First time going to WDW without Dining Plan

[Iggipolka]

After going to WDW 1-2x a year for the past 10 years, I'm actually taking a trip without the dining plan. I got a great Room Only AP rate, so I'm not booking a package with the DP.

It's a 4 day Solo Trip (no spouse, no kid!!), so I'll be able to eat what and when I want. I'm also pregnant and constantly starving, so I'm planning for 3 meals and 1-2 snacks per day. I'm bringing $250 on a Visa Giftcard and don't have any TS reservations, so I'll be eating nearly all CS. I may try for one TS at Kona or somewhere in Epcot.

Think this is a reasonable amount for food money? I'd be happy to come home with extra, but don't want to feel like I can't eat what I want due to financial constraints. It's weird having to actually budget for meals at WDW after never really thinking about it before.

Thanks!

 

[Sibahan]

OUCH. It might be a bit more than you expect for not having the dining plan. I was really suprised when i was in WDW a few years ago (7yrs) and with my 3 yr old and my 9 mo old, and my husband and I, we only ate at two sit down meals, but the rest were counter meals. We spent about 1400.00 that week in meals! I was quite diappointed. I thought it was CRAZY we spent that much... needless to say, we have never gone without the dining plan ever again! You have to figure a basic sandwich at a Counter service is about 10.00 each... then add the drink or snack to go with it, and you are at 15 bucks at least.

So 4 days, at 3 meals per day.. counter service is about $250.00 plus cost of snacks, drinks or odd ball meals...

Good luck with it!!!

 

[henry72]

You can go to allears.net and look at the menus. Come up with an "average" day and figure out how much you would spend. I think you can do most CS meals for under $15 with the meal ($8-10) and a drink ($2.59). Your snack price would depend on if you get a drink too but I would figure about $5 for each snack. $15x3 + $10 in snacks = $55/day - which $220 for the total trip. So I think it is doable to only spend $250.

 

[siskaren]

I have to disagree with Sibahan. On my last trip to WDW (which was unfortunately back in 2007), I decided to see if I could spend $40 a day on food on days when I wasn't doing TS meals (inspired by Rachael Ray's show) and I was able to do 3 meals and one or two snacks, no problem. Now, I didn't get desserts with lunches or dinners and I didn't get drinks with snacks except for snacks that I got at my resort since I had the refillable mug, and of course prices have gone up a bit in 4 years, but I still think that $250 for food for 4 days is doable. In fact, I just checked my PassPorter from 2007 and I spent $367 on food in 8 days, and that was with a dinner at Chef Mickey's, a dinner at Boma, the Candlelight Processional dinner package at Biergarten (for lunch), Whispering Canyon Cafe for lunch, and Boatwright's for breakfast.

 

[Iggipolka]

Thanks everyone. I am planning on just drinking mostly water during the day with snacks and a milk with meals. I am not going to get desserts with meals since I'm not a big sweets person and most CS desserts are gross anyway.

I may see if I can squeeze out another $100 for food money, just in case. Eating at WDW is expensive. I'd love to challenge myself to eat well and still bring home some of my food money. Maybe I'll try the $40 a day thing!

 

[sharonabe]

If you scroll down through the restaurant board, you'll find a $40 a Day thread that should give you all kinds of ideas. Enjoy (it's 20-30 pages long)!!

 

[ancestry]

Thanks everyone. I am planning on just drinking mostly water during the day with snacks and a milk with meals. I am not going to get desserts with meals since I'm not a big sweets person and most CS desserts are gross anyway.

I may see if I can squeeze out another $100 for food money, just in case. Eating at WDW is expensive. I'd love to challenge myself to eat well and still bring home some of my food money. Maybe I'll try the $40 a day thing!

I just wanted to say good luck! We too are going with out the dining plan for our trip next month. I will getting a TIW card but considering many of our meals will be CS the TIW won't help alot. I do think eating out of pocket is going to cost more than the dining plan would have. However the good thing is my 9 year old twins won't have to order off the kids menu. This way theyy can choose what they want from either the adult or kids menu.

 

[chartle]

.... So 4 days, at 3 meals per day.. counter service is about $250.00 plus cost of snacks, drinks or odd ball meals...

Good luck with it!!!

I'm not following your math.

Last May my family of 4 adults spent 41 - 43 dollars at every CS meal. this was for the combo meal and drink, we maybe got a dessert every once and a while but normally wouldn't get one, so $86 a day for CS for 4 people. We bought maybe one snack per day per person and no water since we brought Brita Bottles so add $25 and lets just ignore the refillable mug. So $111.

The quick service plan would have cost $150 and we would have lost $39 per day.

So the DDP is not always a deal. In fact the QS plan is much less a deal since its harder to "get your money's worth".

 

[Iggipolka]

I'm taking the suggestion of going to Allearsnet and looking at prices of what I'd typically eat during the day. I think I'm going to be just fine with my food budget.

Breakfast at Pop Century
Scrambled Eggs $2.59
Grits $2.79
Banana $1.29
Milk 1.50
--------Total $8.17

Lunch at Pecos Bills. MK
Taco Salad $8.19
Milk $1.50
-------------Total $9.69

Snack - Pretzel $4.29
--------------------Total $4.29

Dinner at Tangierine Cafe, Epcot
Chicken Shawarma Platter $11.99
Water in my water bottle from home
------------------------- Total $11.99

Snack - Miso Soup in Japan $2.99

Total for the Day = $37.13

With a Food Budget of $250 for Thursday night - Monday morning, I'm figuring:
4 Breakfasts
3 Lunches
4 Dinners
6 Snacks

It basically comes down to $50 a day to spend on food. So even if I have a day where I go a little above $40, I'll still be just fine. No TS for me this trip, but since it's a short, solo trip, that's just fine. WDW has enough healthy CS food options that I don't feel deprived by not eating TS.

It's interesting to do the calculations, because I'm basically eating a couple dollars less than what the QS dining plan offers AND I'm eating 3CS and 2 Snacks per day, as opposed to the 2 CS and (currently) 2 Snacks the QSD offers. Come January 2012, the QSD will only offer 1 Snack per day, so would mean paying OOP for meals a better deal.

The ease of the Dining Plan is just not having to think so much and just knowing that you've pre-paid for your food and can eat what you want w/o being concerned about the price. There is something to be said for having that freedom while on vacation.

Anyway, thanks for the advice and help. I'm going to go and check out the dining on $40 a day thread now!

 

[chartle]

It's interesting to do the calculations, because I'm basically eating a couple dollars less than what the QS dining plan offers AND I'm eating 3CS and 2 Snacks per day, as opposed to the 2 CS and (currently) 2 Snacks the QSD offers. Come January 2012, the QSD will only offer 1 Snack per day, so would mean paying OOP for meals a better deal.

Congratulations you "Did the Math" and realized that the DDP is not the huge savings that people think it is (sometimes even costing more), particularly if you don't always get a dessert.

If you want prepaid meals just get a Disney Gift card and use that.

Oops I think the black Disney helicopters are going to pay me a visit since I outed their master plan on them making money on the DDP, get people to prepay for food they will never get.