Suggestions for inexpensive food at DLR or DCA?

[dismom73]

My DH wont share food, he's a big eater, so what we do is my teenage daughter and I get a meal (you know, the ones that come with the fries)and share it, and we share a drink, and my two younger DD's, 9 and 4, get a kids meal and share it. It's more than enough for us and we are only buying 3 meals for our family of 5.

 

[BC Disney Lover]

My 2 favorite meals when we went in November were the Chicken caesar at Whitewater Snacks and Broccoli soup in sourdough at Pacific wharf cafe.

Whitewater snacks was a nice quiet place to eat and my salad was really fresh. My mil and DH had the beef dip that were pretty good. Great selection of yogurt, fruit, cold cereals, juices. The kids had grilled cheese and chicken nuggets.

At Pacific Wharf my Dh had the chowder and mil had chinese chicken salad and both were impressed with size and quality. The kids shared with us and we got them some fruit which was a little on the expensive side but they ate every last bit because they were so tired of nuggets at that point. The apples with peanut butter were great. Our last night in the park we bought those for breakfast the next morning.

Our last day the parks were very busy so we went to Denny's for lunch which was a nice break and reasonably priced.

Our least favorite meal was Village Haus the burgers were terrible and the tangy salad was disgusting.

Have a great trip!

 

[nunzia]

The fruit is always delicious! I love the grapes and the pineapple spears. The mango with lime is also great.

We also always buy a "fruit cup" which is actually a box at Whitewater Snacks at the GCH. It contains watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, pineapple, and strawberries. My DS (16 months) loves fruit--so much so that I jokingly call him my fruit bat--and he usually can get 2-3 meals worth of fruit out of it as it's a huge portion.

Good to know about the fruit 'cup' I love WWS...
Also, I can't stress enough how economical the kid's plates are. At the River Belle Terrace I got a Little Carvers Turkey sandwich (real turkey, not processed croop) with grapes, apples and a small drink for $6.99. They also have a nice condiments bar (a little cranberry relish was nice!). Great meal, plenty of food and great price.

 

[Corpsebride]

I will have to agree with another poster, Rancho Del Zoccolo is really a great place. The food is good and inexpensive. You can split a meal and get a couple of cups of soup or a salad and a plate of the AMAZING fruit (i think we should start a DL fruit club ) The portions are pretty big and I have never been disappointed there. My favorites are the enchiladas and the broiled chicken.
We had the burritos last week, and although really huge, I didnt really like them. The chicken was a bit dry. But that may have only been that day and you can order them with just veggies and beans rather than beef or chicken.
We almost always eat at the RDZ and get a bottle of water to refill later and get out of there for about 24-. Now, we really could split a plate but for some reason we don't.But we always leave there saying "oh I should have worn sweat pants, arrgggg lets go fall asleep on the Mark Twain River Boat for a while"
Hey, what ever you do, for sure check out the menus that another poster mentioned. You can get locations, and costs.
You all are going to have a blast!!
Oh! it is a good idea to have snacks in the room so when you get to the park, you arent famished and just say oh heck with it, ice cream for breakfast!

 

[Sherry E]

Throw me in the DLR fruit fan camp as well! DLR has some of the best fruit around. I don't know what they do to it - probably sprinkle it with magic - but it is good throughout the resort. Whether I go to a carts in the middle of one of the parks and buy a pineapple spear or get a heaping serving of fruit salad at a character buffet, the fruit is always juicy and delicious and at the peak of ripeness. I LOVE pineapple and cantaloupe and theirs could not be any sweeter. I don't even like honeydew melon as a rule because I find it kind of bland, but at DLR it is yummy! The strawberries are usually big. The bananas are at that perfect stage of ripeness where there is no green or brown on the peel, only bright yellow.

When I referred my friend from Atlanta to Goofy's Kitchen (certainly not an inexpensive place, but lots of good food) last July, she was very pleased with it but she specifically mentioned that the fruit at the buffet was some of the best she has ever had in her life.

 

[Lisharn]

My DH wont share food, he's a big eater, so what we do is my teenage daughter and I get a meal (you know, the ones that come with the fries)and share it, and we share a drink, and my two younger DD's, 9 and 4, get a kids meal and share it. It's more than enough for us and we are only buying 3 meals for our family of 5.

That totally sounds like my DH. My girls (5 and 2) will have no problem sharing. I might end up getting a meal and share with them. Or guilt my DH to share some with the little one. That way he does not have to share too much. Or just bring snacks for her for lunch.

 

[fairycat]

California has the best Strawberries in the world so no surprise the one's at DL are soooo good. But my splurge is the Pinapple! With it being so juicy it's like getting a free pinapple juice at the bottom of the bag when your done hahaha!

Man I so want Pinapple now!!!

 

[mermaidwannabe]

We went to DL last June and it was hot!! My DD and I looked forward to our very expensive pineapple spears and pickles. I don't know if it's because we were so hot, but those were our favorite things there...okay, throw Dole Whips in our favorites.

