$75 per day. Family of three.

[mgriff75]

I need some creative suggestions. Our family of three, DS7, need to limit our food budget for our June 09 trip to $75 per day. 4 days at Boardwalk, 4 Days at Vero Beach, and then 1 day at Animal Kingdom lodge. We have been to Disney 10+ times, and have never had a restricted food budget before. We do have TIW/DDE. We will be back in Nov 09 without the budget constrant, so we can get the expensive meals next time. We normally only eat two meals per day, and much prefer table service. Any suggestions?

Matthew

 

[DanaAustinChelsea]

You may already know this, but you can get the new quick service DDP, available after 1/11/09, is only $29.99 per adult & $8.99 per child. It includes 2 CS meals, one snack per day & includes the refillable resort mugs.

If you do not want to commit to a DDP, you can get an idea of menu offerings at allears http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm some of the TS restaurants aren't too bad price-wise (The Plaza, Mama Melrose, Liberty Tree Tavern, Beaches & Cream etc), but I haven't ate at many of them. Casey's Corner in MK had good beef hot dogs,drink (nothing like the gross ones we had elsewhere in the park!) & fries for about $8.50. Flame Tree BBQ was inexpensive & really good, plus they take the TIW card. I also packed snack items & a few Nutrigrain bars, (maybe Pop-tarts if your son like them? ) to take with us if needed. You can ordered bottled water for less than $7 a case delivered to your resort from Costco.com & take the singles to go type packets to add to the bottled water. I think the refillable resort mugs are a good deal for $13. We would use them while dining in our resort CS or stop by fill them up with frozen cokes every night.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

Do the basic dining plan, it is only a small amount more for the dp. Not sure of the actual cost, but around $80.00 for the three of you.

 

[allyphoe]

Basic DDP plus tax plus tips is likely to get you right at $100 per day, or $25 / 33% over budget.

I second the suggestion for the QS DDP.

You'd be hard pressed to get any table service meals into a budget that tight, even with TIW. Although if your budget has additional funds for bringing food from home / ordering food delivered, use some of that for a TS meal.

 

[Wendi2000]

You can share some meals and if you are planning on TS meals, do them for lunch since they are often cheaper than dinner - plus it is nice to have an afternoon break to sit down and relax for a while.

A bowl of oatmeal or a bagel can be a very filling and inexpensive breakfast - the resort quick service restaurants have lots of complimentary toppings for bagels too - peanut butter, cream cheese, jams, etc.

I can get by on eating a kid's meal instead of an adult meal quite often, you might be able to do the same, not everyone can though!

Skip desserts and appetizers, or order a couple of appetizers instead of an entree.

You can probably split a chicken/ribs platter at Cosmic Ray's - it is a very big meal.

 

[Singinglizzie]

If you are driving, you could pack a cooler with lunch meats and plan to make sandwiches for lunch, bring your own bottled water, plus bring cereal, oatmeal packets, pop tarts, etc. for breakfast. You could still eat out at one CS meal each day, plus have a snack and stay within your budget. Some of the resorts can provide microwaves on request. I think $75 for three is very doable, and like you say you can always go more deluxe next trip. Have fun!

 

[thatslygirl]

^ agree with the poster above. I decided this year instead of buying bottled water, I would bring along my Sigg bottle and (gasp!) drink water from the tap. It wasn't too bad. Also, the aluminum bottle kept the water cooler a lot longer. It came with a clip so I attached it to my bag. Though next time I may bring my Sigg thermal bottle, because that keeps cold drinks cold up to 12 hours! For variety I would put a tea bag in it overnight and had iced tea. I didn't drink soda at the parks because of the high fructose corn syrup and I saved $2 each day for lunch. If you like Vitamin Water you can buy electrolyte packets and mix it with water and you have instant Gatorade.

I did the oatmeal thing by heating water in the coffeepot but oftentimes I would forget to steal some spoons from a counter service area so most of the time in the morning I ate granola bars and sometimes ate trail mix throughout the day. Also you can pack bananas and apples and such since it'll cost $1 for a banana.

We ate at Columbia Harbor House this year and the previous year and thought it to be a good value. Likewise we also did the Tusker House buffet again while at Animal Kingdom and thought there was a great variety of food. Also, Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney is awesome!

Maybe there is a Chinese place nearby that would deliver to your hotel...

