What are your money saving tips for food?

[Southern Peach]

My family of 6 will be going to DL for 4 days, SD for 2 days and Hollywood/LA for 2 days the first week in August. I am interrested in saving some money on food while we are in DL. I have already scheduled breakfast with Minnie for our first day and Goofy's kitchen for the fifth day when we actually check out of Hojo's (not a DL ticket day). I am thinking of doing some grocery shopping when we get there for breakfast and sandwich items. That way we can do breakfast and lunch in our room.

Just wondering how some of you save money on food and whats the cheapest way to eat.

I am also thinking that with it being so hot that we will might not be eating so much junk food in park for the fear of getting sick. Any opinons out there?

 

[DangerMouse]

Order from Von's or Albertson's and arrange to have it delivered to your hotel room. There are many posts on here about how to do that, and how to waive the delivery fee.

Order a case of water and bring your own into the parks. Get crystal light or kool-aid single packs to put in your water bottles. Refill your empty bottles at the baby center in DL for free cold filtered water.

Bring in your own high protein snacks (jerky, frozen gogurt tubes, cheese sticks, trail mix, etc.). These kinds of snacks stick with you so you don't get hungry as often. We like to do peanut butter and honey rolled up in flour tortillas for an easy, portable snack.

Split meals in the parks. Adults can order kids meals at counter service restaurants.

Those are a few to get you started. . .

 

[50sjayne]

Are you driving or flying? Where are you staying?-- will you have microwave/fridge, kitchenette?

 

[RudemanRB]

Buy a whole Pizza at the Pizza Port, if you have kids split the drinks.

you can also get your hand stamped and leave the park and go eat outside the park, gives a nice little break from the park as well.
If you have your car parked, you can re-enter with the parking ticket as well I believe, but check with the attendant it's been a while since I've done that.


Have a blast.

Rudy

 

[Brady's Mom]

We always bring a lot of our own food. I try to bring healthy snacks to the park, nuts, granola bars, jerky, sometimes fruit snacks (the fruit juice kind, with no artificial flavors or colors), plenty of water. We also use a double stroller for our younger children, so we have plenty of space to keep our things. We are thinking about bringing sandwiches in for lunch so we don't have to spend so much on lunch and then just spend the money for a "nice" dinner.

We started getting cups of ice/ice water when we were there in March, we stayed so much better hydrated. If we only got a cup of ice water, I just poured our water bottle into it and instant coldness. Also, my kids drank more water from a cup with a straw than with just a water bottle. It is a great tip I learned on this board!!

Hope this helps!

 

[mAlien13]

I agree with the previous posters advice, but would add that if you have the ability to freeze water bottles in your hotel room, freeze a couple each night and then carry the frozen ones with a couple refrigerated ones. The frozen ones keep the others cool for the first part of the day, then begin to melt and give a nice cool drink in the later part of the day. We keep these in an insulated section of our backpack, which allows us to carry some of the afore mentioned snacks, like string cheese, without fear of them getting too warm.

With a family of six, I second the motion that you plan on splitting meals. Some good places with generous servings: Pizza Port, Taste Pilots Grill, Hungry Bear, and the Mexican place in Frontierland (sorry the name escapes me atm). At Taste Pilots and Hungry Bear, there are veggie toppings available, so you can put together an impromptu salad for something fresh and to stretch the meal a bit. They both have ranch available. At Pizza Port, the pasta servings are also very large, in addition to the pizza.

 

[Southern Peach]

Are you driving or flying? Where are you staying?-- will you have microwave/fridge, kitchenette?

We will be flying from Idaho to Lax, thank goodness it is only a two hour flight. We are already maxed out for our luggage thanks to the new additional luggage fees they stick you with now so no room for packing food. We will be staying at Hojo's in the family suite, to be honest I'm not sure if it has a freezer and I'm thinking a no on a stove.

Love the kool-aid singles idea, totally didn't even think of that. And its nice to know you can get filtered water for free.


Great tips already, keep'em coming.

 

[Hound 109]

- Schedule your Minnie's bfast late morning (takes care of Bfast & lunch).
- Schedule your Goofy's bfast for lunch. (or late afternoon so it takes care of lunch AND dinner).
- Eat granola bars (or stop in to McDs on your walk from hojo to DL for mcbfast) instead of the big character feed first thing in the morning.
- You don't want to waste precious morning time (8am - 10:30am) at a meal. Better to tour & collect FPs during this time.
- Split meals (portions) at most counter service.

