Food Budget

[SaraK]

How much do you budget per person/per day for meals at Disney? We are staying at the Disneyland Hotel - I assume there is no continental breakfast there, right? I figure we'll eat most meals in the park and will try to eat on the cheap to moderate side, with maybe one or two nice meals thrown in there. I'm trying to get a good estimate for the three of us (two adults and a five-year old who eats like an adult!).

 

[CrazyDuck]

$150/day for my family of 4 - 2 adults 2 kids 6,3
$200/day on the days we plan on doing a character meal or a table service restaurant like Blue Bayou.

You can get a pretty good idea of what things will cost by checking out the menus: http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/menus.htm

 

[Ed J]

$60 a head per day worked for us.

 

[kylieh]

My budget is pretty much the same as CrazyDucks - 3A, 1C, including tax, tips, and snacks (eg Churros, Dole Whips, Tigger Tales) on Sitdown/character meal days is $240/day.

 

[toby78]

Looking at everyone else's figures, I realize that i spend waaaaaay too much!!!!I need to set myself a budget..

 

[CrazyDuck]

I posted this Before my last trip in 2008

I'm budgeting $250-$300 a day but this is for 3 adults 2 children. Thats with a couple character meals and sit down dinners durring our stay! We will be in the mouse house for 6 nights and 7 days so probably just under $2000.

here: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27880045&postcount=4

After getting back I realized that I only spent about half my food budget. Mostly because, my 2 kids ended up sharing a kids meal most of the time. I skipped breakfast most days (I normally do anyways so not sure why I was planning to eat breakfast while on vacation). The DW and kids usually just grabbed a muffin or something for breakfast. The 5th person in our party ended up paying for a lot of her meals (to my surprise). We did a lot of counter meals over the 7 days. Sitting down takes away too much ride time anyways! Besides there are better places to have sit down meals were I live

Here's a tip... Buy less food than what you think you can eat. If you eat it all and you are still hungry go back in line. The first day there we were ordering a full lunch for me and my DW and each kid their own kids meal. We ended up tossing a lot of food in the trash (cause we weren't about to carry doggy bags around the park). The next days we'd just get 1 plate that me an DS2 would share and 1 plate that DW and DD4 would share. If I was still hungry I'd grab something small like a churro. I'm not a small guy either... Maybe all the walking makes me want to eat less??? I dunno!!!

 

[funnygarcia]

Sitting down takes away too much ride time anyways! Besides there are better places to have sit down meals were I live

Here's a tip... Buy less food than what you think you can eat. If you eat it all and you are still hungry go back in line.

I'm not a small guy either... Maybe all the walking makes me want to eat less??? I dunno!!!

I feel the same way.
The food quality at DL has declined over the years but the price has gone up!
The first year we all craved vegies on the trip, this was before they had the fruit trays for sale at the carts, too many fast cheap meals.
Later years we discovered pay a bit more and share the plates. The servings sizes are just too much when it's warm out or you are walking a lot.

We are not small skinny people either.
As a solo traveler I pay more for meals than on my family trips.. no one to share the plaza inn platter of three pieces of chicken and two HUGE sides of vegies.

I get by on just $30 to $45 a day, drink water (free filtered water and cups) and bring bars or other snacks from home.
Pay for a BIG breakfast, have a snack and dinner.
Or light breakfast in room, large lunch, smaller dinner.

 

[kylieh]

Here is an example menu following on from my previous thread. I do think I'm over budgeting but it's better to have more available then less!

This is how I would work out how much a meal would cost. I'll stand corrected on the tax amount, but from memory it was around 7.5, but it could of been a little more or less. Likewise with tips.

Breakfast at Carnation Cafe
3A, average $9 each including drink $27
Childs Meal, $6
Sub Total $33
Tax $2.46 (7.5%?)
Tip $5.55 (17.5%)
Grand Total around $41 in round figures

Lunch at Carnation Cafe,
3A, average $14 each including drink 3 x $14 = $42
Childs Meal, $7
Sub Total $49
Tax $3.67 (7.5%?)
Tip $8.57 (17.5%)
Grand Total $62 in round figures.

Dinner at Counter Service, Say at Random Hungry Bear
3A, average $11 each including drink = $33
Childs Meal, $6
Sub Total $39
Tax $2.92
Total $42 in round figures

Churro
4 x$3.50 each $14

Coke/Water /etc - OK will probably bring one, but you never know...

8 x $3 each $24

Fruit Piece Each from Main STreet Fruit Cart
4 x $1.60 each $5.20

So in total roughly $190

Money can be saved by bringing you own water, sharing meals, etc as described above.

 

[ttds17]

I never budget for breakfast because we always either stay at a hotel where it's included or I bake muffins before our trip and we eat on the fly before we head to the park. (We always drive to Anaheim though, so it's easy for us to pack the car with provisions for breakfast.)

I have 4 pre-teens plus my husband and I...so no one shares meals in our family. We tend to eat mostly counter service simply because it's what we like. For example, my family loves Hungry Bear or the chili bowls at Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner. We'd rather eat there than Plaza Inn. For lunch and dinner inside the parks, I budget $15 per person, per meal. I have NEVER spent that much money, but it allows for elbow room in my budget. Then we always have plenty of money left to get treats here and there. It also allows room in the budget for one nice meal at a DD restaurant. That's the one and only meal I ever go over budget on...but the money is there because we come in under budget everywhere else.

When my kids were smaller I had a smaller food budget because they would mostly eat kids meals. Check out the menus on the website someone else posted. I use them all the time and they really help.

 

[SaraK]

Is it a correct assumption that DLH does NOT have a continental breakfast?

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Yes ~ no continental breakfast @ DLH.

 

[CrazyDuck]

Unless you buy concierge level.

 

[bumbershoot]

In the past we have budgeted $100 per day for food AND souvenirs (inclusive...not each). That's for 2 adults and one kidlet.

However, we're vegetarian, the adults tend to share meals, and we can't have many of the snacks and treats due to ingredient issues. Though Haagen Dasz ice creams, for the most part, are safe, so we do have those every so often.

Our last trip we bought several waters (at nearly $3 each that's expensive!), but generally we just get water with our meals and refill bottles.

The fruit at DLR tends to be really good, as long as you buy the individual fruits, not the prepackaged things (except for the plastic box of mango? papaya? (suddenly forgetting) slices with lime...many people LOVE that!).