Could You Eat at WDW for $200 per Person on a 6-day visit?

[QueenIsabella]

I know - our current budget is $350 per day for the two of us.
We don't usually spend that much, sometimes a lot less. But we are on vacation, not restriction. And um, we buy bottled water on occasion and perhaps a tipple or two. Or Three. Or Four.

This. If it was the only way to go on vacation? Yeah, sure, I'd make it work. But it wouldn't feel like I was actually on vacation, if I had to do this, every time.

 

[leebee]

I know - our current budget is $350 per day for the two of us.
We don't usually spend that much, sometimes a lot less. But we are on vacation, not restriction. And um, we buy bottled water on occasion and perhaps a tipple or two. Or Three. Or Four.

I was gonna ask... is that $200 in the OP with or without adult beverages?

 

[jimmymc]

No, not if I'm getting all my meals from Disney restaurants. I could if I spent half that on an Instacart order and ate one QS meal per day at the parks and resorts.

 

[LuvBulldogs]

Okay. I decided to take up my own challenge and post my results. The challenge is only kids meals, 3 meals per day, plus 1 snack each day for a 6 day trip.

This is for a trip I actually have booked for the spring. Arrival day is after breakfast and departure day would be before lunch. All meals are kid's meals. Snacks are from the snack menus.

I am generally not a breakfast eater but I included it because that's the challenge. I will also say that we don't eat a lot of red meat at home so my choices reflect a lot of sea food and chicken. We are staying in a Poly studio the first night and will switch to a 1BR in BC for the rest of the trip. The food is for 1 adult only.

Day #1 arrival day, no parks Total = $24.04

Lunch - Cap'n Cooks​

Chicken and Pineapple Skewer with tossed salad and small bottled water $9.04​

 Dinner - walk over to GF and Gasparilla's Grill​

Chicken Wrap with fries, grapes and small bottled water​

$8.30​

Snack  - Mickey Bar $6.70​

​

Day #2 Poly morning MK Day $31.08​

Breakfast - Cap'n Cook's​

Egg White Scramble with bacon and breakfast potatoes and small bottled water $7.28​

Lunch - Columbia Harbor House​

Grilled Salmon with rice and green beans and unsweetened iced tea $9.15​

Dinner - Cosmic Ray's​

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with fries, Cutie mandarin and zero sugar lemonade $8.30​

Snack - Dole Whip $6.35​

​

Move to BC in the evening​

​

Day #3 BC/RIV/HS using Skyliner $33.13​

Breakfast - RIV Primo Piatto​

Egg White Fritatta with plant-based sausage and small bottled water $7.66​

Lunch - HS Backlot Express​

Southwest Chicken Salad with fries, chocolate chip cookie and Coke Zero $8.30​

Dinner - ABC Commissary​

Chicken Arugula-Farro Salad with carrots, a Cutie mandarin and unsweetened iced tea $8.70​

Snack - Anaheim Produce​

Mickey Pretzel $8.47​

​

Day #4 BC morning/AK $30.94​

Breakfast - BC Marketplace​

Mickey Waffle with bacon, sausage and small bottled water $8.08​

Lunch - Harambe Market​

Shrimp Rice Bowl with Cutie mandarin and zero sugar lemonade $9.57​

Dinner - Flame Tree BBQ​

Pulled Pork Platter with applesauce, a Cutie and unsweetened iced tea $7.98​

Snack - Flame Tree BBQ​

(to be eaten with pulled pork)Rice and Beans $5.31​

​

Day#5 BC morning/EPCOT $31.80​

Breakfast - BC Marketplace​

Egg Sandwich with double bacon side and a small bottled water $6.91​

Lunch - La Cantina de San Angelo​

Chicken Tacos with corn chips, nachos cheese, fruit and Coke Zero $10.07​

Dinner - Sunshine Seasons​

Salmon with Jamine Rice, applesauce and a small bottled water $9.00​

Snack -Sunshine Seasons​

Turtle Brownie $5.82​

​

Day #6 BC/MK (again)/Contemporary $40.20​

Breakfast - Ale and Compass To Go​

Blueberry Pancakes with sausage, breakfast potatoes and small bottled water $8.79​

Lunch - Pecos Bill​

Citrus Chipotle Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice, charros beans and small bottled water $9.04​

Dinner - Steakhouse 71 to Go​

Grilled Steak with mashed potatoes, green beans and Coke Zero $16.51​

Snack - MK popcorn $5.86​

​

Day #7 - BC checkout day, breakfast only $11.18​

Breakfast Ale & Compass To Go​

Scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, low fat milk $11.18​

​

Grand Total = $202.37​

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I could tweek the numbers to fall under $200 by choosing less expensive meals rather than the to go meals at the end of the stay but I didn't want to do repeats of meals or list a kids meal that I just would not eat, such as chicken tenders or PB&J Uncrustables. When I get a kids meal, I tend to save the fruit or chips for a snack later in the day. I refill my water bottle with ice water when I stop to eat. Most of the meals are available for mobile order and they were almost all Disney's kid check meals. I doubt that I would actually stick to this plan mostly because I don't travel alone and wouldn't want to pigeonhole my traveling companions into eating where I dictate.​

I was ready to say, "I could do this, but I wouldn't want to do so."

