Eating at Disney on a Budget - Helpful Tips/Locations Needed!

[Lady_Gracey999]

So my best friend and I will be going to WDW in June, and we want to kinda keep from spending an outrageous amount on food. We're both gals and not big on snacking. What are some quick-service meals you would recommend? We'd like to keep it under $50 a day for the two of us if possible.

Also, if we wanted milk for cold cereal where/how would be the best place to get that? Thanks in advance!

 

[3BoysRDisneyFreaks]

If you are going to eat counter service a lot, I would plan on splitting food. If you get combos at most places there is enough food to split. Throw a snack in here and there and you should be good to go.


Sarah

 

[AnitaDisneyVacation]

You can buy milk at the on-property resorts. They usually sell it in either the gift shop or at the food court (depending on where you are staying).

If you want to keep the food bills down and not have to rely on buying milk each day, you can bring pop tarts, granola bars, or other breakfast type bars. If your resort has a coffee maker, you can use it to heat up water and make oatmeal too.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Lurker1]

So my best friend and I will be going to WDW in June, and we want to kinda keep from spending an outrageous amount on food. We're both gals and not big on snacking. What are some quick-service meals you would recommend? We'd like to keep it under $50 a day for the two of us if possible.

I just got back from our trip this past Saturday. I was also with my best friend. We were pretty much able to eat for about 32 - 38 dollars/day (There were a few days we did a TS dinner and that didn't work).

We would both get a decent sized breakfast - about $13 total (no milk).
We would split a CS lunch. Either an 8 piece chicken nuggets, a burger, or something similar - for around $8.

Then split a dole whip or another snack in the afternoon, then split a CS dinner.

We also took a few snack with us. Pretzels, granola bars, etc.

The biggest cost savings for us was getting glasses of water rather than other beverages. That really adds up.

The only drinks we got were with the refillable mugs at the resort.

We did not go hungry at all!

 

[octoberprincess]

When my best friend and I went in Oct. we were there for 5 days. We budgeted approx. $20/day on food. We split meals, also ordered child meals etc. We packed snack food and breakfast food in our luggage (which saved us a ton of money). We also had a case of bottled water shipped to the resort for under $10. You can look on the internet for menus that include price ranges so you can see where you might want to dine also.

 

[octoberprincess]

When my best friend and I went in Oct. we were there for 5 days. We budgeted approx. each $20/day on food (we did not include our 2 character meals in that budget, we had seperate funds for that). We split meals, also ordered child meals etc. We packed snack food and breakfast food in our luggage (which saved us a ton of money). We also had a case of bottled water shipped to the resort for under $10. You can look on the internet for menus that include price ranges so you can see where you might want to dine also.

*sorry i double posted by accident and can't figure out how to delete the other post*

 

[Hootch]

1) Disney presents many of their CS meals as combos. You can ask that the sides be removed and they will lower the price.

2) If you're driving, buy water bottles outside of Disney. They charge about $2.50 for a bottle of water. A case of 36 from Costco works out to be less tha $0.20/bottle.

3) I would also take some snacks and breakfast items with you.

You can find a variety of food options if you plan somewhat in advance. Columbia Harbor House in the MK has a little different menu. Epcot has a number of good CS locations in the World Showcase and Sunshine Seasons is better than average in quality and variety. DHS is a little weak on CS but Starring Rolls has some decent sandwiches.

I think $50 for the two of you is very doable. The QS dining plan is just under $30/day for two TS meals, two snacks and a refillable resort mug.

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

So my best friend and I will be going to WDW in June, and we want to kinda keep from spending an outrageous amount on food. We're both gals and not big on snacking. What are some quick-service meals you would recommend? We'd like to keep it under $50 a day for the two of us if possible.

Also, if we wanted milk for cold cereal where/how would be the best place to get that? Thanks in advance!

We eat our breakfast in our room and purchase the milk from the food court area. We bring a soft sided cooler and fill it with ice every day - no need to have a fridge in your room. We pack cereal, granola bars, trail mix etc from home. This saves lots of $$ on breakfast - giving you more for lunch and dinner.

