$$ to splurge at a couple of signatures. If we ever stay over thanksgiving I'm sure we would bring some sort of turkey to cook as we don't think it would be an issue at all other than being in the room that long to cook it!

 

[LAKid53]

When we stayed at OKW for about a week for a swim meet we knew we would not be at the parks/resorts for eating so we brought everything for meals from steaks, chicken, lasagna and breakfasts/lunches. We had that fridge stocked! It is a full size regular kitchen in the units so it worked almost just like home. Including our stocked "Bar" of wine and drinks for everyone who came to stop by that week. On a normal vacation we tone it down a bit but still cook just about every breakfast and a couple of dinners so we have enough $$$ to splurge at a couple of signatures. If we ever stay over thanksgiving I'm sure we would bring some sort of turkey to cook as we don't think it would be an issue at all other than being in the room that long to cook it!

And those in the rooms next to you knocking on your door when they smell that delicious smell of a turkey roasting. If my daughter didn't have to work Friday and Saturday, we'd be there today...and I'd be at Publix to pick up a turkey to roast tomorrow. And plenty of beer for Saturday's slate of college football.

I'm always surprised when people stay in a villa with a kitchen and then go on the DDP. The groceries you could purchase for the cost of just one adult on the dining plan, including steaks. With the availability of Uber and Lyft, you don't need a vehicle anymore to get to a grocery store. Even if all you did was have food for breakfast, snacks and a few lunches, you're saving $$$.

Speaking of Owners Locker, I've read that people pack a slow cooker in their bin. Imagine loading it up in the morning before you head out to the parks and come back to a delicious dinner.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

PLEASE tell me no one has tried to deep fry a Turkey on one of the balconies ......

 

[LAKid53]

PLEASE tell me no one has tried to deep fry a Turkey on one of the balconies ......

Imagine sneaking a turkey fryer into your room.

The new cabins at Copper Creek have very nice Viking gas grills. I could see grilling a turkey on those. But I'd have to stand guard to make sure no one absconded with my bird, lol.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I know people want to cook some of their meals as a way of saving money. But when I'm on vacation, I'm relaxing and letting others do the work. I've worked my butt off all year long to enjoy our family time. When we're at Disney, I'd never cook or ask or expect DW to cook a huge Thanksgiving meal or any meal for that matter. Both of us should enjoy the entire time off from having to do any cooking duties. Let Disney do all the preparation and cooking and I'll pay for that privilege. Disney can provide a kitchen but I'll never use it.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Great posts. Those kitchens are awesome, so big and well stocked, and yet the below are the only meals we ever made there, ha ha. Will rethink this on the next trip for sure.

 

[MinnieM123]

I know people want to cook some of their meals as a way of saving money. But when I'm on vacation, I'm relaxing and letting others do the work. I've worked my butt off all year long to enjoy our family time. When we're at Disney, I'd never cook or ask or expect DW to cook a huge Thanksgiving meal or any meal for that matter. Both of us should enjoy the entire time off from having to do any cooking duties. Let Disney do all the preparation and cooking and I'll pay for that privilege. Disney can provide a kitchen but I'll never use it.

The closest I get to "cooking" on vacation, is if I bring some packets of instant oatmeal for the morning, and just use the hot water from the coffee maker. Other than that, It's nice to eat out at restaurants, where somebody else cooks the meals, and cleans up the dishes, too!

However, there are some guests who actually prefer cooking most of their meals, even during their vacation. So for those people, I think it's good that some.hotels have kitchens in the units. I'm glad there are options for everyone.

 

[BuddyThomas]

The closest I get to "cooking" on vacation, is if I bring some packets of instant oatmeal for the morning, and just use the hot water from the coffee maker. Other than that, It's nice to eat out at restaurants, where somebody else cooks the meals, and cleans up the dishes, too!

However, there are some guests who actually prefer cooking most of their meals, even during their vacation. So for those people, I think it's good that some.hotels have kitchens in the units. I'm glad there are options for everyone.

On the other hand, I'm one of those crazy New Yorkers who does not even have their gas turned on. And when I realized that the only thing in my refrigerator wa little packets of duck sauce and ketchup, I unplugged my refrigerator too.

I'm actually typing this at my local Greek diner, lol. Yeah, Buddy does not know how to cook. I can fake my way through a grilled cheese but that's about it. My partner cooks like Julia Child but I'm only out there on weekends.

So..........when I get a Villa with a kitchen the size of my entire apartment, I'm kind of okay having meals prepared there. As long as they are not prepared by me.

 

[slappy magoo]

For every trip we prep, my wife and I try to figure out ways to save money. And I always remind her we have a full kitchen and can cook meals. And she always looks at me like I have three heads.

We've used the refrigerator to store leftovers. We used the dishwasher extensively when the ids still used bottles. We've used the plates to eat like human beings with dignity on the occasions I went to get stuff from the food court to eat in the room. That's it.

The main reason we get the 1BR is so we can have privacy from the kids and for the washer/dryer so we can keep doing laundry, pack less but not spend a whole chunk of the trip in the laundromat. And we always try to get BLT or AKV for the extra bathroom. If DVC ever made a unit with all of those amenities but just a kitchenette, we'd use it.