Tips, Tricks, Ideas for saving money on Food at Disney World

[DisneyChristian]

I was hoping to get some ideas on tricks and tips to save money on food at Disney World. Or if someone could point me in the direction of a thread that already has that information.

What are the size of the lockers in the parks?

You cannot take rolling coolers into the parks right?

 

[eliza61]

For my family, alot of the time the thing that really runs up our bill is soft drinks and water.

Since we tend to go when the weather is hot, my kids are always clamoring for drinks.
Soft drinks in WDW are ridiculously priced.
We freeze our water the night before and bring it with us to the parks. The water melts throughout the day keeping it nice and cold.
Saves us a ton.

 

[leagirl12]

What are the size of the lockers in the parks?
QUOTE]

I was wondering this myself. We have never used the lockers at the parks but this will be our first time not on the DDP. I would love to be able to pack a small bag of drinks, sandwiches, and chips and maybe put it in a locker.

 

[cglaura]

You can get free cups of ice water at the counter service places. No other purchase required. Reports vary on the size cup you receive. I've always asked for a large cup of ice water and that is what I get.

The meals are huge. You can easily split them. And alot of variety too...not just burgers and dogs...salads, wraps, bbq, etc.

If you want to do a sit down meal, lunch is usually less expensive than dinner and you get just about the same offerings. Some places vary (Liberty Tree Tavern for example), so it would be good to check the menus just to make sure you get what want.

Not sure about the locker sizes, but yes, rolling anything is not permitted, nor is anything you have to pull behind you.

Eating breakfast in the room is a good saver, pop-tarts, granola bars, fruit, etc. Sandwiches that travel well also, such as pbj. Disney allows food to be brought in, nothing in glass though.

We usually ship a box down with breakfast food and snacks. It cost about $10 from NJ. With all the extra airline fees now, shipping it sometimes less than backing an extra bag.

Take a refillable water bottle and some drink mixes. Great for filling up at water fountains.

 

[DisneyChristian]

Splitting meals is a great idea. What are the counter service restaurants and the meals that are big enough to split?

So the only option for pushing things around would be a stroller then?

I think I read somewhere that at one counter service or maybe more than one where you could buy a double hamburger and get an extra bun and then have 2 hamburgers from that. Anyone heard or read about things like that?

 

[Justsyd2]

Most any meal can be split - Disney portions are huge! Go to www.allears.net to see the menus.

I wouldn't try the "double burger - extra bun" thing. Someone posted that on the iternet, so naturally, everyone that read it tried it and now Disney is charging around $3 for the extra bun. I don't blame them for doing so.

 

[SnowWtch]

We bring a bottle of water each and bring Crystal Light and Propel packets to add to it when we refill it from a fountain.

DH and I used to do the extra bun thing but now we just cut the double burger in half to save a little bit. We don't need the extra bread anyway especially when they have a toppings bar.

We eat breakfast in our room then we usually split meals for lunch or just eat a big lunch and skip dinner.

 

[Dizneydaz]

PP has a lot of my same ideas.

Free ice water. I rarely (if every) buy a soda in the park
Flavor tubes for water bottles (I made straps to carry the bottles so they are very easy to carry-everyone carries their own)
Share meals-many of the CS meals area shareable between 2 A or 1A and 1K.
Eat breakfast in the room. Fruit, poptarts, cereal, toast, etc. Saves time and money

New ones
Also you can order a kid's meal for an adult at the CS locations if you aren't too hungry and it inc. a drink.
You can carry some food/drinks in with you. Nothing in glass. I've carried in my own cans of Diet Coke (get ice for free) as well as some snack type items. No reason why you can't carry in certain types of sandwiches as well (they kind that don't require refrigeration.

My DD10 and I go to DLR a lot and one thing we do to save a little money is when we do get ice cream we share a 2 scoop one. We each get one scoop of our fav. flavor and it's cheaper than ordering 2 singles. I usually ask for an empty cup to put one of the scoops in. If we are getting a sundae I ask for the sauce on the side since my DD doesn't like them. We share the cone.

