Help me scale down my restaurants! Will cost $700! woo!

[fairytinkerbell]

After adding up all the food, it will cost over $700 over the 9/8 nite trip in oct.

What would you ELIMINATE all together from my list?? The goal for me eating at the wdw restaurants (we never have) is to :

* to continue the disney mood/atmosphere / fun
* to eat good food in a fun place / it's own experience

We're eating breakfast @ hotel for free

DINNERS
1. CRYSTAL PALACE: $56.00 (including tax and tip)
It's $44.00 total, PLUS tax (about $4.40, PLUS tip $8.00) = $56!!
2. OHANA: $63.00 total
3. BOMA : $63.00
4. CAPE MAY CLAMBAKE : $63.00
5. The Crab House $35 (?)
6. LIBERTY TREE TAVERN (MNSSHP) : $56.00
7. RAINFOREST CAFE: $40.00
8. CHEF MICKEY'S: $68.00
TOTAL COST OF DINNERS: $454.00

MAYBE only 2 breakfasts out: (Maybe) otherwise eat FREE @ hotel
1. CRYSTAL PALACE (last day) $42.00
2. BOMA $39.00

LUNCHES
We are definitely eating at:
1. Sci Fi Dine In $30.00
2. Plaza Restaurant (?) $25.00
3. Beaches & Cream Soda Shop $25.00
4. Typhoon Tillys (TL) $15.00
TOTAL LUNCHES: $95.00

WHAT DINNER PLACES WOULD U ELIMINATE?? ANYTHING U WOULD REPLACE?
THANKS!

 

[Selket]

It is really up to your personal tastes but I'd eliminate:

Rainforest Cafe - they have those everywhere - at least where we live. I wouldn't eat there unless you do not live anywhere near one

The breakfasts out can go - unless you are doing those as a "brunch" - take the last seating and eliminate the lunch out.

Good luck!

 

[MosMom]

DINNERS
1. CRYSTAL PALACE: $56.00 (including tax and tip) (You have this listed twice...drop one. Drop dinner and use a voucher for a CP breakfast and lower the price that way)
2. OHANA: $63.00 total
3. BOMA : $63.00
4. CAPE MAY CLAMBAKE : $63.00
5. The Crab House $35 (?) (Not sure what this is but since you are doing the clambake you can cut out another seafood place)
6. LIBERTY TREE TAVERN (MNSSHP) : $56.00
7. RAINFOREST CAFE: $40.00
8. CHEF MICKEY'S: $68.00 (Again, change this to a breakfast and use vouchers and you can reduce the cost considerably and still get the same experience)
TOTAL COST OF DINNERS: $454.00

MAYBE only 2 breakfasts out: (Maybe) otherwise eat FREE @ hotel
1. CRYSTAL PALACE (last day) $42.00
2. BOMA $39.00 (You are eating Boma for dinner...cut this breakfast)

LUNCHES
We are definitely eating at:
1. Sci Fi Dine In $30.00
2. Plaza Restaurant (?) $25.00
3. Beaches & Cream Soda Shop $25.00
4. Typhoon Tillys (TL) $15.00
TOTAL LUNCHES: $95.00

----------

Doing the above things drop your total to about $511

 

[jennymouse]

If you can share meals at your lunches it will help a lot. Portions are huge.

 

[enchantedpixiedust]

I'd vote for dropping Rainforest Cafe too. Even though there might not be one by you, it's not "Disney". (of course I have one 3 miles away so I might not be a great judge)

I'd also look into the meal vouchers and splitting meals. My list looks a LOT like yours w/ the same stuff plus more. We figured if we split we could try more things.

Good luck!

 

[MinnieGi]

I would eliminate the doubling up of Crystal Palace and Boma. Pick a breakfast or dinner at each and eliminate the other meal there.

Also sharing entrees at lunch or dinner or perhaps both would cut the cost, of course that is not an option at the buffets. I honestly could not eat all the meals you have listed - just too much food for me. We generally eat one sit-down meal or buffet a day and the rest is counter service or back in our villa or at an off-site place where we will usually split a meal.

Since you are eating breakfast at the hotel for free, I'll assume you are staying off-site. Why not replace a few of those dinners with an off-site restaurant. It will be much more economical and you will still get plenty of the WDW restaurants through your other dinners and lunches.

 

[Lewski709]

I would recommend checking into vouchers for dinner. NOt the Quick and Casual ones though.

Also, I would eliminate the Clam Bake and Crab House. Never had good experiences there and I love seafood.

 

[Harmony]

Just another idea. Have you thought about including "wishes" to your package? My sons and husband like to eat and enjoy the expensive restaurants so it's almost necessary to add "wishes" to our package in order to stay within a reasonable meal budget.

