Eating in Disney Frugally

[starry_solo]

last time I stayed at the dolphin, I couldn't spot this place.... where is it? also wanted to get some gas and couldn't find it....

You find it from Boardwalk Villas. It is a hike from the entrance (main) of the Boardwalk Hotel/Villas. Past the parking lot and across a busy street (you either have to walk a very long block or two to get to the crosswalk or jaywalk)

 

[NemoMOm]

We drive, but we take breakfast items with us. I have little ones and I have medical issues, so they are healthy options. Granola bars, fruit, oatmeal packets, etc. Then I bring a soft cooler with drinks for the entire family and more snacks. My guys get really hungry and thirsty from walking all day. That can add up. We usually have lunch at a sit down and dinner at a counter service. We prefer to eat on property as one of my issues is gluten allergies. They are super awesome about it!

 

[bianca]

We try to always make a stop at FW Trails End for the "Giddyup and Go". Think KFC ...... 10 pieces of chicken, 2 sides and biscuits or cornbread for $24. Stop next door at the Trading Post for bevvies and then head down to the marina for a nice relaxing dinner. Just make sure to clean up after yourself!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Where are your favorite places to go? And how much time does it take to drive?

We usually stay at SSR and there is a shopping area 10 minutes away that h
as a Sweet Tomatoes, Chevy's, Fuddruckers, Joe's Crab Shake, Perkins,
BW-3 Qdoba, Millers Ale House, Subway, IHOP.

We usually get a rental car for about $125 for a week. Scored a great deal a few weeks ago on a car from Dollar for $60.00!!! for our May trip

 

[eliza61]

If you are driving, right outside of dtd at the crossroads, there is an Ihop and a Perkins.
We love I hop for their 5 dollar breakfast. We get pancakes, eggs and breakfast meats.

There are also a few chain restaurants plus a really good pizzeria. I can't remember the name.

Takes all of 5 minutes to drive from DTD.


Now I have all boys and we have never been able to split meals. What ends up happening is that in order for the 2nd person to be satisfied we're have to order sides, or an hour after the meal we were snacking, so splitting never really saved us much.

 

[TravelMommy]

Easy, quick, cheap dinner: rotisserie chicken and bagged salad from Publix, it is really close by. We bring and/or buy breakfast foods. You can find inexpensive/good counter service in the parks and Downtown Disney. We LOVE Earl of Sandwich like many of the previous posters (DTD). Idea for you: Boardwalk to Go and/or the Boardwalk pizza window. Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich ,fries and a drink at Boardwalk to Go $9!!! A Deal for Disney for sure. The Pizza Window, whole pizzas around $20/table by the water, priceless Some of the best food deals in Disney IMHO. You could walk over to the Beach Club Marketplace if you need milk/bread, we paid $2.99/loaf for bread because we ran out of what we ordered from Gardengrocer. Didn't think that was too bad for resort pricing. Have a great trip, there are a lot of good "Disney deals" to be had, you just have to look

 

[Mickeynutty]

In addition to the other previous suggestions, we used to take a hot pot. *They are about $15 and they are amazing! *Take some dish soap and use water and a wash rag to clean it. *We heated soups and hot dogs in it. *We also heated water for oatmeal or grits. *Below is just one place you can find them.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sto...d_coffeetea_&gclid=CIbXysW-77wCFaVQOgod00YA0A

 

[bless7ings]

How much are the lockers in each park?

We carry a soft-side cooler into the parks full of drinks and $5 footlongs. We get a locker and just carry a handful of things with us. MIO (and other versions) work great with free ice water.

 

[brymolmom]

How much are the lockers in each park?

