Budgeting food costs

[EmJ]

Assuming you purchase the following items in the park at quickservice restaurants only, how much would you *roughly* budget per adult per day? I understand this will vary based upon food selection, appetite, etc., but I'm just working a ballpark here and can't tell if I'm way under or way over.

Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Bottled water (probably 2 per day, I'm guessing)

EDIT: If it helps, I've budgeted about $75. Up? Down? Goldilocks?

 

[gelatoni fan]

Assuming you purchase the following items in the park at quickservice restaurants only, how much would you *roughly* budget per adult per day? I understand this will vary based upon food selection, appetite, etc., but I'm just working a ballpark here and can't tell if I'm way under or way over.

Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Bottled water (probably 2 per day, I'm guessing)

I never get bottled water because I usually just refill a water bottle so I don't know what they're charging for it right now. Probably 4 dollars or more given that it's Disney. You can even go up to restaurants to get free cups of water (Cars Land is the best place to do this as they often give the big cups of ice water).

Let's say you go with counter service. Something like Pizza Planet for lunch, a dole whip float as a snack and Plaza Inn for dinner. That's 12 for a pasta, 7 for the dole whip float, 19 for fried chicken. Add some tax and you're at about $40. If you order drinks with your meals, bring that up to $50.

Now for the budget option. You get each of your meals for 9 or less at places like Refreshment Corner, Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney, etc. For your snack, you do something creative like split a kids meal between the people in your group or share a larger snack item like a pretzel. You can get two meals and snack for less than $25.

I personally wouldn't go through $75 per person per day in most situations. If you always order drinks and appetizers, you could though.

 

[lalasmama]

Quick and counter service meals will be $13-18-ish.

Bottles water is approaching $5 each.

Dole Whips are just under $6. Churros are right in there as well.

We tend to budget $60 per adult per day and rarely hit that limit unless we do a sit down place.

 

[EmJ]

I never get bottled water because I usually just refill a water bottle so I don't know what they're charging for it right now. Probably 4 dollars or more given that it's Disney. You can even go up to restaurants to get free cups of water (Cars Land is the best place to do this as they often give the big cups of ice water).

Let's say you go with counter service. Something like Pizza Planet for lunch, a dole whip float as a snack and Plaza Inn for dinner. That's 12 for a pasta, 7 for the dole whip float, 19 for fried chicken. Add some tax and you're at about $40. If you order drinks with your meals, bring that up to $50.

Now for the budget option. You get each of your meals for 9 or less at places like Refreshment Corner, Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney, etc. For your snack, you do something creative like split a kids meal between the people in your group or share a larger snack item like a pretzel. You can get two meals and snack for less than $25.

I personally wouldn't go through $75 per person per day in most situations. If you always order drinks and appetizers, you could though.

This is SO helpful, thank you.

The $50 per day example sounds like my family, so it sounds like I'm overbudgeting. We would not order appetizers at all and normally drink water with meals when theme parking, though a soft drink with dinner is possible.

Regarding water, what do you do with the refillable water bottles when you're walking around or riding? We've either been ABSOLUTELY NO BAGS people (because we used to go to US a lot and they are super fussy about bags/backpacks on rides and the line to get a locker can be as long as the line to ride) or stroller people once we had a kid. The stroller was convenient for storing bags and snacks, but the kid is too big now and I'm pretty sure won't consent to being pushed around in a stroller for our bag-lugging convenience

 

[EmJ]

Quick and counter service meals will be $13-18-ish.

Bottles water is approaching $5 each.

Dole Whips are just under $6. Churros are right in there as well.

We tend to budget $60 per adult per day and rarely hit that limit unless we do a sit down place.

Thank you thank you! I'm going to revise the budget down a bit. That's much nicer than having to increase it!

 

[Cal-Pie]

Regarding water, what do you do with the refillable water bottles when you're walking around or riding?

I make my husband carry them in his backpack, because he is the designated pack mule.

 

[EmJ]

I make my husband carry them in his backpack, because he is the designated pack mule.

Lol. What do you do when you go on the rides? Does Disney allow backpacks on the rides / are there any rides where the backpack wouldn't be allowed?

If reusable water bottles are an option, I'll do that. Not just for the cost savings, but the environmental impacts as well.

 

[Cal-Pie]

Lol. What do you do when you go on the rides? Does Disney allow backpacks on the rides / are there any rides where the backpack wouldn't be allowed?

If reusable water bottles are an option, I'll do that. Not just for the cost savings, but the environmental impacts as well.

