$40 a Day for Dining at Disney

[NYDIS]

I love this thread! Wish I had seen it sooner, we already have the dining plan for our upcoming visit and all adr's have been made. But, I will definitely think about this for next year. I love all the possibilities!

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

Disneyfreak616,

Thanks for the heads up on limited pool hopping with DVC. We are not members, but have stayed with family who are, actually we stay with their kids while they get a mini "honeymoon" in another hotel at Disney.

At BCV we used Stormalong Bay, and our first stay at BLT is in January, staying on rented points. For us, DVC never seemed like a good idea, but our DVC members keep trying to convert us and they always mentioned allowable pool hopping as a wonderful headlining perk.

Good to know it is limited in scope and usefulness.

So, for the sake of argument, assume the hoppers are staying at BCV to accommodate the mini water park and then we can finish up the day at the volcano pool watching the fireworks.

 

[stayhomemom77]

There have been some comments about how this is a great idea in THEORY, but that in practice it's a lot of work and planning...and let's face it, no one knows if they are going to be "feeling" a hamburger at lunch on their MK day, six months from now.

I need to do some more research, but I'm working on a sort of budget formula...like if you spend X dollars at breakfast, you'll have X for lunch and X for dinner and the remaining amount is for a snack.

Then I can do some samples to show what you can get/eat on the budget formula so you can keep to the $40 a day but still have some flexibility in what you choose to eat. It's going to take some time to work it all out though...so bear with me and I"ll post it as soon as it's ready.

I'm also going to attempt a plan for those who always have breakfast in their room. I haven't started that one at all yet, so I'm not sure what I can do with it but since we're cutting out a meal entirely we should have tons of options available. I may do two types of plans...one with TS meals and the other a "no ADR's" plan just for variety.

And finally...DD7 and I are contemplating a girl's only trip. Using our eating patterns, our dining preferences and a $60 budget, I'm trying to see what we can come up with for food choices for each day of our vacation. I'll post them when I'm done too just for the sake of interest.

This research fascinates me and I'm having a blast doing it so if there are any of you out there who would love a tailor made plan but can't be bothered to do all the work of planning it out, feel free to post your "specs" and I'll give finding the right plan for you a shot when I get the chance!!

 

[Eastern]

When we pay out of pocket, we tend to average about $50 per adult per day due to extra sides, drinks, and soups.

I find that $50 pp per day (food and tax only) is a very good estimate for 'average' eating (ie not deluxe or bargain). We have been ordering what we wanted and over the course of the week, it has averaged out nearly exactly to this figure (excluding tips, which I did because DDP does not include tips either). We did mostly 1TS with some CS and one 2TS.

 

[sharadoc]

wOW YOU DID REALLY GOOD. hOWWEVER IN MY OPINION FOR 5 DOLLARS MORE YOU CAN ADD THE DINING PLAN AND GET A COUNTER SERVICE A TABLE SERVICE AND A SNACK EVERYDAY.

Yes, but she DID have a TS every day and TWO CS meals. That's why I don't believe in the Dining Plan for our family. We can do the same or better for less money. It's all a matter of perspective.

 

[hellerjw]

Wow, these are some excellent meal plans!

I have a challenge for you (after a brief background explanation) - For many years we did the DP or DxDP, but the last few years we have done the QSDP because I really have grown tired of being tied to ADRs on our trips. We are a family of 4 - 2 adults, 1 junior (12) & 1 child (8) so we hit the magic Disney demographic perfectly. I can no longer justify the DP or DxDP costs or scheduling (did I mention how much I dislike being tied to ADRs), but so far I haven't found a better deal than the QSDP, even if the selections are somewhat limited.

Ok, so now onto the challenge:

Come up with meal plans for the 4 of us that costs less than the $117/day the QSDP costs us AND includes the same quantity of food (I will let the refillable mug slide as we rarely use it anyway). The kids are fairly picky so nothing too exotic for them and the 12 year old's leg has started turning hollow so a small kids meal really doesn't cut it anymore. I would love to have more variety for the same amount of money so don't let me down

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

Love this thread...I am y see if I can com up with some $40 days myself!