A single cone at MS Ice Cream is $2.69, a double is $3.69. Only $1 for the extra scoop. So instead of costing $5.38 for 2 cones, we save almost $2. Not a huge savings but it adds up. At Fountainview in EPCOT the prices are:

Single Scoop $2.69
with Waffle Cone $3.09

Double Scoop $3.69
with Waffle Cone $4.09

Same for regular cone, even more savings on a waffle cone ($6.18 for 2 singles vs. $4.09 for one double-over $2 savings.)

We always have a rental car so before we even get to our resort we stop off at Super WM or Super Target to get breakfast items, water bottles, sodas, and if we don't have one in my fridge swap, a cheap toaster. You can use the toaster and microwave in the food court but sometimes it's just easier to use your own toaster in the room.

You can take ice chests into the water parks. Again, nothing with glass or alcohol.

Can't help you with locker locations. Sorry.



HTH.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

At the four major parks (AK, DHS, EC, MK) coolers are restricted to "small, soft-sided, which can fit in a locker". And they cannot be rolling bags.

The only restrictions that apply to all parks (theme and water) are nothing in glass containers (other than medicines and baby food) and no alcoholic beverages.

Some things people don't think about (which tend to be in glass) are pickles, salsa, Mayonaisse, Starbucks drinks, Snapple drinks, Tabasco.

At the water parks any type or size cooler is acceptable. I have seen people come through the gate (Typhoon Lagoon) hauling wheeled coolers about 4' x 3' x 2½'. Note that the cooler can be on two wheels or carried, but the way the rules are written you can not have it in a wagon and it cannot have four wheels.

If you show up at the gate with prohibited items we will give you three choices:
(1) Take prohibited items back to your car or resort.
(2) Put prohibited items in the nearby trash can.
(3) (Only for other than alcoholic beverages) If you have plastic bags or cups you can dump the items out of the glass containers and throw away the container.

 

[Local_Girl]

What is the current charge for a locker? Used to be part was a deposit that you got back...is that still the case? And word of caution: watch your locker at the end of the day when you are taking stuff out. We left the key in while we were removing stuff, turned our backs for a minute, and someone swept through, grabbed our key and no doubt returned it for the deposit money. I was not a happy camper.

 

[cglaura]

Oh, another thing, the stuff up on "the board" above the cashiers is not the end all be all. You can get just a burger. Or just chicken strips. Or a single burger, not double. You don't have to purchase the combo. So if splitting a meal wouldn't satisfy you could still save a little by ordering one combo and one main item. Or one combo and an extra side.

As for the extra bun...as pp said, I don't think it is too much of a savings. And if you think about it, those buns aren't going to fill you up too too much anyway. You'd do just as fine cutting the burger in half.

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

You can get free ice water from any stand/counter service that has it anywhere in Disney, just ask for it. If you really despise the taste of tap water, bring the little water flavor packets (Crystal Light, etc.) but it's really not bad, especially when you're really hot and thirsty (and I'm pretty picky about water).

Bring (or hit a store when you get there) breakfast stuff like cereal bars, Pop Tarts, etc., and eat in room before heading to the parks. The best thing to do is hit the parks as early as possible and then take a midday break at your resort.

If you have a fridge, also get bread, PB&J, sandwich meat, etc. for sandwiches back in the room.

Most places have pretty big portion sizes. Split meals.

If you have a villa or place with at least a kitchenette, do meals in the room. We are DVC owners and get a 2-bedroom villa when going with the kids, so we have a full kitchen. We have done tacos (easy, quick, cheap), spaghetti, BLT sandwiches, etc. or even a frozen pizza baked in the oven. We always drive, so we always have a car too. So we hit a grocery store off property when we first get there and plan a few meals, get cereal and milk, etc.

