$$ for food each day?

[FatCow]

I'd like to know whether my budgeting for food is enough.

I'm thinking about spending approx US$ 60 each day for 2 adults and 1 child. We are not big eaters at all.

or the US$60 per day is wishful thinking?

TIA

 

[mouseclick1]

That seems a little low to me, though we are 2 adults and 2 boys 12 &14. I am not a big eater, but the others are! Use this link to find the WDW menus. You will find both sit-down and counter service restaurants, so that should help you decide if you have set a resasonable budget. Hope it helps!

http://allearsnet.com/din/dining.htm

 

[Terk-1]

I think $60 should be ok. To help save some $$, I would recommend bringing non-perishable breakfast & snack items with you from home. I found that this tends to save quite a bit of $$. If possible, bring some pb&j and bread with you. This can save alot on one meal a day.

Try the buffets or family-style restaurants (lunch is cheaper than dinner). This way you can have one big meal a day.

 

[FatCow]

I'm trying to bring food from home, but I'm unsure with the new regulation against bioterorism

The regulation is clear in terms of importing food products for test-market, tasting, and resale. However, neither FDA website nor CBP (US Customs Border and protection) mention anything about bringing food with you for personal consumption.

Contacting them (through US Embassy) is impossible (I got ping-ponged all over the place), going to the nearest border is a 3.5 hours round trip.

Anybody can shed some more light into this matter?

 

[stacy6552]

We carefully watched our spending on our last trip. OUr family of 4 consistantly spent about $20 a meal for counter service and $60 a meal for sit down.

 

[kathylovesdisneyworl]

$60 a day seem a bit low unless you will have your own food in the room. Even at counter service, it will probably be at least $15 or $20 a meal and then you need anything else during the day to drink or eat.

 

[magsmom]

In August I budgeted an average of $89 per person per day, 2 people and 1 child. This included either a light counter lunch and dinner offsite or a buffet at lunch and a light dinner. It included snacks, light breakfast ... It did not include places where I had big dinners planned, like at Boma, Ohana, or Narcoosses. I allowed extra for these meals ... For Ohana and Boma, the bill was around $90 per meal with the tax (Boma included a drink for the adults and pressed coffee, Ohana included a drink and perhaps a dessert). Narcoosses was much higher.

 

[SnowWitch]

On our first trip to the world we spent very little on food. We had poptarts and granola for breakfast in our room and sandwich items for lunch and then we ate mainly counter service for dinner. We spent maybe $50 per day. If your flying down make a grocery stop in Orlando. The Budget Board can give great tips for keeping expenses down. As someone mentioned above www.wdwig.com has an extensive menu list for Disney dining.

It can be done!

 

[ducklite]

I think that $60 per day is a little low. Could it be done, yes, but you will really have to watch what you order, and there won't be much room for bottled water or any kind of treats. As an FYI, Florida water is horrid tasting, and bottled or filtered water is almost a neccesity.

As far as bringing in food, as long as it's processed and prepackaged (Pop-Tarts, Granola Bars, crackers, etc.) you will have no problem. Make sure there are no meat or meat products or fresh fruits/veggies in your bag.

Have you thought about making a grocery stop in Florida?

If you are taking Mears, it's only going to cost you about $10 more to use a Towncar service, which will make a grocery stop. You'll be able to get groceries, milk, fresh fruits, bottled water, and that will save you the extra $10.

Good luck!

Anne

 

[FatCow]

We're going to use FL Tours Town-Car service (the one with included 30 minutes of grocery shopping). That's on top of 40 packages of instant noodles, snacks and vitamins we're bringing from Toronto.

 

[Harambe]

I budget 150.00 a day for 2 adults, 2 kids. That's 25.00 for breakfast, 35.00 for a minor meal, and 90.00 for a major meal. Sometimes we splurge on lunch and have a smaller supper, or vice versa. This also includes snacks and drinks at the parks (one round of Mickey Bars and one round of cokes = 20.00!). WDW is not cheap for food, but I am on vacation here! Simply peeling the wrapper off a granola bar constitutes cooking!!!!!!!

 

[AspiringCindy]

Originally posted by Harambe
I budget 150.00 a day for 2 adults, 2 kids. That's 25.00 for breakfast, 35.00 for a minor meal, and 90.00 for a major meal. Sometimes we splurge on lunch and have a smaller supper, or vice versa. This also includes snacks and drinks at the parks (one round of Mickey Bars and one round of cokes = 20.00!). WDW is not cheap for food, but I am on vacation here! Simply peeling the wrapper off a granola bar constitutes cooking!!!!!!!

