Budgeting Money for Food

[MzCohen]

Hi folks,
Just a couple of quick questions. We will be in Disney this coming Tuesday. Yipee!! I was wonderfing how much to budget each day for food in parks.
We arrive Tuesday afternoon and are going straight to MGM, I made a reservation at the Sci Fi for 8:20 at night. I thought since we will already be in the park for about 3 hours before that the kids can snack on something before we go there and then they can have a milkshake or dessert at Sci Fi.
We will do Breakfast each day at the room in Hotel. (muffins, cold cereal etc)
On Wed. I thought we would eat lunch at El Pirata in MK. Prices look reasonable. (no plans for dinner that night) We will be in Epcot at dinner time. (any suggestions)

Thursday IOA have reservation for Mythos at 1:00. Downtown Disney at night. (any cheap dinner ideas here?)

Friday its Universal and City Walk in evening. Have not made any plans to eat anywhere. (any suggestions?)

Sat- AK, maybe a little MK, and then Epcot. We will eat at the Morroccan restaurant for dinner. No idea for lunch. (any ideas?)

Sunday- Waterpark and Boardwalk. (again any Ideas?)

I am budgeting about $50 a day for Myself and my 11 year old son, Who eats like a bird anyways. Problem is I LOVE TO EAT!! LOL
Any ideas on snacks, restaurants etc would be appreciated. I am bringing snacks into the parks also. Any suggestions on snack ideas?
Oh well thins was a long post!! Sorry for bending your eyes!
Thanks,
Dianne

 

[harperwi]

Though I know a lot of people do budget a flat amount per day, I actually try to estimate how much I'll spend based on the specific restaurants or at least types of restaurants we'll go to.

I use all of the menus at www.wdwig.com and my knowledge of our eating habits to guess what everyone is likely to order (or at least how much), and I usually estimate a little high. Then I know how much to allow per day, and I add it all up. We eat an inordinate amount of counter service or resort food court to keep costs down, and we also run over to Burger King and other fast food places so the kids can get something they're completely familiar with at least a couple times each trip.

So...I can't really address your "how much per day" question, so I'll move on to your other requests for suggestions. I'm sure you'll get lots of varied opinions.

First, I like your plan with the Sci-Fi - to do milkshakes or desserts. I also highly recommend this strategy for the Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot, as the atmosphere of dining under the sea is great, but the meals aren't worth the cost. The chocolate wave cake, however, is! On to your specific questions:

Dinner at Epcot? Try the Electric Umbrella counter service near Innoventions. I believe it's often open even after the FW closing time of 6, but you can check that with a CM at the park to be sure.

Cheap dinner at DTD? Did you know there's a McDonald's there? While it's not as cheap as a regular McD, if your DS likes McD's, you should be set with that. There's also a Rainforest Cafe there, but it's not cheap.

I am not familiar with Universal's restaurants. Sorry!

If you're at a specific waterpark, both offer counter service meals near the entrance, and I believe TL sometimes has some at other spots in the park. I don't know the Boardwalk, but Spoodles often gets raves. I don't know it's price class though

We're not big on daytime snacks. I wish I could help you with suggestions there. I guess I'd just say whatever you and your son enjoy that won't spoil in your pack in the Florida heat!

I hope this has been at least a little helpful.

Jon

 

[seashoreCM]

I would estimate that each time you stop at a snack stand you will probably spend four dollars person , for lunch you will probably spend twelve dollars per person.

If I recall correctly, in January 2003 ice cream bars costed $2.50, a good sized box fo popcorn costed $3.00, and turkey legs costed $4.50. More exotic items cost more.

Not quite on topic, but gaining weight should be of concern. I would estimate that it would take the full normal all day of walking, crisscrossing, the park to work off two chocolate covered Mickey head ice cream bars.

I often go to Columbia House (sp?) between Fantasy Land and Frontier Land or the large cafeteria between Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land in the MK, the fast food pavilion in the Japan area or Electric Umbrella near Innoventions East at Epcot, Flame Tree Barbecue at AK, and Commissary at MGM. The prices are not too bad at these locations.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[MzCohen]

Thanks Seashore for the tips. Believe me I do not want to gain any weight while i am away. LOL
On another note, I see you are from Nashua. My boyfriend is from Nashua. Actually he is moving back there in less than 2 weeks. He just couldn't find a job in this area. : (
Oh well once again thanks.
Dianne

 

[chell]

Dianne, welcome to the boards!