Alcohol is pretty pricey on property. Consider getting your wine/beer from an off site grocery store or order from a delivery place to have in your room and get non-alcoholic drinks with meals (easier said than done, though, sometimes, cuz some of their drinks are pretty tempting/yummy!)

Get a Tables in Wonderland card for 20% off most places (including alcohol) if you have an AP.

Eat off site when possible if you have a car.

Do a LATE breakfast buffet (like 11 a.m.) as a "lunch" alternative and then an early dinner (late lunch at some places, like 3:00-4:00, which is cheaper than dinner prices).

Bring snacks into the parks, but something that won't melt or spoil easily so you don't need a cooler (PB crackers, etc.)

 

[howlongtildisney]

I agree with everything that PPs have to say, but wanted to add one more thing. I drink water all day every day. It would be very expensive for me to do that in the parks. So, I have a CamelBak backpack that I use as my park bag. That way, I always have water with me. I find the water in Central FL to be pretty gross, so I just bring gallon jugs of water with me (I drive). One time I bought the water from 7-11 that's near DTD. Way cheaper than water in the parks!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

This is what we do on lots of trips. It has saved us a lot of money (and fat and calories) over the last few years. We have a few people in our group who are on a very limited diet for medical reasons so we make our own lunch.

We spent roughly $25 at Target and bought an Igloo brand insulated, back pack cooler. It’s very lightweight and insulated to keep things cold.

While at Target, I took the backpack to the aisle where they have the Rubbermaid containers. (Like Tupperware) I bought a large rectangular container that would fit inside the insulated back pack. I chose the biggest one I could get that would fit. Be sure to leave room for a blue ice. You can try all of these things out for size before you leave Target.

I make sandwiches at the hotel and place them in the Rubbermaid container. When we’re going to the parks, place the blue ice pack and the Rubbermaid container in the insulated backpack. It stays cold until lunch time and all is well. It keeps the sandwiches from being smashed. I also put a can of Pringles in the outer holder where you should place a bottle of water. So, Pringles and sandwiches for lunch.

When the Pringles can is empty, you can keep it for the next day to use as a container if you want to refill it with cheetos or something else you don’t want to get crushed.

This works well for us not only for Disney but also trips to the zoo etc.

For drinks, those in our family who drink soda buy a soda for lunch and also Disney will give you a glass of ice water free at any of the counter food services if you don’t drink soda.

edited to add: it's not heavy and you aren't carrying it ALL day -- only until lunch time. Then in the afternoon and evening it's lightweight and we can use it to store out purchases or snacks in.

 

[DreadpiratK]

Our money saving strategy is this:

-Big breakfast at the house. Bacon and eggs, pancakes, and the like. This helps a lot with the hunger and energy during the day.

-Each family member has his/her own fanny pack with frozen water bottle, GORP, and whatever snacks he/she likes. Fruit snacks, jerky, pb&j, whatever they like. We find it easier to split it all up and let everyone carry their own. Plus the kids really like it because they can snack as they choose without asking us all the time.

- We stay in the parks until about 3 pm, then head out to a buffet restaurant like Golden Corral or CiCi's. By then everyone is good and hungry and ready for a break from the heat. We eat a nice leisurely early dinner. The big advantages to the timing are that most buffet restaurants start charging dinner prices at 4, so we pay lunch prices, but they put out the better dinner food just after we get there, so dinner for lunch prices. Once everyone is well fed and rested, we head back to the parks and get there right when everyone else is crowding the restaurants for dinner, so shorter lines at the attractions, and we're good for the rest of the night.

This is based on staying in a house with a kitchen, and having a car, so it won't work for everyone, but it has saved us a ton on our food bills on our trips to Disney. Of course we vary it from day to day, we usually pick one Park restaurant for a nice meal, or go a little nicer than a buffet once or twice, but we also sometimes go back to the house for dinner on days that we do AK or the water parks.

