cheapest or weirdest thing you have ever seen in disney restaurant or food court.

[RACHELSMOM1]

i will start. 2 adults 3 children come into the food court at POR with paper cups, loaf of bread, bag of chips and a jar of PB. buy 1 drink and proceed to pour it into the paper cups then refill it. get some paper plates and a plastic knife and sit there and eat PB sandwiches. not judging them, to each his own budget.

The loaf of bread, chips, and jar of PB sounds pretty smart, but I think they should have either brought their own drinks with them, or bought drinks for each of them. My kids don't eat much and they would probably think it was fun to make the sandwiches at the table. There is more room at the food court table than at the table in the room.

 

[ro80]

What is it about what I wrote that is so difficult for some readers to understand? I never said the stories/anecdotes were elitist. I said the specific comments made by ro80 and sotoalf were elitist. Go back, re-read what they said and my response, and make sure you understand it before you respond, please.

David

Please, David, reread my responses. I am far from "elitist" and you really shouldn't be judging comments from people you do not know when we are just passing on our experiences which is what this thread asked for. Nor do you know my niece or her husband. He is by far the biggest cheapskate I know and even he would admit to that, but that's not the main issue here. When I was just starting out with my family, we cut corners as well. I am not knocking them for that. I'd eat out of a can in a heartbeat if I had to. Many of us have been through rough financial times, myself included. In this case, we all had appetizers, drinks, entrees and dessert. The bill came to over $800. It was a very expensive meal we all had to save up for (and personally, even a little pricey for my taste). That was not the issue of who had what and so on and so on. We made these reservations at Fulton's 6 mos. in advance and if they couldn't afford it, they should have graciously declined. Nobody would have said a word or talked about them. Some in our group of 23 didn't even go. The point was, you just don't pull out a calculator in the middle of a 5 star restaurant and discect the bill for 30 minutes. It was embarrassing for the rest of us in our party, not just myself. This was my own personal experience I was stating.

We should just be reading and enjoying other's experiences whether we agree with them or not, and move on to the next. We're not here to pass judgment on anyone else's experiences we were not a part of, bottom line. Maybe I shouldn't have said "if you have to count every penny, WDW is not the place to go. I should have said, "Fulton's is not the place to go".

 

[missmouse1975]

I have to say, when I went down as a child with mom,dad,& brother, my father was a jerk about dining at the world. He made us do "cheap" eating. Us kids didn't really notice then - but my mom did. It wasn't that we couldn't afford it, he was just opposed to spending disney prices on food. As I was planning my kids first trip (9/09/07 - 9/15/07), I called my mom to tell her we had booked the trip and told her some of the places that we are going to dine at. It was then that she told me about the experiences with dining that she had to deal with when I went as a child. I told her that I had no idea and that those trips were a blast to me & brother. I think she was crying as we said goodbye.

My point is - and i do have a point - the "cheap" dining usually effects the adults, not the children. Clearly my mother has thought all these years that us sharing one or two plates of food diminished our experience. But all I remember was meeting Minnie Mouse and riding the Teacups & can still remember "it's a small world after all..."

My kids will be the same ages my brother & I were the last time I was there
7 year old son and 9 year old daughter and we are lucky enough to get free dining. We're not a rich family, we're driving there, staying at a value, and won't spend a lot on "extras", but my family will have fun and will understand the magic of disney. We are lucky to be able to go at all!

 

[ro80]

It is all about the memories, not the expense, and your kids are at a great age to be taking them for the first time. They will remember so much. We stayed in a value resort (AS Movies) last May and it was great. So bright and colorful too. You will have a blast, I agree!!! The crowds aren't too bad either

 

[allyphoe]

My son has had entire dishes of sprinkles from time to time at a buffet, especially when he was about 4ish.

DD4 has been known to request a dish of sprinkles in lieu of ice cream if we eat somewhere that has a mini-sundae as part of the kid's meal.

IMHO, a pre-pubescent girl can be topless anywhere a pre-pubescent boy can be. When we were at BB, there were a handful of ~8yo girls topless, and while it surprised me, it didn't bother me.

ETA: a buffet, or any other restaurant, isn't a place where I think anyone ought to be topless, including infants. I may feed my child naked at home (makes cleanup a lot easier), but in restaurants, I'd prefer to only see fully-clothed people.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Not cheap, just weird - and it was a little kid anyway.

