5 Meals, 500 Bucks!

[FayeW]

I just made 5 ADR's for our upcoming trip, and I can't believe that I am willingly and knowingly spending over $500 on 5 TS meals for my family of 4! I am really trying to justify this with my inner cheapskate!

2 of the restaurants are places we had reservations at for our trip last Oct, but got everything got cancelled or changed around because of hurricane Wilma (Sci-Fi and WCC). Alot of our trip will be "free" because I am using incentive rewards through work so I thought we would splurge a little and try some places I would normally be too cheap to spend the money on. I have Sci-Fi and LeCellier booked for lunch, and 'Ohanas, CP and WCC booked for dinner.

As much as I want to try some of these places, I am really having a hard time with the concept of paying $150 (including tax & tip) for the 4 of us to have dinner! I guess I have to stop looking at the individual prices of each meal, and just set a total food budget I can live with.

 

[mom23boys]

I just made 5 ADR's for our upcoming trip, and I can't believe that I am willingly and knowingly spending over $500 on 5 TS meals for my family of 4! I am really trying to justify this with my inner cheapskate!

2 of the restaurants are places we had reservations at for our trip last Oct, but got everything got cancelled or changed around because of hurricane Wilma (Sci-Fi and WCC). Alot of our trip will be "free" because I am using incentive rewards through work so I thought we would splurge a little and try some places I would normally be too cheap to spend the money on. I have Sci-Fi and LeCellier booked for lunch, and 'Ohanas, CP and WCC booked for dinner.

As much as I want to try some of these places, I am really having a hard time with the concept of paying $150 (including tax & tip) for the 4 of us to have dinner! I guess I have to stop looking at the individual prices of each meal, and just set a total food budget I can live with.

If you are not on the dining plan, maybe you can consider that or if you have an AP you could get a DDE card. DDE gives you 20% off your entire meal including beverages.

 

[miss missy]

Thats why I am going for the free dining. I spent soo much on TS last trip and didn't realize how much till I looked at my receipts.

 

[HappyCamperToo]

I just made 5 ADR's for our upcoming trip, and I can't believe that I am willingly and knowingly spending over $500 on 5 TS meals for my family of 4! I am really trying to justify this with my inner cheapskate!

I know what you mean. We're staying in timeshares to save $. We've got a food estimate for our 2-week vacation and the 2 character meals planned for the 5 of us (that's 2 meals out of about 40) is about 25% of our food budget for the whole 2 weeks!

Doesn't help that all the kids are now "adults." In 2003 they were all "kids." I understand the need for pricing consistancy, but I sure wish they went the other way to even things out! Like that would have ever happened

 

[Cindy B]

Depending on your party size, $100 may not be enough.

We had a party size of four, with three adults (one child old enough to be an adult in Disney's eyes) and one child.

We were on the dining plan, but we did save all the receipts. The cheapest meal was $109, and the highest was $175. We didn't pay anything out of pocket or alcohol either.

 

[golden1]

You think that is bad - I just booked the Perfectly Princess Tea Party for my dd and I. It killed me to spend that much money but I almost felt like I HAD to. I mean, her name is Aurora after all! I am trying to justify it by saying that my Disney Visa dollars will help pay for it. Also, she is going to the Storybook breakfast and (hopefully) the CRT meal if there are any tables left tomorrow but we are only having one adult join her at both to save $$$. My other justification is that the doll and bracelet is going to count as most of her souveniers for the trip.

 

[tink2dw]

I don't know what rock I've been under but what is a DDE and how do you get one??

 

[ncbyrne]

A family of 4 for 5 meals totaling $500 is only $25 per meal. That is not high at all by WDW standards. You may have to look over the menu carefully to choose items that will keep you within that range. I am an avid proponent of the dining plan! If you like TS meals, the plan definitely saves $!

 

[FayeW]

Depending on your party size, $100 may not be enough.

We had a party size of four, with three adults (one child old enough to be an adult in Disney's eyes) and one child.

We were on the dining plan, but we did save all the receipts. The cheapest meal was $109, and the highest was $175. We didn't pay anything out of pocket or alcohol either.

Our group is 2 Adults, 2 Children, but for pricing purposes, everybody is Adult. After I booked the ADR's, I went to allearsnet.com and priced out what I expect we might choose from the menu. Since only 2 of the meals are set menus/prices, the kids will be able to order from the kids menu at the others, which brings the total cost of all 5 meals to $513. 'Ohanas and CP are $150. & $135. respectively.

