Most Economical Deal in Disney...

[Emme]

Can you please tell me what you think the best "food deal" is in Disney. I am looking for counter service or sit down, no vendors. I found a great deal at Pecos Bills; burger, drink and fries for $5.80 which I thought was incredible. Does anyone have any other favorite spots that they know of that offer good food at reasonable prices? Thanks!

Emmy

[josierac]

Take a look at the menus and see what you can find. Any of the counter service places will have decent prices. Two that come to mind are the counter service places in China and Japan in Epcot

[aero99]

Without a doubt, Beaches and Cream with a connections voucher! The meals are huge and come with an appetizer and desert. My boyfriend and I split the appetizer and double hamburger and I was full. He enjoyed the desert and was definitely full after that! The voucher cost $10.50. We only paid for an extra drink and extra tip (voucher includes tip and tax).

[*Flower*]

Try the double burger combo for $1.00 more at Pecos Bill's, and then split it with the one you love.
We did that and we were both full, and we only spent $6.80 for 2, or $3.40 each!!
We almost always split entrees, and boy do we save some money!!!

[Kermit]

I sometimes eat off the child's menu when I'm not very hungry. Sometimes I don't even eat all of the food. At full service restaurants, DH and I usually split something.

[Belle5]

Flower,
That is such a great idea!! Two people could each have an open faced burger and still hit the toppings bar. I love it!!!

[BethR]

Ummmmmm, you all are making me hungry! :)

We have been happy with all of the fast food that we have gotten at WDW and the prices are not out of line with any other vacation spot. We LOVE Pecos Bills in the MK. We also like Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland and I have heard good things about the Columbia Harbour House and the Plaza. In Epcot we like the Electric Umbrella, the Sunshine Food Court in the Land and there is Fast Food in all of the countries. In MGM, we like the Commissary, and the little Food Courtie place at the bottom of the hill where you go into Fantasmic. You can get baked potatoes, hot dogs, pizza, and these REALLY HUGE soft pretzels for $3. Not a meal - but a good substitute for one! :) We split 4 between the 6 of us and had one left over!

What other places do you all like?

:)

[Juliet25]

I thought their prices were really reasonable, and the food is great. I was so disappointed with some of the other sit-down restaurants. Way too much $$$.

[msr709]

Pecos Bills was also our favorite this past Dec. Try the chicken sandwich combo, its also $5.80 and its DELICIOUS!

[msr709]

Pecos Bills was also our favorite this past Dec. Try the chicken sandwich combo, its also $5.80 and its DELICIOUS! ALSO try the Egg roll cart at the exit of Pangani Trail, the egg roll and the lemonade drink was enough as a small lunch for Mom and me and they were yummy! We also split a lot of meals and saved a bundle. We had a steak dinner at the Contemporary that was wonderful, and it only cost us about $35 (tip and tax included) the creamed spinach and roasted garlic potatoes were heaven and we were both satisfied on one steak! I learned that little tip here on these boards and the waiters weren't difficult about it either. I also ordered some meals from the kids menu for my 70yo Mom and they didn't seem to have trouble with it either. Pure and Simple at Epcot is very cheap and have very healthy meals there like bake potatoes with broccoli, and such. Enjoy!! (Now I'm hungry). . .:p :D

[SandraC]

We have eaten at many counter service at WDW and have always enjoyed the food and atmosphere very very very much!

We (dh, dd, ds and myself) ate at CHH and Pinocchio's for about $18.00 and we were all full! (ds was too young to order his own meal). At CHH, dd wanted the salad, so I ordered the kids meal and ate that and she had the salad. I found the food at both CHH and Pinocchio's to be very tasty and $18.00 is a good price for my whole family.

We rested at Plaza Pavillion in MK and it looked like a great menu. Check out www.wdwig.com for menus and prices!

I'm with Beth, I am getting hungry! LOL!

[tar heel]

The burger and fries meal at Pecos Bill's did not include a drink last summer. Is this something new? A burger, fries and drink was close to $8 b/c the drink was around $2.

[Babymoon]

My dh and I shared a chicken wrap for $5.50 near the Canada pavilion in Epcot. It was delicious and came with chips. Plenty for both of us!

[BRERALEX]

columbia harbour house (the spelling has to be off!!)

i always felt that you got a good sized basket of chicken and fries for whatever that price is.

its a family favorite. i heard the fish is good too but im not one for fish.

anyone have any good suggestions for the other parks. are there any epcot aniaml kingdom and studios equivalent of a columbia harbour hous or pecos bills?

[hercamore]

Tusker House at AK has decent priced food. Also you can split one of their chicken baskets.

I have never found any good counter meal deals at MGM. Plus some of their counter restaurants are only open for lunch.

MGM needs more counter service.

At MGM we usually split a meal at 50s cafe cause the food is so good and the atmosphere great.