Looks like you have some little ones...Are you planning to have a stroller? If so - I would skip the locker and just pack one (or two - since you have large family) soft-sided coolers and put them in the bottom of the stroller. We used to do this all the time when the kids were little. We'd bring drinks, sandwiches, chips, fruit and also some sweets like cookies. Always enjoyed those lunches. Also, with a stroller - we would bring a large sports water jug and fill it at the food courts in the drink station. Would fill it with ice there and the water from the drink machine - as then it is filtered water and tastes great. Then we'd leave this in the bottom of the stroller. It would last us at least half a day - then at lunchtime we'd get some cups of ice water from CS places and refill it. I'm not sure if the Dolphin has a drink station like this that you can fill yourself.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

How much are the lockers in each park?

Looks like we paid $10 for the large in 2012.

 

[Southernmiss]

In addition to the other previous suggestions, we used to take a hot pot. *They are about $15 and they are amazing! *Take some dish soap and use water and a wash rag to clean it. *We heated soups and hot dogs in it. *We also heated water for oatmeal or grits. *Below is just one place you can find them.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/proctor-silex-32-ounce-hot-pot/1018232286?device=t&network=g&matchtype=&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_coffeetea_&gclid=CIbXysW-77wCFaVQOgod00YA0A

This. I have teens so they are often hungry all the time.

We bring a hot water pot and a suitcase full of 'add hot water' kind of foods. Items not mentioned are noodle bowls, macaroni and cheese cups, instant soups, instant cups of mashed potatoes.

And Tuna and chicken salad lunch kits.

Wouldn't eat these every meal but as a supplement we do.

 

[jmmess]

First, I would bring bfast food items and eat in your room.

Go to allears.net and you can look up the menus for each park and resort to determine the cheapest places/meals to eat.

A lot of people share meals or get kids meals at CS places.

We always make a trip to DTD to eat at Earl of Sandwich...a personal fav and a cheap one. $5.99 for a salad or sandwich that is filling

If you want to eat at a sit-down, I would do bfast or lunch which is cheaper and can fill you up for a larger part of the day. Also, buffets are a great choice to please everyone in your family.

Completely agree with these!

Have a late breakfast buffet (10:45) and it can serve as both breakfast and lunch.

If you have a car eat off property. The amt you save by eating off property will more than pay for the cost of a rental car.

As well as use it to go to SuperWalmart and pick up bottled water, snacks, etc.

You can bring in snacks (granola bars, hummus and pita chips, trail mix, etc.) but of course be aware of what will survive if the weather is hot (and how you will carry them!). The cost of snacks can add up in a hurry. .

We especially do this with fruit - grapes, watermelon, bananas, etc. Fruit is pricey at WDW - think grapes were like $3.95(?) for what seemed like a handful and I could get 1-2 lbs. at the supermarket for that!

 

[jmmess]

Where are your favorite places to go? And how much time does it take to drive?

If staying at AKL, within 10 minutes is 192 that has a ton of restaurants. We like Carrabba's but there are plenty of choices to suit any taste! (Cracker Barrel, Longhorn, Miller's Ale House, Olive Garden...)

 

[a742246]

Easy, quick, cheap dinner: rotisserie chicken and bagged salad from Publix, it is really close by. We bring and/or buy breakfast foods. You can find inexpensive/good counter service in the parks and Downtown Disney. We LOVE Earl of Sandwich like many of the previous posters (DTD). Idea for you: Boardwalk to Go and/or the Boardwalk pizza window. Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich ,fries and a drink at Boardwalk to Go $9!!! A Deal for Disney for sure. The Pizza Window, whole pizzas around $20/table by the water, priceless Some of the best food deals in Disney IMHO. You could walk over to the Beach Club Marketplace if you need milk/bread, we paid $2.99/loaf for bread because we ran out of what we ordered from Gardengrocer. Didn't think that was too bad for resort pricing. Have a great trip, there are a lot of good "Disney deals" to be had, you just have to look

We think alike. I would add Wolfman Puck's express also in DTD.

 

[disney08]

1. Order groceries from somewhere like gardengrocer. Granola bars, bananas, cereal, bagels, milk, case of water or juice boxes...
2. Eat breakfast in the room everyday (or on the run to a park!)
3. Bring your own snacks. Lots of them and you won't be so hungry for big meals.
4. Share CS meals they are large
5. Plan 2 or 3 nice lunches at a sit down (cheaper than dinner and that's when lines are longest anyway) Mexico in Epcot feels like nighttime so this is a fun option.
6. Splurge on a nice dinner show.

