Low budget counter service???

[jessiesue]

What are some of the less expensive meals that can be purchased at the counter service restaurants? When feeding a family of 5 it gets very expensive.

Thanks

 

[TreeOfLife]

I love MK's Cosmic Ray's. Their salads are huge and their burgers filling.
But some buffet deals end up giving your money's worth, especially when you can get up and get the meal yourself rather than asking someone to bring it to you.

We have eaten at Restaurantosaurus at 8:00 AM and did not even feel hungry in the parks until about 2:00 PM! If you have big feeders in the group, maybe buffetts are a good alternative

 

[kdibattista]

even the counter service meals are fairly large so you could maybe split some "regular meals" or even get kid's meals??

 

[Kermit]

I also suggest sharing meals and getting kids' meals. The portions are huge, so that's a great option for just about anyone who doesn't have a really big appetite.

Remember that any time a menu lists things as a combo (like a burger with fries), you can always buy individual items al a cart. The price may not be on the menu, but they'll do it. The combos really aren't designed to save you money anyway, so if you see the price for the combo and the price for just fries, subtract the price for the fries and you'll have a good idea of how much it will cost.

 

[Scratch42]

We find when we do a buffet style breakfast we are pretty well set for the day but when do do feel a pang of hunger, we grab a turkey leg!

Scratch

 

[Wade Shrader]

We love Gepetto's at MK. They have a Turkey wrap that is very large, so me and my wife split it. Their burgers are also quite large, so our kids split that. That makes it a fairly reasonable lunch, and it has a cool atmosphere.

 

[JetMom]

I also have a family of 5, so I know what you are going through.

I make extensive use of the menus at www.wdwig.com for planning our meals and overall food budget.

We have done well at Cosmic Ray's, and Pecos Bill's in MK, Sunshine Seasons Food Fair in Epcot, and Pizza Planet at MGM.

At AK we had a huge Breakfast at Breakfastosaurus, ice-cream around mid-afternoon and then did the Fantasmic! Dinner Package at Hollywood & Vine.

I think that it is important to plan a couple of special meals while you are on vacation.

Planning in advance helped me do that and still stay within my budget.

 

[mickey7861]

My family's favorite counter service is Columbia Harbor House in the MK. It offers a good variety of food, plenty of seating and a nice cool place to eat and since we go in the summer that's a huge bonus.

We also like Cosmic Ray's which also has a nice variety of food options and you can buy a roasted whole chicken meal for 4 for about $15. The chicken is actually pretty good.

 

[RhondaS]

The chicken strips meal at the Columbia Harbour House is a great deal for splitting. I often split one with one of my girls.

At the hamburger places, consider ordering double meat burgers and halving them if a single wouldn't be enough. Most of them have some great "fixing bars" with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and a few even have sauteed mushrooms!

Any place serves fountain drinks will also give you cups of ice water, absolutely FREE, even if you aren't ordering anything else, just thirsty. All you have to do is ask.

 

[lorilori]

Also a family of 5 and also vote for Columbia Harbor House. We go upstairs for a table to relax for a little bit and my 2 little ones always split a chicken basket.

 

[jwill]

Pirata y perico in Adventureland is pretty reasonable. I believe it was about seven dollars for two good sized tacos and a drink. For WDW that is a petty good deal.

 

[Erikarate]

We love the hot dog carts in MK in tommorrowland and near the bridge to Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland. They are very large and make a nice meal on the go. The egg rolls from the egg roll wagon in Adventureland are a nice treat as well.

One of our favorite places is at "BoardWalk To Go" at the BW. They have great food there. Here's the menu:

http://wdwig.com/menu/menu_btg.htm

Afterward we always get dessert at the BW Bakery...it's not too cheap, but the servings are large enough to split!!! The menu:

http://wdwig.com/menu/menu_bb.htm

Hope that helps, good luck!!

 

[danjulia]

Where is the Columbia Harbor House? I've spent MANY days in the MK and never discovered this place! Thanks in advance - I'll try it in 4 weeks (if I can find it!).

 

[jwill]

It is located near the Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square.

 

[jessiesue]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. They are greatly appreciated. I will use quite a few of them. If anyone else has any, please do post.
Thanks again!

 

[Princesstimes2]

jessiesue,

I too vote for Cosmic Ray's they are the only counter service we found to offer a family meal deal. It was 15.99. That includes a whole rotisserie chicken, a large helping of wonderful mashed potatoes and 4 delicious corn muffins. I was disappointed when we went another time and I got the 1/2 rotisserie chicken and it did not include the muffin. They were so good. We were feeding four and had way too much left over. The chicken is so tender and juicy. Ahhhh, I wish I were there. Enjoy. They also have a kids corn dog meal if you needed a little something more. But I feel it would feed 5 easily. Unless, of course, you have 3 teenage boys.

 

[Princesstimes2]

jessiesue,

I too vote for Cosmic Ray's they are the only counter service we found to offer a family meal deal. It was 15.99. That includes a whole rotisserie chicken, a large helping of wonderful mashed potatoes and 4 delicious corn muffins. I was disappointed when we went another time and I got the 1/2 rotisserie chicken and it did not include the muffin. They were so good. We were feeding four and had way too much left over. The chicken is so tender and juicy. Ahhhh, I wish I were there. Enjoy. They also have a kids corn dog meal if you needed a little something more. But I feel it would feed 5 easily. Unless, of course, you have 3 teenage boys.

 

[Walts Buddy]

We (family of four) were at WDW the first week of the year. We spent a couple of days at AK and we found the very best deal for the whole time we were there. The walk-up restaurants offer a meal certificate the works like this: You either buy an adult or a childrens certificate. With this you get an entree and a drink. You then use the other parts of the certificate for a 20 oz. soda at the stands or the walk-ups and another part of the certificate for popcorn or an ice cream. Each of the walk-ups offered different entrees and the certificates can be purchased at any of the four walk-up restaurants and used at any of the four (We personally skipped the McDonald's restaurant, as you can get this anytime/anywhere) This certificate is only available at AK, but I'd highly recommend you try this. Good luck, have a great trip.

 

[Planogirl]

If you like fruit with your meals or as snacks, be sure to check the fruit carts scattered throughout the parks. The prices vary but the bananas are always reasonably priced for a theme park.

Also, if you eat a nicer meal, remember that lunch is almost always less expensive than dinner. We often filled up by eating a late lunch and then snacked a bit at night.

I don't know if you can but going offsite now and then can help with the food budget too. We took our son to the giant McDonald's near International Drive some years back and while I wasn't that thrilled, he was overjoyed.