 

[Echie]

Wow, lots of fruit fans! Thanks for everyone's opinions We'll definitely make sure to try the fruit when we're there!

 

[Corpsebride]

Throw me in the DLR fruit fan camp as well! DLR has some of the best fruit around. I don't know what they do to it - probably sprinkle it with magic - but it is good throughout the resort. Whether I go to a carts in the middle of one of the parks and buy a pineapple spear or get a heaping serving of fruit salad at a character buffet, the fruit is always juicy and delicious and at the peak of ripeness. I LOVE pineapple and cantaloupe and theirs could not be any sweeter. I don't even like honeydew melon as a rule because I find it kind of bland, but at DLR it is yummy! The strawberries are usually big. The bananas are at that perfect stage of ripeness where there is no green or brown on the peel, only bright yellow.

When I referred my friend from Atlanta to Goofy's Kitchen (certainly not an inexpensive place, but lots of good food) last July, she was very pleased with it but she specifically mentioned that the fruit at the buffet was some of the best she has ever had in her life.

we always call it WONKA FRUIT "Go ahead lick the wallpaper, the strawberries taste like strawberries, the snozberries taste like snozberries!!"

 

[Tasscrapper]

Every time I read about people splitting things it makes me feel like a pig! The only 'meal' I've eaten at Disneyland has been the chicken fusili at the Pizza Port which I got with water. It filled me but not overly so, 2 of my kids, 4 and 6, ate a whole slice of pizza each and my other two kids and dh had the fusili and the spagehtti and they all finished it. Granted we were all way past hungry by the time we ate but I don't get how people are feeding 2 to 3 people on one meal. My four year old ate a whole corn dog with no problems at all. It's his favorite food but I was surprized he did finish it.

My point to this is that even though there are people that share I wouldn't count on it all the time. My most people are expending a lot more energ than they are used to and it makes you hungry.

 

[LucyDingo]

Every time I read about people splitting things it makes me feel like a pig! The only 'meal' I've eaten at Disneyland has been the chicken fusili at the Pizza Port which I got with water. It filled me but not overly so, 2 of my kids, 4 and 6, ate a whole slice of pizza each and my other two kids and dh had the fusili and the spagehtti and they all finished it. Granted we were all way past hungry by the time we ate but I don't get how people are feeding 2 to 3 people on one meal. My four year old ate a whole corn dog with no problems at all. It's his favorite food but I was surprized he did finish it.

My point to this is that even though there are people that share I wouldn't count on it all the time. My most people are expending a lot more energ than they are used to and it makes you hungry.

I think the only thing my DH and I have ever split is the chicken fuseli (but we usually each get side salads and sometimes cookies too.) We'll split dessert (cheesecake) sometimes too.

But overall...I'm with you...we need lots of food for energy while in the parks. Since we're walking so much and everything.

 

[Sherry E]

Every time I read about people splitting things it makes me feel like a pig! The only 'meal' I've eaten at Disneyland has been the chicken fusili at the Pizza Port which I got with water. It filled me but not overly so, 2 of my kids, 4 and 6, ate a whole slice of pizza each and my other two kids and dh had the fusili and the spagehtti and they all finished it. Granted we were all way past hungry by the time we ate but I don't get how people are feeding 2 to 3 people on one meal. My four year old ate a whole corn dog with no problems at all. It's his favorite food but I was surprized he did finish it.

My point to this is that even though there are people that share I wouldn't count on it all the time. My most people are expending a lot more energ than they are used to and it makes you hungry.

I have to load up on protein at DLR or my blood sugar goes haywire. So when we eat at Goofy's, for example, I am piling on the eggs and other stuff! No skimping there. And that big protein-rich plate of food lasts me all day and into the night and I am fine and don't have to eat again (that breakfast is way more than I eat in a normal day, but as Lucy said, you are expending a lot of extra energy walking around DLR and need the fuel)! While the portion sizes at DLR are good, I have never had a meal that would have been big enough to share between two or three famished people. Maybe I can see getting one meal if you and your party are not that hungry and split it then, but if everyone is starving then there's no way! But I guess splitting plates is a way for folks to save money in these tough times.

 

[Brady's Mom]

I had a very bad fruit experience in Disneyland in Dec. We were sitting at Tomorrowland Terrace watching our kids do JTA and my DH and I ordered some breakfast. He had the breakfast burrito and I ordered the fruit plate. $6.99 for terrible, un-ripe, yucky fruit. I was so disappointed! DH's burrito was big and filling and warm and my fruit was just soooo gross. The strawberries were old, honeydew wasn't even ripe - it tasted like wet grass, pineapple was very sour. The grapes were good - but I didn't get to eat them, my 4 year old ate them. LOL I was just soooo bummed, because I never feel like I have enough healthy choices on vacation (we eat tons of veggies and fruit at home) and the fruit sounded so good for breakfast. So I can't relate to the great fruit posts. Although, I had really great fresh, ripe fruit at Mimi's when we ate there.

