Dining Expenses for Large Families*New Thread

[coltsfanatic]

I wanted to start a fun thread designed just for large families who want to make a Disney dining filled trip possible without burning the wallet! My family (9 of us), specifically, would love to plan a trip together, but the dining expenses are causing problems.

So feel free to share your experiences with how your family "deals with the bills." Who pays (does each immediate family alternate)? Do you do the dining plan or signature restaurants? Is adult dessert out of the question due to kids' jealousy? How many and what buffets do you do?

(Oh, and if I posted this under the wrong forum, just bump me! )

 

[TheRatPack]

We are a family of 7...not extended family, just us We save up and pay out of pocket for our TS meals and usually try to book during free QSDP so we get those QS meals as part of the package. Usually after eating a meal at a TS restaurant we get a couple of adult deserts to share....none of us could eat a whole one by ourselves after eating a full entree.

As far as who pays, that really doesn't apply to us....again it's just me, DH and 5 children so we pay for every meal

We like buffets because everyone can find something they like and eat until they are full (not usually that much....they are all small eaters). We return to Hollywood and Vine breakfast each year and it's always a hit for our family, we also like SciFi and Garden Grill. This year we were kind of let down by a few of our long time favs, including Garden Grill....just not like we remembered it as well as Trails End Buffet....it was okay but not worth what they charged.

We made a new fav though, Kona for breakfast. It was good food, good service and the price was also reasonable for what we got. We'll be repeating that one next year The Plaza was decent too, and a much lighter meal for those stuffed by buffets and just wanting a sandwich Not too overpriced either....which is always nice.

 

[coltsfanatic]

Sounds great! We just may have to try dining around free dining time, it would save a lot! We also enjoy buffet; they are just so pricey! Although Garden Grill is less expensive than say, 1900 or Boma. , we may have to try them at least once.

Can't wait to read more! Keep 'em comin'!

 

[Pakey]

We are a family of 10, soon to be 12. My husband and I pick up the tab for our kids/spouses/grandchildren.

We are DVC and we do not do the dining plan as none of us are dessert eaters.

We do one character breakfast and all other breakfast is in the villa. We do one table service meal a day, not buffets, because it's a poor value paying OOP. We are doing one nice dinner (Jiko) with kids and one nice adult dinner (bluezoo) while kids go to kids' club.

The kids' meals are terrible at many of the restaurants so by not doing a plan, our grandchildren (ages 6 and 9) order from adult menu if they want.

We are also doing Hoop de Doo this trip as a special treat for the grandchildren.

 

[Aunt Bee]

We are a large group, too; we "old folks" usually pick up the tab for 1 big meal a day for our kids, their spouses and our grandchildren. We go to WDW several times a year and our numbers vary from 8-20.

We don't do the dining plans because they don't really fit the way we like to eat. It takes a LOT of energy to get around in the World, so all of us tend to snack and drink frequently rather than do 3 formal meals. It keeps our energy up and we don't feel full or stuffed.

We eat breakfast in our rooms before we go (cereal, fruit, yogurt, juice, granola bars, etc.). And we always take our own coffee and small coffee pot and packets of cocoa.

We make one ADR a day (usually a late lunch) and that is everyones' main meal. Sometimes it's a buffet, but we aren't all that crazy about buffets. We have our favorite restaurants and tend to repeat those.

If we know the portions are large, we will order 2-3 appetizers to share, salads to share, and entrees to split. We don't order dessert after our meals. Late afternoon is our dessert time (see below).

Sometimes we do a character meal or do a dinner show and we ALWAYS go to 'Ohana for our first night. Once or twice we "old folks" watch the grandchildren so their parents can enjoy an evening out.

We all drink water at meals, saving our "drink" money for between meal treats or adult "happy hour".

Between meals, we drink smoothies, eat fresh fruit and granola bars or "gorp", (we bring our own), and, since we're all ice cream fanatics, we have our daily "fix" of icecream, usually in the late afternoon when our energy lags. That's another good time for trying those chocolate cupcakes and caramel candies and desserts from the French Bakery in Epcot.... A glass of wine with dessert is yummy!

We usually do counter service for supper and order salads or wraps or sandwiches to share. We're not all that hungry at that time of day and sharing and eating "family style" really saves money. Again, we drink water.

We also keep snacks in our rooms for when we return from the parks. Fresh fruit, crackers, cheese, dry salami, p-nut butter, nuts, dried fruit, juice.

 

[siczlo]

We are a family of 5, with 4 of us being 'disney adults'.

My number one rule to save money is no drinks. Water only. I buy the packets or mio to flavor the water. That saves us $15+ a TS.

Also, often, me and ds12 can share an entree, and ds5 can share off ds16 and dh's plates.

Sometimes we will get 2 desserts for us all to share.

At restaurants like rainforest, t-rex, and planet hollywood-we get 2 appetizer samplers, a big salad, and the huge volcanic (or whatever) sundae to share.

We eat breakfast at the villa. And I always bring snacks like peanut butter crackers, apples or bananas, and licorice for between meal snacks.

We also let the kids pick one ice cream or dole whip a day.

