Meal Planning

[Princess50]

To get the discounted room rates for the marathon there are no meal plans included...what is the best (and least expensive) way to eat since we will be there 5 days

 

[2Tiggies]

You didn't say how many of you there are and whether you have young children with you. The upside, if you do have kids, of not using the Dining Plan is that you aren't limited to ordering off the kid's menus. It really depends how you eat.

On our last trip in April we didn't do the Dining Plan and honestly, just becasue of the way we eat, it was much cheaper than even buying the QSDP .... and that included three table service character meals plus tips!! We never eat a hot breakfast so I took those mini Kelloggs cereal boxes with for in the room. Also, I bought a pack of bagels from the resort gift shop, just to have something different - most of the food courts have a toaster where you can toast the bagels. We also bought the refillable mugs. I know you can't use them outside the resort, but they still paid themselves off many times over. In fact, I think we broke even by the second day!

If you do your homework, you will find that there are many places where you can share meals as they are large enough. We did this for the most part, not specifically trying to save money, but rather, trying not to waste food.

There were times when we were a little more hungry and we would just buy a portion of fries to add to it. Also, some of the places have great fixin' bars where you can bulk up your plate with extra cheese, lettuce, grilled tomato, you name it.

You can check out the menus online at AllEars, but even better, if you are looking at sharing, see if your library carries an edition of the Unofficial Guide to WDW. There is a section on Dining in there and they actually rate all the CS and TS restaurants according to a number of criteria, one of which is portion size (in the case of the QS ratings). They are, in my opinion, pretty spot on! It gives you an idea of where you can get a meal that is large enough to split if that is your intention. You will sometimes feel really hungry and want your own meals - I mean no-one wants to share all the time - sometimes you just feel like eating something no-one else does but again, you have the flexibility without the dining plan.

As we did our last trip with all meals OOP (i.e. no Dining Plan) I kept every single receipt over the 16 day stay, including snacks and little bits that we bought to nibble now and then, and when I got back, I broke it down to see the overall total, averages, etc. It looks so different when you see your eating habits on paper!!! Unfortunatley it is on paper as I didn't put it on the computer which wasn't working at the time, but if you need any further help please give a shout! I hope you really have a great time. I have just broken through the one year mark and it feels so long to wait I sometimes want to cry!

 

[engle]

My very basic advice when I plan trips for others in the same boat....and who really want a good dining experience.

Big Counter service breakfasts (unless you have your heart set on character breakfasts and you have kids with you...then do this and have counter service for lunch and dinner that day)
Late sit down lunches (check out menus so you can still get the best of WDW with the cheapest menus....if you are a big eater, I suggest buffets!!)
Snacks/counter service for dinner (lots of sharing...after a big lunch you probably won't want much)


And finally, if you have a car and you aren't going to be in the parks everyday, eat offsite for a meal or two. There is a new Sweet Tomatos nearby which I just LOVE. And I am sure, tons of other cheaper than WDW restaurants.