How do you save on meals when paying out of pocket?

[supersnoop]

If your 5 children are big eaters, ie: teenagers!, then I think the standard dining plan would be a help.

I entirely disagree. Teenagers likely receive the worst value on the dining plan. Paying adult prices and locking them into a fixed number of meals is a recipe for disaster with hungry teenagers.

 

[luluj11]

Breakfasts are cheaper, but if you are doing it to enjoy the characters and not rush, rush, rush the experience to get pre-park opening time, do a lunch (or best of both world's - the latest breakfast time to make it a brunch)...book your must do one 1st and schedule a 2nd or 3rd one more than 48 hours later and you can decide if the 1st one was good enough to make the next few "worth it" (and you won't question the $150+ cost for the joy you get)...

thank you - great advice!!! I love Brunch!

 

[pbb&j]

Depending on what is on the menu, both my teen daughter and I have ordered kids meals at places like Sunshine Seasons or the food court at Art of Animation when you can choose your sides. I remember at Art of Animation, in particular, they had some really nice choices for sides, like Caesar salad. I won't eat something I don't want JUST because it's less expensive, but if it's a nice portion and something I want, I will. I appreciate that Disney doesn't care. Our daughter is the pickiest of the bunch, so we tell her that she has to eat the sides that come with an adult meal, or order a kids meal. We told her that at Tiffins, because the side was rice with an adult meal, so she ordered a kids meal, which was less expensive and came with roasted potatoes. And it was plenty of food for her.

I appreciate all of the comments about waste here, because that is a huge one for me. We, too, tell our kids that we can always order more food if they are still hungry, or look for an interesting treat later. We always end up with the treat later!

We buy the refillable mugs for our teens to use at the resort, but get water with other meals. It's partly to save money, but also they don't need to have soda with every meal.

 

[Nancyg56]

WE tend to buy the DDP and then share some meals so we have three meals a day, but they are not as big.

If I was feeding a crew who were like bottomless pits, then I wodul consider the DDP and would book buffet for lunch or dinner, and let them eat at CS for one other meal. Breakfast would probably be on the go.

If my crowd did not eat much I would pack high protein snacks and woudl pay OOP so they could just order what they would eat. WE dont skimp on vacation, so I never limit what my family orders. They can have whatever beverages, dessert or appetizers they want, and i have done so since hey were kids, but DH and I frown of throwing food away, so no ordering just for a bite and then throw it away. My family has gotten used to sharing meals between a few of us. MOstly my DD and my DDIL and I will find entrees we want to try and will order two between the three of us.

WE also share the snacks. They Dsiney snacks are huge and more than one of us can finish, so we dont waste them.

 

[leebee]

Some quick service locations serve a combo meal that is large enough to feed 2: Flame Tree BBQ has a 1/4 chicken/ribs combo that we have shared, and Cosmic Ray's has a 1/2 chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans, or a chicken and pulled pork combo. Many of the plates at Tangierine Cafe are large enough to share, also. If you really need more food, you can order a side, but we like to remember that there's a mickey bar or dole whip waiting for late afternoon! When DD23 and I go to Disney, I pack breakfast foods for the room (mini bagels, chess&crackers, pb, yogurt) as we aren't huge breakfast eaters. If we eat breakfast at a QS location, we'll share a bounty platter (or whatever it's called). It's enough food for 2. Usually at TS meals, although we each have our own entrees, we do not order appetizers, desserts, or soda. Sometimes we order iced tea, or will bring Mio along for our water- there's only just so much water you can drink in a day!. It's a combination of the money and the wasted food that gets us sharing and ordering wisely. Usually we are too full for dessert, but are happier to have a late night snack in the parks or on the way back to our hotel if we are feeling munchie!

 

[rosiebean]

We have breakfast in our room most days (yogurt, fruit, cereal and milk) and have high protein snacks (cheese, nuts, jerky) for taking into the parks. Honestly, we're usually so busy in between meals that we don't snack often.

I also have things to make sandwiches in my room for times when we're hanging out/resting and someone wants more than a small snack. A quick turkey/cheese sandwich and a few chips from a big bag saves cuts back on hunger and saves money compared to running down to quick service (even when ordering sandwich fixings from Garden Grocer).

We eat TS at least once a day, but even the biggest eaters in our party often share. We'll share a bunch of apps among us and each get a salad, or each get our own app and share an entree, or just flat out share an entree without an app depending on where we eat (I find portions at many WDW TS places to be huge). If we're eating at a new place, I just look here on Dis to see if the place we're eating is one with larger or smaller portions.

We also share at TS places. And as noted above, a few will get meal with fries while others will get a sandwich without, and we share.

How we eat usually depends on our schedule. If we have a night-time TS ADR, we snack throughout the day (breakfast in room, share a few QS meals, get a pretzel here and ice cream there) and are well satisfied. If we have a lunch ADR, we find that we're full long after (even when we share food) and just snack that night...again, sharing QS meals or snacks, getting a pretzel or piece of take out pizza, etc.

