Budgeting for food

Simplemick

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 17, 2022
Hi,

After having to postpone our first trip to Disney in Florida for two years due to the pandemic, it looks like this it will finally happen this year!

We are two adults and two children (12 and 14, so not really children) who's plans have been changed slightly with no dining plan available this year. What would you recommend we would need to budget for 21 days without being overly conservative. We were thinking maybe light breakfast, snack and full meal at night, plus drinks?

Any advice on calculating it would be much appreciated.

TIA
Mike
 
To start, I suggest rethinking how many meals per day for the teens. There's no way I'd have lasted with all the walking at Disney on only one full meal at night at their ages. At age 14, I could eat as much as my 6'4" father, who walked much of his workday, and still be hungry despite sitting in classes all day. Heck, I wouldn't last at my current age (72) without at least two full meals daily at WDW.

Unless you plan a far lighter park schedule than DH and I, you'll all be walking 6-8 miles per day and will get seriously hungry. DH and I typically eat 3 sit-down meals at WDW and have never come home more than a couple pounds heavier due to all the walking.

What we did absent the Deluxe dining plan last fall was to sit down with the All Ears menus https://allears.net/dining/menu/ and calculate what we'd each likely order at restaurants we'd enjoyed previously. Did that for 2-3 days to get a sense of how much per day we'd need for us two.

That should enable you to get a good idea of how much is practical per day.
 
Last edited:
No way my teens would survive without lunch. They could do something simple for breakfast, but wouldn't make it with just snacks. Maybe your kids are different but mine would be miserable, and then we'd all be miserable 🤣
 
Maybe I'm a mile out. Obviously I'm not going to let anyone sit and be hungry.

My initial calculations of average $40 per person per meal, plus snacks and drinks was around $8,000 for 21 days, which struck me as expensive. That's without breakfast which will be another $1k! Maybe it's just seeing it written down that was the shock. Either way I want to make sure I take enough to make it a great holiday for everyone!

Thanks.
 


Some of us can go through skipping a meal here and there during the day. Getting up late. Having a late breakfast which counts as lunch, etc. With two teenagers, they can eat and snack all day.

If you are planning on mostly having quick service - $40 per meal might be too much. But if you add snacks, an extra drink/soda during the day - might be a good number. You might be under one day or go over another day.

What will add up fast - especially with children/adult children is water and soda.

Not sure where you are coming from - driving/flying/train.

If you are driving, you can obviously pack the car with snacks/cereal/water/drinks. Flying, you might be able to squeeze in some snacks, coffee/tea bags/cereal bars, etc.

Regardless of wether you might or might not be on a budget, 21 days is a long time. Where are you staying? Will the hotel/resort have a refrigerator/microwave? Will you have a car? Can you have some snacks/drinks/food delivered to the hotel?

Just something to think about. I like to have fresh fruit, yogurt, snacks, water, milk, etc. in our room.

It's always best to aim high and hopefully you won't spend as much. I try to estimate our expenses too whenever we vacation. Of course, we don't bring much cash anyway. We charge to the room/to our card. Bill gets paid as soon as we get home.

Have a great time!!!
 
Maybe I'm a mile out. Obviously I'm not going to let anyone sit and be hungry.

My initial calculations of average $40 per person per meal, plus snacks and drinks was around $8,000 for 21 days, which struck me as expensive. That's without breakfast which will be another $1k! Maybe it's just seeing it written down that was the shock. Either way I want to make sure I take enough to make it a great holiday for everyone!

Thanks.

For 21 days, you may want to plan on getting a full kitchen and getting groceries and cooking at least 1 meal/day and having snacks/drinks. That will bring down the sticker shock (which honestly, you may not actually have high enough for 4 Disney adults at 3 meals/day at Disney)...that's 252 restaurant meals (without counting any snacks/drinks), and if you are not sticking to CS, that's gonna explode in cost fast in Disney parks...and even if you do stick CS, you're talking $15-$20 each (without drinks)...
 
A lot depends on where you choose to eat.

Given how much higher food prices were in November compared with in prior years that same week (3rd week), I agree with TwoMisfits that your $40 per meal might not be enough unless some family members are light eaters or will skip a meal. That may be more than you'd need at Quick Service and too little at Table Service.

