Give me your cheap eats tips!

[marriedmarylander]

We would like to do one fancy restaurant but the rest of the time we will be budgetting... Where can we eat besides McDonalds I am looking at restaurants in Disney and the cheapest are $15-$25 per person!!! That's an ouch for lunch an dinner and not even counting breakfast.

 

[DreadpiratK]

Our best strategy for feeding the 5 of us last time was to do a big breakfast before the parks (timeshare had free buffet breakfasts some morning) smuggle in a snack(fruit rullups, GORP type stuff), and then head out at around 3:30-4 for an offsight early dinner.

Best thing we did was to go to Golden Corral (decent buffet food) at 3:50, because you pay lunch price, but the begin putting out the dinner food at 4:00. Plus with a buffet your in and out quick, and back at the park within an hour.

There's tons of restuarants on International drive, very quick to and from from Disney, especially if you take the 'short cut'- can't describe it to you well, but there's a back road that leads right to intenational drive and cuts out the highway from disney property. it comes out right across from Westgate, wich is where we stayed last time. Worked out nicely. Maybe someone here can clarify this, it's been 3 years since we were there.

 

[blessedby3]

I remember reading a post that said you can order a double burger from the counter service and request a second bun for a few pennies more and presto- you have 2 burgers for the price of one. We will definately use this idea for our family of 5 plus my DD's friend that is going with us in November.

 

[scanmom]

go for lunch at the Trails End Buffet in Ft. Wilderness. It has the BEST chicken ANYWHERE... I like it as much or better then Knotts Chiken Dinner in California, and they are world famous for their chicken. It is all you can eat, very good and about $10.00 per person. It is just a soothing boat ride away from MK, so it would be a nice break away from the park. And, you can visit the free petting farm and the clydesdales that work on main street. We really enjoyed it.

 

[frannn]

Where are you staying? The onsite value resorts have food courts, as do some of the moderates. The prices are a bit higher than you would find in a mall food court, but you can find anything from burgers to pork chops. Also, the theme parks have counter service options, which are about 8-9 for a meal.

 

[disneysteve]

On our last trip, we averaged $20/person/day for all meals, snacks and drinks. That was for me, DW and DD-9. You can certainly spend way more than that but it isn't at all necessary.

Best tips?
1. Drink water. Its free and you can get as much as you'd like.
2. Share. Servings at most Disney restaurants, even many counter service places, are huge and easily shared. We almost never order 3 meals. We usually order 2 and maybe an extra appetizer or sidedish.
3. Eat breakfast in your room: cereal, pop-tarts, yogurt, granola bars, etc. Cheap, easy to keep on hand, filling and nutritious. Plus it avoids wasting valuable time in the morning when you could be enjoying the parks before they get crowded.
4. Bring in snacks. We always carry some simple snacks in the parks. Granola bars, pop-tarts, containers of cereal, some sweet stuff like jelly beans or some other favorites. We still buy Disney favorites like Mickey bars or Dole Whip but don't spend nearly as much as we would otherwise.

If you have a car (we would never do Disney without one), you can hit the grocery store when you arrive and you can get offsite for some meals and get away from Disney's prices. Trip before last, our spending was under $17/person/day so no reason eating at Disney needs to bust the budget.

 

[CheapMom]

I remember reading a post that said you can order a double burger from the counter service and request a second bun for a few pennies more and presto- you have 2 burgers for the price of one. We will definately use this idea for our family of 5 plus my DD's friend that is going with us in November.
This is my favorite tip. Half the time they don't even charge you for the bun. The very best place to do this is Pecos Bills in MK. They have a fixings bar that has all the usual stuff PLUS sauteed mushrooms and onions and also nacho cheese so you can make cheese fries.

I would order a kids meal for my self or split a regular meal- like a chicken wrap with one one my kids. DH can't split meals though- it's not enough for him.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Not sure if this will help but :

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm

These are menus with prices for all of the onsite restaurants.

Some of the counter service places are pretty reasonable. Remember, you can always share food. Also, the servings of fries and other sides are pretty big so ordering one or two for your whole group instead of one for each person is just fine.

