Feeding Teenagers at Disney

[kookiekat02]

I am beginning to plan a trip for two weeks at the end of August 2021. My room will consist of DH & I, DD15, & DS17. The kids are already eating a hefty amount a day (but are very active). I have been looking at the pricing for the dining plan vs OOP. Either way I would order breakfast items and waters/drinks for the hotel from Garden Grocer. I would like everyone's input on daily buffets/family style and your best tips for feeding the hungry lions while not burning through too much money. Please share your wisdom with me

 

[JZCubed]

I am beginning to plan a trip for two weeks at the end of August 2021. My room will consist of DH & I, DD15, & DS17. The kids are already eating a hefty amount a day (but are very active). I have been looking at the pricing for the dining plan vs OOP. Either way I would order breakfast items and waters/drinks for the hotel from Garden Grocer. I would like everyone's input on daily buffets/family style and your best tips for feeding the hungry lions while not burning through too much money. Please share your wisdom with me

I was that age a long, long, time ago.

There might be enough food at Disney World to feed two active teenagers walking 10 miles/day - might be enough.

Honestly, I used to snack on a big sandwich before dinner...and leave no leftovers at the dinner table (and I am still a proper weight).

I wish there was some wisdom to share, but what you really need is for me to share my sandwich with your sons (I can no longer eat the entire thing myself, and certainly not before dinner - unless the pre-dinner snack are the nachos at ESPN).....

Garden Grocer will save you money.

 

[cassie58]

Obviously no way to know this far out, but sometimes there has been free dining offers at the end of August, which would probably be ideal for your family. If not, any room discounts could be put towards dining plan/fund. The current regular dining plan would give you plenty of food, with one table service meal, 1 quick service meal, and 2 snacks, plus your own brft items. My kids are also good eaters and athletes, and like to graze, so we also use Garden Grocer for quick brft items as well as snacks for our park bags like granola bars or snack bags, and items for afternoon breaks or evening after parks like apple slices, cheese sticks, chips, etc.

The nice thing about the dining plan with teens who might go off on their own at times is it is all on the magic band, so they can grab a meal or snack without you as needed. You will have to look at the cost of the plan by then, and look at menus of places you'd like to eat to see if you think you could do better having your own money budgeted. Some people buy gift cards at discounted prices or use Disney Visa rewards to use towards their dining(or for gratuities if on plan). The nice thing about the dining plan is the ability to choose any entree w/o considering the cost. With all the time you have to plan, you can look over menus now to get an idea, and keep following along to see price of dining plan and entrees as they increase(inevitably) so you can decide.

AYCTE places, with buffets or family style would be beneficial for big eaters. Ohana dinner is one people always seem to get stuffed at and gets rave reviews, so a good one to put on your list. Boma at AKL is another good buffet, especially if you are adventurous - also a gorgeous hotel to check out and see some animals while you're there - a quick ride from AK. Mouse for Less site has a good list of menus with prices you can check out. For quick service, you can get ribs and chicken at Flame Tree BBQ at AK or 1/2chicken and mashed potatoes at Cosmic Rays at MK, so can be filling as well. Hope that gets you started!

 

[Accident]

not burning through too much money.

Disney food is going to cost you more than any other option so if your trying to save money, having food not purchased at disney will help that. Doesn't really matter who is eating.

 

[DeanDoug]

It all depends on several factors. Is renting DVC an option for you? This could give you a kitchen where you can cook breakfast each morning before heading out (more substantial, eggs, toast, bacon, etc.) eat in the parks for lunch and then also cook some dinners at home. Personally, I enjoy doing this, but not everyone does.

 

[DISNEY1975]

End of AUgust might give you a good chance at the free dining promo. Portions at Disney are HUGE. PLus the heat, for some reason, makes you less hungry! When my boys were teens, (*6"0 and 6'4") both about 200 lbs, we found a good breakfast and dinner were more than plenty for them. On occasion, we would get an ice cream in between meals. We always get the deluxe plan, so we have plenty of credits, but can not even think about eating 3 meals per day. We now use our credits for dinner shows and signature dining. You would be fine with the regular plan, even with teens!

 

[WDWNY]

Bring snacks for in between meals. We usually bring trail mix, snack bars and nuts and it helps a lot

 

[Micca]

having food not purchased at disney will help

This is why I'd stock the room with some sandwich makings, chips, snack stuff like crackers, cheese, etc. If your kids will eat fruit, then maybe some apples & bananas.

There certainly are a number of threads from Dis-ers who have run the numbers on the various dining plans which will be useful.

 

[Tigger's ally]

Don't Feed the Teenagers!

I went through those times with two athletic (6'5" pitcher/shooting guard, and his 6'3" twin- catcher/point guard) not too long ago. I only have three words for you. Home Equity Loan!

 

[TCB in FLA]

First off, good luck! My boys are 14 and 16, athletic and HUNGRY! I swear they eat more in a day than I do in a week. Yet they are not big fans of buffets (unless bacon is involved). I think it's more about steady fuel rather than a few big meals. I did O'Hana with my oldest last year and he loved that, and surprisingly liked Tusker House. We got our money's worth out of the refillable mug (more Powerade and lemon aid than coke). Add some snacks to your GG list or bring with you -- raisins, jerky, pringles. Maybe getting a popcorn bucket would help (if they aren't in braces).