For instance, if thinking full meal, you couldn't get more than a 6-oz. filet mignon with no sides for $40, and I literally mean nothing else but a glass of water, when we last ate at The Boathouse four years ago. Unless you ordered only a drink, dinner salad or sandwich with fries, that is, regarding either as a full meal. Boathouse, though, is toward the high end as WDW restaurants go. You could likely get a full meal and drink at a more modest place like 50s Prime Time for $40, not including both tax and tip.

That's why I suggested sitting down with the All Ears menus, deciding what everybody would order for a given meal at a restaurant you might choose, and doing that for a day or two of meals at various restaurants to give you an estimate of how much you may need.

Snacks can range somewhat. Quite a lot run $3-5, so if you'll be buying them rather than snacking on things you've brought from home, the total can mount swiftly. The All Ears menus list snacks available at resort food courts and park kiosks, so you can calculate those, too.
 
Last edited:


I don’t know if $8000 is that far off for 21 days. We spent $1500 in 7 days with 2 adults a 5 year old and a 2 year old(only had to pay for him 1 meal). We ate breakfast in the room most days and lunch in the room a bunch of days too…
 
I personally budget $100 per person per day, which ends up being on par with what I spend daily. I don't do grocery orders or bring snacks like granola bars, but I probably would if I stayed longer than 5 days. I tend to do one TS meal per day and I mostly snack otherwise. I do include alcoholic beverages in this budget, so your food budget may be lower with teenagers, but $8000 sounds about right if estimating typical touring. Even when I'm by myself and only in Epcot it's so easy to spend $100 in a day.

As you probably know, most meals tend to be on the larger side so it's possible for two light to moderate eaters to split an appetizer and an entree, or order a couple appetizers/entrees and DIY family style. Depending on the season you go in, it may be good to have at least one sit down meal per day to get some AC and get off your feet. I fully agree it is in your best interest to read through some QS and TS menus to get a better sense of what you might be spending on an average day and estimate from there. Finally, take into consideration if you'll be doing any dessert parties or character meals, etc. One way to stay on budget is to get gift cards for certain things, like snacks or character meals or Epcot festival booths.
 
I don’t know if $8000 is that far off for 21 days. We spent $1500 in 7 days with 2 adults a 5 year old and a 2 year old(only had to pay for him 1 meal). We ate breakfast in the room most days and lunch in the room a bunch of days too…
There's a big difference between paying to feed two adults and a 5-year old and paying to feed two adults and two teenagers. And then only eating one meal outside of the room most days? There's no real comparison.

Disney's food prices have gone up and up and up again during the pandemic. And the CFO stated openly that they will be reducing portions means that it will be very difficult to share meals. It's no longer true that Disney's portions are huge.

Food costs a lot and inflation is killing budgets. IMO, $8K for 21 days of four people dining out is kind of on the low side. I would definitely pad that budget to $10K.
 
For 21 days, you may want to plan on getting a full kitchen and getting groceries and cooking at least 1 meal/day and having snacks/drinks. That will bring down the sticker shock (which honestly, you may not actually have high enough for 4 Disney adults at 3 meals/day at Disney)...that's 252 restaurant meals (without counting any snacks/drinks), and if you are not sticking to CS, that's gonna explode in cost fast in Disney parks...and even if you do stick CS, you're talking $15-$20 each (without drinks)...

With that many days you definitely want to supplement with groceries. Disney isn’t that great on you getting enough fruits & veggies. Lots of cheap carbs in their meals.
We always buy water, breakfast foods and snacks from grocery stores. Next time we are getting a full kitchen and I am planning on making dinners in the room.
 
Depends somewhat on where you are staying and if you plan to eat some meals off property. If renting a house or staying somewhere with a refrigerator, you can typically have a good breakfast before heading off to the parks. Meals at Disney tend to be expensive, but if at the parks all day planning for lunch at a Disney park seems reasonable. Dinner off-site will be cheaper and many more options then Disney. That is where I would start in trying to set a budget.
 
When we go, we budget $100 per day per person, this is for snacks, drinks and meals. It's always on the generous side, but I would rather come back with money than be short.
I think the $8000 is about right and may even be on the conservative side for 21 days.
If you are staying in a place with a kitchen or kitchenette, I would be tempted to get groceries and cook breakfasts, lunches and possibly some dinners.
 
