$ spent on food...

[dolce]

for those of you who didnt choose the dining plan, how much would you say was actually spent on food?

 

[MickeyNicki]

An easy way to figure it out is look at the menus on allearsnet.com, pick the places that you will eat at and add up the prices.

 

[joenan88]

It is hard to state how much you would spend...if you are not taking the dining then apply for the Disney Visa..they have some discounts on the dinner shows and other discounts for the parks. The childrens items on most menu's are around $7.00 and it includes a drink, entree and dessert. It is a pretty good deal. The adult items can be pricey but look over the menu's and decide where is the most economical. I know The Whispering Canyon at WL is pretty reasonable and the waiters and waitresses do antics that the kids enjoy~ Have fun!

 

[dolce]

oh i was just wondering what everyone spent in general
i will be prepared, no problem!

 

[SGMCO]

When we are not on the DDP we eat only CS meals which
are much less expensive. We bring breakfast bars to eat
in our room before the park (this save some money and time).
There are quite a varity of menu choices for CS meals (it's not
all burgers and pizza). You just have to go to the Menu
section and see all of the choices and where you can get
the best CS food.
You can also order off the kids menu (smaller portion and price-
they won't ask if you are getting it for a Kid).
We would do only 2 TS meals on a trip using our Disney Visa
Reward Points as payment.
So 2 years ago (2006) we spent around $60.00 per day
for 2 CS meals for 2 Adults and 1 Child (10 years old).
You have to also calulate Water consumption (bottled water) if you do not like
tap water. We ordered water from a grocery delivery service which delivered to the
resort (we had water for the whole trip).

 

[creativeamanda]

I just checked my receipts. Last year, we spent $432.13 on food over a 3-day period. This is $108 per day for a family of five. This is close to the same price as the DDP, but in that time, we had 2 TS meals (Trails End for bkfst and CP for dinner), ate off site at the Ponderosa, had 4 CS meals, had pizza delivered once, and had about 4-5 snacks. We split all of the CS meals except for one at MGM. So this is the break down for 4 nights at WDW:
Off of DP:
2 TS
1 off site
4 CS
4 Snacks (I think DH got icecream with cash, but I don't have ther receipt)
Total: 432.41

Same trip if on DDP:
4 TS
4 CS
4 Sn
Total: about $416

The way I figure it, we would have gotten one more meal for our family of five for less. I must mention that our tips are not included in our figuring--we always carry cash for tips, as dh's mom was a server for years and she always preferred cash tips. I only added what I had receipts for, so the tips are of course not included.

 

[mkycrzy1971]

In 2003, family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children), we ate at Chef Mickeys, and Ohana...these were our only TS meals...we were there a total of 10 days eating mostly CS meals and only one snack each per day...we spent a total of $1200 on food and snacks...since then I have always opted for the dining plan...at least I know to expect cost wise and we get to eat a sit down meal ever evening.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

I also advise using the menus. Some trips, we spend a lot of money on food; others (especially when it's hot), we spend very little. We also use our DDE card.

 

[ciera321]

We are not big eaters and usually have breakfast in our room, a CS lunch and a nice TS dinner with a snack somewhere during the day. For the 3 of us (DH, me and DS 14) we usually plan on $100 per day, not counting breakfast. I always take about $200 extra for food just in case we go overboard...

 

[mkycrzy1971]

We are not big eaters and usually have breakfast in our room, a CS lunch and a nice TS dinner with a snack somewhere during the day. For the 3 of us (DH, me and DS 14) we usually plan on $100 per day, not counting breakfast. I always take about $200 extra for food just in case we go overboard...

If you plan on a nice TS each day you (with the 3 of you considered adults) you will probably spend upward of $100 each day just on the TS meal including tip...it might make more sense to buy the DDP if you are going to go this route...at least you would not have any surprises...I know our average tab for a CS lunch was $40-$50 for 3 adults and one child...and for our TS meals it averaged $120...plus your snacks, $3 average per snack...just a suggestion...have fun!

 

[pooch]

and I'm planning on $20 each (2 of us) for tips and drinks per day over and above the Free DDP.

 

[La2kw]

The four of us usually spend about $1000 over a two week period. Much less than the DDP would cost us for the same time period. We have never spent as much as the DDP would cost us, and we have been to WDW lots of times. We are DVC members and have breakfast in our room, some dinners or lunches, and do just a few TS restaurants. We are also not adverse to eating off site if we have a car. Disney food is low quality and expensive.

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

For our upcoming trip in May, we looked at the menus over at allearsnet and figured up that we will spend $520 on TS alone for our 8 day vacation. That doesn't include our DDE discount though.

 

[stan]

For four of us, we usually spend about $2/day/person for breakfast (we get a fridge & eat breakfast in the room usually), about $10-12/day/person for a counter service dinner, and usually have a TS every other day for lunch (otherwise a CS). So, about $15/person/day for lunch (average of 1 TS and 1 CS), and about $3-5/day/person snacks. So....it comes out to be about $30-$45 per person per day for meals. We've never gone to a character meal unless it was part of the package. It usually close to, but under the price of the dining plan, and our family does not have big eaters and usually never wants to take the time out for a sit down dinner every night. We'd rather save the money and spend it on souvenirs and other shows (like Cirque).

 

[Lovin' Lorne]

Hubby and I spent somewhere around $200 total on a 7 day trip. We don't eat a lot, rarely get snacks and always have at least two or three meals off site.

There's just no way the DDP would ever work for us.

 

[DVC Jen]

if we averaged what we spent on food over the length of our trip - it was more than we have ever spent on the dining plan.

 

[crymaxbrown@hotmail.]

CS and TS meals? I'm a newbie and the terms are hard for me!

 

[Crazy Kanga]

CS and TS meals? I'm a newbie and the terms are hard for me!

CS is Counter Service = fast food.
TS is Table Service = sit down meal.

 

[1andrea]

CS is Counter Service = fast food.
TS is Table Service = sit down meal.

Hey Crazy K have you booked another Disney trip yet?

 

[BeckWhy]

When I go, it generally averages between $250 - $300 a person. That's about $35 a day. This does not include any alcoholic beverages.