Budget for food in WDW?

[theducksdidit]

I am debating on getting the quick service dining plan when we go to wdw. It will just be my daughter (who will be 5 at the time) and I. All we will eat is quick service meals. Maybe one table service. My daughter hates sitting down to eat for long periods of time, especially in a new, exciting place But I was just wondering what y'all thought would be good to budget daily for food if I decide not to get the dining plan??? We will be there for 12 days and we are not huge eaters. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[QVCshopper]

I think the QSDP is great, especially if you're staying on-site because you can get unlimited soda/coffee at your hotel. Plus, you can splurge on the fancier/more expensive snacks. We have always come out ahead with the QSDP and have never needed to buy anything extra. If I'm not doing it, I tend to nickel and dime myself into a tizzy. Not much is cheap at Disney. Eating cheaply, I'd say $30-40/day sounds about right, maybe a little less if you brought your own breakfasts. But, the QSDP makes us happy and takes away the stress of worrying over the cost of everything. Sometimes I get tired of being a human calculator.

 

[theducksdidit]

Sometimes I get tired of being a human calculator.

I did the math and for the dining plan it added on a little over $500. I guess that's not too bad. We'd probably spend close to that paying OOP? At any quick service place we can get anything on the menu?
Thank you!!!

 

[QVCshopper]

I did the math and for the dining plan it added on a little over $500. I guess that's not too bad. We'd probably spend close to that paying OOP? At any quick service place we can get anything on the menu?
Thank you!!!

Pretty sure, and as long as it has the food symbol next to it in the menu, it's a snack. And a lot of snacks can run $3-4; some of the best are the French crepes in Epcot France, American Dream in Epcot America, Goofys Candy Shop in DTD, the nicer ice cream shops, etc. I think there's a list of the best snacks somewhere on the Disney Dining board. You can also price out your meals on allears.net if you're interested. We try to maximize the plan and eat quite well. We also use the snacks as treats for our kids. Instead of a toy, how about the strawberry fruit bar you like? It works well for us.

 

[cglaura]

It also depends on your appetites. I can often be fine eating a kids meal. Or splitting an adult meal with dd.

Here are some menus w/ pricing so you can get an idea:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm

And here is a food thread w/ pics to see the portions:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2284684 (this is just random postings)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2456371 (this one has them categorized by restaurant)

For me personally, I like to pay OOP, that way I'm not forced into eating an amount of food just to get my money's worth.

Also, we 99% of the time drink water, which is free at CS places (tap, not bottled).

I'm at the point now where I know, but in the beginning I would figure out approximately how much it would be and either put the cash on my room for kttwc charging, or get a disney gift card I set aside just for dining. This way my food is still pre-purchased, just at a price I picked, not Disney

 

[fakereadhed]

A fun thread on dining for $40/day:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2684936

 

[*Seanaci*]

It also depends on your appetites. I can often be fine eating a kids meal. Or splitting an adult meal with dd.

Ditto.

The portions are HUGE...so if you guys just did OOP and split a meal (even for quick service) it'd probably be less than the dining plan itself. I dunno.

I know that for me, I'd be worried about getting my monies worth with the Dining plan (when we went in 2008...not on the dining plan, two of the four of us would ALWAYS split a quick service meal). I'd look at the reciepts and be like "OMG...we've got to use all these credits." And that's just too much to stress over for me.

Anyhow! Whatever you decide...good luck. And have fun!!

 

[minnie mouse ears]

We split a lot of meals at the cs places. For around $12 you and your dd could split a hamburger meal with cokes and have more than enough to eat and drink. Bring your own bottled water and freeze it. Water costs $2.50 per bottle in the park and you will drink tons of it in the summer. The cs in Mexico has nachos for a good price. I think you could easily eat on $30 a day if you avoid table service and split food and snacks. The portions are huge!!!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I think in your case, I would skip the dining plan and pay OOP. It's only about $25 for DH and I to eat at a CS restaurant, I'm sure you two can do it for much less.

 

[Poohforyou]

I wouldn't do a dining plan if it were just DD and I since in our family the only one who would eat enough to make any dining plan worthwhile is DH.

 

[theducksdidit]

I LOVE the links!!! Thank you all so much! I think were gonna skip the dining plan

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I think you have made the right decision. If you get the plan, but your child does not eat a whole lot of food, the DDP would end up costing you more in the long run. Especially if you plan to do CS meals.

 

[Aliceacc]

I read somewhere that the QSDP typically saves about 1% (and the DDP 2%.)

So I say you budget the cost of the QSDP. If, as you suspect, you eat a bit lighter, great-- you've saved some money you can spend elsewhere. But at least you'll have enough.

 

[PattnFmly]

If you are both fairly light eaters, I'd say go OOP. Depends on your eating style. If you're not both getting meals each meal, you'll probably lose money in the long run buying a DP. I remember when my DS's were 4 & 6, I tried to buy three meals, DH, me and a split meal between them. My DS's were not happy and we ended up giving them part of ours too because they are "healthy" eaters! LOL! We changed that about halfway through the vacation and had to buy everyone their own. We've never banked on sharing anything since ..

 

[theducksdidit]

Thanks guys I love this board. Y'all are so nice and helpful!!

 

[StitchBuddy]

DDP use to be a deal, now not so much. It use to include your tips, and more food. I would just pay OOP.

 

[StitchBuddy]

DDP use to be a deal, now not so much. It use to include your tips, and more food. I would just pay OOP.