This is exactly what we spent on a daily basis...with 2 adults,2 kids and 1 baby! $60/a day translates to a lot of meals with french fries! not a bad thing!

 

[SnowWitch]

If its between being able to go or not, peel the wrapper. We were very thrifty our first 2 trips because we were saving for a home. Fatcow has the exchange rate to deal with, and she can do it on $60 per day if budgeted right.

Thanks to my cheap nature and prioritizing we were able to buy into DVC after the home purchase. We still don't overdo on food. We do budget $150 a day now, but the kids are older and eat like pigs.(boys) However, we still eat quick breakfast items, then fast food lunch, and a nice dinner.

 

[FatCow]

uhmm... FatCow is a dude.

 

[campingcorgi]

Originally posted by FatCow
uhmm... FatCow is a dude.

Where's that tag fairy when you need him...er, her...him....oh, never mind!

 

[klh999]

For me personally, depending on long you will be there for, it might be a better deal to rent a car.

For me I will be there for 4 nights/5 full days in Jan. Renting a car came in around $100, it seemed when I priced out a town car it came in around $80 or so. But then I figure we can go out to dinner off-site, I planed one disney dinner and "event" (hoop dee revue & ice cream social).

But there is a japenese hibachi restaurant I would like to try, off site is much cheaper than epcot. My nephews (5&7) love applebees and that is cheap.
Am I wrong to think in my situation, renting a car makes more sense. I feel in the long run, it will save me money or come out even??

 

[FatCow]

According to the FDA website, any food of any origin, as long as they are pre-processed and not containing meat and/or fresh fruit/vegetables, are okay.

Are there any exceptions from the prior notice requirements?

Yes. Prior notice is not required for:

Food for an individual's personal use (i.e., for consumption by the individual, family, or friends, and not for sale or other distribution) when it is carried by or otherwise accompanies the individual when arriving in the United States;
Food that was made by an individual in his/her personal residence and sent by that individual as a personal gift (i.e., for non-business reasons) to an individual in the United States;
Food that is imported then exported without leaving the port of arrival until export; and
Meat food products, poultry products, and egg products that are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the time of importation. (21 CFR 1.277(b)).

as an addition, also from FDA FAQ:

Personal Baggage:

I am bringing food from a foreign country in my luggage and for my personal use. Do I need to submit prior notice to FDA?
No. Prior notice is not required for food that is carried by or otherwise accompanies an individual entering the United States (e.g., is in his or her carry-on or checked baggage) when the food is for that individual's personal use (21 CFR 1.277(b)(1)). Personal use means that the food is for consumption by the individual or by the individual's family and friends and is not for sale or other distribution.

Hope this helps other DIS members with a similar question.

 

[beatnik]

On our two most recent trips to the world, our food costs came out to $45-50 per day for 2 adults. We made extensive use of Q and C vouchers and ate breakfast in our room almost every day. But we also ate at Cape May Cafe, Liberty Tree Tavern, and Ohana for dinner, and went out to breakfast once.

My husband and I split a few meals and had only 1 or 2 snacks in the parks. We are average eaters, but find restaurant portions to be so large that we cannot eat 2 full restaurants meals per day.

So I think if you are well-prepared and careful with what you spend, $60 a day will be ok.

Beatnik

PS Just read more of this thread. I have to disagree with the statement that inexpensive dining will mean lots of french fries. We remarked after our Sept/Oct 2003 trip that our dining was remarkably hamburger/french fries-free. From a post of mine on the budget board (this post is referring to Q and C Vouchers):

We are just back and kept detailed records of our expenses in our PDA, in part in order to try to figure out if we'd want to order Q&C vouchers again. The details are below (cut and pasted from the PDA). Most of the dining was my husband and I, but we also treated my castmember cousin to a number of meals. Sometimes we used 1 voucher per person and sometimes 1 voucher for 2 people. We enjoyed pretty much everything we ate and would say it was all either good or excellent. The salads in particular were very good.

Date: 9/24/2003
Amount: $22.50
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Pecos Bill $28.26
Country: United States
Details:
I got a salad, fries, lemonade, and piece of chocolate cream pie. Stu got chicken wrap, fries, soda, and piece of chocolate cream pie. Bill came to $28.26, the vouchers saving us $5.76. Without vouchers, would have ordered: salad, 2 lrg sodas, wrap, probably split a piece of pie (were starving). Would have cost $19.45 W/O dessert, $23.16 with dessert. Saved $0.66 over what we would have ordered (but we got more food w/vouchers).