 

[stayhomemom77]

Wow, these are some excellent meal plans!

I have a challenge for you (after a brief background explanation) - For many years we did the DP or DxDP, but the last few years we have done the QSDP because I really have grown tired of being tied to ADRs on our trips. We are a family of 4 - 2 adults, 1 junior (12) & 1 child (8) so we hit the magic Disney demographic perfectly. I can no longer justify the DP or DxDP costs or scheduling (did I mention how much I dislike being tied to ADRs), but so far I haven't found a better deal than the QSDP, even if the selections are somewhat limited.

Ok, so now onto the challenge:

Come up with meal plans for the 4 of us that costs less than the $117/day the QSDP costs us AND includes the same quantity of food (I will let the refillable mug slide as we rarely use it anyway). The kids are fairly picky so nothing too exotic for them and the 12 year old's leg has started turning hollow so a small kids meal really doesn't cut it anymore. I would love to have more variety for the same amount of money so don't let me down

I hope to get to this challenge after Easter but I just wanted to clarify a few things...pizza, nuggets and burgers (and the like) for both of the kids, right? What about mom and dad? Are you guys more adventurous or do you like the plainer fare??

Also, when you say the same quantity...do you mean the same amount of food as the QSDP just presented in the "breakfast, lunch, dinner, with one snack" formula as we have been doing on here?

 

[stayhomemom77]

Alright, I have finished the budget formula and so far tested it in the AK.

I have designed 3 different plans based on the $ amount used for the TS meal. In the AK scenario, the TS meal can be either lunch or dinner but I haven't done the other parks yet so I'm not sure if this is going to be consistent.

So the 3 plans are...

TS light (where the TS meal uses $18 of the daily budget)
TS moderate (where the TS meal uses $20 of the daily budget)
TS heavy (where the TS meal uses $22.50 of the daily budget)

So, I shall begin with the TS light budget formula.

Breakfast $6 or less
CS meal $12 or less
TS meal $18 or less
Snack $4 or less

And the following data shows the choices available in the AK for each meal under the TS Light Budget Formula!!

Breakfast Options

Pizzafari

Choose any ONE food item to be paired with any ONE drink option:

Food:
Yogurt
Cinnamon Roll
Muffin
Danish

Beverages:
Juice
Coffee
Tea
Hot Cocoa

OR

Complete Meal Options:
Biscuits and Gravy with Cocoa or Ice Water
fruit cup with tea, coffee or cocoa
cereal with milk and either tea, coffee or cocoa


Kusafiri

Choose any ONE food item and pair it with any ONE drink:

Apple or Cherry Turnover
Danish
Cinnamon Roll
Muffin
Croissant
Bagel with Cream Cheese
Crisped Rice Treat
Cookies
Brownie
Mixed Fruit Cup
Yogurt

Beverages:

Coffee
Soda
Hot Cocoa
Juice

CS Meal Options:

Dino Diner
Hot Dog and pop

Flame Tree BBQ
Beef or Pork Sandwich
Turkey Sandwich
BBQ Chicken Salad
Fruit Plate and soda

Pizzafari
Pepperoni Pizza, caesar salad and pop
Cheese Pizza, caesar salad and pop
Veggie Pizza, caesar salad and pop
Hot Italian Sandwich with carrots or chips and pop
Chicken Caesar salad
Antipasto salad

Restaurantosaurus
Angus Bacon Cheeseburger with Pop
Shrimp Po Boy with Pop
Chicken Breast Nuggets (8) with Pop
Vegetable Subosaurus with Pop
Dig Site Salad with Pop

Safari Turkey
Turkey Leg and Pop
Chicken Wings and Pop

Tamu Tamu
Cheeseburger Basket with Milkshake
Turkey Swiss on Focaccia with soda
Tuna Salad Pita with soda