Some examples :

Animal Kingdom
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_piz.htm Pizzafari
individual cheese pizza $5.49 + a drink $1.99 for a soda (or just fill up a water bottle and drink water)

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_tus.htm Tusker House
Kids Mac & Cheese w/applesauce and crackers- $3.99

Adults 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken served with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables $7.99

MGM
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_coms.htm ABC Commissary
Child's Chicken Nuggets (with French fries and child's beverage) - $3.49

Adult's Fish and Chips - $6.79 - (battered fried fish served with thick cut fries)

Magic Kingdom
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_chh.htm Columbia Harbour House
Fried Chicken Strips - Served with choice of either French Fries or Carrots $6.59

Kids Macaroni and Cheese - served with fresh grapes and cheddar crackers and child's beverage $3.99

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_pin.htm Pinochios Village Haus
Gideon's 1/4 Pound Cheeseburger (w/carrots or fries) $5.79
Child's Hot Dog with fries or carrots, mandarin oranges and child's beverage $3.99


Epcot
There's so many to list in Epcot...
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_cant.htm Cantina de San Angel
Tacos al Carbon - flour tortillas filled with grilled chicken, onions and peppers, served with black refried beans and Mexican salsa $6.99

Plato del Nino - child size beef burrito, tortilla chips and a small soft drink $3.49

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_eu.htm Electric Umbrella Breakfast
Cheese Omelet Meal - cheese omelet served with hash browns, a mini biscuit and choice of sausage or bacon $5.29

Cereal (Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, or Special K) with whole or lowfat milk $1.99

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_li.htm Liberty Inn
#2 Turkey Sandwich -smoked turkey breast, muenster cheese, spring lettuce mix and chipotle mayonnaise on an everything bagel, served with salad $6.59

Childs choice of hot dog or chicken nuggets served with fries, applesauce, and a child-sized Coca Cola $3.99

etc...

So there are options for cheap meals under $10. They are esp. cheap if you bring a water bottle from home (Brita ones work great) and continue to fill it up. I find water to be the best beverage anyway, on a hot day in the parks.

 

[kesha]

Do you have to have reservations for the Trails End Buffet? My friend and I do not like to plan our meals weeks ahead. A day before would be ok.

 

[scanmom]

We just showed up there for dinner one night, and there was only 2 other tables of people. This was on thanksgiving week, 2002. I don;t think there is usually a crowd at Trails End.

 

[TNKBELL]

While staying at SSR last October, we had a wonderful to go family meal that was $25.00 and were we shocked at the amount of food. It was turkey slices, mashed potatoes, gravy,fresh green beans, and corn bread rolls. Honestly it was the best meal we had the whole time! Not to mention there was enough left over(after all six of us had eaten plenty) for lunch and another dinner! At the time they had different family meals everyday for the same price $25.00 total! Check it out! I hope they still have them for 2005 October trip!

 

[buzz5985]

We are DVC members now, but for many years we would go to Walmart get a cooler, buy milk, cereal, and some cold cuts, mustard and bread, etc. So we had the fixings for breakfast - and go to early entry, leave early go back to the room for lunch, and swimming. Then return to the parks for dinner.

I would also recommend Pecos Bills. The turkey wraps are big enough for 2.

We also carry a backpack with a water bladder. A hydration pack. The back pack fits our camcorder, camera, ponchos etc. Plus carries 2 liters of water (that we buy at walmart). Any cart or restaurant will give a cup with ice.

 

[Kevin&Randall]

There are also many restaurants along SR535 which is just outside the DTD area off of Hotle Plaza Blvd. Prices are comparable to the similar franchise restaurants you'd visit. They include: Bennigans'; TGI Friday's; Joe's Crab Shack; Jungle Jim's; Denny's; Perkins; Steak & Shake; there are a couple of Chinese Buffets and other restaurants I'm sure I'm missing. This is much closer than traveling to IDrive and back.

There is also a newer Publix Grocery store behing that large church in the same area. Prices are much more reasonable than the Gooding's on 535 as is the variety.

Hope this helps!

 

[dennise]

Where can you buy Brita water bottles?

Three weeks and we will be on our way!!

 

[eeyore45]

I woould also add (we also split meals, but I cant imagine doing a food budget on $20 a day, I'm going to have to work harder!!)

I would always order 1 large soda, no ice, then I'd have dh, or I get the cups of free ice, and we'd spit the soda. The pop comes out of the machine cold! DD never drinks much soda, we're water drinkers, so 1 large would satisfy our need for sweet! (and then we'd hit the mIckey bars later!)

 

[DisFanatic]

We always go to Golden Corral, because its an all you eat buffett, and they have chicke, steak soups and alot of deserts plus alot more, and its about 10. bucks per person, you can even share if you have a really small child...Hope this helps

 

[Local_Girl]

Dennise,

I found our Brita sport bottles at KMart in the bottled water section last year, but they were on clearance then. I also saw them at Bed Bath and Beyond at that time. Some have had success getting them at Walmart in the plumbing section. You can also get them online (including Ebay). I have heard they are discontinued so they may be harder to find than they were last year...good luck!!