Cheap ways to eat

[momof3baldwins]

Does anyone have any suggestions for eating inexpensively at the quick service locations in the 4 parks? I have seen some tips that say to order a double cheeseburger and an extra bun, but I havent seen any double cheeseburgers listed on any of the menus. We are just looking for someplace cheap to eat. We will probably bring sandwiches in for lunch but my family wont want to eat them for lunch and supper!

 

[tdsbu]

The funniest advice I read was to go to Pecos Bill and make a salad out of the condiment bar, complete with lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, peppers, and unlimited cheese sauce. Free meal!
(For the record, we've never stooped that low)

 

[jm106]

Some snacks are meal sized for those with not large appetites. At Pecos bills I had a cup o chili, added cheese at toppings bar and it was enough for me. Egg rolls in AK, Fries at Caseys, Main St Bakery- Bagel, Cinnamon roll, soup or side caesar salad at pinnochios for some examples.

Check Here for snack list and you can see many are more of a small meal. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2853528
If there are two of you, share- one get a meal with fries and share or get those and add a snack similar to above and share them all. I know myself, I would never finish a sandwich and fries and a soda alone.

Also take your own drinks and snacks

 

[shburks]

We often take in our reusable water bottles and refill at water fountains. I don't like plain water so I take Gatorade powder packs and all them to my water bottles. We have definitely split meals, too!

 

[smiths02]

Split meals

Some places also have nice sized kids meals

Every place will give you free tap water with ice (I don't have a problem drinking that)

I don't recommend stealing from the toppings bar...BUT if you get a taco salad and an extra plate, I think that would be easy to split if you add enough toppings to it OR if you get a double burger and two buns, you could make a side salad out of the toppings bar

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Share meals - if you're worried about having enough food, add in an extra side like a soup or side salad.

For instance, at columbia harbour house, instead of ordering:

Fried Fish Basket - Served with steamed fresh broccoli or French Fries $7.49
Chicken Breast Nuggets (8 pieces) - Served with steamed fresh broccoli or French Fries or Apple Slices $8.19
for a total of $16.70 with tax.

Order:

Chicken Breast Nuggets and Fish - steamed fresh broccoli, or French Fries $9.29
Vegetarian Chili $4.49
for a total of $14.68 with tax. Saving of $2.00 for that meal with just a minor change.

Or for more savings order an extra order of fries $2.49 instead of the chili for a total cost of $12.55 - savings of $4.15 for the meal.

Look for small ways to save small amounts of money and in the end, it will add up to larger amounts.

 

[disneychic2]

DH and I always share our cs meals. We don't do it to save money, but because we don't need that much food. We find all that walking in the heat diminishes our appetites and what we really want is lots of water, which is free. Some of the cs meals are larger than others. If you get a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney, they outline the cs restaurants giving info on where you get the most bang for your buck. (you can probably get it at your local library) Our favorites are Flame Tree in AK and Columbia HH in MK.

 

[robinb]

Does anyone have any suggestions for eating inexpensively at the quick service locations in the 4 parks? I have seen some tips that say to order a double cheeseburger and an extra bun, but I havent seen any double cheeseburgers listed on any of the menus. We are just looking for someplace cheap to eat. We will probably bring sandwiches in for lunch but my family wont want to eat them for lunch and supper!

Hmmm ... I thought I read somewhere that the cost of the extra bun is now cost prohibitive and you're really not saving a lot. You can ask for just a burger (or other sandwich) without a side and share fries or you can skip soft drinks in favor of ice water. You can also pack in your own lunch and eat it on a bench. You can bring a small cooler (without wheels) to keep stuff cold. Just don't pack in glass or alcohol.

 

[hill242]

share entree between 2 people

if one entree isn't enough for 2 people, order an extra side or two

drink water

 

[Schmoodle]

If you are ordering something listed as a combo meal, you can order the items individually for a lower cost. For example, if it's a sandwich that comes with chips and a drink, you can order just the sandwich for a lower cost, even if it's not listed that way on the menu. Also a kids meal that comes in a special container, etc., can be ordered without the trinket for less cost.

You can definitely share entrees or order a kids meal for an adult who is a small eater or isn't too hungry. I love the kid's tuna sandwich at CHH. Lots of snacks are huge and shareable too - I couldn't finish the ice cream cookie sandwich by myself if I tried! Other favorite shares - schwarma platter at Tangierine Cafe, giant sandwich and cupcake at Starring Rolls, shrimp basket at CHH, combo platter at Flame Tree BBQ. We always feel like these are just the right amount of food.

There are lots of threads on here that list good values at CS for those paying OOP.

 

[Kay1]

I would spend some time checking out the online menus and figuring out what you would like best for the least amount of money.

Enjoy

 

[smcabee]

The funniest advice I read was to go to Pecos Bill and make a salad out of the condiment bar, complete with lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, peppers, and unlimited cheese sauce. Free meal!
(For the record, we've never stooped that low)

 

[smiths02]

The DIS also has a budget board-not saying you aren't in the right place to ask this question-I bet that there are many threads about saving money on food and snacks there as well.

 

[pumba]

I had a great meal at Cosmic Rays...the half chicken, with mashed potatoes and green beans.. It was a lot of food for me...but I ate the chicken and some of the sides...I do believe that two people could eat off that meal...
I didnt see any double cheeseburgers anymore...I think they changed to the 1/3 lb Angus beef burgers...
The food court at Pop Century had quite a few meals that could be shared...I saw a few people sharing...so it can be done...
i

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

At the Yak and Yeti counter service in AK we order a side of egg rolls and split some rice which is cheap!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Me, DH and my 2 older kids split the chicken tacos and nachos in Epcot/Mexico. The nachos were HUGE and really good.

 

[2012DisneyWorldBride]

.

 

[P00H1010]

Here are some ideas from our past trips.

Magic Kingdom- Cosmic Rays has decently priced food. We got a burger and chilli cheese fries as a side.....we split both and were full. Tortuga Tavern has burritos for I believe for $7something....they have a toppings bar where you call fill it as full as you want.
Epcot- Boulangerie Patisserie has sandwiches for under $6 plus tasty desserts. The nachos in Mexico and big enough to share. Also the Tangierine Cafe has some tasty and decently priced food.
Hollywood Studios- Turkey legs are pretty filling. Min and Bill's Dockside has good sandwiches.
Animal Kingdom- Yak and Yeti counter service gives you a good amount of food. Also Jalapeno stuffed pretzels, and egg rolls for snacks.

 

[Karabee]

If you're not big eaters I would say even the adults get a kids meal. I survived our last trip just ordering off the kids menu for breakfast and lunch and it was PLENTY. You tend to get carrots and grapes too, so I would throw those in my bag for later.

 

[the pyromaniac]

I have a family of 3. Last summer we added the QS meal plan with kids' meals free. It cost about $500 for our package, and probably saved us just as much. We paid it all in advance, so we spent maybe $75 on food all week.