 

[danikoski]

Not trying to hijack your post but - I have a similar question since we are staying at OKW and can have meals in the room. I can't figure out what's my best option. I want to do a couple of character meals (paying OOP) but hate to pay over $150 for breakfast, and I'm concerned my 3 year old will meltdown by dinner. Is there a big advantage to booking a character breakfast vs lunch.

I would recommend Tusker House, and here's a tip. Book a 10:15-10:30 breakfast, and you will most likely get lunch too, for breakfast price. They start changing the buffet at about 10:45-11:00. Plus you get to meet Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy in their Safari outfits

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

One approach to savings that applies to many aspects of a Disney vacation, not just meals - some warehouse clubs sell Disney gift cards at below face value. For instance, my current go-to-source is bjs.com, which sells $100 cards for $95, and will sell to non-members. And since Discover is currently giving a 5% cash-back bonus at warehouse clubs through June, I can double-dip on the savings.

This is very similar to the way we save on dining OOP. I buy Disney gift cards at Kroger when they have a 4x fuel points promo. Normally it is .10 in fuel points for each $100 spent. During the special it is .40 per $100 spent. That .40 comes off 35 gallons of gas in one fill up. We take 2 cars and use every last drop of that discounted gas! That's a 14% discount. If you have an Amex that gives 6% cash back on grocery store purchases, the discount is even bigger!

 

[Kingdome8]

we are party of 5. 3 girls 13 9 5.
We don't eat a ton when in Disney. Last time we had dining plan so we went nuts. Wasted a lot of food. When we don't have dining plan we do like 2 character meals. At quick service normally me an wife split something. Two little ones split and my 13 year old gets a meal. My wife doesn't eat much and I normally finish kids stuff. Keeps price down and to be honest kids get more excited for snacks and staying on the move. 63 more days. Can't wait

 

[disneyseniors]

I entirely disagree. Teenagers likely receive the worst value on the dining plan. Paying adult prices and locking them into a fixed number of meals is a recipe for disaster with hungry teenagers.

Like others on here, I can only state from our personal experience. And with 2 hungry teenage boys, the dining plan saved our family a lot of money, that's all. Worked for us.
It also seems to be the general concensus on this thread.

 

[dprincessmom]

Like others, we grab and go in the morning. DD isn't a big quick breakfast fan, so usually get a pack of flour tortillas and have ham or peanut butter for a quick wrap on the go. We typically have one meal for the day and snacks or apps the remainder. I take cans of pringles, granola bars and cracker packets for "hangry" emergencies. This time we are staying CL so I am only packing one box of granola bars and winging it. Can't wait.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I entirely disagree. Teenagers likely receive the worst value on the dining plan. Paying adult prices and locking them into a fixed number of meals is a recipe for disaster with hungry teenagers.

Not mine. 2 meals and 2 snacks is usually plenty if we are doing breakfast in the room. You can get a HUGE combo platter at many quick service places on a meal credit. I cannot image anyone not being full after that, and it is definitely cheaper on the DDP than OOP for those larger meals. You aren't "locked in" you CAN purchase extra food where needed. If they are big eaters you will be paying adult prices anyway. No way is the PBJ uncrustable and grapes that passes as a kids meal most places at Disney going to do it for them.

 

[supersnoop]

Not mine. 2 meals and 2 snacks is usually plenty if we are doing breakfast in the room. You can get a HUGE combo platter at many quick service places on a meal credit. I cannot image anyone not being full after that, and it is definitely cheaper on the DDP than OOP for those larger meals. You aren't "locked in" you CAN purchase extra food where needed. If they are big eaters you will be paying adult prices anyway. No way is the PBJ uncrustable and grapes that passes as a kids meal most places at Disney going to do it for them.

Like others on here, I can only state from our personal experience. And with 2 hungry teenage boys, the dining plan saved our family a lot of money, that's all. Worked for us.
It also seems to be the general concensus on this thread.

The adult meal plans cost so much more than the value you can extract unless you're always eating at dinner buffets or ordering the combo platter at Flame Tree. The dining plan is purely a payment method and in no way changes the amount of food you receive. The only difference is the price. The QS plan is over $48. You'd need two snacks at $4/each and two meals at $20/each for the plan to be financially worthwhile. I can't imagine any teenager consistently extracting that much value out of the plan.

The regular plan price for a child is less than $25. One buffet and that's already paid for itself. It's the kids plan that subsidizes the adults and makes the dining plan come out ahead, financially, for many families.

 

[bumbershoot]

I want to do a couple of character meals (paying OOP) but hate to pay over $150 for breakfast, and I'm concerned my 3 year old will meltdown by dinner. Is there a big advantage to booking a character breakfast vs lunch.

If you love breakfast, have breakfast. If you like the non-breakfast food, look into a lunch if possible. I personally love breakfast, but not a buffet; I just can't do breakfast justice for the price paid.

