First time at Universal- Cheap Food Tips?

[Aubrav]

Hi, we have spent the last three years at Disney World on the free dining plan and this year decided to switch it up and try Universal instead (very thankful right now that we decided against a cruise). It is myself, my husband, and our two teenage daughters (ages 12 and 15) and we are staying at Cabana Bay in a suite for 7 nights at the beginning of October. I have been searching forums for tips on saving money on food and first-timer tips in general.

So far we have decided to get a single refillable park mug and skip the resort mug. We will mostly be drinking water but it would be nice to have the option to have a soda. Would you recommend the regular refillable mugs for $12.99 + $1.19 per refill or the Coca Cola Freestyle refill cups for a daily fee?

For an easy park snack we are also planning to take advantage of the refillable popcorn bucket. I see that many quick service meals are around $10 including a side which is pretty good. Do you have any other tips for saving money on food during a Universal vacation? How about any general first-timer tips?

 

[mjhtvchick]

Hi, we have spent the last three years at Disney World on the free dining plan and this year decided to switch it up and try Universal instead (very thankful right now that we decided against a cruise). It is myself, my husband, and our two teenage daughters (ages 12 and 15) and we are staying at Cabana Bay in a suite for 7 nights at the beginning of October. I have been searching forums for tips on saving money on food and first-timer tips in general.

So far we have decided to get a single refillable park mug and skip the resort mug. We will mostly be drinking water but it would be nice to have the option to have a soda. Would you recommend the regular refillable mugs for $12.99 + $1.19 per refill or the Coca Cola Freestyle refill cups for a daily fee?

For an easy park snack we are also planning to take advantage of the refillable popcorn bucket. I see that many quick service meals are around $10 including a side which is pretty good. Do you have any other tips for saving money on food during a Universal vacation? How about any general first-timer tips?

You can save a good bit on breakfast, depending on your preferences. If you are willing / able to forego a hot breakfast, you can eat breakfast in your room before heading to the parks. This should be especially easy since you are in a Cabana Bay suite with a fridge, sink and microwave.

We have also ordered a case of water that we use to refill our bottles since we are not a fan of the Florida tap water and buying bottled water on site is ridiculously expensive.

We ordered from Garden Grocer but I don't think they are delivering to Universal any more. You could try Amazon or, if you have a rental car, make a stop on your way to the resort.

 

[chs27]

There is fast food near the parks. WDW is isolated on 43 sq. miles. Pizza can be delivered to your resort, but wary of ordering from fliers slipped under your door.
Portions are huge from the parks and easily split.
Publix grocery is very close.

 

[bchbetha]

Instacart for grocery delivery. Some granola bags and snack sized servings of almonds make for easy breakfast or snacks.

 

[macraven]

Others have given you great advice.

If the teens like fast food, you will find Moes and Burger King in City Walk.
BK is cheap
Moes, depends on what you order if it is cheap or not.

Margaritaville has the nachos which is a large serving.
easy to share (city walk)

Hard Rock Cafe has burger meals that won't break the bank. (city walk)

Blondies in IOA has fresh sandwiches made to order.
Affordable
Boulangerie at the studios is reasonable
Pizza at Louies in the studios is something that all can share.

Check out some of the food thread where you can get an idea of menus and prices in the parks.

 

[Tinknalli]

Something to consider if buying one cup to share is that the freestyle machine only allows you to fill every 10 minutes. May or may not be an issue depending on how much each person drinks or if you all prefer the same beverages or different. Last time we were there they had stacks of clear plastic cups near all the freestyle machines so you could help yourselves to free filtered ice water.

 

[Aubrav]

Thanks for the tips! We are driving in (14 hour drive) so we will have a car and the ability to move around a bit. I did take a look at the menus and I see that many places have an entree and side for around $10 or so, that's great! I am also grateful there is fast food in Citywalk, my daughter is a huge Panda Express fan. We thought maybe we could eat some meals off property with some gift cards we have sitting around as well along with our Landry's Select annual $25 credit that comes through in October. I take it that maneuvering out of Universal property isn't the same as trying to maneuver out of Disney property?

I appreciate any tips about sharing meals or entrees that are big enough for multiple people. I'm comparing them to the Disney Quick Service meals and they weren't too big, but my girls also eat like birds sometimes so they're not like teenage boys with bottomless stomachs either. Also any tips about snacks in the parks that might be a better deal than others. It's just so overwhelming looking it all up when I have never been there before.

The idea of the filtered water from the machines makes me happier than tap water, but we always got the ice water out of the fountain machines at Disney and I don't know if that was filtered or straight tap. I never had an issue with it on a hot day.

Were does everyone usually get their coffee?

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Cabana Bay has a Starbucks but I just used the in room coffee machine for my daily cuppa. I also made a trip to Publix and had food left over at the end- bought sandwich makings, cereal, milk and snacks. I ate a few special meals at the parks and at City Walk. Chocolates at Toothsome's Chocolate Emporium were expensive but there were some bulk offerings on the right hand side that were lovely and not too expensive for chocolate treats on the go. I used the refillable resort mug and had a refillable popcorn bucket - great value. I put all of my spending money on Universal gift cards which helped me keep track of my meal spending. I thought it was a bit easier to save money on food at Universal than at Disney. I enjoyed the meals at Leaky Cauldron when I wanted a more substantial meal - instead of burgers.

