Ideas for meals or snacks that aren't as costly?

[eeyoresmom]

Please share your ideas for getting some of that WDW "magical experience" that help save time and $. We are WDW veterans and are going in August with 6 people. We do still do a few TS meals each trip, but are looking for ways to maximize our enjoyment of the uniqueness of WDW. For example, one year we skipped dinner and ate "snacks around the world" where we bought one thing in each country of WS and that was dinner. I know there are a lot of great ideas, please share..

 

[gismo1554]

If staying in a Disney resort, buy your own bagels. Toast them for free on site each morning and they even have free jelly and butter for them. Or if like me you love bacon buy a side of bacon for them. You usually get enough for 2 bagels (2 slices per bagel) from each side which is under $2

 

[disnut8]

Disney World pretzels. They are huge so two smaller appetites can share one.

Here's an idea that we saw one group of about twelve do one year. Each person was responsible for getting something different around World Showcase. One person was getting dessert, one person was getting egg roll appetizers, etc. They all met back at the outdoor Liberty Inn seating area where that contribution was fries and all twelve shared everything.

 

[billsfan]

1.) Eat at character buffets for breakfast instead of lunch or dinner.
- Try to get the latest seating for the character breakfast and you will not need to eat lunch. Also it will probably not be busy so you’ll get lots of character interaction.
-Try to get a really early seating (before the park opens). You can stroll in the parks towards the restaurant with no one else around you.

2.) Order Double cheeseburgers and an extra roll at counter service restaurants and one meal now becomes two.

3.) Order combo meal when they have them at counter service restaurants and two meals can feed three people for less than ordering three separate regular meals.

4.) Make a late lunch ADR at the Whispering Canyon Café at the Wilderness Lodge. The WL is one of Disney’s most beautiful resorts and the lunch skillet is so similar to the dinner skillet but I believe it is $6 or $7 dollars cheaper.

5.) Go to the Boardwalk for some FREE entertainment one night and go to Big River Grille and get the beer sampler. You get 6 to 7 3oz. glasses of different beer for cheaper than it costs for one 12 oz draft of one beer.

6.) Made ADR for fun WDW restaurants like 50’s Prime Time Café, Coral Reef, etc. and eat appetizers and desserts as your meal. You’ll still have fun and be in the atmosphere of the restaurant but it will cost a lot less.

7.) Also try eating around the Seven Seas Lagoon. Take the resort Monorail around to The Contemporary, The Polynesian & The Grand Floridian and eat a little something from each of their counter service restaurants.

 

[iheartdisney]

The CS kids meals will easily feed an adult! And they come with a drink.

 

[jinia]

I am sure you know, but just in case-there is free dining towards the end of Aug and into Sept.

That being said the Goofy Candy shop at DTD is a must for cheap Magical snacks. Picking the toppings for marshmallows, pretzels (my favorite), rice krispy treats is so fun and delicous. Very good prices and can be shared 'cause 3 are an order...

 

[marciemouse]

Check out more great ideas at mousesavers.com !

 

[WeRDisBound]

The last time that we went to WDW on a tight budget, the plan was:

Snack bar for breakfast while getting ready, late breakfast, late lunch (around 4:30 or so), evening snack. This way we basically only paid for 2 meals a day.

We have also packed a cooler with sandwich meat and chicken salad and fixed meals in our room. This didn't exactly bring out the "magic" of Disney but definitely kept a little magic in our wallets!!!

 

[ChristaDeVil]

We brought muffins and cereal boxes to eat a quick breakfast in our room before heading into the parks. This saved what we would have spent on breakfast!

 

[Mickeefan]

I just returned from a trip with 2 friends. On our Animal Kingdom day at Flame Tree, we split the pork bbq sandwich that comes with baked beans, an order of onion rings and a side of slaw. We each also got sodas. This meal cost us each about $6each and was just enough. We had ice cream a little bit later.

 

[ceecee]

The Flame Tree meals are big in my opinion, we always split the chicken meal. The kid's pizza was great too at Pizzafari. I think Earl of Sandwich is a good deal in DTD as well.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

Some WDW "snacks" are big enough to be a meal for me...and I'm no skinny-minnie!

Give me an order of Figaro Fries and a cup of ice water (free) and I'm set for lunch. Same with chili cheese fries, but the lettuce and tomatoes on the Figaro Fries make it "health food."

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

The two best deals I have found at world showcase are Tangerine cafe for the chicken and lamb platter it is huge and you can share.

Also Rose and Crown fish and chips out by the water provide dinner and a show. We got this outside table once and it was just fantastic. The meal was very inexpensive like 15.99 for practically a pound of cod and chips.