Yak and Yeti
Mandarin chicken salad with pop
Pork Egg Roll, Chicken Fried Rice or Fries, Pop
Two Egg Rolls, Chicken Fried Rice or Fries, Pop


TS Meal Options:

Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Burger with ice water
BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger with ice water
Natural Burger with ice water
Portobello Mushroom Sammie with ice water
Passport to Paradise with ice water

Snacks
Any one of the following:

Anandapur Ice Cream Truck
Waffle Cone

Camp Soft Serve
Waffle Cone
Ice Cream Cup
Soda Float

Dino Bite Snacks
Churros
Fresh Baked Cookies
Chips
Yogurt

Dino Diner
Frozen Beverages
Chips

Drinkwallah
Frozen Beverages
Chips
Fruit Cup
Apple Slices
Whole Fruit

Harambe Fruit Market
Apples and Caramel
Mixed Fruit Cup
Whole Fruit
Soft Pretzel
Chips
Pickle
Frozen Lemonade

Harambe Popcorn
Popcorn
Churros
Cinammon Roasted Almonds

Ice Cream/Snack Carts
Mickey Bar
Edy's Dibs
Mickey Sandwich
Pineapple Fruit Bar
Itzakadoozie
Frozen Banana
Strawberry Fruit Bar
Popcorn (Box)
Apples
Bananas
Oranges
Mixed Fruit Bowl
Grapes
Carrot and Celery
Pickle
Cinammon Roasted Almonds
Lays Potato Chips
Cheetos

Kusafiri Coffee Shop
Apple or Cherry Turnover
Danish
Cinnamon Roll
Muffin
Croissant
Bagel with Cream Cheese
Crisped Rice Treat
Cookies
Brownie
Mixed Fruit Cup
Yogurt

Safari Corndog
Corndog
Chips

Safari Egg Roll
Pork and Shrimp Egg Roll
Vegetable Egg Roll

 

[stayhomemom77]

And now...on to the TS Moderate Plan.

Breakfast $6 or less
CS Meal $10 or less
TS Meal $20 or less
Snack $4 or less

And the options for the AK...

Breakfast

Pizzafari
Any One Food Item paired with any one drink item:

Food Item
Yogurt
Cinnamon Roll
Muffin
Danish

Beverages
Coffee
Hot Cocoa
Tea
Juice

OR a complete combo of:

Biscuits and Gravy with hot cocoa or ice water
fruit cup with tea, coffee or hot cocoa
cereal with milk with tea, coffe or cocoa

Kusafiri

Any One Food Item
Apple or Cherry Turnover
Danish
Cinnamon Roll
Muffin
Croissant
Bagel with Cream Cheese
Crisped Rice Treat
Cookies
Brownie
Mixed Fruit Cup
Yogurt

With Any One Beverage
Coffee
Cocoa
Soda
Juice

CS Meal

Dino Diner
Hot Dog and pop

Flame Tree BBQ
Fruit Plate and soda
Beef or Pork Sandwich and ice water
Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich, ice water
BBQ Chicken Salad, ice water

Safari Turkey
Turkey Leg and Pop
Chicken Wings and Pop

Yak and Yeti
Pork Egg Roll, Chicken Fried Rice or Fries, Pop
Mandarin Chicken Salad, Ice water

Restaurantosaurus
Angus Bacon Cheeseburger, ice water
Shrimp Po Boy, ice water
Chicken Breast Nuggets, ice water
Vegetable Subosaurus, ice water
Dig Site Salad, ice water

Pizzafari
Pepperoni Pizza meal with ice water
Cheese pizza meal with ice water
Vegetable Pizza Meal with ice water
Ceasar Salad with ice water
Antipasto salad with ice water

TS Meal

Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Burger and ice water
BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and ice water
Canopy Burger and ice water
Natural Burger and a soda
Turkey Wrap and ice water
Bamba's Wrap and ice water
Portobello Mushroom Sammie and ice water
Blue Mountain Chicken Sammie and ice water
Brave New World Pizza and ice water
Passport to Paradise and ice water

