How do you budget food at the World

[supergoofy]

Looking at going possibly in the August/September time frame and I can get a great idea of prices for everything but food.

Now I know I could make an excel spreadsheet of each day and find what restaurants we would eat at and likely meals and take those prices and get an idea. Downside I see is

1) a couple places we want to go are buffets and there is a range. I could just go high and be happy when we come out lower.

2) Lets face it I am a rookie and while I may know what park we will be in I don't want to have food planned out for say a place on the opposite side of the park or we don't want to eat.

3) The biggest hurdle is I will have a couple 10 year olds which are "adults" I do know at a counter service and restaurant I believe I could order off the kids menu. Buffets I get are full boat.


So how do I budget for food? And what are some of the best bang for the buck places? And do we do buffet, limit them or flat out skip them.

This is our first trip and I don't mind spending the money but I also do not want to have to mortgage the house to do it if you know what I mean.

 

[eliza61]

Generally when I'm on vacation I do like to budget for the high end. I figure having more than I need is always a good thing. LOL.

My first time I didn't make a spread sheet but I did go to allears.net and make pretend meals. One thing I've learned over the years is to plan how we eat naturally.

For example, one tip folks gave me is about sharing meals. well for my family that is not an option. I've been to almost every restaurant at the world and we've never been to any that 2 adults could share and both be satisfied. I've done the split a burger and order extra bun trick, split an entrée and just order an extra soda etc etc So that's not some thing that helps me and planning my food budget based on that would be a disaster.

Now the only time we use to do buffets was to do a character meal. not because of the cost but because the food is mediocre at best and they are way over priced IMO. Generally that are around 35 bucks per head for dinner so for my family that's close to 140 bucks before tips and my kids just didn't eat enough for me to justify them and my dh and I would always be blasé about the quality.

Many people will say you go for the characters not the food. sorry for 140 bucks I want a decent meal also. I'd skip 'em except for one character meal. that's just me though.

Now your number two, is one reason we don't make many adr's especially now that so many places want a cc to hold the reservation. I don't go during super busy times so I've never had any difficulty call Disney dining the day of and getting tons of places to eat. One caveat to that is we find the best food is actually at the resorts so we don't mind leaving the parks for dinner. in fact 99% of the time we prefer it unless it's at Epcot's world showcase.

 

[ShayBells]

I think it also depends on the size of family and appetites. Some meals are big enough that me, my mom, and my kid can share one meal and be happy. We all have tiny appetites. Meals can get expensive but there are some places that are cheaper. Depending on where you are at kids meals can be big or small. I have ordered off it for myself and have been fine. All these could factor into saving money.

We always do one character buffet for breakfast. That way it is out of the way in the morning and we don't have to worry about being some place during the day. This is just how we like to do it. We go to Crystal Palace. I think the food is really good and well worth the price. I would recommend one buffet for the experience. And definitely budget high end so you have savings.

But budgeting for food can be easy. Bring your own breakfast than only need money for lunch and dinner in the parks. Like I said it all depends on you're appetites and size of family to consider. CS meals ranged from a good 7$ - 16$ (that's a broad guess) it all depends where you go. I plan where we are gonna eat before hand but I plan day of parks and realize which all CS are options if we don't want the first.

For my family of three including a four year old I would budget 50$ a day (breakfast we always eat in room) and 100$ for one character buffet. And I'd probably most likely have money for snacks plus left over but like I said we have tiny appetites so that helps.

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[kymom99]

The best bang for your buck as far as counter service would be Earl of Sandwich in DTD, and Sunshine Seasons in Epcot has a good selection to suit many tastes. I have also heard good things about Wolfgang Puck Express, though I have not been there myself yet. Maybe you could make a pretend menu for one day and use it to estimate your food costs. I have found most of the CS places have similar prices. We have eaten at a couple buffets because they have a good variety of food and you can load up. They aren't cheap but they aren't the most expensive options either. At least you will know exactly what it will cost you to eat there.

I am sure others will chime in with helpful advice. Good luck!

 

[dminnie]

We go for 4-5 days and just have 2-3 TS meals. Maybe one of those being a breakfast character buffet. There is a lot of good CS meals to be had so you don't have to break the bank. We aren't really big eaters, so sometimes a couple of us can share a meal. Sometimes we'll share an appetizer and a meal. It's plenty of food and not as pricey. We also tend to mostly just drink water instead of ordering drinks. Breakfast in the room is a great way to save time and money(bagels, cereal, cheese, nuts, apples, etc.).

