Share your WDW food budget

[tinkerbell423]

We are heading back to the worl with a few friends and I'm writing out a budget for us. I hoped someone would share with me how much they budget for food while they are in WDW along with what is included in the budget (do you eat breakfast in the room pack lunch and eat out ect..)

Thanks

 

[blanq]

We are a family of three (me, DH, and DS-17) We have taken 10 trips to WDW, and our eating plans have somewhat varied on those trips.

Our last trip was 10 days in late Jan/early Feb 2009. We stayed at CSR and so had a small refrigerator. We did make a grocery stop on our way to our resort for breakfast items (cereal, instant oatmeal, protein bars, milk, juice, yogurt, fruit, bagels and cream cheese), and we ate breakfast in our room most mornings. We then generally ate at one counter service and one table service restaurant each day. We had one very expensive meal at CG during that trip. We purchased some snacks as well. I think we spent about $1K in food/drinks (maybe a bit more than that..my memory is a bit fuzzy after over a year), not including the breakfast items we brought in with us.

 

[Justsyd2]

On our last trip, DH and I did the QSDP for $360.00 for 6 nights. We just shared a large breakfast and lunch, then we each got a dinner. We also got 2 snacks per person per day, and 2 refillable resort mugs. We paid OOP for CRT ($104.00) and Rose and Crown ($45.00). So for two people it was $509.00 for 7 days. We didn't need to purchase anything extra with this plan. We had more than enough.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

.

 

[dyna]

When staying onsite dh an I always eat breakfast in room usually cereal. We keep a cooler in room hard cooler is best with a drain plug. We do not take food to the parks to much hassel for us we do sometimes go back to room an eat a sandwich. I keep yogurt in cooler an eat 1 a day.

DH an I almost always share meals in the parks we do CS meals no sit downs as a rule. Have even been known to share kids meal at times. There is getting to be a few places in the parks where you get your own drink which allows free refills on drinks. DH an I always share drinks.

Water is free for the asking at all resturants the food carts do not have anything but bottled water which costs money.

DH an I always leave the room with a bottle of water to drink on the way to parks but we do not carry other water or drinks with us to much hassle for us.

We keep cooler in room an buy our drinks offsite couple cases of water an some diet cokes never ever buy the mug at food court when we eat at food court we take our drinks from room.

 

[Anthony1971]

We eat Breakfast in our room most days DVC-- I just find it easier period I like not having to leave my room to eat that early.
We in general will have a TS lunch everyday and we may or may not have a CS at night but will have snacks.
we are 2 adults and one child
I figure we will spend around 500 for 7 nights... but we will sometimes do a few $$$$ dinners that can 200-400 easy
To be fair we do get discounts at a lot of TS places we eat

 

[tinkerbell423]

It depends on whether you are flying or driving, will you have a cooler, fridge in the room, toaster oven, microwave, coffee maker, etc.

Since we drive we bring a cooler. A few times we've had a fridge but most often we don't. Sometimes we bring a toaster oven, and the food courts have them if you can't bring one.

We bring lots of snacks and tupperware to make sure foods don't get smushed. If we're on our own (no dining plan), we eat breakfast in the room (granola bars, pop tarts, cereal, toast, coffee, juice, etc.). If you have a coffee maker you can make oatmeal.

For lunch we pack sandwiches, juices, chips, fruit, etc., and eat in the park. For dinner we share CS meals. You can always reverse this, depending on how tired you are - you can eat CS in the park and eat dinner in your room. Again, if you have a coffee maker, you can make any "instant" meals like mac n cheese, noodle bowls, soup bowls, etc.

A CS meal will cost about $10 (entree and drink). Snacks in the park (drink and food) are $2.50 to $5.

Your budget will depend on your personal preferences and what appliances you will have on hand.

Good point I should have said we are driving and staying off site in a house. So groceries and refrigeration are not a problem.

We have done several trips some with the meal plan, some with DVC and some off site. So our budget is different each time. I am trying to lay out a very realistic budget for the famlies coming with us so I wanted others input.
Also I was just curious to find out what everyone else does/spends you never know when someone has a good idea you could borrow.

 

[cassandrap83]

We are staying offsite at a condo with a full kitchen & we will be renting a car. 2 Adults 2 Children (3 1/2 & 4 1/2). We will be staying for 7 nights, and leaving very early the next morning.

That said, we plan on shopping for water, soda, breakfast items, & snacks. We plan on eating breakfast every morning in the hotel room & taking a few snacks with us. I have budgeted $100 for these groceries.

I have budgeted $30/day for lunch inside the parks. We will be using this at CS restaurants. We don't over-eat so we will share meals.

I have budgeted $40/day for dinner. We will be having dinner offsite. I have scoured through all the "recommended places to eat" posts and have compiled a list. I have also now signed up for the "e-clubs" of all these places and have already started to receive coupons good for our stay.

