Let's Talk Cheap Eats...

[Emme]

We are going for 8 days in Nov. and staying at POR.
We will eat breakfast in the room (I need some "different" breakfast ideas for the room,no cooking please), have a sit down lunch and then a snack for dinner (counter service).

We go several times a year and I really try to watch my food budget. We take our own water and snacks, but does anyone have any really good ideas for economical sit down lunches. Trails End Buffet is one of our faves as is Chefs DeFrance ($14.95 lunch special). Can you all recommend personally some others? I know about Deb's menu site, but would like personal opinions. Also, throw in some great breakfast ideas and light counter service goodies...THANKS

Emmy

 

[strasfamily]

We just got back from Panda Express. There was a coupon in the Sunday paper where you buy either a 2 or 3 entree plate and get another entree free. So I got a 4-entree plate, an extra side of rice, an extra large soda, and 2 jello cups. This was split between me, hubby and DD (6). Total cost = $9.05. And we were stuffed when we were done.

 

[marymrg]

We always split meals at Beaches N Cream. The portions are good size and we leave room for ice cream! Using Q&C vouchers reduces the cost as well.

 

[Disney_1derland]

has been that we, the adults just do not want to eat as much as we always 'plan' to, but the children must eat so we wind up eating anyways. This trip, we are going to try a new strategy....

Breakfast in the room (those instant oatmeal packets or the ones that come in their own cup are a favorite with our kids and only require the hot water out of the coffee pot) cereal bars, granola, fresh fruit or individual packs of fruit. Our kids also like cup o' noodles type soups and will eat them on vacation as breakfast, they're weird and think it's a treat since I don't let them eat them much at home (too much sodium!)

Sit-down lunch (cheaper usually than dinner) we are using the VKL vouchers and splitting a meal between me and dh or we just order an appetizer as our meal while the kids order off the kids menu.

Counter service dinner again splitting a voucher (Q&C) meal and getting one kids meal and splitting it between the two children. We find that their counter service meals can easily be split between the two kids, but ours are young. Maybe two older kids could split a Q&C voucher meal since there is more to it.

This plan keeps us in the $70/day range for food and that's including snacks. We bring a Brita bottle for water throughout the day and that helps too. We also carry a few juiceboxes with us and some powdered drink mix for when the kids get tired of water. Our rule is one flavored drink then a water then a flavored drink, etc.

 

[bubba's mom]

at target, i found individual bowls of cereal (pull-top foil lid) for $.74 each...a space saver for us since we are only going 2 nights! sorry it's not much, but it's my $.02!

 

[bsusanmb]

I always take a jar of peanut butter with me. Pack it in my suitcase and baggies. I buy a loaf of bread at the resort and get free jelly in the resort snack restaurants. I pack PBJ sandwiches so that if we get hungry we have something. I have a large size insulated jug on a strap that I carry with me in the parks with lots of ice. I always take a cooler in wheels with me as one of my suitcases and fill it with gallon jugs of water and tuna in foil pouches. I use the water in my jug so that I know it is pure. I use the tuna in the pouches, grab mayo packs in the snack restaurants and make tuna sandwiches to eat on the spot or in the room. We are very very frugal at times. My hsuband likes to get a cup of rice at the small restaurant in Japan up on the hill and walk over to Mexico and get the beans at that little outdoor eatery and mix it together - cheap meal.
We do the beaches and cream thing and get a double burger and cup it in half.
Never do we go to the sit down restaurants for supper - only lunch, as you know the prices are cheaper.

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

Our family enjoyed Cosmic Ray's Family Meal (whole rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes). Of course, we have two small children who really only eat chicken legs, so this worked for our family.
We always share sodas, drinks, and side orders whenever possible (if someone is still hungry...rarely occurs...we can always go back for more).

 

[canwegosoon]

The cottege cheese/ fruit duo's are easy to keep in a fridge or cooler, or a yought(sp) with garnola on top. Bagles are fairly shelf stable too. Fruit is ok too. I got a bag of bread, and would take a couple slices of bread to the food court, and toast it there. I would usually get a breakfast platter($6) with a extra side of bacon($2-3) and for under $10...three of us had a couple slices of bread, little bit of eggs/potatoes and 2 slices of bacon. Great breakfast. For when you don't feel like making something in the room

 

[bearzabout]

I'd stop by a drug store and buy a cheap $3 styrofoam cooler for the room. My breakfast suggestions are:

1. Buy yogurt, granola and blueberries and make your own breakfast sundaes.
2. Try peanut butter and jelly with raisins on graham crackers.
3. I love eating a carmel apple from Disney for breakfast. What an indulgence.
4. I also love indulging in desserts brought back from the parks the previous day. They are great with a tangerine or grapes on the side. I love Norway's sweet pretzels, cinnamon rolls, cheese and cherry danish, France's peach or strawberry tart, chocolate eclair, the Magic Kingdom's bread pudding, etc.