 

[humphreydog]

• Orlando (Millers) Ale House is across the street from the Portofino. I am not sure if they still do it, but kids eat free on Tuesday night.
• Nachos at Margaritaville is huge and will easily fill you guys up (add a couple kids meals too if needed).
• Most entrees at restaurants are huge and can easily be shared.
• The best bargains in the parks are the refillable popcorn bucket (although I think they raised the price this year) and the Lard Lad donuts.
• Flippers pizza (online menu) will deliver to hotel
• Get the refillable cup at Fat Tuesdays

 

[Aubrav]

Thank you thank you!

We are HUGE Fat Tuesday fans and already have about 5 refillable cups at home from our trips to Vegas. Do you think they would refill a Vegas cup if we bring it with us? Or do we have to buy a new cup at the CityWalk location?

Does anyone have any insight on purchasing a refillable park mug or a Coca Cola freestyle mug? $5.99 per day for unlimited refills or $1.19 per refill? Is it worth it to choose the park mug over the resort mug? Is it easy to just walk to the park from the resort just to get a refill?

 

[brios86]

Thank you thank you!

We are HUGE Fat Tuesday fans and already have about 5 refillable cups at home from our trips to Vegas. Do you think they would refill a Vegas cup if we bring it with us? Or do we have to buy a new cup at the CityWalk location?

Does anyone have any insight on purchasing a refillable park mug or a Coca Cola freestyle mug? $5.99 per day for unlimited refills or $1.19 per refill? Is it worth it to choose the park mug over the resort mug? Is it easy to just walk to the park from the resort just to get a refill?

They dont have the red refillable cups anymore. They are some character ones but they aren't the most convinient. If you plan on getting the freestyle cup, buy a dining card that has it included at least for the first time. It's only $6 extra and you get the meal and snack as well. It's especially worth it if you plan on eating at one of the Harry Potter restaurants. If you have an American Express card you can save 10% on the dining card that has the freestyle cup.

 

[Aubrav]

So they don't have the standard resort refillable mugs anymore?

 

[humphreydog]

Citywalk club admission is included with you hotel key. For a nice quick night out without the kids, grab a Fat tuesday (you can enter the clubs with drinks purchased elsewhere) and check out Pat Obriens dueling pianos for a few songs. Then head over to Rising Star and do the same. They do allow kids under 18 in Pat Obriens before 8 or 9.

 

[macraven]

When did free admission to hotel guests change on the places that had the cover charge at city walk after 9/10:00 ?

When I was at rpr in feb, hotel key did not help me

If that has changed now, looking forward for that perk
Thanks for sharing !

 

[bchbetha]

At Universal you need to remember that for many rides you have to put your stuff in lockers. Because of that, we prefer to travel light. Buckets and cups are a drag- for us. No desire to carry around all day either. I think the occasional special drink at meal time and using water fountains otherwise is a good option.

 

[humphreydog]

When did free admission to hotel guests change on the places that had the cover charge at city walk after 9/10:00 ?

Worked for us in Aug '16, Feb '17 and July '17 at Rising star/Pat O. Maybe we just got lucky?

 

[KC1028]

We had a popcorn bucket and carried around 3 water bottles and never had any problems getting it in and out of 1 locker .
We also enjoyed the soft pretzels, big pink donuts, and lemon/strawberry slushes as snacks.

 

[sandam1]

A couple quick tips -

1. If you use the EE hours at Universal (starting at 7 a.m.), you will actually be leaving Cabana Bay BEFORE the food court opens - as unbelievable as that is. We found this out last year. So your choices for breakfast are Starbucks at the hotel, something in the park or something in your room. Obviously your room is the cheapest (and quickest) option. Some days we did a light snack for breakfast and then an early lunch.

2. The food court at Cabana Bay is GOOD food. My first two trips, we only ate breakfast there. Being a food court, I kind of assumed that the food wasn't that good. But one day we tried it and I was an instant convert. There is a good selection, you get a LOT of food, and the prices aren't too bad.

3. For a light eater, get kid's meals instead of adult ones. They are cheaper and kid's meals usually come with a small drink included. The adult portions can be quite substantial.

4. You are almost guaranteed to have left-overs from most of the sit-down restaurants in City Walk and they make GREAT lunches or dinners on subsequent days. In the food court there is a salad bar (you fill up what you want and then pay by the ounce) to fill out the left-overs into a meal if necessary.

Hope that helps!

 

[Aubrav]

Thanks! That really helps! I think we have decided to do a light breakfast in the room to save time and money.

 

[MikeNamez]

When having dinner in City Walk, appetizers from most of the restaurants go a long way. 2 or 3 apps for the table and no entry's are needed... also that's more $$ for booze!