[mickey7861]

Columbia Harbor House is my family's favorite. They offer chickenstrips w/ fries, fish w/ fries or a combo of both. They also have NE clam chowder served in a bread bowl which is my DS's favorite. They also offer a couple of different sandwiches and salads. The total for the 4 of us is usually around $30 including drinks. The chicken finger basket is quite large, my DD (16) always gives her extra to her brother. My favorite part is there's plenty of seating and it's nicely air conditioned, I refuse to eat outside in the heat. (we're always there in the summer)

[MulanMom]

For onsite restaurants/eateries, we like the counter service in Japan and China, the buffet at Trail's End Buffeteria in Ft. W, and the Plaza Pavillion counter service in MK. Don't know if I would call them "economical", but we've always felt we've gotten good value.

Best way to cut food costs is to stay someplace that has a frig and a microwave. Have your big meal at lunch rather than dinner, and be sure to look into and use any dining discounts that may be available to you via a club membership (DC, AAA, AP, DVC, etc.).

Sharon

[Dallas_Lady]

DH and I are going for our anniversary trip and I agree that the prices at the sit-down restaurants are a little too expensive. You can get the same food off-site for half as much (then again, that's the way just about everything at Disney is!)

On my last trip, we only at at counter service places and i felt it was worth it. The portions are large, the food is good and the price is not too bad. DH and I plan to do just about all our meals CS and then have two special meals at a sit-down: 'Ohana and Whispering Canyon Cafe. We are using those meals as an opportunity to visit our favorite resorts that we can't quite afford to stay at.

My favorite counter service was Cosmic Rays at the MK. The food was good and there was a lot! I had a chicken caesar salad that never seemed to end! It was definitely the size and quality of a dinner salad at a sit-down restaurant for about $6.00 (at that time)

Here is a counter service tip: Try to find one that is nicely themed (though I think they all have some type of theme) so that you are still enjoying a fun dining experience. Also, by eating counter service, your meals won't take as long and you can head back to the parks!

[crusoe2]

I like the idea of splitting the hamburger and fries. Does anyone know if they will give you an extra plate for this? Also, can you get an extra bun and how much will they charge for it? TIA:)

[disneygeek]

We always get the burger deals but split a soft drink. Saves a couple bucks. We always try to eat at The Backolt at MGM. Pecos is the same food but toppings bar is better at backlot.

[SandraC]

I love the salads at WDW too. I ate several at different counter service and they were all wonderful, especially CHH and Pinocchino's. Very filling and LOTS, especially if you add the chicken!

[tink2dw]

AT Epcot at the Electric Umbella we[dh and I] split the the Chicken Strips-ala cart and the large Fresh Fruit Platter-which we split 3 ways,it has a varity of fruits. I always opt for the fruit at WDW as it cuts the thrist so well.

For sit down I will always opt for MGM's Hollywood and Vine!! Frommers states "the dinner is a bargain! It's the same price as Breakfast!! The price is not raised for dinner"
The food is First rate 4 STAR[even the skinny size 2 women over eat at this restaurant,that must mean the food is FAB!!] and the dessert cakes have mouse ears!
This is also our favorite Character Breakfast! It's Minnie's Cafe! Don't miss Minnie And Goofy DANCE!!

[danacath]

msr709 mentioned eating at Pure and Simple in Epcot. Where exactly in Epcot is it located? Cheap prices and healthy food at the same restaurant can be hard to come by! :)

[SandraC]

danacath, don't know about Pure & Simple, but there are lots of healthy eating to be found at WDW. There fruit carts around, last April the fruit was .85 each. The salads are great too. I usually got the salad with grilled chicken for many dinners. It was generous, light dressing, tiny bit of greek cheese, sometimes nuts ~ so they were hardy but not heavy salads. All the restaurants seemed to have lighter/leaner choices. If I don't eat healthy, I feel fatique and ill. I was always filled with energy at WDW! BTW, the big salads ran about $8-9. Not bad for a meal!

[threeboysmom]

danacath - someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Pure & Simple is located in the Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot (where the ride Body Wars is located). I remember they offered different juices & smoothies - can't remember other offerings....

Kimberly

[disney0928]

Pure & Simple is indeed inside the Wonders of Life pavilion in Epcot's Future World. My father, the vegan, can even eat there!

Another good, inexpensive Epcot place is the Sunshine Food Fair inside the Land Pavilion, lower level. Many different stands for all different tastes, and inexpensive!

At MK I would stick with Pecos Bill's and CHH. Filling meals on a budget! Same for AK's Tusker House.

MGM I cannot find a decent inexpensive place to please myself, DH, and our 3 year old DS. This is one park we plan on a bigger meal at a sit-down dinner.