Snack


Anandapur Ice Cream Truck
Waffle Cone

Camp Soft Serve
Waffle Cone
Ice Cream Cup
Soda Float

Dino Bite Snacks
Churros
Fresh Baked Cookies
Chips
Yogurt

Dino Diner
Frozen Beverages
Chips

Drinkwallah
Frozen Beverages
Chips
Fruit Cup
Apple Slices
Whole Fruit

Harambe Fruit Market
Apples and Caramel
Mixed Fruit Cup
Whole Fruit
Soft Pretzel
Chips
Pickle
Frozen Lemonade

Harambe Popcorn
Popcorn
Churros
Cinammon Roasted Almonds

Ice Cream/Snack Carts
Mickey Bar
Edy's Dibs
Mickey Sandwich
Pineapple Fruit Bar
Itzakadoozie
Frozen Banana
Strawberry Fruit Bar
Popcorn (Box)
Apples
Bananas
Oranges
Mixed Fruit Bowl
Grapes
Carrot and Celery
Pickle
Cinammon Roasted Almonds
Lays Potato Chips
Cheetos

Kusafiri Coffee Shop
Apple or Cherry Turnover
Danish
Cinnamon Roll
Muffin
Croissant
Bagel with Cream Cheese
Crisped Rice Treat
Cookies
Brownie
Mixed Fruit Cup
Yogurt

Safari Corndog
Corndog
Chips

Safari Egg Roll
Pork and Shrimp Egg Roll
Vegetable Egg Roll

 

[stayhomemom77]

And finally the TS Heavy Plan...

Options for the AK:

Breakfast $5.50 or less
CS Meal $9.50 or less
TS Meal $22.50 or less
Snack $2.50 or less

Breakfast

Pizzafari

Biscuit and Gravy with Ice Water
Fruit Cup with Ice Water
Yogurt with any drink
Cereal with milk with hot cocoa or ice water
Cinnamon Roll with Coffee, Tea or Hot Cocoa
Danish with any drink
Muffin with any drink

Kusafiri

Cinnamon Roll with Coffee, Soda, Hot Cocoa
Mixed Fruit Cup with Ice Water
Brownie Paw with Ice Water
Zebra Cupcake with Ice Water
White Choc Elephant Cupcake with Ice Water

OR

Any One Food Item:

Apple Turnover
Cherry Turnover
Danish
Muffin
Croissant
Bagel with Cream Cheese
Cookie
Brownie
Yogurt

With Any One Beverage:

Coffee
Hot Cocoa
Juice
Bottled Water
Soda

CS Meal

Dino Diner
Hot Dog and pop

Safari Turkey
Chicken Wings and Pop

Yak and Yeti
Pork Egg Roll, Chicken Fried Rice or Fries, Pop

Flame Tree BBQ
Fruit Plate and soda
Beef or Pork Sandwich and ice water
Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich, ice water
BBQ Chicken Salad, ice water

Pizzafari
Pepperoni Pizza meal with ice water
Cheese pizza meal with ice water
Vegetable Pizza Meal with ice water
Ceasar Salad with ice water
Antipasto salad with ice water

Restaurantosaurus
Angus Bacon Cheeseburger, ice water
Chicken Breast Nuggets, ice water
Vegetable Subosaurus, ice water
Dig Site Salad, ice water

TS Meal

Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Burger and soda
BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and soda
Canopy Burger and soda
Natural Burger and a soda
Turkey Wrap and soda
Bamba's Wrap and soda
Portobello Mushroom Sammie and soda
Blue Mountain Chicken Sammie and soda
Brave New World Pizza and ice water
Passport to Paradise and soda

Yak and Yeti
Kobe Beef Burger and ice water
Chicken Lo Mein and ice water
Vegetable Lo Mein and ice water
Crisp Honey Chicken and ice water
Sweet and Sour Chicken or Pork and ice water
Bourbon Chicken and ice water

Snack

Churros
Fresh Baked Cookies
Chips
Yogurt
Chips
Apple Slices
Whole Fruit
Whole Fruit
Chips
Pickle
Churros
Apples
Bananas
Oranges
Pickle
Lays Potato Chips
Cheetos
Apple or Cherry Turnover
Danish
Croissant
Cookies
Brownie
Yogurt
Pork and Shrimp Egg Roll
Vegetable Egg Roll

 

[7165red]

You did a great job, I would have never thought it was possible.