Never had a problem with taking it rides. The only one we haven't taken it on is grizzly, because it's been closed on EVERY trip we've taken in the last 10 years!! I believe there are free lockers available for that one though.

 

[gelatoni fan]

This is SO helpful, thank you.

The $50 per day example sounds like my family, so it sounds like I'm overbudgeting. We would not order appetizers at all and normally drink water with meals when theme parking, though a soft drink with dinner is possible.

Regarding water, what do you do with the refillable water bottles when you're walking around or riding? We've either been ABSOLUTELY NO BAGS people (because we used to go to US a lot and they are super fussy about bags/backpacks on rides and the line to get a locker can be as long as the line to ride) or stroller people once we had a kid. The stroller was convenient for storing bags and snacks, but the kid is too big now and I'm pretty sure won't consent to being pushed around in a stroller for our bag-lugging convenience

I just carry my water bottle in my backpack. Some amusement parks are uptight about bags but not Disneyland.
Note that it will often go in the foot space on rides though so some rides like Space Mountain can get a bit squishy if your bag is really big.

 

[EmJ]

Awesome! Thanks everyone. You just lowered my budget, made it WAY easier to carry things in the park, and saved the environment a teeny bit. All in a night's work

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I can’t think of a ride that I couldn’t bring my backpack on. I guess Grizzly? I also agree that $50 per day per adult sounds like a good ballpark for quick service/no alcohol. I probably wouldn’t even hit that honestly! I have never purchased a bottle of water at DL. I bring my own refillable HydroFlask and fill it with free cups of ice water available from most counter restaurants.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Thank you thank you! I'm going to revise the budget down a bit. That's much nicer than having to increase it!

A rule of thumb for us: When budget planning for anything Disney, round up (sometimes way up)!
Then, you'll know you should be covered during your trip; and if there is any money left over, yay! Now you have more money for that souvenir you've been eyeing or to use as seed money for your next trip. Since DLR doesn't have a dining plan, some people like to use Disney gift cards as their own way to keep track of how much they are spending on food each day.

Agree about not buying bottled water. We don't unless we have to. Bringing a refillable bottle has never been a problem.

As for bringing bags on rides, most rides have room for your bag between your legs (might be a tight fit, but there should be room). For fast/turbulent rides, put one leg through a shoulder strap -- then you don't have to worry about the bag flying out of the vehicle (even on the loop in IC).

 

[DLgal]

Assuming you purchase the following items in the park at quickservice restaurants only, how much would you *roughly* budget per adult per day? I understand this will vary based upon food selection, appetite, etc., but I'm just working a ballpark here and can't tell if I'm way under or way over.

Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Bottled water (probably 2 per day, I'm guessing)

EDIT: If it helps, I've budgeted about $75. Up? Down? Goldilocks?

Budget $18 per person per quick service plus $10 pp for bottled water. So, I'd go with a solid $100.

I'd also NOT buy bottled water. Bring a refillable bottle. You can get free ice water all over.

FWIW, we went to Disneyland Saturday (family of 4) and we only ate ONE meal in the park and spent $126. This was with a 15% Magic
Key discount on everything too. This included 4 CS lunches, a soda, a brownie at the bakery, a slice of cake, 2 icees, 2 beers, and a glass of wine. Now, to be fair, the alcohol brought the spend WAY up, but still I think you need to increase your budget, not decrease it. You need room for spontaneous food expenses.

 

[StormyCA]

I stow my stuff in a locker and carry only a small crossbody and get cups of water at various eateries. I am NOT going to lug a backpack around!

You can also get collapsible water bottles that you can clip to a purse strap or belt loop.

 

[EmJ]

A rule of thumb for us: When budget planning for anything Disney, round up (sometimes way up)!
Then, you'll know you should be covered during your trip; and if there is any money left over, yay! Now you have more money for that souvenir you've been eyeing or to use as seed money for your next trip. Since DLR doesn't have a dining plan, some people like to use Disney gift cards as their own way to keep track of how much they are spending on food each day.

Agree about not buying bottled water. We don't unless we have to. Bringing a refillable bottle has never been a problem.

As for bringing bags on rides, most rides have room for your bag between your legs (might be a tight fit, but there should be room). For fast/turbulent rides, put one leg through a shoulder strap -- then you don't have to worry about the bag flying out of the vehicle (even on the loop in IC).

Thanks (and it's good to see you)! I actually think we're going to keep the budget at $75 per person, though I suspect it's overkill. But that's $20 for lunch, $15 for snack(s), $30 for dinner (with drink), and $10 for what used to be water and is now "OMG I WANT TO TRY THAT!" (or similar). One of our party is a child, 7 at the time of travel, who mostly exists on photosynthesis as far as I can tell. This is definitely way more than he will or could possibly need, but it gives us some wiggle room.

