Food Budget - Splitting Meals?

[ladytorch101]

My best friend and I are going to be traveling to the World in May. I know that it's awhile off, but I just can't help thinking and planning!

We are planning on a budget trip, and I was wondering about the portion sizes of the counter service restaurants. Would we be able to split a meal between the two of us? We also plan on bringing snacks into the park, but we would like to eat at least one Disney meal a day. I know that the table service restaurants have portions that are large enough to split - last year we went on the DDP, and I remember not being able to eat most of the food!! But for some reason, I can't remember anything about the portion sizes of the counter service restaurants....

Thoughts? What are some counter service restaurants that have huge portions? THANKS!!!!

 

[MSSANDRA]

If you are not huge eaters, you can share a lot of the meals. Some of the burgers are pretty huge and you can add to it from the topping bars. There are several items at Cosmic Rays PLENTY big to share but they are also more expensive. Ask for an extra cup and share a large drink or drink water. Crystal light packs are great add ins.

Food court Breakfast platters are good sharing items too.

 

[elainesj]

the first time we went we didn't do DDP. actually we found it was cheaper to order the kids portions...2 kids portions were about the same price as an adult portion and there was more food/drinks involved.

sharing between 2 is hard unless you get an entree and a side.

portion sizes for most CS are decent - but even though my family shares a lot, we can only really manage 3 entrees between the 4 of us. if you are a small eater, it's more doable. we're smallish to average eaters. we can eat a lot, but can also be happy on less. (and yes we split 2 CS breakfasts between the 4 of us most mornings)

If you want one Disney meal, pick one that is special and not just for filling your tummy. maybe splitting a meal in a TS will cost pretty much the same as an entree and a side in a CS?

Of course, the ribs and chicken deal at Fairfaxe Faire in DHS and Cosmic Rays in MK are the biggest portions available - but they're almost the price of 2 entrees. The other option is Pecos Bill. It's more awkward to split a burger - but I did that for my kids and we filled up on sides. we stuffed ourselves silly on sauteed mushrooms LOL!


HTH

E

 

[blessedby3]

I was also going to suggest getting a meal and an extra side if you are splitting. I have split meals with my kids before, but if you are big eaters it may not be enough food.

 

[cglaura]

My best friend and I are going to be traveling to the World in May. I know that it's awhile off, but I just can't help thinking and planning!

We are planning on a budget trip, and I was wondering about the portion sizes of the counter service restaurants. Would we be able to split a meal between the two of us? We also plan on bringing snacks into the park, but we would like to eat at least one Disney meal a day. I know that the table service restaurants have portions that are large enough to split - last year we went on the DDP, and I remember not being able to eat most of the food!! But for some reason, I can't remember anything about the portion sizes of the counter service restaurants....

Thoughts? What are some counter service restaurants that have huge portions? THANKS!!!!

This thread has links to posts w/ food photos broken down by restaurant. Some are old, but it can give you some idea.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2456371

We split all the time. Or we get a kid size meal if the options are good. I figure, you can always go back and buy more food, but they won't refund what you can't eat!

 

[Cin]

My husband and I split several meals and one of our favorites was the food court at All Star Music where we had turkey and dressing complete with all the sides. When I told the server I was sharing with someone he actually gave me a little more. Also the portions at Peco's Bills were large enough for two, so was Wolfgang Puck's Express.

 

[smidgy]

for breakfast , our favorite is splitting a funnel cake at sleepy hollow in MK. it is huge! for the 2 of us, it is fine.

we once split the chicken?ribs comboa at Cosmic rays, but we were thinking the half chicken was 4 pieces. not so.
it was the roasted chicken, and all connected.. kinda hard to "split"

but if you want to just "snack" throughout the day (which is best anyway), no problem. any meal gives you TONS of fries!

this last trip we ate at Prime time. we split th ehuge order of onion rings for an appetizer and split a chocolate shake (HUGE!) we split an order of the fried chicken... he had the breast and leg, I had the thigh and wing. we asked for 2 orders of potatos instead of one side of potato. one side of greens. not a problem at all! (I was kinda thinknig, gvien the "schtick" of the restaurant, that she would give us a funny hassle about the no veggies thing)

 

[scrapquitler]

My DH shared counter service meals almost everywhere during our trip. It left enough room (and counteracted the guilt) for lots more Dole Whips

For example in DHS, we shared a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and Fries combo. It cost $9 I think, and the sandwich was at least 9 or 10" long, so half of that was a decent size sandwich for lunch, along with half the pile of fries.