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Order from Von's or Albertson's and arrange to have it delivered to your hotel room. There are many posts on here about how to do that, and how to waive the delivery fee.

How much is the delivery fee ?

 

[DangerMouse]

We will be flying from Idaho to Lax, thank goodness it is only a two hour flight. We are already maxed out for our luggage thanks to the new additional luggage fees they stick you with now so no room for packing food. We will be staying at Hojo's in the family suite, to be honest I'm not sure if it has a freezer and I'm thinking a no on a stove.

Love the kool-aid singles idea, totally didn't even think of that. And its nice to know you can get filtered water for free.


Great tips already, keep'em coming.

The Queen Suite at the HoJo only has a fridge and microwave -- no stove. There is a small freezer section in the top of the fridge, but it would probably only fit 2 bottles laying on their sides.

 

[Queenbillabong]

How much is the delivery fee ?

I'm not sure what the Albertson's delivery fee is, but if you sign up for Von's, you will get a code for free delivery on your first order....

 

[shoppingmom]

We have learned where big meals are served and we share them. i.e. the counter service in Tomorrowland (can't remember the name) at breakfast you can get a huge breakfast and order a side plate of fruit and my daughter and I usually split the breakfast and everyone shares the fruit.

 

[DoomBugger]

We often will get fruit and put them in tupperware thingys and not only do we save money on snacks but the fruit portions like pineapple and canteloupe are the best snacks!

Remember if you have enough people, are staying enough days and are going to be eating meals on site alot you might consider buying one AP so you can utilize the 10% discount; just one sit down meal with a small party the discount would probably pay for itself the first day.

 

[bumbershoot]

We have learned where big meals are served and we share them. i.e. the counter service in Tomorrowland (can't remember the name) at breakfast you can get a huge breakfast and order a side plate of fruit and my daughter and I usually split the breakfast and everyone shares the fruit.

Tomorrowland Terrace. Love those b'fasts! They even include a beverage!

Everyone's said it already. Share food, kid's meals, supplement with snacks from outside. Either get bottled water elsewhere, bring or buy a bottle and refill it as you go, or just ask for cups of ice waters at any restaurant. Skip the sodas, they dehydrate you and cost the earth.

Have you checked out the menus at allears.net already?

 

[bumbershoot]

Remember if you have enough people, are staying enough days and are going to be eating meals on site alot you might consider buying one AP so you can utilize the 10% discount; just one sit down meal with a small party the discount would probably pay for itself the first day.

VERY good point. With just the three of us (with limited diets due to vegetarian, dieting, and ingredient sensitivities) it's taken awhile to build up those 10%s enough to pay for the difference of the AP, but with a family of 6 that would add up fast.

 

[Southern Peach]

VERY good point. With just the three of us (with limited diets due to vegetarian, dieting, and ingredient sensitivities) it's taken awhile to build up those 10%s enough to pay for the difference of the AP, but with a family of 6 that would add up fast.

Tell me if I'm wrong, but I thought I had read on this board that you can not use mm's with an AP. I have two that I would really like to use.

Great tips everyone, thanks a million.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I am going to be ordering from vons too.
I must sya i didnt know could get frre cold filtered water at baby center lol ill def use it.
Now if i were you id do minnie last serving to make it part of lunch
but goffys id do early dinner

 

[aprincess@mail.com]

try to eat bf outside the park, and bring in your own snacks.
i think everyone already said it all...

 

[bumbershoot]

Tell me if I'm wrong, but I thought I had read on this board that you can not use mm's with an AP. I have two that I would really like to use.

Great tips everyone, thanks a million.

Sounds like you got your tix through getawaytoday since you have two MMs? If you have MM(s) through your ticket, you need to use those first, b/c you're right, you lose the MM on a ticket once you upgrade.

But if by chance you're staying on site (and I think you said you weren't) then you get MM by staying onsite, and you could upgrade on your first day to get those discounts.

 

[Vacation Dad]

We always have a rental car and just make a quick stop by a grocery store on the way in. Coming from SNA airport you can take the Chapman exit rather than going all the way up to Harbor, and you will drive right past a Von’s. It doesn’t add much time to the trip and you can actually pick out yourself what you want for the next couple days. It’s not the newest (or cleanest) store, but it is fine for a one-time stop.