How much spending money daily on average solo?

[mikeishere]

Roughly on average how much spending money will I need each day at Disney while solo so I can budget correctly ?

 

[SG131]

Ha, well that can vary SO much. I've taken multiple solo trips and they were very different. Some I've splurged and a table service each day. Some I've stuck to mostly quick services and some I've gone from open till close and barely stop to eat and just grab a quick piece of pizza at the food court when I get back at night. What are you planning for meals? Take a look at some of the places you're planning to eat and what the prices are. Do you plan on hitting up a bunch of the food and wine booths because that can add up quickly? Are you planning to stop for a few drinks at any of the bars, that also can add up quickly? I typically end up buying at least a couple souvenirs for myself. In my mind there is no such thing as too many disney mugs or shirts. I probably spend anywhere from $40-$80 a day depending on my meal plans, but I will occasionally do character meals even though I'm solo which are pricier. There are some days where it has probably been as low as $20 if its hot and I'm running around the park like a crazy person.

 

[WDW Queen]

No one can tell you.
You'll need to figure it out for yourself based on where and what you want to eat/drink and based on how many and what souvenirs you want.

When I went solo I ate a QS locations only and got a main dish/side dish/drink for about $15-$18.
I usually had 2 QS meals per day.
I paid $6-$8 for a snack.
I usually had 1 snack per day.

I probably spent about $150 on souvenirs that trip.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Depends on how you eat!

A sample day for me might be:

• Quick service breakfast at resort (kids meal): $8
• Quick service lunch at park: $15-20
• Table service dinner: $30-60
• Two snacks: $10-15
• Total: $63-103

Of course this changes, maybe I skip breakfast or eat QS all day, extra snacks, etc. I spend more when alone since I can't share meals but I still like variety. I wouldn't eat TS every day either since I tend to see where the day takes me so I think I probably average $50-75 a day. I tend to not have alcohol very often since it's so expensive and I'm more of a social drinker, so alone I don't drink as much. If you order desserts and appetizers you will spend a lot more. I really just have water and an entree usually and that's more than enough food for me. Character meals will add up as well if you like doing those solo.

Souvenirs are maybe $100 per trip for me. A $50 sweatshirt, pair of ears, and a Christmas ornament would be pretty typical for me.

 

[YawningDodo]

Food-wise I've budgeted $80 per day including travel days, which will hopefully give me flexibility throughout the trip. That's plenty to eat on, but it's not enough to do table service every day (especially not buffets and other higher-cost options) and it's not enough to eat my way around the world at the Festival of the Arts unless I want to go cheaper on another day to make up for it. So your mileage may vary.

Souvenirs are another big "it depends." I budgeted a total of $150 for general souvenirs on this upcoming trip (7 days), but then I've got another $170 budgeted for a droid and some things to go with it, and I'm currently looking at whether I can add another $220 for a lightsaber or if that's a bit too rich for me (maybe if I don't buy the backpack with the droid and shuffle some money from one or two other areas as well...). Like the food, it depends on your habits and what you want. Most of the time I just buy a couple pins, a magnet, and a plush and I'm pretty much good. Because there are a couple big ticket souvenirs on my wish list, though, I've budgeted higher this time. So consider what kind of stuff you're likely to want to buy.

 

[mikeishere]

Thanks for tips. I honestly haven’t even thought about where I’m going to eat so I guess I will have to do this

 

[Disney Frenhines]

I'm just back from my solo trip,apart from one breakfast at Sanaa I had breakfast in my room every morning, I also only ate when I felt like it and I probably only had a couple of meals in the parks and a couple in DS because I found it too hot to eat full meals.
I would advise getting water and other necessities delivered in, that saves a lot, or getting a water bottle and finding out ahead of time where the filtered water dispensers are. I also had a cup of iced water instead of soda with my meals too, saves on the cost.
It's all about your personal preferences and don't forget that some snacks are as big as an entree, so consider them, two examples being the loaded fries at Flame Tree BBQ and the curry pasties at the Joy of Tea in China. Not to mention the Fruit and Nutella Waffles at Sleepy Hollow.
You should only spend what you want to, beyond the park ticket and the hotel (if you are staying at a Disney hotel) you don't have to give Disney another penny of your money. If you do plan to exclusively eat at QS, snack locations etc, then don't think you have to eat the way you do at home, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Eat what you want when you want be it a snack instead of lunch. There are no rules except not to waste money buying meals for the sake of it.
Another thing I realised is that on special events I was buying the t shirts only to never get the chance to wear them again, I get a pin instead and display them on a decorated canvas. Buy souvenirs that you can look at and not put in a drawer never to see the light of day again. The reusable bags are awesome as gifts too and cheap. And don't forget park guides are free souvenirs as well

 

[mikeishere]