 

[LucyDingo]

I had a very bad fruit experience in Disneyland in Dec. We were sitting at Tomorrowland Terrace watching our kids do JTA and my DH and I ordered some breakfast. He had the breakfast burrito and I ordered the fruit plate. $6.99 for terrible, un-ripe, yucky fruit. I was so disappointed! DH's burrito was big and filling and warm and my fruit was just soooo gross. The strawberries were old, honeydew wasn't even ripe - it tasted like wet grass, pineapple was very sour. The grapes were good - but I didn't get to eat them, my 4 year old ate them. LOL I was just soooo bummed, because I never feel like I have enough healthy choices on vacation (we eat tons of veggies and fruit at home) and the fruit sounded so good for breakfast. So I can't relate to the great fruit posts. Although, I had really great fresh, ripe fruit at Mimi's when we ate there.

I think previous posters were talking about the whole fruit you can get at the stands throughout the park.

 

[fairykin]

Plaza Inn is really great for sharing food.. the fried chicken is delicious and has three pieces of chicken on it... At christmas we took 8 people and ordered 4 platters.. it was perfect.

 

[Lynzer Torte]

I think previous posters were talking about the whole fruit you can get at the stands throughout the park.

I'm not sure about that...where can you buy a whole pineapple or cantaloupe in DL?

 

[LucyDingo]

I'm not sure about that...where can you buy a whole pineapple or cantaloupe in DL?

No. What I meant was...the previous posters that were talking about great fruit in the parks...I think they might have been talking about the bananas, oranges, and apples you can get at the stands.

 

[bumbershoot]

I had a very bad fruit experience in Disneyland in Dec. We were sitting at Tomorrowland Terrace watching our kids do JTA and my DH and I ordered some breakfast. He had the breakfast burrito and I ordered the fruit plate. $6.99 for terrible, un-ripe, yucky fruit. I was so disappointed! DH's burrito was big and filling and warm and my fruit was just soooo gross. The strawberries were old, honeydew wasn't even ripe - it tasted like wet grass, pineapple was very sour. The grapes were good - but I didn't get to eat them, my 4 year old ate them. LOL I was just soooo bummed, because I never feel like I have enough healthy choices on vacation (we eat tons of veggies and fruit at home) and the fruit sounded so good for breakfast. So I can't relate to the great fruit posts. Although, I had really great fresh, ripe fruit at Mimi's when we ate there.

Oh no!

But I will admit that on our recent December trip the WWS strawberries weren't as amazing as previous experiences. BUT it's December, not really strawberry season, so I gave 'em a pass. If the experience continues, there will be a change in my gushing over the fruit. DS's grapes at WCT were good.

I think previous posters were talking about the whole fruit you can get at the stands throughout the park.

Yes, including pineapple spears.




About sharing...we are expending more energy, but we just don't get mega-hungry while outside in hotter places than we're used to. We barely go to festivals anymore, b/c it's sad to NOT be hungry for strawberry shortcakes or the other goodies they have a FolkLife and, um, Bumbershoot, let alone broiling-hot Ren Faires. Our stomachs just sort of shut down when it's too hot for us, no matter how much extra energy we're using.

DS though is different, and he eats quite a bit, if it's something he wants and he takes the time to actually eat. On our May trip he REFUSED food all day, but we made sure to remind him that since that was his choice he needed ot not be a crank (he gets really cranky when he doesn't eat at home), but as soon as we left the park he was sooooo hungry. So we stopped in at Millie's for one mac and cheese to go (got one salad and one order of garlic bread too and that actually did feed all 3 of us...hubby and I mildly hungry, 4 year old voracious, all of us stuffed at the end) and snarfed as soon as we got to HoJo.


If you read the Dining threads about WDW, you'll see there's a wide variety. Some people eat tons while at Disney. Others don't. It's best to not compre yourself negatively to others (either in the "oh I wish we could eat more and explore more food" way or the "I feel like a pig" way....trust me, if you looked at me and hubby, you would NOT know how little we eat at DLR), but to just know your situation! It's good to know yourself, ya know?

 

[Sherry E]

Yes, I was referring to pineapple spears that I have gotten from DLR carts as well as the other pieces/containers of fruit they sell in those carts, and the fruit salad and bananas at Goofy's Kitchen and any other fruit that has come on the side with my meals at restaurants. All good stuff (so far)!

Oh, and I take back what I said about not having a meal that could be shared by two or three really hungry folks. I think the pizzas at Naples (even the smallest ones) are huge and can sufficiently be shared by two or three people, and the pizzetta salad that my friend got at Wine Country Trattoria was enormous. I have never seen a salad piled on a plate quite that high before. She didn't even make a dent in it. You would have to have at least two people to finish that!