$40 a Day for Dining at Disney

[aubriee]

Just bumping this up to keep it going. Love all the ideas.

 

[Belle5]

"
While I can happily eat a resort muffin and drink coffee in my room, it just does not compare to sitting in France eating my croissant and sipping my coffee. It was better back in the days of World Showcase opening with the front of the park.

This, this, this!

 

[Cherinva]

Awesome thread !!!

 

[Lulu83]

Loving this thread!! You're making me reconsider the dining plan now

Please keep them coming

 

[dntd]

@ pop French Toast Platter $5.19
@flametree Beef or Pork Sandwich - served with baked beans $8.49
Rainforest Burger - $13.49 tip is 2.50=$16
Cinnamon Glazed Almonds $3.79
Nestea Iced Tea $2.19
=35.66
( we are byo water bottle type family)

This time we are going oin the ddp but not the deluxe like last time.

 

[Pumba's Truth]

I've been lurking for a bit since this thread started. Great ideas ... It's great timing for my DW and I.

Two trips ago we tried the DDP .. liked it and then last trip we went with the DxDDP it was a lot of food. We felt like we had to eat more to justify the price. My DS (8-10) was with us on both trips and both trips were on FD pins the Dx was an upgrade.

BUT .... this trip we are going to do and experiment and go OOP. We are also in a more healthy place in our lives and want to ensure to maintain that as well as only eat when we really want to. But trust me just because I wont be eating a lot and all the time doesn't mean I wont be indulging. So seeing some adult bevies and deserts come into play above has been great. Thanks.

It make me a little less worried about going OOP this trip. Cheers.

 

[CarrieR]

I thought I'd try a vegetarian version of $40 a day. In general, eating veg is cheaper than eating omnivorously... but I find that at WDW, it can be more expensive due to the limited offerings. Many places only have one option for a vegetarian entree so there's no "choosing something lower-priced."

Yes, there are a lot of pastries -- but I *want* pastries for breakfast on vacation! Also, I eat an app as my meal at a few TSes, but truly, that is how I eat when I eat out. It's generally easier to find (or modify) an appetizer than an entree. I am not much of an alcohol drinker, so I subbed in coffee as my drink indulgence of choice.

Lastly, I'm going in July, so the midday meals are often light by design. This is really pretty representative of how I eat at WDW.

Magic Kingdom

Bfast - Main Street Bakery - Chocolate Croissant $2.79, Milk $2.19 ($5.30)
Lunch - Pecos Bills - Vegetable Burger - served with fries or apple slices $6.79 and water to drink ($7.23)
Snack - Egg roll cart - Vegetable Egg Roll $2.00 ($2.13)
Dinner - Plaza Restaurant - Vegetarian Sandwich, $10.99 with a sundae for dessert, $4.99 and a soda to drink $2.69 ($23.24)

Total: $37.90 (a strawberry yogurt with lunch would make it $40.01, lol)


Animal Kingdom

Pastry $3.00 with Frozen Cappuccino $4.75 ($8.25)
Lunch - Flame Tree BBQ - Fruit Plate $6.99 and water ($7.44)
Snack - Safari Pretzel - Pretzel $3.79 ($4.04) - running total $19.73
Dinner - Rainforest Cafe - Rainforest Pita Quesadillas (app) with no chicken - $9.99 plus soda $3 (estimate) ($16.17)

Total: $35.90


DHS

Breakfast - Starring Rolls - Two mini-pastries plus medium coffee $4.79 ($5.10)
Lunch - 50s Prime Time - Stacked Sandwich (without meat) $11.99 and milkshake $4.99 ($21.14)
Snack - Starring Rolls - White Chocolate Cupcake $3.99 ($4.25)
Dinner - Backlot Express - Grilled Vegetable Sandwich $8.59 with water ($9.15)

Total: $39.64


EPCOT

Breakfast - Sunshine Seasons - Oatmeal w/Brown Sugar $2.79 and Apple Juice $1.69 ($4.77)
Lunch - Le Cellier - Sauteed Potato Gnocchi $18.99 and water ($23.64)
Snack - Boulangerie (France) - Chocolate Croissant $2.85 ($3.04)
Dinner - Kringla (Norway) - Potato, Goat Cheese & Vegetable Tort $5.99 with milk $1.29 ($7.75)

Total: $39.20

 

[AugustDisney]

I could never go to Disney on $40.00 a day for food.

More power to you if you can though!

We are doing the Dining Plan and enjoying the fact that we can pre-pay for our meals!

 

[Stinky_Pete]

Brown Derby lists the salad as an appetizer, but I cannot imagine eating that entire salad and then trying to force another entree down my gullet. This might not be a "doable" plan for a large eater.

Wow that's changed. I admit it's been a few years, but I thought at lunch the Cobb salad was considered an entree salad and dinner it was an appetizer for 2.

My typical day at DHS included Cobb Salad and a martini for lunch. I'm a big boy and it's plenty filling for me. Hope they haven't shrunk it!

Edited to add:
Just checked and it seems they only have one menu now for lunch and dinner. Hope the salad's the same. It was plenty for me but if they shunk it I'll be sad.