MulanMom mentioned the Trail's End Buffet at Fort Wilderness. This is one of our favorite places! It is so nice to take the boat over from MK, walk around the beautiful grounds, and have a meal here. Something for everyone at every meal! FW also has tons of inexpensive or free enteratinment! The petting farm and stables, pony rides, bike and canoe rentals, the free movie and sing-along at the campfire each night. Can you tell we spend a LOT of time at FW, even if we're not staying there?

[bigs1923t]

We usually grab a lunch at a counter place that has tables overlooking Its A Small World. Forget the name of the place. You get a double cheeseburger. DW doesnt eat alot so we take one buger off of hers & put it on mine. The fixins bar also has good mushrooms and forks (bad move!) A bunch of mushrooms in your burger container just finishes off the meal. Another deal we took advantage of was to go over to Fort Wilderness for a lunch break. They have an inexpensive buffet until about 3:00. then we just have a snack at dinner.

[SandraC]

OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH! Tell me about the inexpensive FW buffet! We were going to visit FW for the petty zoo ans pony rides as a surprise for the kids. BTW, what ages can pony ride, I have ds 2, and dd 8.

The restaurant overlooking Small World is Pinocchios. We just love it there! Major good salads and CMs!

[MulanMom]

The buffet is at the Trail's End Buffeteria. It's adjacent to the Hoop Dee Doo. If you are over that way for petting zoo, and pony rides, check it out. After your bellies are full, spend some time in the rockers on the porch!

Hmmm...thinking about making some time next trip to get over there with the kids!:)

sharon

[bigs1923t]

The pony rides at Fort Wilderness are done more by size than age. If your DD 8 is small it will be ok. We have a DD 9 who is just a little too big but she is big for her age. Look around FW while you are there. We stay there each xmas, it is our favorite resort. The golf carts are the best, you can use them for transportation around the resort. They are around $40.00 per 24 hr period and each cabin has a place to park & charge them . Why wait for a bus to the MK or a quick retreat to River Country ? Just cruise your cart down & it will be there waiting for you.

[mar3990]

How much is the buffet at Fort Wilderness and what do they serve?

[SandraC]

Go to www.wdwig.com look under menus.

We are going for lunch, Adults $8.95, Kids $5.95. I think that's great for a Disney buffet.

[disney0928]

Trail's End serves soups, chili, breads, salads, usually a few veggie choices, and a couple main courses. Usually fries and chicken fingers or fried chicken appeal to the kids. My DS also loves the mac & cheese and the pizzaz. Main courses and the veggies change daily, as does the soup of the day.

I don't remember the prices but I think dinner for DH, myself and DS plus Dh's beer, tax, and tip was around $30-35. Lunch and breakfast prices are much cheaper! Generally, it's about half the cost of the character buffets throughout the parks, and with better food!

[bigs1923t]

The lunch bufffet is the best deal at around 9 bucks, lasts till 3:30 as I remember. Dinner goes up to around 15 bucks , as I remember it isnt a whole lot different than lunch. The best deal is hit there around 2:30 for a late lunch then just grab a snack for dinner.

[SandraC]

Sounds great! We are making a day of it at FW. We'll do RC, petting zoo, ponies if dd isn't too big. We will have 2pm lunch at Trails End, we are really looking forward to it!

[mickey7861]

We ate at Trail's End last summer for the first time and it was great. They had deli sandwiches, pizza, chili, salad bar, fried chicken, barbecue beef, dessert too ...yummy. It was a rainy afternoon about 2:30 and there weren't many people there, they were rehearsing for Hoop dee doo next door and a CM came in and offered for us to see the show so they could practice in front of a live audience. What a treat! We got to see the Hoop Dee Doo for the price of Trail's End!

[BoyLovesBuzz]

Now are these buffets "all you can eat" or pick a salad, entree, 2 sides etc. If its "all you can eat", I can put myself out of pony range real fast.

[Beanie]

Another vote for Pecos bills!! I love this place...It is, in my opinion, the best kept secret in the MK!! :)

[bigs1923t]

Hey there BUZZ ! Not sure about Pecos Bills but tTrails End is a buffet, all you can eat! They dont rush you and tell you eat up ! They also keep refilling the sodas. Just remember to go for lunch and you get a much better price.

[disney0928]

Trail's End is indeed a buffet restaurant, all you care to eat. It is open for all 3 meals.

Pecos Bill's is not buffet. It is a counter service restaurant; you order your food and when it's ready, take it to your table. Each item on the menu has a set separate price. It is one of the better, less expensive places in the Magic Kingdom for lunch, dinner, and snacks. One of the best features is the "toppings bar," where you can load up your burgers any way you like.

[Dodie]

I think the biggest tip, no matter what counter service restaurant you visit, is to SPLIT THE MEAL between 2 people.

DH and I always do this. There's plenty for two. If you get hungry later - you can buy yourself a snack somewhere!