What do you buy at the parks?

[PamNC]

It's just me and my DH. It really varies. For instance, let's say we're doing MK. We don't eat breakfast or dinner in the park. We eat at a resort restaurant..like Kona Cafe for breakfast and someplace close by for dinner. For example, Narcoosee's, CA Grille. We usually do counter service for lunch so let's say rounded up that's $20. We may buy a snack at the confectionery - say $9.00. Or we may share popcorn and a coke. I think that's like $7.00. For the most part, we don't buy anything else at MK. We have before, but for the most part we make our "souvenir" purchases from Epcot and Downtown Disney.

Epcot is a different story as we tend to eat at sitdown places there. MGM...we might eat at Brown Derby. AK...we usually eat at Tusker House for lunch and we get the kids meal PB&J sandwiches. Not because we're cheap but because it's enough to eat and we just like them.

Typically I budget $150 a day for expenses. Meaning food and whatever we want to purchase. That's usually PLENTY. Not all of that is spent in the parks though.

PamNC

 

[Slapster]

We love to eat at the parks. Snack, eat, drink, gorge, etc. We start with a large breakfast at one of the buffets and by 9:30 at the parks we are already hungry. If we're at Epcot we will start the 'round the world with Mango Daquiris (not for the little kids of course, they only get domestic beer). Then we'll have a taco from Mexico, Turkey legs from America, and Crepes from France. Usually I get a beer or two from Italy.

Then we'll have lunch ;-)

We see our vacation as a time to really let loose, so we make sure we budget well over $100 per person for food per day. I know this isn't how everyone does it, but we love to eat!

 

[mjh8955]

We just got back.

Me - 2 post cards, Mickey Mouse watch, Mickey earrings, 2 Off-Kilter cd's, earrings from Mexico at Epcot, and from a recommendation I saw on this board I bought the official music of the parks "The Happiest Celebration on Earth". As I listened to the music from Soarin' at work yesterday I could swear I felt myself dip, swoop and glide just like the ride!!

DS14 - t-shirt that says "I'M GRUMPY BECAUSE YOU'RE DOPEY"

DD11 - necklace with her name on it

Husband - 4 Mickey Mouse ponchos because we got caught in the rain and our ponchos were back at the hotel

Things I wish I had bought and shipped home:
Mickey popcorn bowl set for daughter's Christmas present
Grumpy Choppers hooded sweatshirt for son's Christmas present
Grumpy t-shirt for husband's Christmas present

Best souvenir - last year my son bought these great big Mickey slippers. He wears them all the time.

 

[Frantasmic]

For our upcoming Thanksgiving trip, we have alloted $25 per day per person with $50 incidentals. We are on the dining plan, so this allows a fairly liberal souvenir buying practice. My kids are 5 and 11. When we took our daughter (the current 11 year old) back when she was 5, she saved her money all week and bought a princess dress.

I don't expect my wife and I to spend our allotment each day. Their just isn't that much that we want/need.

 

[Paisleyjane]

I also meant to ask if there is a place I can get a sense of what souvies cost? How much are balloons, for example?

Thanks

Shel

At MK, the Mickey/Minnie balloons are $6, the new Princess balloons are $8. Hope that helps.

 

[KIANGA]

Buy Your Balloons On The Way Out Of The Park Instead Of The Way In. Who Wants To Struggle With Balloons All Thru The Park And On The Rides.

 

[The Sweetness]

Usually, for me DD, and DH, its about $30 breakfast, about the same for lunch, and maybe close to $100 for a sit down dinner (inc. a couple of beers for DH etc...). Maybe $30 snacks+ extra waters/ cokes. We get $100 each for souvies, and thats it. LAst time, DH needed a little extra souvie cash, so I gave him some of mine, since I had what I wanted anyway. At the end of the trip, we had some extra $$ left over, so we blew it in the Hard Rock Cafe for a final lunch, and gift shop splurge. This trip was to USF/ SW, not WDW, but I bet prices are comparable

 

[daisy_77]

I cannot wait to go shopping! I hope I bring enough money!

 

[**pixiedust**]

I don't know what happens to me in the parks. I turn into some Mickey crazed shopoholic. Things I see at Disney that I would never even CONSIDER buying at home somehow wind up in my suitcase. I mean, really....who needs six Mickey Mouse wine glasses??????

I am vowing this year to knock it off. I will buy DS who is 5 and DD who is 3 a couple of things, but I am going to really tell myself that I do not need a ten dollar Eeyore dishtowel, no matter how much I love Disney.

 

[Jen D]

We always get a counter service meal, and often an ice cream break as well. Sometimes that ice cream really helps recharge the batteries.

We tend to think of our souvenir budget in terms of the whole trip, not day buy day.. we may have two days where no one buys anything and then the third day we all get hats, so whatever.

I have gotten a habit of buying dd a pin a day, athough we're as likely to buy that at the resort as at the parks.