Can't get DDP, what other way to eat cheap at WDW?

[Disneymom1969]

I earned a trip to WDW with my company but they are only paying for our 3 night stay at the contemporary & tixs to the park no DDP. And they told us it was unavailable for us to purchase seperately. Any ideas to eat at WDW at a discount? We will be going to MK, DHS & Epcot
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

When is your trip? If you take the boat over to the Poly, CPT Cooks has some yummy food at their counter service...I especially like the Aloha Pork sandwich. You can always pack some Pop Tarts or something like that for breakfast. There's counter service everywhere, but that gets pretty expensive too. Go to this link, it gives menu items and prices on almost everything.....good luck!

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

 

[cglaura]

You can split meals if you care to. The portions are huge! If you poke around this area of the board or the trip reports you can see some pics of the meals.

Also, you can get free ice water with meals, both sit down restaurants and counter service. Be sure to ask for a cup of ice water, not just water (or you'll probably get a bottled water). Water and soda run about $2.25 per bottle, so that is a good way to save. We take the crystal light or iced tea packets to add to the water.

Breakfast in the room is a great idea. We take granola bars, instant oatmeal, or buy fruit in the foodcourt the night before. Fruit is a good inexpensive snack in the parks too, usually $1.50-ish.

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

Agree with PP's...

When we bring the whole family... I always have oatmeal, grits, muffins, pop tarts, breakfast bars, etc.... Everyone MUST eat before we leave the room...

THis "Tides us over" till lunch. If you research Counter Service places... like Cosmic Rays at MK... you'll see that many entree's can be shared... ( I could have shared the CHicken/RIb entree $13.99 with DH and been plenty full).

You CAN BRING some snacks into the park with you... so as PP mentioned apples... well.. pack those and bring them with you ! Or protein bars ...something that will be even more filling...

Hope that helps !

Mary

 

[cbg1027]

If something appeals to you, order appetizer dishes as entrees. It's plenty of food. Share desserts - not everyone in the party need one to themselves.

Try not to drink a lot of soda. At $2.19+ a serving, those things add up fast! Tap water is free!

 

[umieesa]

I agree about sharing meals since a lot of the CS restaurants have large portion sizes.

In MK I would also suggest Cosmic Ray's -- they have a 1/2 chicken platter that is big enough to share.

In Epcot it is even easier to be full off of sharing plates -- definitely recommend Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavilion (great food, large portions) or the Tangierine Cafe in World Showcase also serves good food with large portion sizes.


In DHS I'm not a big fan of their CS offerings, but would recommend Backlot Express' for their vegetable sandwich with black bean salad (I was skeptical at first, but after reading so many great reviews about this meal I was willing to try it, and was so glad I did! The sandwich and salad were excellent!)

For breakfast you can either as someone said head over to the Poly and eat at captain cooks, buy snacks in the parks (Main St. Bakery, Starring Rolls, Boulangerie Patisserie) or bring a box of cereal and disposable bowls and just buy milk in the hotel.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[theguda]

If you can make it to Downtown Disney for a meal or two...there are great, inexpensive options at Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express.

As for the parks, I also would suggest Cosmic Ray's in MK. The chicken and ribs platter is enormous (my wife and I usually share it).

 

[mouselovenfamily]

You may want to ask when you check in if you can add dining. I used to be a travel agent and it sounds strange you can't add it. They are alawys willing to take money for the extras. It may be something through who your company booked that they don't want to get in to all the extras but when you check in they may be able to add it then. It would be worth your $$$. It's worth a try!

 

[AndreaDM]

We are in the same boat! DH is going for a convention, we are staying at the CR, so no dining plan options because of the room being at a discounted convention rate. Luckily DH's meals are paid for as part of the convention, so DD7 and I plan to do a lot of sharing! I'm also bringing granola bars for breakfast which we'll probably scarf down on our way to the parks.