I wouldn't really worry about gaining weight. As much as you walk and sweat I don't think it is that much of a concern. When I'm in the parks something to my stomach and it stays hungry! It seems like most of my time at WDW is spent eating. I have never gained any weight while there on vacation.

On to the planning. Like harperwi said, wdwig is a great site for meal planning. I always look at the menus there to determine the budget. It looks like $50 a day should be good for you and your son. My husband and I budget $60 a day for meals and snacks when we are not having a special meal. We always eat breakfast in the parks or the hotel food court.

What I do is look at the menus and determine where I will eat and what I am going to eat. I have to do this because of food allergies, but it comes in handy for budgeting too. I put all of this into and Excel spreadsheet and add tax and tip (if applicable). This way I know exactly what I'm going to be paying. Of course I leave a little room for flexibility. But with my allergies I have to pretty much know ahead of time where and what I'm going to eat so I can make sure it is safe.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

Dear Dianne,

Gosh! I'm really sorry to hear about your boyfriend having to move.

I do have some ideas for places to eat around Disney

I spent yesterday looking over the menues at www.wdwig.com

For dinner in Epcot on Wednesday night, you may want to try the Yakitori House in the Japanese pavillion. It's a counter service establishment and gets high marks in the guide books.

You could order broiled skewers of chicken and rice with teriyaki sauce for $4.75. Or you could order the shogun combination of chicken and beef with teriyaki sauce and steamed rice for $6.75.

Or you could try Pure & Simple in the Wonders of Life pavillion, for deli sandwiches, Caribbean chicken, Greek or Asian shrimp salads at about the same prices.

If you want to splurge in Epcot, you might try Chefs de France. It's expensive, but you can arrange to dine at the latest time possible for lunch (early dinner!) and order either lobster bisque $4.35 and a house salad $3.95 OR a croque monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) with salad for $10.25. The bread and butter delivered to your table when you arrive is wonderful. And it's such a nice dining experience! You could also make a meal on appetizers at dinner time, too.

For Thursday night dinner at Downtown Disney, you could try Wolfgang Puck's and order a specialty pizza for $8.25 or a pasta dish. Or you might want to try the House of Blues at Disney's West Side. They have crispy catfish nuggets ($8.95), fried chicken tender platter ($9.95), blackened chicken ($9.95) and voodoo shrimp ($10.95).

For lunch at Epcot on Saturday, you may want to try Norway's counter service restaurant (Kringla og Bakeri) for a smoked turkey breast sandwich ($4.59) or a smoked ham and jarlsberg cheese sandwich ($4.59). Or you may want to try a full service establishment, like the Rose and Crown Pub (in the United Kingdom pavillion) for fish and chips!

For the Boardwalk Sunday night, I would try Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club, they have a heavenly burger for $6.99, a grilled prime rib sub for $10.99, a turkey sandwich for $7.99 and an all beef hot dog for $5.99. Their ice cream sundaes and desserts are famous, too!

Also, if you decide not to go to El Pirata Y El Perico, or any time you're looking for lunch at the Magic Kingdom, try Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. You can order a family meal with half of a rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes for $6.99. Or you could order a cheese steak sub for $6.69. Or you could order a sliced turkey, salami, ham, provolone, lettuce & tomato sub for $6.79. Or a 1/4 pound cheeseburger with French fries or carrot sticks for $5.59. They also have chicken caesar salads for $6.39.

They have an awesome toppings bar with ALL the fixings. I visited there last August and really enjoyed it. In fact, I shared my cheeseburger because it was HUGE. Also, if you sit in the main dining room, an audio-animatronic lounge lizard performs cheesy songs and bad jokes.

Hope this information helps!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I'll second Rose & Crown and the fish & chip cart is amazing


I'll also add Toy Story Pizza Planet for killer pies and La Cartina De San Angel for Epcot

 

[Miscrapper]

This is a package you buy in the park (not Connectons vouchers) that include meal, drink, and then coupon for ice cream or popcorn and a beverage for a snack. I can't remember all the details but I think they are on mousesavers.com or just look in the park. We enjoyed Flame Tree BBQ and I have read great things about Tusker House as well.

 

[Jodi1980]

Please research Trail's End at Fort Wilderness where you can take a boat over to before or after visiting Magic Kingdom!

 

[DISNEYBIGGDOGG]

Was there last week and El Pirata Y El Perico was closed and we eat there every year. Remember to budget in for water, soda's, snacks and the ice creams that will be bought along the way. Most of all enjoy your trip.