As far as meals that give a price range for the buffet. The higher price will likely be charged during peak season. It's probably best to just plan on it being the higher price and then be pleasantly surprised if it comes out to be less.

 

[supergoofy]

Thanks for the advice.

I'll start looking at allears and get some ideas and when we get to the parks stand back and see food come out before we order.

Definitely thinking about staying offsite so we have a kitchen which will definitely help.


Our home routine is basically cereal/bagel/toast for breakfast so I have that covered.

Lunch I we are at work/school so its pretty small amount of food.

Dinner I like to eat and if I am on vacation I will definitely have a nice complete dinner.

Now being Disney I would like to have snacks. I will bring some each day but be nice to grab a pretzel, ice cream or such.

 

[Southernmiss]

Getting to go to Disney is enough for my family. There are six of us so its expensive just getting there and staying on property.

We are all Disney adults and like eliza we are not able to share meals, and we are not big people. We don't mind counter service and do find enough decent variety through our stay.

I use allears.net and in 2009 (our last good trip) I budgeted $40 a day per person which was two counter service 'meals' and a couple of snacks per person per day. We also brought in snacks and stayed at Fort Wilderness cabins and made a nice crockpot meal everyday. Really had a fantastic time and were pleased with the amount we saved/spent on food doing things this way.

I used my Disney reward dollars from our credit card for food in the parks. Made it almost like we were getting some meals for free!

 

[kymom99]

As far as sharing meals, you may be able to stretch meals a little farther by adding a couple sides to a main CS meal, or buy a couple kid's meals along with a couple full sized meals. That way you can keep the prices down a bit. One time we got pizza at the food court of our resort, and I got myself a kid's pasta meal. The pasta was plenty for me, and I gave my son the applesauce and milk to eat with his pizza. So if you buy a couple full meals and a couple sides or kid's meals, you could trade around.

You are right, anyone can get a kid's meal at the CS places. Those could be the best bet for your kids if you want to save money.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Historically Disney has had free dining in September.

Now I know many will say it's not really free because you are paying rack rate for your room, however given you would have 4 "adults", that discount works out better than a room only if you were in a moderate (where historically you got the regular dining plan of 1QS 1TS and 1Snack per night per person).

So if you end up going during that time, watch for it and run the numbers. For your first trip you may just want those character buffets that are pricier and it may work out better for you.

 

[disneysmyhappyplace]

Historically Disney has had free dining in September. Now I know many will say it's not really free because you are paying rack rate for your room, however given you would have 4 "adults", that discount works out better than a room only if you were in a moderate (where historically you got the regular dining plan of 1QS 1TS and 1Snack per night per person). So if you end up going during that time, watch for it and run the numbers. For your first trip you may just want those character buffets that are pricier and it may work out better for you.

Free dining is the way to go in August/September!! We go every year and save thousands with free dining as we are four adults and one child. We go for two weeks and all meals are covered!!! They usually run free dining deals for that time frame in April or may. Good luck

 

[Disneylover99]

Well personally I would bring snacks or breakfast items to eat on the go (or order them from Garden Grocer).

I would skip the buffets (because they are so pricey and there is always somebody who is not hungry) especially in August when it's so hot out. Plus the tipping on sit down meals is something to consider as well.

I would eat CS for lunch and dinner. There are lots of great choices out there for full satisfying meals. Save money by skipping desserts and drinks. I would order ice water for free cause it will save you money and you need to drink lots of water when it's hot.

 

[hsmamato2]

I have done Free dining,and oop (last trip) allears.net is invaluable for some basic planning, to get a feel for a lunch for your family,then a dinner as far as prices go. What we did was think about what we felt like eating, then using our smartphone to check allears.net for a quick menu check, then heading somewhere. Reading ahead of time helped me set a basic budget (I budgeted 150.00 per day for our 'adult' family of 4) and was THRILLED when we came in under budget last week,averaged 95.00 per day.
We bought cereal and milk,and ate breakfast in our room, went to one buffet (Boma dinner,with tax and tip was 180.00 for 4 people) and ate QS the rest of our trip....GOOD qs. There are lots of choices for qs,that aren't burgers and fries- especially at the Resort hotels near the parks (Contempo Cafe,Capt. cooks,Picabus at the Dolphin)
We ALWAYS bought one large coke,and split it at lunch, between the 4 of us. We don't drink soda much at home,and that one cup is BIG. We each just ordered what looked good qs, then shared the soda.... we'd stop for snacks whenever we felt like it too...but frequently,it was one of us wanting something,getting it,someone else tasting a bite,etc etc,we just sort of ate our way through the entire property! (p.s.,we drink water mostly,and free ice water everywhere is great for the budget!)
The other option is wait for a free dining offer, depending on size of your family,it can be a good deal too!
(though I definitely left WDW feeling healthier,buying oop what we wanted, not just getting food b/c of the plan) and we did save money!