Another one we shared was the double cheeseburger at Cosmic Rays. You can actually ask for (to purchase) an extra bun, but we didn't do that. There are lots of burger toppings on the condiment bar. It was plenty for us.

We also got a pizza at the ASMo food court and had that for dinner one night. I think the pizza was about $15 and we didnt' even eat the whole thing, there were probably two or three pieces leftover.

On the last day, DH wanted a BIG breakfast, so we had the combo breakfast platter at the food court at ASMo. We each got one, but really should have shared, it was HUGE. It had potatoes, eggs, a small mickey waffle (not the full size one), two sausages & two pieces of bacon. There may have been a biscuit, too but I can't remember for sure. Neither one of us ate all of it. Definitely should have shared.

 

[ladytorch101]

Everybody's advice has been extremely helpful!!! Based on what you all said, I think that we will probably be able to split most meals. Even if it doesn't completely fill us up, we will have brought in snacks. Maybe pack a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

I never thought about ordering kids meals. I noticed that most of the menus say that the kids meals are for ages 9 and under. Would they still sell it to a grown adult that has no kids with them?

 

[jaminmd]

Everybody's advice has been extremely helpful!!! Based on what you all said, I think that we will probably be able to split most meals. Even if it doesn't completely fill us up, we will have brought in snacks. Maybe pack a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

I never thought about ordering kids meals. I noticed that most of the menus say that the kids meals are for ages 9 and under. Would they still sell it to a grown adult that has no kids with them?

Yes, because most parents make the kids sit at the table while the adult goes to place the order. I order kids breakfasts when I go because the portion is just the right size for me. I'm not much of a breakfast eater, so this works out well for me.

Of course, this post will now cause the debate over all the evil people paying for kids meals when it's adults eating them.

 

[Marionnette]

Yes, because most parents make the kids sit at the table while the adult goes to place the order. I order kids breakfasts when I go because the portion is just the right size for me. I'm not much of a breakfast eater, so this works out well for me.

Of course, this post will now cause the debate over all the evil people paying for kids meals when it's adults eating them.

You won't get an argument from me. I see no reason to pay for more food than you can eat. If a kid's meal is the right portion size for you and contains what appeals to you, then I see no reason not to order it.

One of my favorite meals to share is the Shawarma platter in Epcot's Morocco counter service location. The amount of food is more than enough for a hungry adult and plenty for two adults with small appetites.

 

[Bonniec]

I was wondering about the portion sizes of the counter service restaurants. Would we be able to split a meal between the two of us

1. Some meals have huge portions and some don't. Do some searching on Disney Food blog for pics. There are several CS places that giv eyou half a chicken! lol Sunshine Season at Epcot is one, plus they are one of the few places with refillable sodas. You can also get the half chicken meals at MK and AK.

2. Another option is for you each to buy a kid's meal. Stay away from the nuggest because it's not very much, but the mac n cheese meals are nice. You can substitute soda for the juice. Sometimes I share adult meals with my son and sometimes I get a kid's meal for each of us. It depends on if I want soda or not. Mostl I get the free ice water from vendors.

3. You already mentioned bringing in snacks

4. I just discovered Earl of Sandwiches last week at Downtown Disney. I kpt reading about them here. Yumm!!!! $6 for a sandwich and SO good. I think this is my new fav place.

5. My biggest thing for saving money is just to snack throughout the day and skip meals. Look up different snacks on the Disney Food Blog because some of them are phenomenol. I split a chocolate peanut butter cupcake from Starring Rolls at DHS with my son....the two of us could not finish it! Most of the bakeries offer really nice sandwiches for about $6 as well and they are huge.