We are staying in an offsite condo for 9 days, so the breakfasts and the occasional simple lunch at home will certainly offset the total food budget, but I really have to wonder if I am losing my mind! Part of me says "You're getting your tickets for free, go have a nice dinner", but I could buy my weekly groceries at home for the cost of that one meal at 'Ohanas!

I am excited about the experience, so I'm just going to stop thinking about the cost. This is our 3rd trip. The first trip, we stayed offsite, ate some meals at the condo, but mostly shared CS and ate offsite at CiCi's, Golden Corral, etc. Last trip, we tried a couple of TS (50's PT, and coffee/dessert at the castle just for the experience), but 2 of our reservations had to be cancelled because of the hurricane. When I worked out our schedule for this trip, I really only intended to book 'Ohanas, WCC and LeCellier. While I was on the phone I made the decision to book the other 2 because 1) We will be at MGM for the entire day and will have to have lunch SOMEWHERE, it might as well be at a cool looking restaurant I think the kids will get a kick out of (and I can get out of there for about $50.), and 2) the day I booked CP is the day we will go for MVMCP. I know they will start letting people in around 4:00, so we can check out the things that will be closed during the party, and make our reservation at 6:15 (while they are clearing the park). We've obviously never been to a character meal, so I hope it will be a nice experience for us.

I think my biggest problem is that each subsequent trip is only possible by watching the budget on the current trip. It's become almost a game to me to see how inexpensively we can "do Disney". Spending that much money on one or two meals is killing me!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Don't forget that you can also save money on the restaurant experience by just ordering appetizers, drinks, or dessert. This works great if there's some places that you only wanted to try for ambiance.

 

[crisi]

I think my biggest problem is that each subsequent trip is only possible by watching the budget on the current trip. It's become almost a game to me to see how inexpensively we can "do Disney". Spending that much money on one or two meals is killing me!

Some time ago my husband and I had a conversation - did we want to take lots of vacations, or did we want to take vacations where we spent a lot? Our vacations probably cost twice what your trips do, but we don't go very often. There is no right way to do it, but that is how we decided we wanted to do it.

I discovered I really didn't have a good time if I was watching the budget on vacation. I like to eat out. I like to have a glass of wine with dinner. If I wanted to cook, I wouldn't rent a condo to do it, I'd just stay home.

Not insisting that every "time off from work" is accompanied by a hotel bill (next week my husband is off for a week of computer games) also means that we can put more extravagant trips in our budget - Europe and Korea under consideration for the near future.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I would try to not think of it as $500 spent on 5 meals, but more like "I was able to do WDW for $XXX and we ate at...".

Next month, we're heading to Anaheim for a karate tournament. There are 5 of us going (we're taking another kid from our studio as our guest). The airfare cost me all of $50 since we're using FF miles. The shuttle from LAX to the hotel will be another $150. The hotel package (2 rooms, 4 3-day DL/DCA passes, breakfast for 4) will cost under $1K for 6 nights. Tournament fee for the my two kids = $100. Estimated food costs for the trip: $50 pp/day. Total cost for a week in Disneyland will cost me under $3K for 5 people.

I could look at it as "I'm going to Disneyland and I'm spending more in a day than I spend on an entire week's worth of food at home!" But I prefer to look at it as "I'm spending a week in Disneyland and I'm spending less than it costs me to stay for a week at the Jersey Shore!...and I won't have to cook, clean or make beds."

 

[starwood]

I don't know what rock I've been under but what is a DDE and how do you get one??

If you have at least 1 annual pass you can spend $60 and get a Disney Dining Experience card that is good for 1 year. You get 20% of almost all restaurants - including alcoholic beverages.

 

[canwegosoon]

If you have at least 1 annual pass you can spend $60 and get a Disney Dining Experience card that is good for 1 year. You get 20% of almost all restaurants - including alcoholic beverages.

Just wanted to add it is for most TS restaurants(and on the occasional CS-the one at SSR is where I used mine at...but check before you buy.)

 

[shades]

I found this info about DDE on www.mousesavers.com


Disney Dining Experience
Florida Residents and Annual Passholders can join the Disney Dining Experience and enjoy discounts of 20% on all food and beverages at most full-service restaurants and lounges in the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks and hotels.

The benefit is valid for a party of up to 10 people. Only one discount card can be used per table. The member must be present and must present the card when ordering.

The Disney Dining Experience membership card is not accepted on holidays, including Mothers Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Membership includes complimentary resort and theme park parking for dining, as well as invitations to special member-only events. Members also receive half-price admission to Pleasure Island (member and one guest, excludes special events) and FREE admission to Atlantic Dance Hall on the Boardwalk (member and one guest).