 

[TDC Nala]

Brown Derby no longer has separate lunch and dinner menus. It is all the same menu. Cobb Salad is listed as a single appetizer.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

Cobb Salad is listed as a single appetizer.

So, is it smaller than it was a couple years ago? It seemed at lunch it was the same size as the dinner version "for 2," but they just gave it to you on one plate.

 

[Cat0727]

This is a great thread! I'm going to post my ideas later.

 

[catne]

I thought I'd try a vegetarian version of $40 a day. In general, eating veg is cheaper than eating omnivorously... but I find that at WDW, it can be more expensive due to the limited offerings. Many places only have one option for a vegetarian entree so there's no "choosing something lower-priced."

Yes, there are a lot of pastries -- but I *want* pastries for breakfast on vacation! Also, I eat an app as my meal at a few TSes, but truly, that is how I eat when I eat out. It's generally easier to find (or modify) an appetizer than an entree. I am not much of an alcohol drinker, so I subbed in coffee as my drink indulgence of choice.

Lastly, I'm going in July, so the midday meals are often light by design. This is really pretty representative of how I eat at WDW.

Magic Kingdom

Bfast - Main Street Bakery - Chocolate Croissant $2.79, Milk $2.19 ($5.30)
Lunch - Pecos Bills - Vegetable Burger - served with fries or apple slices $6.79 and water to drink ($7.23)
Snack - Egg roll cart - Vegetable Egg Roll $2.00 ($2.13)
Dinner - Plaza Restaurant - Vegetarian Sandwich, $10.99 with a sundae for dessert, $4.99 and a soda to drink $2.69 ($23.24)

Total: $37.90 (a strawberry yogurt with lunch would make it $40.01, lol)


Animal Kingdom

Pastry $3.00 with Frozen Cappuccino $4.75 ($8.25)
Lunch - Flame Tree BBQ - Fruit Plate $6.99 and water ($7.44)
Snack - Safari Pretzel - Pretzel $3.79 ($4.04) - running total $19.73
Dinner - Rainforest Cafe - Rainforest Pita Quesadillas (app) with no chicken - $9.99 plus soda $3 (estimate) ($16.17)

Total: $35.90


DHS

Breakfast - Starring Rolls - Two mini-pastries plus medium coffee $4.79 ($5.10)
Lunch - 50s Prime Time - Stacked Sandwich (without meat) $11.99 and milkshake $4.99 ($21.14)
Snack - Starring Rolls - White Chocolate Cupcake $3.99 ($4.25)
Dinner - Backlot Express - Grilled Vegetable Sandwich $8.59 with water ($9.15)

Total: $39.64


EPCOT

Breakfast - Sunshine Seasons - Oatmeal w/Brown Sugar $2.79 and Apple Juice $1.69 ($4.77)
Lunch - Le Cellier - Sauteed Potato Gnocchi $18.99 and water ($23.64)
Snack - Boulangerie (France) - Chocolate Croissant $2.85 ($3.04)
Dinner - Kringla (Norway) - Potato, Goat Cheese & Vegetable Tort $5.99 with milk $1.29 ($7.75)

Total: $39.20

Totals are a little low...need to add 6.5% tax on all of that...so it's all over $40. The tax man cometh, even in magical Disney...Gotta pay Mickey AND the guv'mnt, lol.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Fun thread to read....
I think all the "die hard" dining plan people are saying geez, thats a lot of work to figure out... where I have to eat and Thats what I get to eat

And the "I can do it cheaper than the DP" people are saying...Wow, it really IS possible to eat great food cheaper than the ddp

Think we'll have any converts?

I like the DDP, basically because I am too set in my ways after all these years , its just easier to make a reservation and Pick a way....we seem to wind up ordering Xtras somehow and pay more anyway

Great thread OP!

 

[ChrystalUnicorn]

Can just spend more $40 on Mickey ice cream bars?


Great ideas here!

 

[SnipsNSnails]

Totals are a little low...need to add 6.5% tax on all of that...so it's all over $40. The tax man cometh, even in magical Disney...Gotta pay Mickey AND the guv'mnt, lol.

Ummm........nope, if you do the math the total at the end in parentheses is the total plus 6.5% plus 18% tip (where needed). She's absolutely good to go under $40 each day.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

Fantastic thread. DH would love the idea of it but he is going to want some regular sit down meals.

 

[catne]

Ummm........nope, if you do the math the total at the end in parentheses is the total plus 6.5% plus 18% tip (where needed). She's absolutely good to go under $40 each day.

I see that now...didn't "do the math", was just going on no mention of tax/tip. I stand corrected. Good for Carrie R

(and I LOVE her breakfast choices, especially the chocolate croissants...my favorite!)

 

[disneybound31]

This is so super awesome!

 

[kmedina]

I am impressed with your plan. It is funny how the vegetarian plan goes $0.01 over with the yogurt at MK. What to do there, because you need that yogurt? Nix the soda for dinner and get water. Problem solved. Enjoy the yogurt!