We share cs meals too.

We usually will only do 1 or 2 buffets because it's not cost friendly for us with 2 out of 3 kids being disney adults.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We are a large group, too; we "old folks" usually pick up the tab for 1 big meal a day for our kids, their spouses and our grandchildren. We go to WDW several times a year and our numbers vary from 8-20.

We don't do the dining plans because they don't really fit the way we like to eat. It takes a LOT of energy to get around in the World, so all of us tend to snack and drink frequently rather than do 3 formal meals. It keeps our energy up and we don't feel full or stuffed.

We eat breakfast in our rooms before we go (cereal, fruit, yogurt, juice, granola bars, etc.). And we always take our own coffee and small coffee pot and packets of cocoa.

We make one ADR a day (usually a late lunch) and that is everyones' main meal. Sometimes it's a buffet, but we aren't all that crazy about buffets. We have our favorite restaurants and tend to repeat those.

If we know the portions are large, we will order 2-3 appetizers to share, salads to share, and entrees to split. We don't order dessert after our meals. Late afternoon is our dessert time (see below).

Sometimes we do a character meal or do a dinner show and we ALWAYS go to 'Ohana for our first night. Once or twice we "old folks" watch the grandchildren so their parents can enjoy an evening out.

We all drink water at meals, saving our "drink" money for between meal treats or adult "happy hour".

Between meals, we drink smoothies, eat fresh fruit and granola bars or "gorp", (we bring our own), and, since we're all ice cream fanatics, we have our daily "fix" of icecream, usually in the late afternoon when our energy lags. That's another good time for trying those chocolate cupcakes and caramel candies and desserts from the French Bakery in Epcot.... A glass of wine with dessert is yummy!

We usually do counter service for supper and order salads or wraps or sandwiches to share. We're not all that hungry at that time of day and sharing and eating "family style" really saves money. Again, we drink water.

We also keep snacks in our rooms for when we return from the parks. Fresh fruit, crackers, cheese, dry salami, p-nut butter, nuts, dried fruit, juice.

I hope one day when my little ones are big and have little ones of their own, we can do this for them. So nice of yoU!

 

[coltsfanatic]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

I also think we won't do the dining plan, too and avoid most desserts and buffets. I love the idea of only drinking water, that's what I do because Disney drinks are so expensive!

...copying these to MS Word now to print as a reference so keep them coming!

 

[mommyof3princess27]

We are a family of 8 and we do the DDP. We use the sit down meal as our 'dinner' and we snack throughout the day. It works best for us

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've been to WDW, a lot.....no dining plans for us.....it's a rip off as the food is mediocre at best.....

We go as a pair and sometimes there are 4 of us and an infant....breakfast is a big to do for me.....I want eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast.....CS serves the purpose and isn't expensive and the wife and I share one breakfast....

Lunch is usually a pool picnic....groceries we picked up....sandwiches, snacks and drinks around the pool...best meal for us preferred over restaurant food any day.....

Dinner can be anything....except TS....hate Disney TS restaurants....CS at various places suits us fine....hamburger, meatball sandwich, chicken, pizza...etc....no different than we do at home....we're not foodies, especially at Disney...we prefer to lounge around the pool during idle time....

As some have said....we only do water at meals...no ordered drinks...unless we bought a mug...we have tons of beverages in our room///we don't buy bottled water...at home or anywhere...been drinking tap water for 62 years and it's free....

Some may scoff, but for us a treat is going to FW and Crockett's Tavern and ordering a pizza and treating ourselves to a few pitchers of beer.....take that over a TS steak any day..

We're not cheap...just cognizant of that we do and where thrift comes in better than waste....we always stay deluxe (because we like it) but to us...food is food...you don't have to gorge yourself to be fed....only buffet we do is breakfast at FW Trails End....other than that...it's about the fun and relaxation and parks...not food and restaurants....

 

[Brian Noble]

The number one way to save money on food at WDW is to keep a lid on the number of "major" sit-down meals you do. For example, in a seven-day trip, we will do *at most* two character meals---one "face" and one "fur". You can do more, but our experience is that they start blurring together. We will do other sit-downs, but we often choose less expensive meals/locations. For example, lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern is a nice respite from a hot park, it's generally not too busy, the food is slightly-upscale comfort, and not too expensive.

We usually split the bill when we have extended family join us. The servers are very adept at this, no troubles.

 

[3pletprincesses]

As a family of 5 ( 2 adults and 3 kids) we usually go when free dining is available or the kids play free(we pay for dining plan in this instance) because for us, either offer save us the same amount of money. If we go without the regular dining plan, we share dessert if not skipped completly. My 5yo triplets eat like little mice so if we are paying out of pocket, we get a adult meal at quick services and split it between the 3 of them and even then they still have more then enough food. Since we are in vacation we often will not cut much in meals, we will cut down in snacks and souvenirs.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I wanted to start a fun thread designed just for large families who want to make a Disney dining filled trip possible without burning the wallet! My family (9 of us), specifically, would love to plan a trip together, but the dining expenses are causing problems.