 

[bless7ings]

jmmess or anyone else,

How far is the super Walmart from the Dolphin?

Most mention the gareden grocer for delivery, but it is not much more? We have our big family and my sister and son, so a party of 11. I am thinking it would be quite a bit less and it is probably a 10 min drive? One or two of us can go pick out what we want and be back within 45 minutes.

How long do people buy for? We are staying 7 nights at the Dolphin. We can bring our electric cooler. (We have two if we need)

 

[happymommy]

Not sure about how far it is from the Dolphin to Walmart, but how are you getting from the airport to the Dolphin? You can use a town car service that will make a free 10 minute grocery stop - enough time to load up on snacks, breakfast foods, milk, adult drinks, etc... I've used that a few times and requested the Super Target on the way.

I do believe there are now small fridges in all the rooms at the Dolphin.

We also have brought our small hot pot a few times. I used it for mac & cheese and ramen/cup o noodles. Nice for a quick snack in the evening for someone who's not too hungry. I packed along with it paper bowls and cutlery.

I've also shipped down a box of snacks and things, so for our grocery stop we just mainly needed the beverages. I like milk that doesn't need refrigeration, so we could keep cool just enough and keep adding it to the fridge (we also do soy milk so it's easy to find at Target now).

There are a lot of inexpensive ways to eat in your room, just plan ahead on what you'll want to have. Definitely bringing snacks with you to the parks helps, especially with young kids. I also used to bring a cooler (son has food allergies) and had juice boxes and water with us (and I agree, you can get ice water free anywhere too).

 

[North of Mouse]

Some people talk about 'splitting' meals as they are 'huge'! Just wonder where you are eating. Dh & I are not big eaters but we never have a problem eating any of the CS or TS meals by ourselves. (children, maybe yes, or younger ones anyway) Of course, we don't do snacking all the time between meals - that would make a big difference. When we 'do' eat a meal, we are 'hungry'! The 'half' chickens they serve at Cosmic Rays are very small IMO.

 

[powellrj]

Some people talk about 'splitting' meals as they are 'huge'! Just wonder where you are eating. Dh & I are not big eaters but we never have a problem eating any of the CS or TS meals by ourselves. (children, maybe yes, or younger ones anyway) Of course, we don't do snacking all the time between meals - that would make a big difference. When we 'do' eat a meal, we are 'hungry'! The 'half' chickens they serve at Cosmic Rays are very small IMO.

THANK YOU! I always feel like a glutton when I read those posts. We can all finish our meals! We also don't snack all the time between meals because its just not a habit we are in. We will share snacks, but at meal times its every man for himself!

 

[Bethpremier]

the Dolphin has mini-fridges, no microwaves though eat milk and cereal in the room for breakfast- also AAA gives a 20% discount at some place, I think the Dolphin has a few- Picabus is a good place for a dinner that's discounted- Earl of Sandwich also... share meals, and order qs kids meals if it looks good to you...I do all the time,and for a quick lunch it's fine....I recommend bringing your own cereal,and getting milk offsite if possible, you do NOT want to buy it in the gift shop....
You can pack your own lunches for the parks if you desire also....
I don't think Disney buffets are a good deal...35.00 pp is expensive.... it's cheaper to go to a TS place and order what you want to eat....

THIS! AAA comes in handy at the Picabu location at that resort. You can also split meals there. They also have their own soda cup which is a GREAT value. Alot of the food in Picabu can definitely be split between people if you want but definitely dont have to do that. We split out of necessity to save money but there were times when I couldnt finish it all alone and I LOOOVVE to eat. I loved Picabus and would plan on eating there for most meals if you want to save money. They also have a very good, cheap character breakfast onsite. Its only on specific days but its great and was not crowded for us even in late July/early August.