 

[mgriff75]

I realize I have options to save money. But I am really looking for good table service meals on a budget. For example:


We could go to Beaches and Cream and get:

Roast Beef Sub - Grilled Roast Beef with Au Jus and topped with Provolone Cheese, Grilled Onions, and Peppers $11.49

We could get two of those + drinks with the DDE discount, Tip, Tax, and a kids meal our total would come to around $37.25 Which would be perfect.

What other suggestions do you have?

Thanks,

Matthew

 

[buzz1fan]

We love the Plaza at MK. It is not to bad in price for the sandwiches. Skipping Desert would save you money too at the Plaza.

 

[Pumbaa_]

here is a link to the DIS menu search. you can search by price range, type, location, etc

good luck!

 

[TBDave]

Most table service restaurants have at least 1-2 good cheap items.

MAGIC KINGDOM

LUNCH
Liberty Tree Tavern - Roast Beef Sandwich ($11.50), Burger or Pot Pie ($12)
Tony's Town Square - Meatball Sub ($11.50), Calzone or Flatbread ($12)

LUNCH/DINNER
Plaza Restaurant - Various Sandwiches ($10), Burger ($11.50)


EPCOT

LUNCH
Chefs De France - Salad or Quiche ($12), Chicken Crepes ($13)
Le Cellier - Burger ($12.50)
Rose & Crown - Shepherd's Pie or Soup & Sandwich ($13)

DINNER (Walk to Boardwalk)
Big River Grille - Burger ($11)
ESPN Club - Various Burgers & Sandwiches ($10-$12)


DISNEY STUDIOS

LUNCH
Sci-Fi Dine In - Reuben or Turkey Sandwich ($12), Burger ($13)
50's Prime Time - Turkey or Ham Sandwch ($11.50)

DINNER
50's Prime Time - Meatloaf or Fried Chicken ($15)
Mama Melrose - Flatbreads ($12)


ANIMAL KINGDOM

LUNCH/DINNER
Rainforest Cafe - Burgers ($11), Sandwiches ($13-$14)


Also think about leaving the parks and eating at the Resorts. When you're at the Magic Kingdom, it's easy to jump on the Monorail and visit the 3 hotels.

Kona Cafe - Club Sandwich ($10), Burger ($12)
Grand Floridian Cafe - Reuben ($10), Burger or Ham/Turkey Sandwich ($12)
The Wave - Reuben or Burger ($13)

 

[mgriff75]

Thanks, That is the kind of info I needed.

Matthew

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I think that table service lunches would generally be within your budget but your dinner options might be more limited.

I'd also suggest that you look at your food budget for the entire trip instead of day by day.

For instance, if when at AKL, you really want to eat at Boma, you could do that as long as on another day you've balanced with less expensive food (maybe sticking mostly to counter service).

You might also want to consider room service (yes I know it seems counter intuitive but give me a chance). While staying at the BWI, my mom and I ordered room service - we got the BW Wrap which was turkey, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc served with fries or fruit $12.99. They also had a salad for $4.99.

1/2 wrap and fries for me and 1/2 wrap and the salad for my mom was more than enough. Even adding in a kids meal for your son (and tip and $3 service charge) you'd still come in under your budget.

Also, most character breakfast buffets would run you around $48 (with your 20% discount, even counting in the tax and tip). If you planned one of these around 10:30 - 11am (basically the last seating), then you could have a counter service dinner. It would allow you a good selection and variety of foods (including desserts and treats since most breakfast buffets at Disney include some kind of treat).

 

[TBDave]

You should also consider the two adults sharing an appetizer and entree. Here's some examples.

Nine Dragons - Egg Rolls with Sweet & Sour Pork ($25)
Rose And Crown - Samosas with Fish & Chips ($24)
Tokyo Dining - Tempura with Grilled Chicken ($25.50)
San Angel Inn - Tacos with Corvina En Salsa Verde ($29)

 

[bangzoom6877]

I would bring stuff to have a quick breakfast in the room before heading to the parks, like get a box of cereal and some milk. We did this in July when we didn't go out to breakfast, in order to save some money and get to the parks early.

