Food budget for family of 5 staying offsite and going to Universal twice

[petunia]

We usually stay at WDW witht he ddp, so Im having trouble budgeting for our now family of 5, 2 a, 3c, 18, 11 and 9.

We wont be cooking so will likely do late brunch and dinner at some local chains that are reasonable, maybe some buffets, and likely get the dining plan for our 2 universal days.

Does anyone have a budget they set for food, per person, or per day?

I understand this varies, just looking for an idea.

 

[100AcreWood]

We're a family of 5 and I always say $100 a day for lunch and dinner (we eat breakfast in the condo) assuming it's quick service meals. For outside Disney that would be fast food, Chick Fil A or pizza type places. If we're eating a nicer meal (Outback Steakhouse or Chevy's) I add an additional $25-$50 a day.

 

[TwoMisfits]

We usually stay at WDW witht he ddp, so Im having trouble budgeting for our now family of 5, 2 a, 3c, 18, 11 and 9.

We wont be cooking so will likely do late brunch and dinner at some local chains that are reasonable, maybe some buffets, and likely get the dining plan for our 2 universal days.

Does anyone have a budget they set for food, per person, or per day?

I understand this varies, just looking for an idea.

Universal CS dining plan is $23+tax per adult/$15+tax per kid. You have 4 adults and 1 kid, so that would be $107+tax or about $115 for that day + an extra meal out. For offsite, I'd budget $25/adult for TS and $10 adult/CS and $10/child for TS and $5 child/CS all included (tax/tip). I'd look for Groupons, deals, coupons, but that'd be my number to run with for the meals. So, I'd plan 1 TS and 1 CS per day for the non-Universal days and I'd plan the DP cost plus a CS meal for the Universal days...

So, I'd have an overall budget of $110+$45 or $155/day for non-park days and $115 + $45 or $160/day for park days...

 

[danielocha30]

I wouldn't buy Universal meal plan, if you eat at The three Broomsticks at Harry Potter IoA you can get the great feast for around $50 and will feed your whole party, also right outside of the parks at Citywalk you can find a Burguer King and Panda Express
PS: edited to add pict

 

[Upatnoon]

We usually stay at WDW witht he ddp, so Im having trouble budgeting for our now family of 5, 2 a, 3c, 18, 11 and 9.

We wont be cooking so will likely do late brunch and dinner at some local chains that are reasonable, maybe some buffets, and likely get the dining plan for our 2 universal days.

Does anyone have a budget they set for food, per person, or per day?

I understand this varies, just looking for an idea.

I suggest eating a big breakfast out of the theme park, a snack/small meal in the park, and a big dinner out of the park. A round of frozen Butterbeer for your crew is going to cost $35. That is where you really get hammered on prices.

You don't say where you are staying, but if you are looking to save money on food, Drury Inn would be a good fit for you. Free breakfast and the have evening snacks that could easily be good enough for dinner. Its also very close to Universal.

 

[BigredNole]

It completely depends on where you plan to eat. If you are not cooking and depend on restaurants on and off park, plan $50 per person per day. No one can really judge what your family eats. Technically, you have 4 adults and 1 child in your party based on ages. You can cut corners here and there to maybe get it down to $25/person/day. I would consider eating away from the parks if money is a concern or packing your own lunches.

 

[Klayfish]

I guess I'm just super cheap. I couldn't imagine spending $50/person/day, especially for a family of 5. Not even $25/person/day. I'd really take a hard look at "cooking" if you're staying off site. You don't need to spend hours over a hot stove. We cook almost all our meals and spend very, very little time. For a 17 day trip, our grocery bill is something around $500 total. Could possibly be less. So I guess that's roughly $6 or $7/person/day.

 

[dish rag]

At least $50 per person per day. More if you are eating in the park.

 

[Veronique]

You don't need to cook, but you could make lunch? We did that + one quick service meal a day and it was very cheap!

 

[BigredNole]

I don't spend $50pp/day. I have no issue throwing steaks on a grill, drink a beer, and the steaks be ready. That is a $20 meal for 3. Bagels, waffles, english muffins in the room is about $5 total for 3 of us. Lunch is a sandwich back at the resort or from the cooler in the car after we leave. If we get a QS meal at the park, it is one and we nibble off it.

 

[disneysteve]

Does anyone have a budget they set for food, per person, or per day?

We stay offsite and we average about $25/person/day for food.

 

[petunia]

Thanks all..we've done breakfast cereal in the room, then Cici's, Golden Corall, McDs, Ponderosa (all with coupons from flyers found all over)..we also did the meal plan for 1 day so far, 2 adults and 2 kids for the 5 of us and it was plenty, we got a couple donuts from Simpson area and butterbeer and shared some extra drinks..thx again!

 

[disneysteve]

At least $50 per person per day. More if you are eating in the park.

That's at least double what we spend and we do eat meals in the parks on our park days. We rarely do table service, though, just counter service.
Honestly, I'm not really sure how we would manage to spend twice as much as we already do unless we started doing a lot of Disney table service meals.

 

[TamaraQT]

I don't set a budget but I do use the kitchen. I am not making large meals but I will pick up a Rotisserie Chicken, and some sides and keep them warm in the oven. I will make sandwiches. I will buy pre-made frozen pizza and throw that in the oven while I shower. I plan some of meals along with planning my vacation. I suggest you go online and look at the menu's and prices at various restaurants. Make planning your meals part of planning your vacation just like you would if you had the DDP. Monday night pizza (Giordano's or Flippers) ...Tuesday Tacos/Mexican(Chevy Chase) ....Wednesday Dinner Buffet (Golden Corral or Ponderosa)....you get the idea. Just as another poster mentioned, there are so many discount coupon books all around Orlando. Look up restaurants and plan if you will have lunch or dinner according to your park plans. If you are spending full days in the parks then it makes sense to either eat in the parks, or pack something. There are Wa-Wa's in the area now. Go grab some Sub sandwiches made to order and pack them in a cooler and take to the parks with some sodas and a few bags of chips. Save the phone number of a pizza place to your phone, and call in an for pickup as you are heading back to your car to leave the parks. It will be ready and waiting. You are going to be surrounded by so many options that it will never get boring. The choices and options are endless.

 

[sarahrdh]

Last year, we were on a tight budget. we had an offsite condo, so full kitchen. i hate to cook on vacation though! I alloted $100/day. some days i spent way less, which gave me more for other days. We did 3 table service meals (kona, 50's and be our guest lunch). I tried to find lower cost/ meals we could split. I went to publix for some groceries- basic stuff. We ordered papa johns pizza one night. Frozen foods like corn dogs, chicken tenders & fries, etc....my kiddos are much younger than yours though. I would consider a couple crockpot meals maybe- like crockpot pizza....easy stuff. Taco night/lunch is always good for us, could do shredded chicken sandwiches on the cheap as well...hopefully that helps give some ideas.check pinterest too!