Many CS meals are very large - suitable for sharing if you are a light eater

 

[WizardLarz]

If you are planning on only doing Counter Service and you are staying on property one of you could add the Quick Service Dining Plan for $30, 2cs and 2snacks a day. From reading in the dining thread I've found tips that indicate that a lot of the breakfast rolls and such are BIG and filling and are a Snack Credit. In fact some indicate that most things under $4 are Snack Credits. Most the Counter Service Meals are usually big portions plus on the plan you get your meal ,a drink, and Dessert!
So if you go this route use the Snack Credits for breakfast, and split all your Counter Service meals your well under $50 a day! Also with the QS-DDP you get a re-fillable resort mug for soda and coffee at your resort. A second one will run you $14 or $15 I believe.

 

[jpkkld]

Check out mousesavers.com - GREAT ideas for saving on everything, and the food ideas are really creative. Go to AllEars.net to look at the menus - preplan a few options in each park, so you're aware of where the deals are. Sunshine Seasons in Epcot (The Land) has an Asian combo meal that's reasonable - 2 entrees plus 2 sides - easy to split. Cosmic Ray's in MK Tomorrowland has a 1/2 rotisserie meal that's huge, and makes a good sharable meal. There are lots of snack carts that have "meal" type snacks - egg rolls, potstickers, muffins, yogurts, soups, chili. Consider getting smaller child meals for less $. And remember that the menus show only combo meals, but you CAN order just the burger/sandwich/etc. Skipping the fries/side options saves about $2 per counter-service meal. Good luck!

 

[Justsyd2]

I would definitely get the QSDP for $30.00 a day, and use the snack credits for breakfast. The QSDP is for 2 CS meals, 2 Snacks, and a refillable resort mug. It's really the most affordable way to do counter service meals.

 

[D&DDisney]

Best place for milk for cereal is the resort gift shops. Buy a 1/2 gal for $2.99. Actually cheaper than buying 2 small milk.

Order kid size meals at the CS. Much less food and cheaper too.

Ask to buy things al a carte at the CS. It is not advertised but it can be done - ex. just buy a hamburger w/o fries.

Pizza Planet at the Studios has a good deal of a small pizza, salad and drink for (can't remember price) but reasonable and plenty of food.

 

[Lady_Gracey999]

Didn't know you could ask for a combo w/o the sides. Cool!

Thanks for the suggestions all. I really appreciate it.

I should mention that we are staying DVC. My first time! (Not first trip but first DVC stay.)

 

[jpkkld]

Sorry! I said to check mousesavers (which is a perfectly nice site), but what I meant was themouseforless.com! THAT'S the site with the incredible ideas. When we originally planned our trip, I was trying to get 7 days of food for 2 adults and 1 child below $300. Using the ideas from themouseforless, I was 99% sure I could do it without starving or feeling gypped.

 

[niklynn1]

I

f you are planning on only doing Counter Service and you are staying on property one of you could add the Quick Service Dining Plan for $30, 2cs and 2snacks a day. From reading in the dining thread I've found tips that indicate that a lot of the breakfast rolls and such are BIG and filling and are a Snack Credit. In fact some indicate that most things under $4 are Snack Credits. Most the Counter Service Meals are usually big portions plus on the plan you get your meal ,a drink, and Dessert!
So if you go this route use the Snack Credits for breakfast, and split all your Counter Service meals your well under $50 a day! Also with the QS-DDP you get a re-fillable resort mug for soda and coffee at your resort. A second one will run you $14 or $15 I believe.

I didn't think you were allowed to do this? I thought EACH person in your room had to add the dining plan?