So feel free to share your experiences with how your family "deals with the bills." Who pays (does each immediate family alternate)? Do you do the dining plan or signature restaurants? Is adult dessert out of the question due to kids' jealousy? How many and what buffets do you do?

(Oh, and if I posted this under the wrong forum, just bump me! )

We usually select a restaurant per trip and suck up to paying the bill. We did dining plan once and it was a lot of food. Now with more mouths to pay for, we offset costs by not dining out for breakfast, limiting to a counter service in the parks, carry snacks, and then do 1 TS per trip.

Desserts, if ordered, are shared.

Our next trip, next year will be for our birthday girl. She chose Chef Mickey's for Breakfast and so far as chosen "China" for dinner as she picked EPCOT for her park day of choice. Unsure of what else we will do that trip, if any. Costs will be offset for the rest of the trip by having a villa through DVC.

I did find that the Dining Plan made things easier on my husband as meals were paid for in advance. I can outline how much a meal will cost, and he will still sweat bullets when it comes time to pay the check.

We are now a family of 6, but only 5 paying. 3 of those are adult rates and 2 are 3-9 range.

 

[canwegosoon]

When I took my parents, sisters, brother, neices, and our own family(TL 13) I paid for the rooms(DVC) and I asked that they pay for their airline tickets and dining plan. Because I figured that way everyone would basically have fixed expensed. We did Tiw and paid for anything that was oop. WDW makes it so simple to atke everyones cards and subtract meal plans and then we handled everything else.

Recently in a smaller group trip our family of 4 and 2 sisters went. they had the ddp and we again had tiw. We took them to CG and they treated us to dinner-.
Now our up coming trip we are going to do all Tiw...because I feel the ddp is no longer a good value for us.

 

[coltsfanatic]

I love all of this info!!

Quick breakfasts, pool picnics, staying during free dining, no desserts and carefully ordering at TS are great ideas!

 

[coltsfanatic]

When I took my parents, sisters, brother, neices, and our own family(TL 13) I paid for the rooms(DVC) and I asked that they pay for their airline tickets and dining plan. Because I figured that way everyone would basically have fixed expensed. We did Tiw and paid for anything that was oop. WDW makes it so simple to atke everyones cards and subtract meal plans and then we handled everything else.

and

Now our up coming trip we are going to do all Tiw...because I feel the ddp is no longer a good value for us.

I absolutely think that's a great idea, pay for your own airline and no DDP.

 

[TwoAtDisney]

Here are some of my suggestions for saving while Disney dining -
1. Get a Chase WDW Rewards VISA - every year we have $250 & more to spend at WDW; this year so far = $329. Love it! Also, no annual fee or other charges on the account or rewards card.

2. Get a PNC checking account with rewards - no fees. Every year we earn at least $10 in a Darden card (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc) & use it at the Red Lobster at Crossroads. Not much, but every little bit helps.

3. Buy coupons on restaurant.com, but only when the 80% discount is available. Usually dining spots at the Swan & Dolphin are available & the coupons only cost about $2 for $25 off. But, be sure to read the coupon rules!

4. Eat at the CS spots that serve big portions - share between 2 to 4 people - Pecos Bills (taco salad that just keeps on giving via the fixit bar), Cosmic Rays (same fixit bar & the chicken & ribs is huge), POR create own pasta (omg, it is huge!), Pepper Market nachos & other items, Flame Tree ribs, Y&Y CS fried rice is enough for 2 people & only costs $3.29, and there are many more such spots. Ghirardelli is easy to split for a special treat - especially a sundae or 2 dip chocolate dipped waffle cone (each person chooses flavor of 1 dip & it's served on a plate with 2 spoons; plus a topping is only $1 more). Whether on DDP or OOP, this is the best way to stretch credits & cash.

5. If you like the Cobb salad at Brown Derby, splitting it = only $7.50 pp +tax & tip. Also, there are many TS meals that can easily be split, making the per person cost effective.

6. If SAVING money while Disney dining is a goal for family of 4 or more, the FREE DDP is definitely a savings. If Disney dining is a MUST, more so than saving money, then it is good for a family of 4 or more to buy the DDP.

7. Plan ahead for the trip & get a Disney gift card. Then every month budget some money to put on the card. Use the card for that expensive Disney dining & it doesn't hurt as much!

8. Also, give a Disney gift card for Christmas presents to the kids; this could cover some or all of their "wants" at WDW & the prepay makes it easier on the budget. The "gift" excitement for them comes from knowing it is "their" money to spend as they choose.

9. Disney Timeshare - if one of the family members (in our case, us the grandparents) can afford it & are willing to share, this saves other members some huge costs. Or, each household can pay equal shares - if they all agree on when to travel & where to stay. Sharing villas decreases the cost. But when buying WDW timeshare, be sure to buy cheaply from one of the two best resellers; cost too much to go thru Disney (now this is just my opinion; I know many prefer to pay more & buy directly).

10. This is an obvious, but monitor the airfares closely & buy low!

11. Plan your time & save money - don't buy a park hopper.

Here’s wishing everyone & their families a great trip & lots of magical memories!

 

[coltsfanatic]

Those are great tips!!