Eating at Disney - how much?

[jspahn]

Hi all - I am being bombarded with questions from my wedding guests. One of the ones I am being asked a lot today has to do with budgeting.
I can easily answer how much hotel rooms are, and park tickets, but I am struggling with food.

Many of my guests are new to disney, and wondering how much money they will need for food while they are there. Honestly, I never paid a lot of attention to what I spent on food on any of my trips.

I think most of my guests are counter service people, so the dining plan probably doesnt make sense.

What would be your recommendations?

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

That's a pretty broad question. I suggest you take a look at the sticky at the top of the page titled

DIS WDW Menus with pictures...

and see some price ranges for the various table and counter service places, both in and out of the parks. Unfortunately there is no easy answer to that question!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

This how I price it out. But I do tend to over price rather than under just not to be short.
CS for Breakfast $10.00 pp
CS for Lunch $15.00 pp
Dinner inc. tip & a drink $40.00
Snacks 2 a day $10.00

 

[summermac]

There is a dining plan with Quick service meals only so I'd tell all your guests to look into the different disney dining plans and then let them decide what they want to do. Honestly prices vary widely so I'd be hesitant to tell them anything.

www.allears.net has awesome menus w/ prices.

 

[Justsyd2]

You should send them a link to the menus so that they can get an idea of what there is to eat, and how much it will cost. There's really no way that you can determine that for your guests.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Honstly for us now the ddp works the best with 1 cs & 1 tbs. Definately well worth the pirce in my opinion.

 

[Booyakasha]

I think since everyone will have a different plan on how they want to eat I would first warn them that eating at Disney can get expensive. Once that is out of the way I would give them a range of prices depending on what they want to eat from CS to TS I would also supply them a link to the menus at Deb's sight so they can get an idea for themselves.

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


B.

 

[jspahn]

Thanks for all your replies. Unfortunately the guests asking this question are fairly internet challenged. They are also all newbies, so just sending them the menus would be a little hard on them not knowing the layout of disney and where things are.

Roediseny - thanks so much for your daily estimate! That is close to what I was thnking, but again i never tracked my spending before!

I am definitely going to send the guests info on the dining plans as well - the new counter service only one would probably work great for many of them.

Thanks for your input everyone!!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Best of Luck to you & your DBF on your up coming wedding & many happy MAGICAL years together

 

[Halle]

Are you able to print out menus from some of the TS restaurants and give them to them?

 

[Pumbaa_]

I would also recommend the unofficial guide to disney for all newbies. there is so much info in there, both on the parks and on dining. Cna really help those folks that are heding for a trio

disney is too expensive and too big to not do a ittle research and planning imho

congrats on your wedding!!

 

[dyna]

We cut the cost of breakfast an time by eating in room bring our own cereal an buy milk at the food court if we have to usually we stop at Walmart an buy milk if we have not brought it from home. We also bring cooler from home as well or if we ride the harley down buy a styrofoam one at Walmart.

1 or 2 can be eating while another is in shower so it speeds up our getting ready time. We usually have cereal maybe some fruit.

Dinner an Supper are almost always CS we usually average about 10.00 per person per meal but DH an I almost always shares a large drink. Often share a meal too usually 1 meal a day is shared.

If it's hot we can spend a few bucks on drinks so summer months costs us more than winter months.

Snacks we usually have ice cream cone or sundae usually no more than 4.00 each

 

[jspahn]

Thanks everyone for those suggestions.

I actually went and grabbed the range of food prices for breakfast lunch and dinner for the resorts they are staying at to give them an idea of costs.

And i am grabbing tips on saving money from various resources (mousesavers, allears etc) to complie for them also.