 

[disnut8]

Pizza was my son's solution. We would just exit Epcot and go over to the Boardwalk pizza window and order at least one full size pie for him. And then my husband and I would get slices for ourselves. Then, we'd return to Epcot. Later, (as he got older), we discovered just walking around Epcot and getting him whatever food he wanted was good as well. He could eat and walk and if we wanted to go into something, he'd grab a place along the fence and chow down while we did our thing.

Biergarten is always good for a buffet and I don't like the heavy meats but always stuff myself silly there so never a waste for us. Sci Fi isn't a buffet or family style but the burgers are good and the teenagers might like the cheesy movie clips and it's not that expensive.

As mentioned, snacks are always good but I would advise THEY carry what they would like to munch on during the day. Cans of Pringles in a backpack, beef jerky, nuts. Also, if you want to buy snacks, there are the refillable popcorn tubs now (the kids would need to carry the tub) and Disney's popcorn is the only popcorn my husband will eat.

 

[disneyseniors]

Don't know if there are any solutions, other than those mentioned previously
We went to WDW with daughter and 2 healthy eating teens and one always hungry preteen girl. They had the standard dining plan, but that didn't last very long with the kids. They had full breakfasts with pancakes, eggs, ham, bacon, potatoes, toast, fruit each am! They quickly went through their credits. Mom and Dad had to pay oop a lot. We ended up giving them 10 unused QS credits just to help out. They will be hungry all the time, so be prepared!

 

[Accident]

I might have another suggestion not offered already. Buffets. Disney has a lot of buffet options and placing one in every day somewhere when it makes sense for how they eat could be the ticket here.

 

[JennyDrake]

I might have another suggestion not offered already. Buffets. Disney has a lot of buffet options and placing one in every day somewhere when it makes sense for how they eat could be the ticket here.

Ditto!

You CAN bring snacks of course--but how are you going to keep up with them inside the parks and in AUGUST???

Buffets of all shapes and sizes are grand. I made my teens bring a water bottle to refill or they would have floated away on soft drinks each day and there would have been no money for food!

Most food court plated food options are generous portions (especially "build your own pasta"), same for the new Harambe Market in AK. The All Stars have a breakfast that is eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes and French toast or waffle for just under $10.

_I_ would choose to stay in a value or moderate for the numerous food court options. The dining plan would do well for you--free dining would be even better!

 

[amberpi]

That's more than 4 years away, who knows what their appetites will be like then?

 

[KangaFan]

We don't love buffets because my husband and I do not eat a lot at once and feel like we don't get our money's worth. Our teens do, though, so we like restaurants that offer a buffet or AYCTE option but also have fixed price items on their menu like Whispering Canyon Cafe $23 per person for the family style skillet at lunch or $32 at dinner--the Wave & the Captain's Grille also offer a buffet option at breakfast with fixed price items. There are also some counter service places that have large portions--haven't eaten there in a while, but I remember Flame Tree BBQ in AK having larger portions. When we took our 2 teens last summer, I always had bags of nuts, trail mix, or protein bars in my bag or theirs just to save on snacking costs. Good luck!!!

 

[Spyells]

When my family went to Walt Disney World in December 2015, my brothers were 17-years-old. We planned it where we ate breakfast at our hotel in the morning. The breakfast was a buffet. In the evenings, we ate dinner at a table-service restaurant after a day in the parks. Sometimes we ate a snack in the middle of the day. Breakfast was usually enough to tide them over to the next meal. =)

 

[Nancyg56]

That's more than 4 years away, who knows what their appetites will be like then?

Not to mention that 4 years out in Disney time is different than 4 years out in most other destinations. No one can help you plan a food budget that compares a DDP to OOP, and which includes any discounts that may apply because we cannot even begin to determine what the plan, in whatever form it has morphed into by then, will compare to OOP costs in restaurants that may or may not have had major menu changes.

I always plan a trip wll well advance, but not 4 years. That kind of planning is more of a wish list that changes as the parks change.

 

[mco65]

We had some stuff in the resort room that we would eat for breakfast.. fruits, juices, breakfast drinks, etc.. this kept us from having to purchase breakfast at Disney... we would get a big snack sometime before noon.. one of those HUGE Donuts or Pretzels and share.... then we would finally eat a pretty big lunch.. TS or CS.. and dinner was always up in the air.. twice this last trip, we left the bubble and ate cheap just to help save some pennies.. still we spent over a grand in food alone for the 5 of us on our 8 day trip.. Eating at Disney aint cheap and has to be taken into consideration when booking... a few times we have opted for the DP... and although i think we can get off cheaper just buying as we go.. we do that only because we are more conscious of what things cost when its out of pocket and just naturally spend/buy LESS. Still, i do enjoy the convenience and stress free DP option.. at least stress free once its paid.

Oh yea, keep bottled water with ya.. bring it and fill it up either at the CS or find a fountain that is COLD and has decent tasting water... PS> all water fountains are NOT EQUAL!

 

[Hopefully]

Not to mention that 4 years out in Disney time is different than 4 years out in most other destinations. No one can help you plan a food budget that compares a DDP to OOP, and which includes any discounts that may apply because we cannot even begin to determine what the plan, in whatever form it has morphed into by then, will compare to OOP costs in restaurants that may or may not have had major menu changes.

I always plan a trip wll well advance, but not 4 years. That kind of planning is more of a wish list that changes as the parks change.

I agree completely.
4 years is just dreaming, not planning. I don't know what 4 months will bring, let alone 4 years. And in Disney time, it is warp time.
My best advice is to start to put money into a Disney vacation fund now. Fund it weekly or monthly as you can. Be consistent so you can afford your dream. The bottom line is you are going to need a lot more money than you think you will now.
Good Luck