I'm just back from my solo trip,apart from one breakfast at Sanaa I had breakfast in my room every morning, I also only ate when I felt like it and I probably only had a couple of meals in the parks and a couple in DS because I found it too hot to eat full meals.
I would advise getting water and other necessities delivered in, that saves a lot, or getting a water bottle and finding out ahead of time where the filtered water dispensers are. I also had a cup of iced water instead of soda with my meals too, saves on the cost.
It's all about your personal preferences and don't forget that some snacks are as big as an entree, so consider them, two examples being the loaded fries at Flame Tree BBQ and the curry pasties at the Joy of Tea in China. Not to mention the Fruit and Nutella Waffles at Sleepy Hollow.
You should only spend what you want to, beyond the park ticket and the hotel (if you are staying at a Disney hotel) you don't have to give Disney another penny of your money. If you do plan to exclusively eat at QS, snack locations etc, then don't think you have to eat the way you do at home, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Eat what you want when you want be it a snack instead of lunch. There are no rules except not to waste money buying meals for the sake of it.
Another thing I realised is that on special events I was buying the t shirts only to never get the chance to wear them again, I get a pin instead and display them on a decorated canvas. Buy souvenirs that you can look at and not put in a drawer never to see the light of day again. The reusable bags are awesome as gifts too and cheap. And don't forget park guides are free souvenirs as well

Thanks for info.
Staying at Dolphin resort do they do free water bottles in the room ?

 

[nursejackie]

I would usually budget $100 a day for food/souvenirs, then I spend less some days and more others but without exceeding that limit. But it definitely depends on length of stay, cost of travel/accommodation etc, so many variables.

 

[mindeola]

I do the same as Nurse Jackie. It always works out for me. I am not a huge souvenir person though.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Thanks for info.
Staying at Dolphin resort do they do free water bottles in the room ?

Sorry, I don't know.

 

[nursejackie]

I am not a huge souvenir person though.

I buy the same every year - a mug, drink bottle, photo frame fridge magnet and a writing pad, and it takes me the whole 17-18 days to decide which ones

 

[DeterminedOne]

My first solo trip a few months ago. Had the regular dining plan, so only OOP expense was tips, plus a $10 box of macarons because they were pretty. ($356 in meals) Approximately $40 spent on Uber (including tip). I purchased so much from Shop Disney ahead of the trip, I didn't buy a single souvenir. Rough estimate, I spent around $110. Will you have dining plan, take Uber/Lyft or buy lots of souvenirs?

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

It's all about your personal preferences and don't forget that some snacks are as big as an entree, so consider them, two examples being the loaded fries at Flame Tree BBQ and the curry pasties at the Joy of Tea in China. Not to mention the Fruit and Nutella Waffles at Sleepy Hollow.

Second this. I’m a big eater but when I was there in Dec 2018, appetizers at TS restaurants were often big enough to be considered dinner. The main course options were crazily large.

 

[Ross Kratter]

It's all about your personal preferences and don't forget that some snacks are as big as an entree, so consider them, two examples being the loaded fries at Flame Tree BBQ and the curry pasties at the Joy of Tea in China. Not to mention the Fruit and Nutella Waffles at Sleepy Hollow.

Strange - when I went to Sleepy Hollow just over two weeks ago, they charged me a meal for the fruit and Nutella waffle. I had remembered it being classified as a snack on a previous trip; the cashier didn’t even offer that to me as an option.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

It's not a snack option on the DDP, but, for under $9 it is less money than an entree and incredibly filling.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Second this. I’m a big eater but when I was there in Dec 2018, appetizers at TS restaurants were often big enough to be considered dinner. The main course options were crazily large.

I have got kids meals in the past because adult portions are silly big. The fries at FT BBQ are a snack option and are big enough to class as a meal.
Guests also don't realise that you can ask not to have the sides with an entree and that can save money. Another, rather naughty thing to do, if you don't drink soda, is to bring your own mug to your resort and have the hot beverages or the Iced tea as they don't need you to purchase a refillable cup to enjoy.

 

[ADisneyAgent]

Roughly on average how much spending money will I need each day at Disney while solo so I can budget correctly ?

that depends on your shopping habits, personally I need an empty credit card..(shopping issues) but it depends on how you eating and shopping habits are! some days I spend only $10 bucks on breakfast, others..its endless. So I find it to be an individual question, so to be safe I would say around $100 daily, it can always be rolled over

 

[EsmeCullen]

This is subjective. I’m not a huge shopper nor a huge eater in the parks so for me, I may have spent $20 a day if that. It all depends on what you like to do when going solo.

 

[DisneyCraig523]

I tend to live off snacks and drinks while I’m in the parks and those can add up quickly. I just did a solo day trip to MK a few months ago and I wound up spending around $50 over the whole day.