Here are some cheaper TS places by the BW:

-ESPN Club (burgers, sandwiches, many options between $11 and $15)
-Beaches & Cream (cheap burgers and sandwiches...a single cheeseburger is onlt $8.99)
-Big River Grille (prices comparable to ESPN Club for sandwiches, burgers and salads; kids' meals as posted on All Ears are only $4.50)

In the parks (these are TS places that have cheaper options, as well as expensive ones):

MK: Plaza Restaurant
DHS: Mama Melrose (dinnertime); 50s Prime Time (lunchtime); Sci-Fi (lunchtime)

At Epcot, the CS in Morocco is VERY good and definitely well worth going to. You can get certain things there for under $10 and the food is excellent. In fact I have heard from many folks that the CS restaurants all over the WS at Epcot serve some of the same food for much cheaper than the more expensive TS places. For example, Fish & Chips at the CS location in United Kingdom in the WS is MUCH cheaper than the same entree at the TS location. Same food, maybe a slightly smaller portion, but just as good quality. Keep that in mind for Epcot.

At AK, we really loved the Flame Tree BBQ which is a CS place, but is very reasonably priced and delicious food.

At AKL, you could enjoy the same famous zebra domes as they serve at Boma from Mara, but for much cheaper than dining at Boma, if you really want to treat yourself to one on a budget.

Enjoy your trip!! Remember, like you said, on the next trip after this one you could indulge some more and enjoy things like character meals and maybe some signature restaurants.

 

[TBDave]

I'd also suggest trying to order Lunch menu items at Dinner. Like ordering one of the Lunch sandwiches that isn't on the Dinner menu. We've never tried it, but I've heard from other people that were able to do it.

 

[kaykels]

Quick service for every meal would get old fast unless you didn't mind driving to the value resorts.
Earl of Sandwich makes a great dinner. If you have a car it's a piece of cake! Eat off property as much as possible.
IF that's not possible, bring bagels. There are toasters and cream cheese at the quick grabs. Hit the grocery store for PB&J's in the room. McDonalds is located near AKL for quick bites. Then get a better dinner.

 

[fla4fun]

Quick service for every meal would get old fast unless you didn't mind driving to the value resorts.

Actually, you can make do with CS quite nicely for several days. My trip this month was on a strict budget of $20 per day for food. I had breakfast in the room, and then two CS meals per day. Considering the options at Epcot, I was able to eat for 4.5 days and not repeat a meal (it's not all hot dogs and hamburgers any more).

For the OP, you are really going to have to do some research. There are menus available online to give you an idea of the cost of TS items, but keep in mind that prices can fluctuate, so use them as a guideline, not as fact. The best advice I can give is to consider having your main TS meals for lunch instead of dinner, as the prices are often a little lower. I often budget $25 per day to dine, but I'm usually planning on either two CS meals or one CS and one TS meal, and I can do it well within the $25. Two or more TS meals will probably put you over budget. Don't forget to calculate tips when figuring out your meal budgets! That $15 meal will jump another few dollars when calculating tax and tip.

Beverages are another item where you can cut cost. I live here, so I'm used to the tap water (and believe it or not, Disney's tap water is some of the better tasting water in this area) and I often will just ask for a glass of iced water for a beverage instead of spending $2-3 on a drink. You can usually get a lemon wedge to put in it to help mask the taste if you aren't used to the water. You can also get cups of iced water at CS locations at no charge.

 

[ms*mountaineer]

We often split CS meals - there was plenty of food! Also - check out the menus of TS places - there are some with reasonable prices (as PP's have mentioned) that will fit your budget. And you can be so full from a TS restaurant that you don't really need 3 meals a day. We often go on a CS meal, a TS meal for dinner and snacks in between

 

[septbaby]

I realize I have options to save money. But I am really looking for good table service meals on a budget. For example:


We could go to Beaches and Cream and get:

Roast Beef Sub - Grilled Roast Beef with Au Jus and topped with Provolone Cheese, Grilled Onions, and Peppers $11.49

We could get two of those + drinks with the DDE discount, Tip, Tax, and a kids meal our total would come to around $37.25 Which would be perfect.

What other suggestions do you have?

Thanks,

Matthew

While it is a TS restaurant B&C isn't leaps and bounds over a number of CS places. For 4 nights you really could do well with CS meals and even the CS plan. That saves a bit of budget for Vero where you can do TS and then be sure to do Boma breakfast when you return for AKL ($44 for your family).

Take a look at the Pepper Market at CSR. If you are on the DP the 10% service fee is included. Steak and ethnic goodies are offered there for a CS credit.

Your family could have 2-3 meals per day for $70 per day, as well as 6 snack credits and each of you would have a mug to use at the resort. You need to do the math to see if the TiW card is a better deal, but don't dismiss CS as burgers and fries because it is way more than that at WDW.