 

[dogodisney]

If you are planning on only doing Counter Service and you are staying on property one of you could add the Quick Service Dining Plan for $30, 2cs and 2snacks a day. From reading in the dining thread I've found tips that indicate that a lot of the breakfast rolls and such are BIG and filling and are a Snack Credit. In fact some indicate that most things under $4 are Snack Credits. Most the Counter Service Meals are usually big portions plus on the plan you get your meal ,a drink, and Dessert!
So if you go this route use the Snack Credits for breakfast, and split all your Counter Service meals your well under $50 a day! Also with the QS-DDP you get a re-fillable resort mug for soda and coffee at your resort. A second one will run you $14 or $15 I believe.

I

I didn't think you were allowed to do this? I thought EACH person in your room had to add the dining plan?

Yes, Each person (aged 3 and over) has to be on the plan!

 

[gigi729]

Staying under $50 a day wouldn't be that difficult and it definitely seems to be worthwhile for you to consider a meal plan, as others have mentioned 2 cs meals and 2 snacks + mug for $30 per day is a great way to go. We just got back and used the regular dining plan 1 cs, 1 table service and 1 snack per day and we loved it! We paid $38 for an adult, I think it may be $40 now, but still an incredible value if you would like to try some of Disney's table serve restaurants or a character meal. The snack can be used to purchase something for breakfast, piece of fruit, cinnamon roll, etc., and then your covered. Or you can pack breakfast bars and save the snack for a drink or something quick later, which is what we did. We really feel we saved quite a bit using the dining plan and would recommend it to anyone! Friends of ours recently used the quick serve DP and raved about that too. The other thing we loved about it was that we didn't have to worry about budgeting for food since it was already taken care of, one less thing to think about while on vacation is always a good thing.

If you decide not to use the DDP, one thing we learned to do on previous trips with our children is if your at a cs that serves a double cheeseburger combo meal, you can order an extra bun to go with this, they actually have a key on the register to charge for an extra bun and its not that much ($.45) or so, and then you have 2 burgers and the fries or sides are always enough to share.

Hope this helps you budget for your trip

 

[Todd&Copper]

OP, if you are not big on larger meals and snacking, do not waste your money on any of the dining plans. They are only worth it if you plan on eating most of the meals & snacks offered, and if you are not a big eater, then it would most likely be a loss for you over the course of your trip.

I thought Flame Tree at AK and Cosmic Rays had large meals that can be split between two light eaters. Also, at Epcot, Sunshine Seasons has large meals that can be split, and one of my favorite lunches is a ham & cheese criossant & capuccino at the French pavilion.

 

[tzolkin]

I would definitely get the QSDP for $30.00 a day, and use the snack credits for breakfast. The QSDP is for 2 CS meals, 2 Snacks, and a refillable resort mug. It's really the most affordable way to do counter service meals.

Unless you were going to eat the two full meals and snacks anyway, I wouldn't get the dining plan. We never once ordered a full meal. We usually ordered two or three items (a sandwich and salad for example) and split them. We didn't buy any drinks or desserts. (We drank water in the parks and had sodas, juice, and milk in the room).

If you were going to buy all the items included in the dining package, you would save.

OP, if you are not big on larger meals and snacking, do not waste your money on any of the dining plans. They are only worth it if you plan on eating most of the meals & snacks offered, and if you are not a big eater, then it would most likely be a loss for you over the course of your trip.

I agree!


For our 9 days, our family of 5 (kids 9, 4, 2) and spent a total of $240 on CS, pizzas at the resort, and ice creams and under $150 on groceries. So we spent a little over $40 per day for all of our food, drinks, and snacks. (We did not set a budget... I wasn't making my family starve ... we just ate what/when we felt like it.)

 

[ZoZo]

You can also try timing your meals differently - instead of a "breakfast/lunch/dinner" day, do a late breakfast ("brunch") or an early dinner. I have done that at buffets - get a late morning seating, the latest one they have for breakfast (10:30 or 11:00) and treat it as brunch. Then you can have a light CS dinner.

I always eat breakfast in the room. Saves both time and money. Most moderate (or above) resorts have fridges in each room, at no extra cost. Just get some milk and a box of cereal, and you're all set!