You can get a HUGE combo platter at many quick service places on a meal credit. I cannot image anyone not being full after that

Have you ever eaten at Cheesecake Factory? My 12 year old had a full sized flatbread pizza AND an entire full sized entree of fettucine alfredo (no chicken though). Took a slice of cheesecake to go and ate half of it not an hour later. Believe me; some people can eat a HUGE amount of food as one meal.

My guy had just finished a 3 day dance convention, and he gives 100% each and every time they worked on a piece, so he needed the calories...but I'm still mystified HOW he got it into his stomach... And yet he did.

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

One trick I use is to substitute "snacks" for some meals -- there are quite a few Disney snacks that I find filling enough for a light meal at a price point below the normal QS meal (and I'm a big eater). Some that come to mind:

• Chicken Fried Rice @ AK - Yak'n'Yeti Local Foods Cafe ($4.99)
• French Fries with Pulled Pork and Cheese @ AK - Flame Tree ($6.29) - this is actually too big for me - I'd recommend sharing
• Pork Egg Rolls @ EPCOT - Joy of Tea ($3.99)
• Croissant Jamon Fromage @ EPCOT - Boulangerie ($4.25)
• Sushi @ EPCOT - Kabuki Cafe ($5 - $5.25)
• Cheeseburger Spring Rolls @ MK - Egg Roll Wagon ($4.50)
• Clam Chowder @ MK - Columbia Harbor House ($6.29)

I've also been known to order a kids meal at a QS - much more appropriate portion size (even for a big eater).

 

[msjprincess]

The adult meal plans cost so much more than the value you can extract unless you're always eating at dinner buffets or ordering the combo platter at Flame Tree. The dining plan is purely a payment method and in no way changes the amount of food you receive. The only difference is the price. The QS plan is over $48. You'd need two snacks at $4/each and two meals at $20/each for the plan to be financially worthwhile. I can't imagine any teenager consistently extracting that much value out of the plan.

The regular plan price for a child is less than $25. One buffet and that's already paid for itself. It's the kids plan that subsidizes the adults and makes the dining plan come out ahead, financially, for many families.

ITA
When my kids were under 10 the DDP was definitely worth it and we came out ahead. Now that they're considered adults it would be very hard to break even.



As for the OP. We own DVC so I have a TIW card. For restaurants that have different prices for lunch and dinner I book a late lunch and then just have a snack later on. The same with breakfast vs lunch. For our upcoming trip I have a Biergarten lunch reservation at 3pm, it's $7 pp cheaper than dinner. I have a Tusker House breakfast reservation for 10:50am. It's almost $14 cheaper pp than lunch.



ETA
We also try to eat most of our TS meals at restaurants with a menu instead of a buffet or AYCE.

 

[nco91590]

We're DVC, so we always pack a bag of cereal in our luggage and pack like, oatmeal, granola, etc. The last time we had picked up bottled waters which was great.

I found that I wasn't really hungry for snacks between meals. And if we did buy a snack, we would share. Like, one cinnamon roll from Gastons feeds four people. One bucket of popcorn is shareable, one cupcake or one ice cream sandwich can be shared etc.

 

[JustKryssi]

1. We have continental breakfast items (croissants, butter, jam, fruit, muffins) and protein bars delivered to our room and do breakfast in our room every day (or grab a bar for on the go). Less than $5 a day
2. Lunch is usually split between 2 QS meals as we're walking, which we split between us (like the Veggie Platter at Tangierine Cafe or Terikyaki at Katura ). $25 or less
3. Dinner we do 3 courses, app, dinner, dessert and split them. $50 a day or less (including tip)

So you're getting a lot of different food, spacing it out which reduces waste, and not breaking the bank (comes out at $80 or less a day). I think we will wind up doing TIW this year because we will be there more days and those discounts will add up quickly.

 

[Traver Freeman]

Not sure if this will be repeated, probably, I didn't read all the responses. Just sharing what we do.

1. If we are trying to save money, then not eating TS is a big one, as that ups your expense right there. If you do eat TS, aim for lunch as prices are often cheaper at lunch. Breakfast is even cheaper I believe, but I don't eat breakfast food so we hardly ever do a breakfast TS. I've heard a hack is booking a TS buffet breakfast for 10:30 AM and they'll be swapping out their food for lunch, but you'll still only be paying breakfast prices.

2. Splitting meals is another. We go to QS places we know have large portions and my wife and I will split. We often go to WDW with my mom, and she doesn't eat much, so she splits with our son and it saves us from having to get a kids meal for him.

3. Take snacks into the park so you don't have to buy them there. Cheezits, graham crackers, cereal bars, gold fish, etc.

4. You mentioned getting water at meals, but getting cups of water throughout the day is huge. You can walk right up to the food pickup line at QS places and just ask for water, even if there's a line of people waiting to order. You can "skip" the line if you are just getting water. It's quick and free.

 

[kmv]

For my family we only eat one breakfast out while we are at Disney. We stop at a grocery store or even pack in our suitcases breakfast. We also buy a case of water and bring each child a snack or two a day to the park.
We also go to more QS than TS meals. And we rarely have apps or dessert with our meals, instead if we want something later than we get something.