Dining budget for family of five

[Mouskemom]

trying to plan a budget for our universal trip. We usually do the dining plan at Disney but have learned from these boards that it might not be the most cost effective option at universal.

I plan to bring breakfast items for the room for a couple of mornings, but will likely need one snack, lunch and dinner for each of us. Assorted treats and a breakfast or two as well.

That being said, how much should I budget for dining expenses for our family of five - three boys ages 12, 10 and 6?

 

[macraven]

check the food/menu sticky at the top of the page that damo keeps current.
also go to www.universalorlando.com and check out the menus and prices.
do the same for city walk.

that way you will know what the prices are for the foods you would want to buy

 

[Mouskemom]

If I purchased the full dining plan with a vacation package from universal, how much would that cost?

 

[macraven]

too much....

don't think it is worth it.

go thru the menus and prices.
if you come out even or above $10 for the entire family, that would be great.

other touring site will give the same advice.
it is not worth it financially.

the quick service can give you the edge as long as you know the prices in the parks.

i do that each trip and usually save about $6.
but, i have to order counter service that gives me the edge in my favor for that to happen.

 

[Mouskemom]

I'm not planning on actually BUYING the dining plan, I just hope it'll give me a ballpark figure I can included in my budget.

 

[macraven]

last time i looked the dining plan was over $50 a person.
use damo's thread of food/menu and check the cost of foods.
also pull up citywalk for prices there for the eateries.

at one time the desserts were the choice of the house type of thing.
that would bring the cost down for the table service meals.

haven't read that many posts of those that went with the full dining plan and talked about it in a long time.
so can't direct you to how others have used it.

the counter service/quick plan i am familiar with as i do use it on my long stays.


by you reviewing costs of foods for table service, you could set up a budget quite well.

 

[HM]

I have a family of four adults.
Table Service usually costs us +or- $120 for dinner.
Counter Service costs us about $50.
Snacks are about $25 if we all get something.

So, for us we're looking around $200 a day. We don't drink sodas with meals, but might have a beer at dinner.

 

[thornton0511]

We are DDP as well when it comes to Disney and I am trying to plan for a few days at the Universal Resort myself. My plan of attack is to purchase a set of QS dining tickets ($19.99 for adults $12.99 for kids per day) for our family of 4 for each day we will be there. This will cost us around $75 per day and will basically get us each a QS meal with bev included, a snack, and an extra bev each day. Then we will pay OOP for a TS each day. We will plan to eat at QS locations that are cost efficient for the purchase, i.e. meals that cost more than $10. If we do this we may not save much money at all but we can at least break even and "prepaying" will feel familiar to being on the DDP. Does that make sense?

 

[macraven]

i do the quick service on every darkside trip.
the included beverage on the first cs service meal you get makes the deal good.

the 3 B's chicken/ribs dinner is about $16.
i get the two coupons for later and use them and save about $6 at least for that day.

Louies' pizza place has the salad, pizza and drink for around $17
again i use the coupons later for a butterbeer drink (snack $4.50) and a beverage free to fill in when i do counter service another day in the park.
still lets me come out ahead.
i stay for 13 days and the coupons are valid for 14 days.
i plan out ahead of how to use the coupons then.

if you use the quick counter service for a cheap meal, say hot dog and pot chips, it's not worth it
you save no money with the CS you buy.

look at the food/menu sticky thread that damo handles.
info on prices, foods, pictures will help you.
also use the UO website for that info

 

[Mouskemom]

Macraven- which coupons do you mean?

HM - thanks, that's the kind of info I was looking for. We would probably end up around the same because we technically have three adults and two kids. We're also big fans of having water with meals to keep costs down. It would be nice to have a beer at dinner though.

Seems I can get club level at PBH for an additional $834. Can I use club level the day we check out as well? Seeing as how we're planning to spend the hot part of the day at the hotel, do you think the five of us could get our $834 worth over 7/8 days?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

mac is talking about the Quick Service Dining Plan:

Make Food Part of the Fun!

SAVE UP TO 30%* On Select Entreé, Snack & Beverage Combinations

The Universal Dining Plan - Quick Service includes:

Adult: 1 Quick Service Meal (1 entrée & 1 non-alcoholic beverage), 1 snack and 1 non-alcoholic beverage.

Child (ages 3-9): 1 Quick Service Kids Meal (1 entrée & 1 non-alcoholic beverage), 1 snack and 1 non-alcoholic beverage.

*Savings calculated on the difference between select items purchased individually and the Universal Dining Plan – Quick Service. The Universal Dining Plan—Quick Service is non-refundable. Applicable sales tax will be added to all ticket products. The Universal Dining Plan - Quick Service card cannot be returned or refunded, and will not be replaced if lost, stolen or destroyed. Gratuities are not included. Theme park admission is required for dining in Universal Studios® and Islands of Adventure®. Children ages 3 to 9 must order from the Kid's Menu. Only valid during normal operating hours and excludes dining during all special or separately ticketed entertainment events. Participating locations are subject to change without notice and venue operating hours may vary by location. Merchandise is not included. Additional restrictions may apply and subject to change without notice. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2015 Universal Studios. © 2015 Universal Orlando. All rights reserved.

https://www.universalorlando.com/Restaurants/Dining-Plan.aspx

For $20, its a good deal if you are planning on eating certain more expensive entrees. We're planning on purchasing it on the days we visit Thunder Falls Terrace and Three Broomsticks in particular. Like macraven said, its about $16 just for the chicken and rib dinner. The coupons mac referenced would be the other entitlements on the dining card....and additional snack and an additional drink over and above your entree/drink at the quick service restaurant. According to Touringplans, the chicken and rib dinner at Thunder Falls is $14.29. A beverage is at least $2.99. Butterbeer ice cream (which you could use for your snack) is $4.99. Then add in another beverage at $2.99.....that's over $25 right there, and the plan price is only $19.99. It can be a decent savings!

 

[macraven]

Macraven- which coupons do you mean?

HM - thanks, that's the kind of info I was looking for. We would probably end up around the same because we technically have three adults and two kids. We're also big fans of having water with meals to keep costs down. It would be nice to have a beer at dinner though.

Seems I can get club level at PBH for an additional $834. Can I use club level the day we check out as well? Seeing as how we're planning to spend the hot part of the day at the hotel, do you think the five of us could get our $834 worth over 7/8 days?

as you can see, gina read my mind.........

yes on that quck service you get a small paper "coupon" that states one beverage and one snack.

get a snack, give them that coupon paper, and that covers the cost of the item.

club lounge offerings are great as long as you can be there to utilize the lounge.
looking at the numbers, it would be $20.85 per person for each 8 days
$23.83 per person if you used the club for 7 days.

if you use the lounge every morning for breakfast, you could go with a little of this and that for filling you all up.
cereal, fruit, pastry, yogurt, toast and other items.

water and soda bottles available all day long.
what does a bottle of water cost in the park, maybe $2.75?

evening spread would be more like appetizers but i have seen peeps eat like it is a dinner.
you would need to go early at 5:00 to make sure to get what you want.
sometimes they run out of food then, sometimes not.
it's a gamble.

there is a thread on page 9 in the hotel section where Goofy! posted the assortment of foods available when she went in january.
it will give you an idea of typical spreads they put out.

i never come out ahead when i do club.
if the lounge is not open real early when the parks have early entry, i skip it.
and if i am having fun in the late afternoon in the parks, i don't make it back to the hotel for the 5-7 evening foods but might hit it for the dessert hours later.
but i do take water bottles out of the lounge for taking with me in the parks.
overall, i don't save money going with club.
with a family of 5, the breakfast period and water bottles would help in your food budget.