Food Budget....

[umaangel00]

If we were to eat all of our meals in the park (4 adults for 5 days) what should I budget for food? We will probably eat mostly counterservice. Maybe a table service but not sure.

 

[digitaldevice]

Add the dinning plan! We always save $$$ on the plan. It is so nice to go and not even think about what were spending on food. You might reconsider on TS too with so many great places to eat. I know it takes some time for TS but that’s part of the fun there. Were going back in September just to go to some of the restaurants we did not get to during spring break this year. No kids this trip.

 

[figaromeetsmarie]

I would say about $150 a Day. It all depends on where you eat at. If you eat at a nicer Table Service or an average. You also want to budget more for than you think you will spend so you get no suprises when the bills come

 

[minnierocks]

We budget about $150/day for 2 adults + DS14 and DD12...that includes our souvenirs...
Really, it depends on if you are big eaters or if you tend to eat one big meal per day and snack the rest. Would you possibly be sharing meals?

What we do is this...
We eat breakfast in the room before going to the parks...saves time and $$$
We have a mid-morning snack that we have packed in our bag...
We eat our big meal of the day for lunch...lunch prices are cheaper and it is still plenty of food...
Then we grab something small or share a meal, later in the day...

There are lots of places that the portions are large enough to share...like the Flame Tree BBQ in AK. But we have also ordered kid's meals for everyone at CS.

A good way to figure out an approximate cost is to go to www.allearsnet.com or www.wdwinfo.com and look up their menus. It will show what is served and the cost for each meal. This is how I usually decide approximately what we will spend based on where we have decided to dine.

For us, the dining plan does not save us $$$...for others it does...
I hope this helps a little...
Good luck and happy planning!

 

[EmptyCinema]

My GF and I budget $10/person/meal for CS, $25/person/meal for TS. We're not big on appetizers/deserts, and don't drink, so add those if you'd like.

If it's warm, don't forget to budget for lots of (non-alcoholic) drinks to keep hydrated.

 

[dyna]

If you plan on goin back to room for a mid day break an get a room with a fridge or take a cooler you can eat either lunch or dinner in room an just have sandwiches an cold stuff. We've done that too and saved big bucks.

I agree if it's hot budget plenty for drinks mostly water tho the CS will give you free ice water if you ask for it but it's usually a small cup we prefer our water bottled seems to taste better.

 

[EmptyCinema]

I agree if it's hot budget plenty for drinks mostly water tho the CS will give you free ice water if you ask for it but it's usually a small cup we prefer our water bottled seems to taste better.

Orlando/Disney water is notorious for its taste. Of course, cast members would probably tell you its "part of the Disney experience."

 

[WAHMto5]

I would also say do the Dining Plan. You will for sure save money, have PLENTY to eat and very nice knowing that all your meals and snacks are paid for in advance.

 

[myosotisd]

This year i will get the free dining plan, otherwise I will never paid for this, for me it's too much money and food.

In 2005 and 2006, i budget $40 per day for two adults, and we ate two table service : crystal palace for lunch and we don't eat at dinner, we were so full
and dinner at ohana

the others meal were counter service with for example one turkey legs for two, or sometimes i order kid meal for me, it's a good value because you get a drink and a dessert
the best counter service was the tusker house with the salmon plate, unfortunaly it will closed soon.
but at disneyworld, you can share the portions are bigs enough for two people

 

[PrincessMinnie28]

The DDP only costs $38.99 per adult per day, so since people are telling you to budget $150 per day, the DDP is clearly the better deal. Also, since you aren't so concerned about table service meals, you could put 2 of your credits toward a nicer TS and then just pay OOP another night for an extra counter service or eat food you bring from the grocery store.

 

[umaangel00]

We may not be staying onsite so there for the dining plan does not work. I think 150 is over kill to me. I don't even spend that in 1 week let alone 1 day!

 

[LizinSTL]

If we were to eat all of our meals in the park (4 adults for 5 days) what should I budget for food? We will probably eat mostly counterservice. Maybe a table service but not sure.

Look at menus and pricing on allearsnet.com and see what you may be spending. We found that most counter service meals were "shareable" so we could split 2 meals for 4 people.

 

[LiteBrite]

If you're going to be eating mostly counter service, you can possibly get by with as little as $25/person/day, but if you want a little more wiggle room in the budget, $35 would do it for sure.

That's what we budget ($35/person/day), and we typically eat one sit down meal per day. However, we do some sharing, we all order ice water with our meals, and we use the DDE.