to take a slow cooker to Disneyland Paris?

[ElizaPickford]

Ok, that sounds a bit odd, but here's the thing, we're going and the whole family is veggie (and now skint.) I couldn't justify spending nearly £70 a day on meal vouchers, and it looks like Disney and France in general have different ideas about what constitutes being vegetarian. (One of the veggie options in one restaurant was fish and chips, and one of the best veggie restaurants apparently uses meat stock for veggie dishes.)

If we just pay as we go, I think we're looking at £15 each for chips and salad. It's crazy expensive, and I don't want to pay through the nose for the kids to eat crap for almost a whole week.

Soooooo... I was thinking if I took my slow cooker, we could at least have baked potatoes when we get back at night? And maybe couscous if I take the kettle? I can take some fresh stuff with me although we'll have no fridge so that will be limited, but just trying to figure out if this is a socially unacceptable thing to do, and whether I run the risk of burning down the whole hotel when the euro-adapter blows up my slow cooker.

Or any other tips for not starving to death/going bankrupt while there?

you could afford to buy one over there and leave it behind if you're worried about the adaptor.

sounds like a very sensible way round the problem.

can you get cooked vaccum packed non-chill veggie sausages? pot noodles?
can you heat soup in a travel kettle?

I doubt the hotel will let you use a slow cooker. I bet room service would switch it off.

Oh god OP, that sounds beyond miserable, sorry. Why can't you eat somewhere else off site?

I think you would be silly.

You'll be wrecked after a day at the parks. The last thing you will want to do is use a slow cooker.

Surely you can eat pizza? Sandwiches with cheese? Mc Donald's for chips and a salad?

It's a mental idea. Where will you get the food? If you have to go to the supermarket to buy potatoes, why not just buy something cold?

Surely the room will already have a kettle?On our last holiday I got very productive with a kettle... I made egg sandwich's by cooking the egg in the kettle and curry and rice using boil in the bag rice and heating the whole jar in the kettle.
I cooked pasta too (although that was a pain -but heard if you used a orange net its easier?) and heating a sauce jar in the kettle afterwards.. For veg I did stuff that tastes alright with water poured on like sweet corn, French beans etc.

Can't you just buy French cheese, baguette, olives, fruit, vin rouge, cakes, crisps, etc from the supermarche?? You're on holiday!!! You can't take a bloody slow cooker and give your children baked potatoes!!

I thin taking a slow cooker would be a really bad idea not least because the voltage will probably not be compatible. The cleaners will spot it and it will be removed I should imagine.

If you are getting breakfast as part of the deal you can pack up some rolls and fruit from the buffet (everyone does)

We took a bottle of squash with us and as the are water fountains all over the park it was easy to keep making up drinks.

Room service will switch it off

How long are you going for?

With the euro exchange rate the way it is recheck the prices

Just go to the local supermarket. We had a fridge in our room and stocked up on bread, cheese, cold meats, fruit etc. It's really reasonable. The McDonald's is cheap, eating outside of the park is much cheaper too. I wouldn't take a slow cooker.

Yep, room service will switch it off. It's a fire hazard, there's no way they'd allow it.

It does sound mental, I agree. I was thinking of just things we could make with a kettle but that's also going to be a bit bleak. We could go offsite, I guess, I can't really get my head around how big it is and how do-able it would be to go out for dinner each night in terms of faff? I'm mainly worried about my kids who are going to be walking a lot all day, and they're really bloody fussy about food at the best of times. And it's like nearly a tenner just for a sandwich I think, if you eat in the park?

How do you bake potatoes in a slow cooker?

You can just leave the do not disturb sign outside the whole time and make your own beds or ask for room service after you have eaten.

A slow cooker on low would be fine I'm sure.

You could make stews easily, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, celery don't need a fridge. Sainsburys do chopped tomatoes in boxes, tofu plus some stock cubes and then lentils to mix it up a bit along with the couscous and just buy cheese when you are there. Some spices to make a curry one night.

Buy bread and cheese for lunches each day. Depending on the time of year keep any left over cheese on the window ledge/balcony.

Go to a shop. Buy salad and fruit and bread and cheese. You're in France!

Surely the whole point of a holiday is for you to get a holiday as well?
Messing about with chopping and peeling and slow cookingering after a gruelling day round the parks doesn't sound like much of a break!
Holidays aren't the right time to be obsessing about health, surely? As somebody suggested, a pizza here and there wouldn't go amiss.
If you can't break from the norm and treat yourself on holiday, when can you?
There's plenty of time for making sure your children eat super-healthy the rest of the year.
A little break from their routine for a couple of days won't hurt them in the grand scheme of things.

Plus I'm guessing there will be a mini fridge in the room. Just call ahead and ask for it to be empty on your arrival.

And I agree, with the previous poster. You're in France.
Buy some lovely fresh bread, cheese and fruit every day. It's what most of the French do.

Voltage is compatible ( only USA has 110 Volts) you need an adapter, which you can buy most places this side of Channel. Yo won;t burn down the hotel with an adapter, my daughter lives in France and uses adapters for lots of her appliances.

Breakfasts are massive at Disneyland Paris and you can easily fit in a veggie meal, loads of fruit, pastries and cheese. Food is expensive in the park, but check on Google, there are some good forums (fora) where you can get loads of questions answered. Make the most of the visit.

You still have the voltage issue. And the miserableness issue

No. Just no.

Have you actually looked at the menus and prices? There should be plenty of choice and doesn't all have to cost the earth

www.dlpguide.com/planning/dining/restaurant-menus/

There is a supermarket just 10 minutes away from the park for maybe snacks and lunch. Will there be any cooking facilities in the hotel room? A hob or kettle?

How old are the kids and how long are you going for?

I assume you have breakfast at the hotel?

In the space taken up by the slow cooker in your bag - put in lots of snacks your kids like and picnic food that doesn't need a fridge. Then buy bread/cheese/fruit etc there.

Plan to eat one meal out - if you look on the dlrp website it gives you an idea of the food served and the price. If you have children who are under three they eat free at buffet restaurants so can work out cheaper overall. Or pick some cheaper restaurants.

well, the staff at the hotel (who will come into your room daily), will see and report, you may be thrown out of the hotel!

people will notice the smell from food cooking in the hallway.

It is a no-go idea, God the manager would have a fit!

Just buy baguette, fruit, cheese, crepes, salad?

ColdCottage I only recently discovered you can do spuds in a slow cooker, it's brilliant. You just prep them normally and chuck them in on low for the day. Some people use foil but I don't.

Good point re the Euro, I'm just looking for restaurant menus now. Perhaps the prices are over-exaggerated?

I was thinking that we wouldn't want to leave the park in the evening and miss all the fireworks etc, but I might be massively overestimating how much time we want to be spending actually in the park itself?