We were at Hollywood & Vine back when it was a buffet. At the ice cream sundae making station, there was a little girl about 5 years old, with shorts and sandals on but no shirt, making a sundae out of nothing but sprinkles. It was whole dish filled with sprinkles and she walked away, topless, eating it with a spoon. We still talk about that.

Aren't restaurants "no shirt, no shoes, no service"? Isn't that a health/safety requirement? Esp. since she was serving herself.

I don't even think children wearing bikini tops should be allowed to dine like that. Can't we all wear a shirt for dinner?

And to think on another thread, second graders were wearing bras!

 

[Who'syourMickey]

We should just be reading and enjoying other's experiences whether we agree with them or not, and move on to the next. We're not here to pass judgment on anyone else's experiences we were not a part of, bottom line. Maybe I shouldn't have said "if you have to count every penny, WDW is not the place to go. I should have said, "Fulton's is not the place to go".

Thank You, for changing your statement, and I will be sure to cross Fultons off my list for the future. I disagree that racist, classist, sexist, etc. statements should be passed over if we do not agree with them. The comment that those who can't afford disney (assumption being the food there) should not go, was classist, or elitist. A warning that Fultons is not the place for those on a budget comes off much better.

Cheapest and weirdest would be the people who start the next thread discussing the exact lifecycle of a chilled sandwich (meat and cheese, in a backpack, with one of those icepack coolers), accounting for variables such as length of time, hotness of the day, you know? :dance3

 

[joyjoy]

Aren't restaurants "no shirt, no shoes, no service"? Isn't that a health/safety requirement? Esp. since she was serving herself.

I guess. It never crossed our minds that it was inappropriate. We just thought it was cute/funny how casual she was chowing down on the big bowl o' sprinkles without an ounce of self-consciousness.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I guess. It never crossed our minds that it was inappropriate. We just thought it was cute/funny how casual she was chowing down on the big bowl o' sprinkles without an ounce of self-consciousness.

That is cute. She preferred the sprinkles to ice cream. I love how kids minds work. Parents' minds sometimes (no shirt) not so much.

 

[Cindy B]

One of the craziest things I saw was a few years ago.

It was a family with about 6-8 members in the family-- adults, kids, strollers, backpacks, diaperbages.

We were sitting outside near the Swiss Family Robinson in MK. The family grabs a few benchs and sits down.

The mom forages through the underside of the stroller and pulls out a metal 9x 13 pan. After that she gets out a large saucepot with a lid and pulls out a large spoon out of her diaperbag. In another backpack were bowls (not disposable), and the dad was dishing something from the saucepot into the bowls Another backpack had forks/spoons.

Now I'm frugal-- and hae been known to take PB & J, granola bars, water bottels and juice boxes in, but never a full saucepot of something.

 

[sotoalf]

I said the specific comments made by ro80 and sotoalf were elitist. David

Hooray!

If you think this thread is "elitist" (whatever that means), then don't post here! The whole point of this thread is to feel superior to those who participate in "cheap" or "weird" nonsense at Disney restaurants or food courts (hence the thread title). I'm not going to be conscripted into apologizing for comments I'm posting on a thread whose intentions are clear.

 

[tink_about_it]

One of the craziest things I saw was a few years ago.

It was a family with about 6-8 members in the family-- adults, kids, strollers, backpacks, diaperbages.

We were sitting outside near the Swiss Family Robinson in MK. The family grabs a few benchs and sits down.

The mom forages through the underside of the stroller and pulls out a metal 9x 13 pan. After that she gets out a large saucepot with a lid and pulls out a large spoon out of her diaperbag. In another backpack were bowls (not disposable), and the dad was dishing something from the saucepot into the bowls Another backpack had forks/spoons.

Now I'm frugal-- and hae been known to take PB & J, granola bars, water bottels and juice boxes in, but never a full saucepot of something.

That's crazy! Wonder what security thought?