However, after reading your list -- yeah -- these are things I'd really want to eat. The difficult part would be sticking to the pre-chosen list /being in the right spot at the right time.

As for "cheating" with Target snacks, etc., it does feel like cheating -- not for a normal trip; that's just good planning. But if you say, "I can eat for $200 for 6 days" and then you add supplemental food, that's cheating on your own challenge.

 

[Ellie008]

I would rather eat breakfast in my room than go out to eat. Cereal, or fruit and yogurt, just something quick and easy. I go to the parks to enjoy the rides and parades and things, not to spend hours eating. I have no interest in table service meals at Disney. I would rather spend the time enjoying the parks. I am also not that interested in quick service meals twice a day. I am happier bringing a lunch - sandwiches, wraps, hummus and veggies, etc. and then eating QS dinner.
For breakfast and lunch from a grocery store purchase plus a QS dinner, I would have no problem sticking to that budget and I would not feel that it was a burden.

 

[MicheyMouse]

I could eat jambalaya every night at FQ for 6 days but my beignets addiction would break the budget

 

[karen4546]

We stay in 1 or 2 bedroom DVC villas that have kitchens. We hit a local grocery store on the way to checkin and usually spend way less than $200. We usually only eat only 1 QS meal at lunch and the rest just eat in the room. We do make ADRs at our favorite places, Sci-Fi, Beaches and Cream, Rose and Crown, etc. We do at least one character breakfast as well. The grandkids would rather do rides and attractions than eat, so we get off pretty cheap! May change when they get older.

We do a WM grocery order for 6 nights in a 2bedroom and always spend over $200. We are 4 adults and 5 kids sometimes and 4 adults 2 kids sometimes. We do have a few leftovers at the end of the trip and a few must haves like smart water, Fiji water, pre cooked bacon, fresh fruit, frozen stuffed crust pizza for the picky eaters, strawberry waffles, salad mix, Coke Zero,and the extras for dinners. We eat breakfast and dinner in the room -not to save money, but for convenience.

I would like to try Publix in our next trip. They have a great bakery selection.

 

[QueenIsabella]

We do a WM grocery order for 6 nights in a 2bedroom and always spend over $200. We are 4 adults and 5 kids sometimes and 4 adults 2 kids sometimes. We do have a few leftovers at the end of the trip and a few must haves like smart water, Fiji water, pre cooked bacon, fresh fruit, frozen stuffed crust pizza for the picky eaters, strawberry waffles, salad mix, Coke Zero,and the extras for dinners. We eat breakfast and dinner in the room -not to save money, but for convenience.

I would like to try Publix in our next trip. They have a great bakery selection.

Publix DOES have a great bakery! They also do well with freshly prepared foods (think popcorn chicken and the like), and their subs and prepared/packaged food items are quite good. That said, their prices, generally, for groceries are quite high. I live walking distance to a Publix, and only cherry-pick their specials, and occasional get fresh food (like the subs or popcorn chicken). OTOH, I get a weekly haul from Walmart (and also hit Aldi's and Lidl regularly). I only mention it because this is the budget board, so you don't want to waste money buying everything from Publix. But, hit it up for bakery and fresh food items, for sure! DEFINITELY hit it if someone's having a birthday--they have some amazing cakes!

 

[RickNJane]

We do a WM grocery order for 6 nights in a 2bedroom and always spend over $200. We are 4 adults and 5 kids sometimes and 4 adults 2 kids sometimes. We do have a few leftovers at the end of the trip and a few must haves like smart water, Fiji water, pre cooked bacon, fresh fruit, frozen stuffed crust pizza for the picky eaters, strawberry waffles, salad mix, Coke Zero,and the extras for dinners. We eat breakfast and dinner in the room -not to save money, but for convenience.

I would like to try Publix in our next trip. They have a great bakery selection.

We usually hit Publix or Super Walmart. Publix can be a bit on the pricy side.

 

[lisset005]

I think we managed to do around $250 a day on our last trip. We aren't big breakfast eaters so I bake scones and muffins to bring for our kiddos in the mornings. Hubby and I usually share an adult meal, and our kids mostly eat off the kids menu, two of them share. We also so popcorn refills for snacking along with body armours, beef sticks, cheese sticks, pretzels, etc we bring in.