Cost is $85 per year for Florida residents and $60 for Annual and Seasonal Passholders. You can add a second membership for your spouse or partner for $25 more, but if you plan to eat together, this is unnecessary. You must have a valid Florida Driver's License or Florida state-issued ID card with a Florida address, or an Annual or Seasonal Pass, to join this program.

Call (407) 566-5858 (Monday - Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST) for more information.

Participating Restaurants
The list of participating restaurants is subject to change at any time. It is wise to call the number above to double-check availability.

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Other Locations

Disney's Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge Golf Club: Sand Trap Bar & Grill

Wide World of Sports: Official All-Star Café

Disney's Vero Beach Resort: The Green Cabin Room, Shutters Restaurant, Sonya's Fine Steaks and Chops

 

[kfeuer]

I understand where you're coming from, we also really enjoy eating at Disney restaurants. What we do to keep costs down is having most of our sit-down meals at lunch and maybe one breakfast. Lunches are definitely cheaper then dinner. Obviously, this doesn't work for everything (like Ohana's), but it helps whenever you can do it. Plus, we just like having a nice break in the middle of the day. It gives everybody a chance to relax and catch their breath, and then we're rejuvenated for the afternoon.

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but we're not going to be doing any buffets in the near future since my youngest is now 3. It pained me bad enough to pay for my oldest child on our last trip (we had breakfast at Cape May and I paid $10.99 for him to eat a Krispy Kreme doughnut ), there's no way I'm paying for both of them. Neither of them eat very much. We'll go back to buffets when they get older and start eating us out of house and home

 

[luv2nascar]

That's why we are going to eat like pigs on the free dining and make sure we try all the expensive great meals so I don't have to feel bad.

We will try
LeCellier (1st time for us that meal alone for 4 - 2 adults, 1 adult kid, & 1 child will run us over $150 alone)
Concourse steakhouse (our bill here was over $130 last time with $30 oop)
Chef Mickey's breakfast (must on each trip for us)
1900 Parkfare (my girls just love it and the food is wonderful)
Biergarten (we just have to much fun here and the food rocks)
Kona Cafe (1st time for us but we love steak and the menu looks so good)
Donald's breakfastasaursus (DH favorite is the duck so we are there again)
Hollywood and vine for the new playhouse disney lunch - unless disney brings back the buffet in adventureland like last year at El Pirato which I would love to try for free dining

all the food and no guilt -well none about the price anyways waist line is a different story.

 

[crisi]

The DDE was a great deal for us. My husband went down for a conference, so he was at the annual pass cusp anyway. Before then - when we were looking at seven days of park time - it was a "maybe we'd break even." Since its good on alcohol too, if you tend to have a drink with dinner, it can be a far better deal than the DDP. And since it doesn't care about credits - you can eat signature dining more often and still be "saving."

It is important to realize that the DDE works best for people who eat a lot of table service - especially if you are doing signature dining.

Our last trip:

Teppanyaki (which doesn't take the DDE)
Kona
Alfredos
Flying Fish
Sci Fi
Jiko
Ohana character breakfast
Princess Storybook Breakfast
Le Cellier

We had a cocktail and three courses (except breakfast). We also used it at the Bellevue Lounge for nightcap drinks. We had a family of four - two little ones that didn't eat much, and an average bill of $150 for a sit down meal before the discount. Thats about $250 in savings.

 

[disneysteve]

I went to allearsnet.com and priced out what I expect we might choose from the menu.

Keep in mind that serving sizes at most restaurants are ridiculously large. Four people do not need 4 full meals. Two appetizers and 3 main courses will often be enough to feed 4. That helps keep costs down a lot and eliminates wasted food and overeating.

 

[FayeW]

I've pretty much decided to cancel my CP reservation. There is no need for us to spend $135. on that meal, when we can have a late lunch at the condo, and then grab something from CS later in the evening. Other than a few hours after spending the day at MGM, the Xmas party will be our only time to visit MK. I don't want to waste the time we do have by spending an hour and a half at a sit down restaurant! It might be different if we were spending the day before the party at another park,and could hop on over to MK in the afternoon, but that is one of the "relax by the pool" days that I have built into the schedule, so we will be rested for the evening.

DisneySteve, we generally don't order appetizers or dessert when we eat out, so a couple of kid's meals and a couple of adult entrees should keep the budget in line. By the way, we are staying at Orbit One this time, thanks in part to the great reviews you've posted. Any recommendations on whether we should ask for a ground floor? I know you had one once, but I'm a little concerned about safety with the patio at ground level.