We have never found going off site to eat to be that big of a burden, it doesn't take that long really and it's cheaper and often better. But then we always go off season in September, so that makes a big difference.

 

[chickflick]

I was hoping to get some ideas on tricks and tips to save money on food at Disney World. Or if someone could point me in the direction of a thread that already has that information.

What are the size of the lockers in the parks?

You cannot take rolling coolers into the parks right?

Also, keep in mind with your little ones, snacks! Put a small fanny pack on both of them with a small bottle of water, a sucker, a pez dispenser, fruit chews, granola bar, etc... this goes a long way to keeping the munchies and the gimmies at bay--especially in long lines.
We pack them every evening--I let my little one pick 2 items from 2 gallon size bags I've packed from home loaded with goodies--1 bag with good for you items and 1 bag full of sweets--My husband and I do the same in our bags...we save the small water bottles from our lunch, then fill and chill for the next day!
Good luck keeping your cost down!

 

[Poohbug]

What is the current charge for a locker? Used to be part was a deposit that you got back...is that still the case? And word of caution: watch your locker at the end of the day when you are taking stuff out. We left the key in while we were removing stuff, turned our backs for a minute, and someone swept through, grabbed our key and no doubt returned it for the deposit money. I was not a happy camper.

This happened to us also. Those guys are quick but there was no one else even close to our locker so my DH asked if he took our key. He gave it right back and disappeared.

One tip I have is to order an appetizer as your meal in the sit down restaurants. As said before the portions are huge and an appetizer is plenty for a meal-maybe two meals if ordering for children.

If you have kids, most resort gift stores have a cooler where you can buy half gallons of milk-much cheaper than buying it by the single serving carton.

 

[SunnieRN]

A couple of good "sharing" meals

Double hamburger or cheeseburger, cut in 1/2. If you go to one of the counterservice restaurants, you can add toppings!

Cosmic Rays in MK, Rib and Chicken combo. This is HUGE and yummy!

Epcot Tangierene cafe, the Schwarma platter, yum.

Animal Kingdom, Pizzafari has an italian sandwhich that is yummy and large. I ate 1/2 and was full! There is also Yak and Yeti counter service and it is easy to share there.

Hollywood Studios, starring rolls cafe has sandwhiches that are good, but not huge. Pair that with one of their ginormous cupcakes and you can share both!

There is also a place there that sells a chicken/rib combo, but I'm not sure of the name. I was holding our spot in line for the Star Wars parade and my daughter brought it back for us to share.

 

[momof1princess]

OP, anywhere you can get a pizza w/ salad combo meal (pinocchio village haus, toy story pizza planet, pizzafari), it is big enough to share. DH and i shared them last june. i would eat the salad and one piece of pizza, DH had 3 pieces of pizza and the soft drink (i only drink water). also, whenever you get a CS meal with fries, there are usually always enough fries for at least 2 people, so you could always buy extra chicken fingers or a burger, and split the fries.
our food budget for an entire week (including our 3 TS meals, one of which was over $100.00-biergarten) was $650.00, and we had $30.00 left over. we ate all of our meals on-site, and as previously stated, 3 TS (biergarten at supper, crystal palace for lunch and the tusker house breakfast), so we ate well, and bought a few snacks along the way, mostly drinks, because it was SO unbearably HOT!

 

[Pastamom]

We are a family of 4 - DS 9 and 11. DS11 could eat all day - DS9 eats very little. We have bought 2 or 3 meals (pizza, Ceasar salad, Chicken Strips etc) and make it family style.

We always get water from the QS places - This is a huge savings. I also bring in water bottles frozen or filled with ice - depending on the opening.

Snacks are important to us also. I bring filling snacks - peanuts, crackers, pretzels. I also make sure they are snacks that travel well. I also throw in a few long lasting treats - suckers, gum (1 piece can last DS11 all day...) starburst, etc.

Breakfast - I bring down some granola bars and cereal. They can also double as snacks and can be eaten on the run.