Date: 9/26/2003
Amount: $11.25
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Lunch at Land Pavilli...
Country: United States
Details:
Stu used voucher. Got chicken, ribs, corn on cob, slaw, coke, and turtle brownie. Came to $12.33, saving us $1.08. Would have ordered exact same thing without vouchers. I was not very hungry, so just paid cash for a salad.

Date: 9/27/2003
Amount: $22.50
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Tusker house
Country: United States
Details:
Stu had rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, large soda, and cheesecake. I had salad, fries, large lemonade, and cheesecake. Bill came to $29.64, saving us $7.14. Without vouchers, would have gotten salad, small lemonade, chicken, large soda, and split a piece of cheesecake for a total of $24.02 (incl. Tax).

Date: 9/29/2003
Amount: $33.75
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Sand Trap Bar and ...
Country: United States
Details:
I had cobb salad, cup of mushroom soup, iced tea, and chocolate cake. Linda got ruben sandwich, homemade chips, iced tea, tiramisu cake, and was told to order an appetizer as a side: she got onion straws (which we all split). Stu got a California club, homemade chips, soda, and cheesecake for dessert. Could have gotten appetizer as side, but we could not have eaten it, so decided to skip it. Meal came to $55.20. Linda left and additional $3 in tip. We saved $21.45 with the vouchers. Without vouchers, Stu and I would have gotten sandwich, salad, two teas, and 1 dessert, which would have come to around $34.15. We saved $11.65 over what we would have ordered. Didn't eat dessert or half of our meals. Took to Vero to have for dinner.

Date: 10/2/2003
Amount: $14.61
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Kringala og Bakeri
Country: United States
Details:
Used 1 voucher. Split ham and cheese sandwich, salad, and cinnamon roll. Stu got large soda with voucher and I paid for a separate latte ($3.16). Cost of voucher portion of meal was $14.02, saving $2.76. This was part of our "dining around World Showcase" plan. Planned to use 3 vouchers that day, but didn't get hungry again until dinner, so only used 1.

Date: 10/4/2003
Amount: $11.25
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Lotus Blossom Cafe
Country: United States
Details:
Got Orange Chicken with steamed rice and an eggroll, side of fried rice, strawberry smoothie as beverage, and red bean ice cream for dessert. Stu and I split this meal as part of our "dining around World Showcase" plan. Came to $17.10. Saved $5.85 using the voucher.

Date: 9/26/2003
Amount: $35.75
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Beaches and Cream
Country: United States
Details:
I got burger, onion rings, cherry coke, and fudge mudslide. Linda got the same thing, except with a cheeseburger. Stu got the same thing, but a double cheeseburger and fries. Meal came to $57.40, left an additional $2 tip, Linda left $1. We saved $20.65 using the vouchers. Without vouchers, Stu and I would have ordered a single burger, a single cheeseburger, 2 cherry cokes, sub 1 order onion rings for fries, and split a brownie a la mode. We would have spent $27.75 plus tax ($29.55) and tip ($35.05). Still would have saved $12.55.

Date: 9/28/2003
Amount: $33.75
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Pepper Market
Country: United States
Details:
Took Linda to dinner. Stu had rotisserie chicken, fries, vegetables, carrot cake and tea. Stacey had grilled ribeye, baked potato, vegetables, apple pie a la mode, and lemonade. Linda had the same. Bill for Stu and I would have come to $44.50. For all three of us, total would have been $72.43. Saved $38.68 for all 3 of us. Saved $22 for Stu and I. Without vouchers, we probably wouldn't have gotten 2 desserts, so perhaps the bill would have come to around $39.

Date: 10/2/2003
Amount: $11.25
Payment: Prepaid
Vendor: Yakitori House
Country: United States
Details:
Had shogun combo, salad, soda, and chestnut cake. Came to $17.64. Saved $6.39. Part of our "dining around World Showcase" plan. Stu and I split this meal for dinner.


By our calculations, we saved $58.96 over what we normally would have ordered at these restaurants (but of course we got much more food with the vouchers). Our savings if we had ordered all the food and paid cash was $109.76. If anyone has any questions, please ask. Hope these details help.

Beatnik

 

[SnowWitch]

My most sincere apologies........MR. FatCow.

 

[Harambe]

Oh, I hope I didn't offend! Yes, yes, yes - peel the wrapper if you need to in order to go! Looks like you have done some great research into bringing your own snacks/foods down with you. Enjoy your trip, SIR!