And I'm pretty excited about the backpack

 

[DLgal]

Thanks (and it's good to see you)! I actually think we're going to keep the budget at $75 per person, though I suspect it's overkill. But that's $20 for lunch, $15 for snack(s), $30 for dinner (with drink), and $10 for what used to be water and is now "OMG I WANT TO TRY THAT!" (or similar). One of our party is a child, 7 at the time of travel, who mostly exists on photosynthesis as far as I can tell. This is definitely way more than he will or could possibly need, but it gives us some wiggle room.

And I'm pretty excited about the backpack

I didn't see that one in your party was a child. So, if you are talking $75 x 3, that should be enough if you are just doing CS.

We all carry some sort of bag. My kids carry nylon string bags (Adidas) l carry a sling bag from Athleta and my husband has a Star Wars sling he got in the parks. Each of us carries a lightweight insulated plastic water bottle (Camelbak Big Chill). We also each carry a hat, hand wipes/sanitizer and external phone chargers (the Disneyland app really runs down your battery). If you carry a sling/crossbody, you won't even have to remove it for most rides. You can just spin it around to the side or front when you sit down.

Disney has added several new water bottle refill stations throughout the parks and its always possible to walk into the following places and use the self serve soda fountains for ice water if you don't want to ask at a CS place:

Plaza Inn
Alien Pizza Planet
Rancho del Zocalo (ice inside. Water station outside)
The Coke Freestyle machine across from Soarin
The Coke freestyle machine inside GCH Crafstman Grill at the Grand (easy access from DCA)

As mentioned, Flo's will give you a LARGE 24 oz cup of ice water when you ask. That's enough to fill the bottle all the way.

We are never without cold water.

 

[EmJ]

I didn't see that one in your party was a child. So, if you are talking $75 x 3, that should be enough if you are just doing CS.

We all carry some sort of bag. My kids carry nylon string bags (Adidas) l carry a sling bag from Athleta and my husband has a Star Wars sling he got in the parks. Each of us carries a lightweight insulated plastic water bottle (Camelbak Big Chill). We also each carry a hat, hand wipes/sanitizer and external phone chargers (the Disneyland app really runs down your battery). If you carry a sling/crossbody, you won't even have to remove it for most rides. You can just spin it around to the side or front when you sit down.

Disney has added several new water bottle refill stations throughout the parks and its always possible to walk into the following places and use the self serve soda fountains for ice water if you don't want to ask at a CS place:

Plaza Inn
Alien Pizza Planet
Rancho del Zocalo (ice inside. Water station outside)
The Coke Freestyle machine across from Soarin
The Coke freestyle machine inside GCH Crafstman Grill at the Grand (easy access from DCA)

As mentioned, Flo's will give you a LARGE 24 oz cup of ice water when you ask. That's enough to fill the bottle all the way.

We are never without cold water.

Thank you!

 

[Kit Jackson]

I stow my stuff in a locker and carry only a small crossbody and get cups of water at various eateries. I am NOT going to lug a backpack around!

You can also get collapsible water bottles that you can clip to a purse strap or belt loop.

I'm with you. When I go the the parks I carry around a small crossbody bag (because there are things I want to have with me and do not want to have to go looking for when I need/want them). The same bags I use in my regular day to day life are what I take to the parks. I am a big fan collapsible water bottles. Unlike Universal, you do not have to store your bags at Disney rides. I take a Vapur bottle (it does not keep the water cold, but it is collapsible which makes it incredibly easy to pack).

Here is my favorite brand/style of collapsible water bottle (the two links are for two different sizes)
https://www.amazon.com/Vapur-Shades...iner/dp/B00BKAF73O?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/Vapur-Elemen...iner/dp/B008VEU7P0?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I use $50/per person/per day, but we're a family of 7 and we've got 3 that are still under 10. I also don't count character meals or packages as part of my food budget - I budget those out of entertainment. Packages and character dining really increases your costs, so if you are considering those and want it part of your budget or add multiple TS meals, I'd definitely stick with $75 or even go higher.

 

[imbatman]

I carry a small crossbody purse and bring a non-insulated Brita filter water bottle because that park water is GrOsS. By the time it's empty, we stop and get a cup of ice and refill it. The bottle comes with a loop that I clip to my bag.

This year, an extra order of beignets is going on the "merch" tab.