 

[CathieArms]

No such thing as a "cheap" way to eat at WDW, if you're going to eat TS. BUT, you can cut down on expenses somewhat by eating a late lunch rather than dinner. Most restaurants serve roughly the same thing for lunch as they do for dinner, but it's cheaper at lunch. Buffets are a good example of that.

Bring breakfast bars for breakfast, schedule a late lunch (maybe 2ish) and make that lunch a heavy lunch, and then buy or make sandwiches for dinner.

 

[Nadjalu]

There is also something called a TIW (tables in wonderland) card that can give a discount on meals purchased at WDW.
I am not sure of anything else about it. Don't know if it would work, since I know nothing more than what is above.

I have heard people refer to this card (at least I think that is the name) several times.

Hopefully others can add more info or you can research it.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Gwendolyn]

Congratulations on earning your trip to WDW. Well done!
About eating cheap. Well there are a lot of good counter service restaurants out there. But I would suggest you would have at least 1 cheap buffet per day to keep away from hunger and to make sure you will get enogh veggies too.

 

[VAN]

If I recall, even if you COULD purchase the dining plan as part of your stay, you would be paying $41 (??) per day per adult. If you took those same $$ and put them toward OOP meals, I am sure you will have no problems. Any TS meals on the DP don't include appetizer, alcoholic beverage, or gratuity -- so just being on the DP does not mean you have everything paid in advance.

At any rate, unless you are HUGE eaters and always order desserts, you may find that you can do it OOP just as well outside of the dining plan.

Just set up your food budget based on what you would have paid for the dining plan + gratuity and you should be okay.

 

[Minniemama350]

You may want to ask when you check in if you can add dining. I used to be a travel agent and it sounds strange you can't add it. They are alawys willing to take money for the extras. It may be something through who your company booked that they don't want to get in to all the extras but when you check in they may be able to add it then. It would be worth your $$$. It's worth a try!

I could be mistaken, but it is my understanding that you cannot add the DDP while you are there. The DDP must be purchased ahead of time.

Tables in Wonderland gives you a 20% discount at most TS restaurants, but not all and very few CS are included. The initial cost is $75 if you are annual pass holders. I am not sure about the stipulations for non-passholders, but I do know the regular cost is around $100. I doubt this would be cost effective for your length of trip. Other than sharing meals, I really don't see a cheap way. Even DDP is not cheap!

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

There is also something called a TIW (tables in wonderland) card that can give a discount on meals purchased at WDW.
I am not sure of anything else about it. Don't know if it would work, since I know nothing more than what is above.

I have heard people refer to this card (at least I think that is the name) several times.

Hopefully others can add more info or you can research it.

Good luck and have fun.

Good tip, but you have to be an Annual Pass holder for this option. It would be good if you live nearby or make several trips a year.

 

[Tiger926]

AP or Florida resident only for TIW, Tiger

 

[jamstew]

The CS place at CR, Contempo Cafe, is very good and the prices are reasonable.

 

[patsal]

Figure out what the DDP would cost you per day, put that on a Disney gift card and use it like a debit card, you may surprise yourself and break even unless you have kids under 10 and a lot of character meals planned. Otherwise, you'd be surprised at what ordering what you want, not what gets you the best bang for your ddp buck will get you!

Good values when paying cash:
Earl of Sandwich at DTD

Any of the Epoct CS

Doing lunch rather than dinner at TS

Trail's End at the Campground

Plaza at MK

Eat at a MK resort TS rather than theme park

Most of the food courts (the large pizza serves four, other meals almost always are enough for two)

 

[Nadjalu]

THanks for clearing up the TIW card. Didn't have a clue, sorry to get OP's hopes up. But hey you learn something new every day.

 

[MamaJessie]

At any rate, unless you are HUGE eaters and always order desserts, you may find that you can do it OOP just as well outside of the dining plan.

Just set up your food budget based on what you would have paid for the dining plan + gratuity and you should be okay.

I totally agree. I'd make breakfast in the room and as long as you don't mind CS instead of TS , and drink water, I'd imagine you'd save money over DDP. And as an added bonus you don't have to worry about times and reservations. Enjoy the free trip