For cheap eats (most are quick service but still nice IMHO), my favorites are:
1. Beaches and Cream with quick and casual voucher.
2. Tangerine Cafe at Morocco using a voucher.
3. Yakitori House in Japan using a voucher.
4. Tusker House's chicken or Flame Tree BBQ at AK using their meal deal. You can get the meal, a large drink, an ice cream cone and large bottle of Powerade later in the day for about $11.
5. Mara at AKL has great soups. Use a voucher and get fried shrimp, butternut squash soup, a smoothie and zebra domes for dessert for around $11.50.
6. The salads at Columbia Harbor House and Pinocchio Village House make a great light, cheap dinner with great people watching.
7. Split a pizza at Wolfgang Puck Express for a great light dinner.
8. The take out window at Bongos has super cheap eats.

My husband and usually split one meal, especially when using a voucher that includes dessert.

I'd have not tried but would like to:
1. Pepper Market at Coronado using a voucher for prime rib.
2. The $5 sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich in the Marketplace.

Favorite desserts: Try Norway's rice cream with a waffle with strawberry jam. The flavors go so well together.

Offsite:
1. Sweet Tomatoes for a cheap all you can eat salad bar.
2. New York China Buffet. Their $6.50 lunch has some tasty items.

The food and wine festival will be going on until the 14th. Some of the items are a great value. They have culinary demonstrations scheduled throughout the day. Free samples are handed out at the end of each seminar. Make sure to go to the wine and beer seminars. Where else can you drink for free?

Have a great time!

 

[packy]

We fly down and pack a bag with snacks then use the bag for sourenirs and the other stuff we pick up while we are there. Usuallly, go to the snack bar and get cereal and milk and maybe some fruit for breakfast - $12-$15 - and eat in the room. After that, counter service is cheapest at the parks. If you want to save avoid the sit down restaurants.

 

[CheapMom]

I know you said that you like sit down lunch but I recommend Pecos Bills at MK- We ordered 2 double cheeseburger meals with 2 extra buns-
The fixins bar has the regular lettuce, tomato, onion... but they also have grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, chili and cheese (we made chili/cheese fries) hot peppers, and I'm sure there was more. It was huge and cheap and good.
They have a large seating area but no table service.

 

[frannn]

I just read about Pecos Bill in this post, and all those burger fixins sound great! Are there other places that have that large a variety of burger toppings in the MK? I dislike burgers when they are normal, but love them when they are "squishy" with all kinds of toppings!

 

[Goofymum]

The Pinnochio Village Hause in Fantasyland has the fixins bar for hot dogs and hamburgers like Pecos Bill's. I have never been to Pecos Bill's but it sounds like the same as Pinnochio's.

 

[bsusanmb]

Cosmic Ray's has a fixins bar also. You can make a meal of the fixins - if you love mushrooms and onions sauteed!

Don't forget the free Coca Cola drinks in Epcot - I like the watermelon flavored one. I can't think of the attraction - somethign expedition I think - it's cold in there!

I also take microwave popcorn from home and make that in the microwave for evening snacks. With the refillable mugs, it's an inexpensive treat.

One year we took dried soup along and asked for hot water without the tea bag - got it free at any counter service. Bought a salad and had soup and salad.

 

[tar heel]

Restaurant Marrakesh in Morroco has lunch specials in the same price range as the Chefs de France one and the food is great. DH got one that had a salad and dessert while mine had two appetizers. Prime Time Cafe is one of the few Disney restaurants that has the same prices at lunch and dinner, and the portions are huge.

Besides the burgers at Pecos Bill's, there is a great chicken wrap that's huge -- really enough for two when you consider that you can get stuff at the bar and turn your fries into cheese fries.

Sometimes, I order the kids' meal at counter services when we are eating light. You even get a drink, and it's usually about $4.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We split all our meals on our trip in May, and it's really affordable, even at sit downs. The dinner at PrimeTime was like $15, we order water (we don't mind the water like so many others seem to!), so we were out under $20! And we ate GOOD. Those meals are huge, they split them in the kitchen for you, and they are delicious.

I have yet to find a meal at WDW that wasn't big enough to easily split between 2 adults... besides, we usually stop and grab some popcorn or a pretzel for a snack anyways, and share that. A souvenier bucket of popcorn in the parks is only $4, which isn't much I don't think, esp split between two.

If you are willing to eat offsite, you can hit many of the cheap eats there, but *I* don't think that most offsites save that much momney.... I think dinner out at Bahama Breeze is just as expensive as someplace in the park usually.