I've not done it myself, but plenty of people get Instacart/Garden Grocer delivered to their room at WDW. You can stock up on breakfast items like oatmeal cups, yogurt, and fruit, which will save a lot of money. Also those services or Amazon for snack items like granola bars or Goldfish packets, which are cheaper than what you'll find in the parks. Definitely budget for 1-2 breakfasts out, and a couple of churros or Dole Whips, but if you can eliminate park food where you can, you'll save a lot.
 
Have you considered having food delivery, either from amazon or a local supermarket. It will greatly reduce your food budget.
 
Since you mentioned the dining plan your amount of $8000/21 days comes out to $95.00 pp/pd which should buy everyone all the entitlements of the middle ddp which is one sit down meal, one qs meal and 2 snacks with probably enough left over for some drinks or extra snacks (per day). You can greatly reduce this amount by cutting out some sit down meals and replacing them with qs or ordering food from off site to eat and having snacks/drinks etc. delivered to your resort. Food is very expensive at Disney if your plan is to be onsite for all 21 days.
 
For how you are planning to eat (lots of meals at Disney which is not inexpensive), your budget and advice from others I think is pretty good.

Food really is a big expense, isn't it. I usually get by in Orlando with a group of adults (next trip ages 26 thru 85) by budgeting $50 pp per day (includes groceries). Do note that we stay offsite in a condo with a full kitchen, we don't do any higher end sit down meals, we do all breakfasts in the condo, one dinner will be a big BBQ at my nephew who lives in Orlando's house and another will be a BBQ on the beach. We don't do any table service at Disney or other parks, just counter service type meals at the parks. On resort days or should I say non-park days, we never have more than one meal out. We have four park days and two non-park days on our seven night/six day trip. I have all adults and if they get alcoholic drinks pay for their own (I don't cover or budget for that). I budget for food for the entire group. At least half of my group (this includes me) drink tap water at meals instead of soda or coffee which save dollars. I also budget for what I think I will spend vs. the max I could possibly spend. Also for me and this is important to consider in case your budget needs to be the max you would possibly spend, it's not a big deal if I am over budget, as I have reserves - but I do like to and usually do hit my vacation budget pretty closely.

Arrival day we will get pizza and salad delivered to the condo or have a meal out at Ford's Garage (a casual moderately priced offsite restaurant that some in my party loved when we visiting Dearborn, MI - chain that they now have in Orlando) and our only evening activity will be a grocery store run/pool time. We have a car, so can make more trips to a grocery store as needed during the week vs. paying inflated resort supply prices at the condo convenience store. Our group snacks at the condo quite a bit.

We will be doing one full day at SeaWorld. Their meal deal for adults is $45 pp and we'll get that for our bigger eaters who want to do lunch and dinner at the park.

Next we have a resort day and a afternoon / evening BBQ at my nephews. Dinner in, lunch at Zimmie's a causal pool side lunch place at the timeshare where we are staying, and evening meal at my nephews, I will cover a grocery store run for him.

Or Epcot day - -umm - Flower and Garden is going on, so I really don't know what to expect. Not sure if we will graze at food counters or do some counter service. We aren't doing any higher end sit down meals there. This day could be a budget buster, as food at food booths might really add up for our younger 20 something / thirty something set (sounds super fun though). I've gotten by pretty economically at Epcot before with counter service when no festivals have been going on. This will be our first festival. Grandpa though will give all the 20/30 somethings some spending money for the food booths, though.

Busch Gardens to visit a relative in Tampa. We'll do the meal deal, which is under the $50 per day and do both lunch and dinner there.

Paddleboard /beach day -- sandwiches for lunch and BBQ on beach for dinner, so no meals out which saves some dollars.

A second day at Epcot for some of us (the ones going -- 60s thru 80s set eat pretty light) // Others will do MK and meals will be counter service at the Magic Kingdom.

Last trip I nailed it on my vacation food budget in Orlando. Note this is like my 30th trip to the Orlando area. Food prices have gone up since my last trip (2019), but I also on this trip am doing fewer meals out than last time by quite a bit, so I am guessing this will be a good budget for me again.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top