Some days I am sure we will just get a "quick" dinner & only touch half of what I have budgeted, and some days we may go over a bit.

I have also budgeted $15+/day for snacks inside the parks.

All together, our food budget is: $700
I am very familiar with our family's eating habits, and I think that these are realistic numbers. We will have money if we need to spend more, but I don't think it will be necessary. For us, eating isn't a big part of the vacation that needs to be expensive or an "experience", it's just part of life.

 

[debsays]

We've been going to WDW since our son was 3 1/2 (he's now 24) and we always had a refrig and had breakfast in the room. We'd go to Publix grocery shopping for milk, juice, water, muffins, cereal, snacks, etc. At one time when he was small we'd go to Walmart and purchase an inexpensive toaster for toast, bagels, english muffins, etc. To this day we still eat breakfast in the room (husband/I alone now) as we like the quietness in the a.m. Still go to the grocery store for food,etc. We also enjoy going to Pizza Hut for their buffet lunch and we love Sweet Tomatoes along with the Ale House. All reasonable places to eat.

 

[persimmondeb]

The last time we stayed in a house offsite we did a lot of cooking, and while we spent a fair amount on groceries (it's a vacation, so steak, shrimps, wine, desserts, eggs and bacon for breakfast, etc.) we didn't even use half our restaurant budget. This most recent trip we did QSDP (about $480 for 3 of us for 5 days) plus about $300 OOP for table service meals (one a day on average), but we are big eaters for whom dining is an important part of the vacation and we are feeding a teenage boy.

Also, I don't mind cooking, but I don't want granola bars in the room for breakfast, especially if I know there's a food court with omelettes and pancakes right down the walkway, and I don't want to eat peanut butter on a bench either. Of all the outside food I saw people with in the parks, I only saw one set of sandwiches that inspired me with any envy. So for us, about $55pp a day, but it can vary a lot. If I were comfortable spending more I probably would, but if my son was younger, it'd be a little less.

 

[At World's End]

We will be staying in a condo and plan to do breakfast at home. A few days we will eat dinner at home, either when AK closes early or when we return for a break before staying for fireworks.

Our grocery budget for the condo for 10 days is $100.

Our budget for meals in the park is $600. This includes lunch at LeCellier, Biergarten, and Sci Fi. And breakfast at Kona. We also have a dinner ADR at House of Blues and will use a $25 gift cert. from Restaurants.com. And a stop at Beaches & Cream for the Kitchen Sink!

I am budgeting $140 for snacks in the park. My older son is getting very budget-savvy since he's been saving for this trip. When I told him the Mickey bars cost $4 in the parks, he flipped out! He said, "We could buy a whole box of ice cream bars at the store for that! Everybody just has to wait until we get home for ice cream!" So I think we'll have money left over from the snack budget!

We'll probably spend another $100 on misc offsite food (picking up pizza on the way home, dinner on arrival night, etc).

 

[jksgrammy]

We will be staying in a condo and plan to do breakfast at home. A few days we will eat dinner at home, either when AK closes early or when we return for a break before staying for fireworks.

Our grocery budget for the condo for 10 days is $100.

Our budget for meals in the park is $600. This includes lunch at LeCellier, Biergarten, and Sci Fi. And breakfast at Kona. We also have a dinner ADR at House of Blues and will use a $25 gift cert. from Restaurants.com. And a stop at Beaches & Cream for the Kitchen Sink!

I am budgeting $140 for snacks in the park. My older son is getting very budget-savvy since he's been saving for this trip. When I told him the Mickey bars cost $4 in the parks, he flipped out! He said, "We could buy a whole box of ice cream bars at the store for that! Everybody just has to wait until we get home for ice cream!" So I think we'll have money left over from the snack budget!

We'll probably spend another $100 on misc offsite food (picking up pizza on the way home, dinner on arrival night, etc).

That is MY mindset! Need to get others in our group to think like that (hint, hint - you know who you are!!).

Back to subject - we always brings lots of water with us, but we drive, so can pack in (2) 24 packs. To pay $2.50 for a bottle of water at Disney is insane. We always carry a back pack into the parks, with snacks, and bottled water. We also do many CS (counter service) meals. I spend ALOT of time going thru all the various menus to determine likes/dislikes and costs. Our upcoming trip is the first time we are seriously considering getting the QSDDP, but that's only because for our DD, SIL, and 2 gkids, it appears to be somewhat cheaper for them to go that route then OOP. DH & I are upgrading to annual passes once we get there and I'm also looking very closely at the TIW discount card, as that would work out better for just the two of us. Unfortunately, if I understand the dining plan correctly, EVERYONE in your party that is staying in your unit (we have a 2 bedroom unit at Beach Club Villas) has to be on the dining plan, we can't do the TIW, and then have my daughter's family on the QSDDP.

Oh well, lots of time to plan, which is part of the fun, right?!!