 

[hsmamato2]

also,ask here if you decied to just go qs....lots of advice on the best spots to get great,inexpensive meals!

 

[ajasmom]

The best buffet we have experienced is Trails End at Fort Wilderness (a boat ride from MK/Contemporary). It is not a character buffet so the prices are a bit less expensive. It is a BBQ buffet similar to the Hoop Dee Doo dinner show. IMO the food is awesome and I love the country surrounding. my other must do is earl of sandwich.

 

[dpswift]

I have always found that I eat less at the World than at home. A kids meal would be more than enough for me.

 

[englishteacha]

We have only eaten table service once each trip. The rest of our meals have been quick service. Check the menus on all ears to get an idea of what you might like. We also have stayed offsite and eaten some meals at offsite restaurants. Much better value offsite, but it worked for us only because we were offsite to begin with.

 

[elf]

After the kids became "adults" after 10 yrs. old we stopped doing so many buffets. We now stick to one during a vacation.

We never order anything but water anymore.

The last few years, we have eaten breakfast in a our room since neither kid is a big breakfast eater, and they haven't expressed interest in characters. But when they were smaller I used to do character breakfast buffets since they were cheaper than their other buffets to see characters and they used to always be so exicited they wouldn't eat anyway.lol

We also bring and always brought snacks. We mostly drove and would bring or pick up our own case of water.

 

[supergoofy]

First off my apologizes as I failed to state my party size and it seems I have mislead some posters. It will be 2 adults, 2 teen girls and 2 10 year olds.

I looked at doing a value suite but between the cost of that and upgrading to food I am finding its a better value to stay at a place like Bonnet Creek.

Figure the extra room and full kitchen for breakfast will really save us.

I spent the day looking at menus and it seems very doable but the buffets are expensive but doable if I tighten a bit. When I did a spread sheet I enter all entrees and then a column for sodas and boy do they add up.

I am at the point in my budget where it is a go. But still will stand to the side and see portion sizes and possibly split meals, order al a carte and reduce soda to cut costs.

Lastly will use my Target Card and Pharmacy points and go with gift cards to even save more/

 

[supergoofy]

Any recommendations on a CS at Epcot? Any of recommendations? And I know Sleepy Hollow is more of a "snack" but my daughter wants a Nutella waffle and I aim to please.

Thus far I am looking at by date/park. Don't know what order we will do the parks. I know Magic Kingdom will be 1st on arrival day. Also will do 2 parks then LEGOLAND then 2 parks the water park/DTD. Then its open for which every park we want to hit or multiple parks so thinking CS all day. Magic Kingdom will be on our last day. Don't have flights booked but a tentative look would put us landing at MCO at 11am on a Saturday and leaving the next Saturday at 6 pm so I am thinking leaving the World at 3.

Sleepy Hollow/Plaza

Flame Tree/Tusker House

Doing LEGOLAND so eating their and out of park on way back to World

ABC/50's

Akerhaus for breakfast/

Water Park/DTD day so for calculations Leaning Palms/Earl/Ghirardelli

Open Day unsure of which park we are doing

Last day Crystal Palace for late breakfast

 

[sweetdana]

So go to allears.net for all menus. As far as kids eating kids meals, many of them won't cut it. Some will, some won't. The chicken nugget meals do not feed my 60 pound 8 yr old, and haven't in 2 yrs prolly. They have 4 chicken nuggets a small bag of grapes a small pack of carrots and a drink. She is hungry clearing her plate. (Maybe if you tried fries idk.). I do buy an adults n can share extras better. Like a adult chicken meal and 2 yogurts (1 includ 1 extra) 2 waters. It is a little cheaper.

2 you can share at sit downs, if it is not a Buffett. Sometimes I get 1 meal n 1 1 appetizer n share. Think outside of just ordering 3 29$ dinners. Think 1 29$ meal and maybe 2 appet n a dessert. Or 2 dinners n an appetizer or dessert. And you might enjoy more n squeeze a few bucks off.

Some places do not have enough good , so you may end up ordering more after food arrived. Did this at Tonys in the mk. Shared the dinner I got n knew it wouldn't cut it n ordered another while we cleaned the plate.