One of my favorite meals to share is the Shawarma platter in Epcot's Morocco counter service location.

Ill have to try that! Sounds yummy.

 

[NYEmomma]

I was also going to suggest getting a meal and an extra side if you are splitting. I have split meals with my kids before, but if you are big eaters it may not be enough food.

This is just what I was going to suggest.

DD & I split a personal size pepperoni pizza... it came with salad so I ate that & we ordered a side of apple slices for her. DH split his order of chicken nuggets with DD as well and ordered an extra side so he could keep all the fries & DD could eat something else. We've also split a chicken quesadilla. That's all I can remember off the top of my head ATM.

 

[bigsis1970]

I am traveling solo in April and plan on ordering kids meals at the CS when I feel like Pizza or chicken nuggets.. Rest of the time I'll be snacking on things like Cinnamon buns from Main Street Bakery or Starring Rolls cupcakes (yummy) and likely some fruit

 

[tzolkin]

I would say that the portions are not large enough for you to really split a meal between two adults and each have a "full meal".

However, that works fine for our family. Especially if you're going at a time when it's hot out. DH and I do not like to eat large meals in the heat so splitting works fine for us. We usually bring snacks into the parks, eat back at the room (morning, afternoon break, night), and probably have one full meal per person per day-- by that I mean we might buy 5 meals throughout the course of the day (family af 5), but we'll only buy a few at a time.

For example, we all have something to eat before we head out (apple, banana, etc) for EMH, snack on something in our bag (PBJ, carrots, nuts, dried fruit, etc), get a few orders of fries and corn dog nuggets at Caseys and all share them as another snack, head back to the room for a nap and have some cheese and crackers, go to Epcot for the evening where the kids will have an adult order or two of chicken tenders, an hour later DH and I will split a meal somewhere else.

Our last trip my parents came and they insisted on doing the dining plan (we went during free dining to accomodate this request). We still split some meals and wound up throwing out so much food and not getting the included desserts. It was nice for the experience of a TS restaurant every day of the trip, but it was a huge waste of food and we would actually prefer to just snack throughout the day.

 

[bettymae1121]

I find that spliting CS meals not to be feasable. Walking around all day in all that freash air makes me more hungry than usual, so I can finish a CS meal 9 times out of 10 no problem. Sure you get plenty of food but you may want to eat most of it!

Having younger kids split a meal? no problem. Teens and adults I think it's not quite enough food for all but the lightest of eaters. YMMV!

 

[jodifla]

I find that spliting CS meals not to be feasable. Walking around all day in all that freash air makes me more hungry than usual, so I can finish a CS meal 9 times out of 10 no problem. Sure you get plenty of food but you may want to eat most of it!

Having younger kids split a meal? no problem. Teens and adults I think it's not quite enough food for all but the lightest of eaters. YMMV!

I agree with this. Most counter meals are not enough to be split, especially these days as they have scaled them back.

 

[FlyingBelle]

DH and I like to split the taco salad at Peco's Bills in MK. With the toppings bar, it's certainly big enough to split - and we're big eaters

If you're bringing snacks to supplement - you should be fine finding options.

 

[BlueChariot]

Everybody's advice has been extremely helpful!!! Based on what you all said, I think that we will probably be able to split most meals. Even if it doesn't completely fill us up, we will have brought in snacks. Maybe pack a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

I never thought about ordering kids meals. I noticed that most of the menus say that the kids meals are for ages 9 and under. Would they still sell it to a grown adult that has no kids with them?

Yes, splitting meals is definitely do-able. Before DD came along, DH and I always split meals (and a drink, but I doubt you'd want to share the same cup with your friend). And yes, you can order children's meals... we've done that as well.

 

[java]

DH and I split the tuna sandwich at Columbia harbor house(mmm so yummy although I heard they started adding in celery ugh......_) we shared the sandwich he ate the chips and I got a cup of soup. Plenty of food.

Other big counter service that we split no problem was the Tangierine Cafe
Shawarma Platters TONS of food.

Oh and I'm a big eater. Last year dd (13 at the time) and I shared almost every meal. And never felt hungry.