 

[chris7]

I just sat and read this thread all at once and have quite enjoyed it. We'll be the people pulling salami and cheese sandwiches out of a backpack. Please know that they came out of a small soft sided cooler with blue ice. I think I'm somewhat of a cheapskate. I come by it honestly. I was raised by some of the most frugal people I know. And I have to say that things they did that embarassed me as a teenager (bringing our own popcorn into movie theatres in a brown paper bag) I am now guilty of doing. Yep, I make microwave popcorn and bring it into movie theatres in a backpack. I say things like "its highway robbery what they charge for popcorn, I'll gladly pay for the movie but I reserve the right to snack on the food of my choice". We pack our own food everywhere we go. My philosophy is that while on vacation I'll pay to eat out once a day. Preferably dinner. That means we have breakfast at the condo and pack the lunch with us. Could we "afford" to eat out more? Maybe. It's arguable what one can "afford". Can people who are wallowing in credit card debt "afford" to charge yet one more meal they can't pay for? You get my drift. These days I admire what my folks accomplished on the salary my dad made. I proudly hope I raising another frugal generation, I think it's something that's sorely needed these days. OOps, I forgot this is supposed to be funny.

 

[dalt01]

I just sat and read this thread all at once and have quite enjoyed it. We'll be the people pulling salami and cheese sandwiches out of a backpack. Please know that they came out of a small soft sided cooler with blue ice. I think I'm somewhat of a cheapskate. I come by it honestly. I was raised by some of the most frugal people I know. And I have to say that things they did that embarassed me as a teenager (bringing our own popcorn into movie theatres in a brown paper bag) I am now guilty of doing. Yep, I make microwave popcorn and bring it into movie theatres in a backpack. I say things like "its highway robbery what they charge for popcorn, I'll gladly pay for the movie but I reserve the right to snack on the food of my choice". We pack our own food everywhere we go. My philosophy is that while on vacation I'll pay to eat out once a day. Preferably dinner. That means we have breakfast at the condo and pack the lunch with us. Could we "afford" to eat out more? Maybe. It's arguable what one can "afford". Can people who are wallowing in credit card debt "afford" to charge yet one more meal they can't pay for? You get my drift. These days I admire what my folks accomplished on the salary my dad made. I proudly hope I raising another frugal generation, I think it's something that's sorely needed these days. OOps, I forgot this is supposed to be funny.

i have often thought about taking my own popcorn to the movies because of the price but DW says that the movie popcorn is part of the experience just like going to Sci-FI, you certainly dont go there for the food, i hope. so we pay 5.50 for 25 cents worth of popcorn. did you ever notice that there is not a "cents" icon on the keyboard? what has amazed me since starting the thread is that so many people felt the need to defend themselves. when if you look at the original post i was very careful to express the fact that no judgements were being made. the thread was about the two headed calf syndrome. in other words "theres something you dont see everyday". not about whos poor and whos rich. in fact i have found in my life in sales that the rich people are the tightest sons of guns there are, how do you think they got rich and the poor people buy anything, thats why they stay poor. back to the movies for a minute, my DW and DD share a drink cause they are like a zillion bucks an ounce, im sure there is someone behind us going, those poor people, they cant even afford 2 drinks. which is certainly not the case but hey as long as i dont have to share in the back wash, right?

 

[Who'syourMickey]

Hooray!

If you think this thread is "elitist" (whatever that means), then don't post here! The whole point of this thread is to feel superior to those who participate in "cheap" or "weird" nonsense at Disney restaurants or food courts (hence the thread title). I'm not going to be conscripted into apologizing for comments I'm posting on a thread whose intentions are clear.

Wikepedia on Classism

Like racism, classism can be divided into (at least) individual classism and structural classism. Individual classism is a matter of the prejudices held and discrimination practiced by individual people (such as making jokes or stereotypes at those of lower class).

Structural or institutional classism is a passive form of classism that occurs when institutions or common practices are structured in such a way as to effectively exclude or marginalize people from lower classes, which can be due, in part, to widespread individual classism within the organization or the society,

 

[Who'syourMickey]

One of the craziest things I saw was a few years ago.

It was a family with about 6-8 members in the family-- adults, kids, strollers, backpacks, diaperbages.

We were sitting outside near the Swiss Family Robinson in MK. The family grabs a few benchs and sits down.

The mom forages through the underside of the stroller and pulls out a metal 9x 13 pan. After that she gets out a large saucepot with a lid and pulls out a large spoon out of her diaperbag. In another backpack were bowls (not disposable), and the dad was dishing something from the saucepot into the bowls Another backpack had forks/spoons.

Now I'm frugal-- and hae been known to take PB & J, granola bars, water bottels and juice boxes in, but never a full saucepot of something.

I love this idea! I am thankful that Disney has a policy where you can bring food in. Curious as to why anyone would think a pot of spagetti would be a security risk? Again, if it is 90 degrees at disney....how long is a big pot of spagetti good for?