The wishes, however, are pricey but for us...it does cut down the amount by approx 100 to 200 dollars.

Just another idea.

 

[SnowWitch]

I agree with the other poster who said pick either a breakfast or dinner at Boma and Crystal Palace. I would also suggest the addition of 50's Primetime Cafe, the food is good and its a blast. I would also reccommend an ice cream stop at the Sci-Fi, its very Disney.

Many rave about Chef Mickey's I am in the minority on this one. After numerous trips over the years we felt the food had really diminshed in quality and have not returned for several years. Mind you this is coming from the woman that thinks the Whispering Canyons Cafe is a hoot!

 

[dg39]

All the restaurants you mentioned are pretty good. We've been to most of them and In my opinion I'd eliminate the Rainforest Cafe. But thats only because we been there. There all good restaurants to try at least one time. Your planning on doing alot of eating. Believe me we love to eat too, but if your going to have a big breakfast, chances are when lunch time rolls around you may not be that hungry. Then before you know it dinner time is here and your at a restaurant again. We usually have a BIG breakfast at one of the charector buffets, then grab a lite lunch around 3 o'clock or so. We would then eat dinner around 7-8PM. Depending on the length of your trip by the 4th or 5th day, your going to be stufffed and you'll be able to eliminate a few big meals on your own. We always go to disney with the expectations of eating in all these great restaurants, we start off doing it, and then get tired of eating so much. And don't forget, there's Epcot, theres alot of places to eat there.

 

[Ang1e]

Don't have anything new to add as all the advice given has it covered but I notice a couple of people have mentioned using vouchers - where do you get vouchers for Disney restaurants? and how much of a saving would there be?

Thanks

Ang

 

[KristiKelly]

I agree with those who have said cut 1 Crystal Palace. You could always eat @ Cosmic Rays instead for 1 of those meals for about $20.

I would cut Sci-Fi, we went last year & did not care for it at all, but we enjoyed 50's Prime Time, the portions are large enough to share.

We enjoy Rainforest Cafe, the food is not the best I've ever had, but it's certainly not the worst. We always go there, the atmospere is great!

Chef Mickeys, we've only eaten there once & found it to be fair, you could possibly cut that one as well.

Hope this helps. It really makes it difficult when one person says, "oh we love it" & the next says "would never go back". It all comes down to what you want, I'd definitely check www.allearsnet.com to look at menus. Good luck.

 

[gigi1313]

in addition to all of the above advice, i would maybe switch the sci-fi to an 'ice cream' visit rather than a full lunch... esp if it's a day that you will be having a real breakfast and a big dinner... that will reduce the bill and probably hit the spot!

 

[Deemarch]

I'm not sure that I've heard of them.

Denise

 

[slo]

I would pass on The Crystal Palace for dinner. I have nothing against The Crystal Palace, I love their breakfast, but I just wouldn't go there twice in one trip.

I don't really have a suggestion on where to go in replacement because it would probably cost just as much.

Good luck - we are going in Sept and I haven't even thought about what my food bill is going to be - I am to scared!!!

 

[MosMom]

Originally posted by Deemarch
I'm not sure that I've heard of them.

Denise

Everything you want to know about meal vouchers

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

What we have found is that if we eat a large breakfast we don't need lunch. A quick snack/drink will hold us until dinner time. We have done this the last two years and it has worked great. You don't lose park time and you end up saving money.
You might want do to breakfast and a late lunch. Most of the Disney restaurants charge less for lunch and the menus (for the most part) are pretty much the same.

 

[fairytinkerbell]

I think u guys are right, i don't like feeling full and walking around, esp. if we're eating late. most of my ps's are for 630pm, 730 pm

 

[DisneyMim]

Another vote to cut Rainforest. Trust me the ones at Disney are the same as the ones all over the country. Maybe it's because we have one really close, but that's the one to cut IMHO.

 

[LisaZoe]

I'd also suggest checking lunch menus & prices vs those at dinner. I did this and found several restaurants have about the same things at lunch but for less. The variety may be reduced so make sure something you really want from the dinner menu is on the lunch one. Another benefit of lunch vs. dinner, especially if you're dining in the park, is that you'll be able to get out of the heat and relax for that much suggested afternoon break.

When planning our upcoming Sept. trip, it was very hard to limit the restaurant choices to just one big meal a day. However, after looking at how much of the day would be spent traveling from the park of the day to the resort at which some of the restaurants selected are located, it wasn't too hard to narrow them down to allow for more time playing and seeing the sights. I stuck with the choices that seemed to promise the most fun, i.e. character meals, dinner show, restaurants where "antics" are a regular part of the meal, etc.