 

[shalom]

Brilliant thread. Special props to Eeyore's Wife for starting it, and stayhomemom77 for going above and beyond.

We've never spent more than $40/person on food at Disney or any other theme park, but I rather suspect that's mostly because I get so hot I'm not eating much, which mutes the impact of the teenage bottomless pits I travel with. But some of these plans would fill them up nicely.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

Stayhomemom77, it is official, you are my favorite person for the day, week, and possibly the month!

 

[allonte]

That is awesome! Had we not gotten free dining, we definitely would have been doing that!

 

[fvols98]

What about someone planning a $40 day outside the parks with a trip to DTD and your favorite resort restaurant? Can it be done?

 

[fakereadhed]

This thread has taken a turn from super fabulous to beyond fabulous!!!

Thank you! Can't wait to try it out.

 

[Pumba's Truth]

I knew following this thread was the right answer.. Stayhomemom77 that's just friggen cool.

Really like the idea that we are able to see multiple options laid out right in front of us. All fitting into the plan. Awesome job!!

And a huge kudos goes out to Eeyore's Wife for starting us all off.

 

[hellerjw]

I hope to get to this challenge after Easter but I just wanted to clarify a few things...pizza, nuggets and burgers (and the like) for both of the kids, right? What about mom and dad? Are you guys more adventurous or do you like the plainer fare??

Also, when you say the same quantity...do you mean the same amount of food as the QSDP just presented in the "breakfast, lunch, dinner, with one snack" formula as we have been doing on here?

That's correct, basic stuff for the kids. They love Italian food and will eat some Mexican food basics (tacos, burritos, quesadillas) but that's about the extent of their International tastes. Mom and Dad love everything so the more variety the better.

As for the quantity question, yes, the same amount of food as the QSDP (2 CS meals, 2 snacks) presented in the B/L/D + snack formula you guys have been using.

Thanks!

 

[CarrieR]

What about someone planning a $40 day outside the parks with a trip to DTD and your favorite resort restaurant? Can it be done?

I bet it can. I'm off today so I'll give it a shot. (Does WPE count as a TS for this exercise? LOL.)

ETA: I think this does what you were asking about... again it's mostly veg, but I did throw in a turkey sandwich at the end. With the veggie burger it would be even less expensive and I could have substituted a coffee for the OJ at breakfast that day.

Resort Hopping/DTD Day

Parentehetical prices at the end of each line include tax, and tip where applicable.

Breakfast - Everything Pop: French Toast Platter $5.19 & Orange Juice $1.69 ($7.33)

Lunch - Captain Cook's: Polynesian Tossed Salad $8.79 & Water ($9.36)

Snack - Ghirardelli: Two scoops in a chocolate dipped waffle bowl with hot fudge $7.50 ($7.99)

Dinner - WPE: Four Cheese Macaroni $9.95 & Coke $1.95 ($14.81)

Total: $39.49

-OR-

Doing the TS at a resort, and the CS at DTD:

Breakfast - Mara: Breakfast Wrap $5.59 and OJ $1.69 ($7.75)

Lunch - Earl of Sandwich: Veggie Sandwich $5.99 with water to drink ($6.38)

Snack - Babycakes: Cupcake $4.25 ($4.53)

Dinner - Beaches and Cream: Turkey Sandwich $11.49 and milkshake $4.99 ($20.51)

Total: $39.17

I love this thread -- we are doing a trip this summer where we will be on DDP the first half of the week and OOP the second. We're going to do the pricier restaurants ('Ohana, LeCellier) while we're on the DDP and then eat lighter when we're not, and I love that there are so many ready-made suggestions!

Stayin', you rock for figuring out the formula!