Daily Food Budget Universal

[DizzyStitch]

Can anyone guesstimate about how much it could cost to eat each day in the parks/Citywalk? I have a feeling most of what we will do is counter service. And I plan breakfast in the room since I am the main breakfast eater in the group. There will be 2 adults and 2 girls age 14 and 12. I have to see how tough it will be to work in one or two sit down meals. We are staying on site at the less expensive of the three hotels.

 

[Bluer101]

We are a family of 3, DW, DS 9, and me. We also stay onsite at RPR. Our budget for us is $50 per meal. At the end of the day we normally have some left over. We don't eat expensive and if we do we offset it with a cheaper meal.

 

[damo]

There is a food sticky with menus that could give you a good idea of what you will spend.

 

[ky07]

We are a family of 3, DW, DS 9, and me. We also stay onsite at RPR. Our budget for us is $50 per meal. At the end of the day we normally have some left over. We don't eat expensive and if we do we offset it with a cheaper meal.

We do the same thing and we always end up with extra and there are four of us and I always budget in about $150 a day

 

[Bluer101]

We do the same thing and we always end up with extra and there are four of us and I always budget in about $150 a day

Every time this topic comes up we are the same.

This budget has worked for years for us. I always tell people that join us $50 per day per person. This will cover normal priced meals. The $50 we figure $10 for breakfast, $20 for lunch, and $20 for dinner. Then you should have some leftover for some snacks in between. But this is a good starting point.

We always bring double the money just incase we splurge, but that has never happend. Before we leave we say we are going to spoil ourselfs, then we get there and the budget mind kicks in.

 

[AJA]

If you're staying at RPR Jakes bar has an awesome menu (it's more family atmosphere than the name suggests) it's really very reasonable.

If you need/want to be mindful of the budget, not including drinks (you can buy an $8 refillable cup) I'd say $50 for lunch and $100 average for dinner.
If you have a little more wiggle room in the budget then $200 per day.

 

[NHKristy76]

I'm headed to Universal for the first time in June. I'm a true Disney addict so I'm feeling a bit tortured by the idea of a non Disney Orlando trip...

Anyway...

It seems, based on the posts here, that the Universal Meal Deal is a great deal. Am I right?

 

[CyndiLooWho]

I haven't been, so I can't comment too much on prices for food, but you can also plan on eating breakfast in the room. We've got a condo, so we'll probably do instant oatmeal, toaster waffles, etc, but even in a hotel room you can keep milk, cereal, cereal bars, etc. We just find that trying to "do" breakfast out takes time and money that is better used in the parks.

I also take small snacks in with us for the tween boys; otherwise, I'd spend double on food! Granola bars, dried fruit, and other things they can take on the trail also work well in amusement parks and are *right there* when they get hungry in a long line. They also stash easily in the cargo pockets of their quick-dry hiking shorts.

 

[chimo2u]

I find Universal Food, especially on City Walk expensive!! Just an example, my DS 15 and I had dinner at Bubba Gumps one night, and the tab was close to $100!!!! that was 1 alchoholic drink for me (in one of those cool take home cups).....one light up type drink for him, and 2 entrees.....I can't remember if we had room for dessert or not, but still, I find it expensive! Thankfully we have CL for breakfast.....we will have a quick service type lunch then I will be budgeting for 4 people for TS dinners for 3 nights..... it's not a cheap endeavor at Universal though!

 

[damo]

I find Universal Food, especially on City Walk expensive!! Just an example, my DS 15 and I had dinner at Bubba Gumps one night, and the tab was close to $100!!!! that was 1 alchoholic drink for me (in one of those cool take home cups).....one light up type drink for him, and 2 entrees.....I can't remember if we had room for dessert or not, but still, I find it expensive! Thankfully we have CL for breakfast.....we will have a quick service type lunch then I will be budgeting for 4 people for TS dinners for 3 nights..... it's not a cheap endeavor at Universal though!

Well, the food wasn't expensive....those fancy cups were!!!!! The Bubba Gumps menu is slightly more expensive at Orlando than normal places. A dollar or so extra per entree. Typical for theme parks.

 

[chimo2u]

Well, the food wasn't expensive....those fancy cups were!!!!!

Ok Damo! I hope that was it, LOL..... I remember the entrees though where not cheap....about $25 per person, I'd say! ....at least my son's was, he ordered the sampler! he's always gotta order the most expensive thing on the menu, it seems!!

 

[Bluer101]

Yea, Bubba Gump and Hard Rock can be a little more money for some menu items. You can go to most places and find a few items that are a lot more money, we just don't buy them. We stick to mainsteam food for budgets.

 

[chimo2u]

Yea, Bubba Gump and Hard Rock can be a little more money for some menu items. You can go to most places and find a few items that are a lot more money, we just don't buy them. We stick to mainsteam food for budgets.

I agree...budget is good unfortunately, I did find Bubba Gumps more expensive than most....most entrees where at least $20 each....but we LOVED the food, so we will suck it up and be back it will be our one splurge meal! Hopefully we can find cheaper alternatives at Mythos, Nascar Grille, Three Broomsticks and Margarittaville to even it out ....at least I'll be trying to stick to a budget of some semblence

 

[Bluer101]

When we do Bubba, I get a caesar salad and my DW gets a $20+ meal and we share. My son gets the kids meal. We don't drink, so that's not a big cost. We will get one adult soda or tea and one water. This all helps cut costs.

But yes, Bubba is a little more expensive but its good.

 

[JessicaR]

Just to give you the extreme. We are a family of 4 - 2 adults and 2 teen boys. We allot $300 a day. We also usually eat Dinner at Emeril's, Mama Della, Tchoup Chop.

So counter service for meals can be had for much much less. Guessing with Breakfast in the room and your other meals counter service you can likely stay around $150 a day easily.

 

[AJA]

I'm headed to Universal for the first time in June. I'm a true Disney addict so I'm feeling a bit tortured by the idea of a non Disney Orlando trip...

Anyway...

It seems, based on the posts here, that the Universal Meal Deal is a great deal. Am I right?

No, not at all, for us anyway. It's counter service and dare I say not worth it.

City Walk has some great restaurants, keeping the tab on the low side isn't that hard. -Now granted if you have a party of teenage boys and want mixed drinks with each meal it might get really expensive () but as a family of 3 one of those being a seven year old girl, and only getting one or two mixed drinks every other night, we find Universal dining to be much cheaper than Disney.

 

[damo]

Meal deal limits you to just a few counter service restaurants in each park. Make sure you really want that before you buy it.

 

[schumigirl]

The meal deal has never appealed to us at all.

There are so many places to choose from we wouldn`t want to be limited to certain places to eat.

Apart from Louie`s Pizza I don`t think we would go to many of them.

 

[englishrose47]

We will be a party 0f 10 in September . luckily it is an Agency vacation for Dev. Disabled so they will be paying for thew food !! If you buy DDP at Disney it is $50 a day soo $50 aday at Universla is about right !!

 

[dntd]

This trip we are only going for 1 day but as we have many kids with us this time the meal plan is going to be a life saver, with 5 kids 10,9,7,7,5(3 of which are mine) I don't plan on eating many sit down meals on this vacation. I plan on $10 per meal not on the plan. This is a Orlando trip so we are going to seaworld, busch garden,aquatica and Island of adventure and of course the beach!