What $ saving tips can we come up with if vouchers are gone forever?

[Liz]

I feel like I'm planning a trip with one hand tied behind my back when it comes to saving money on food now without Q&C and other vouchers. We are going early June.

The only tips I can think of are:

1) Eat sit down meal during lunch because its usually less expensive than dinner.

2) Order the double cheeseburger meal and get an extra bun.

3) Eat breakfast in the room.

If you have more tips to share please bring 'em on!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

1. Order appetizers as entrées.
2. Skip dessert with the meal and grab one later.
3. Try the Meal Plus deal at AK
4. Bring Crystal Light or Iced Tea Mix and just order ice water instead of soda.
5. At counterservice restaurants, order the kid's meal for a not-so-hungry adult or teen.
6. Do breakfast as late as possible when doing a character meal. Then do a very late lunch. Have dinner back in the room by making instant soup and a cold sandwich.
7. If you have an AP, get the DDE and get 20% off your dining bill at select locations. Or just use your AP for a 10% discount at the participating restaurants.
8. Join the Rainforest Café Safari Club for $15. Get a $10 GC about a month or so after joining. Your membership card will also entitle you to 10% off your bill or a free appetizer with adult entrée.
9. Eat offsite. Buy GCs on Restaurant.com for a fraction of their face value.

 

[powellrj]

when eating off-site, pick up all the little coupon books you can. Many times you get some great deals on places you were going to eat at anyway! Don't forget you can get meal discounts at Universal using your AAA card.

 

[crisi]

Don't order fries. Disney will be happy to sell you just the sandwich.

Pack Cliff Bars or some other sort of nutrition/energy bar.

Split meals

Eat offsite

Use your trip to kick start your diet! Limited food and all that walking may be the only diet you need to go on!

 

[mommyrom]

If your group includes kids, pack a carton of non-perishable items (ie: goldfish crackers, pop tarts, juice boxes, instant oatmeal, applesauce singles, etc.) and ship the box to your resort before your arrival in time for it to meet you there. This saved us plenty of $ and time last trip so that we did not have to worry about a big breakfast every morning. Got an earlier start in the day and then ate an earlier lunch in the parks and avoided the crowds. Then, even better, we could eat a heavy lunch off the lunch menus at the end of the "lunch" hours and beat the dinner crowds (and save more $!!). Just some time and money saving tips for anyone interested!

 

[my3kids]

You can get Planet Hollywood gift certificates from Hotwire and use them in DTD. You'll save toe 20% with that.

 

[hercamore]

If you are big eaters at table service restaurants, buy the DDE card.

 

[cthetulips]

A very small tip: We didn't want to get pop for our kids that comes with the kids meals so I just asked for a big bottle of water instead of a kids drink. At Pecos Bills, they said that they would take $1.00 off the price of the bottled water because we skipped the kids drink. We have been to WDW before and this has never happened until our last trip in Nov. even though we have done this at many meals before. It was a small help for our family. What a nice CM to tell me that! At the other counter service restaurants we ate at during our trip I asked for the bottle of water again in lieu of the pop and I had to ask for the dollar off. It was not offered to me, but given when I asked. Has anyone else experienced this?
Good luck!

 

[disneysteve]

Favorite money-saving tips for food at Disney:

1. Drink water. Its free and plentiful. Any restaurant will serve you ice water at no charge.

2. Share meals. Most entrees, even many at counter service, are large enough to share.

3. Anyone can order a kids meal regardless of age.

4. A couple of appetizers can be a less expensive meal than a main course. Especially at a place like Rainforest, 3 or 4 appetizers can feed a family.

5. Eat breakfast in your room: cereal, pop-tarts, yogurt, meal bars, etc.

6. Do buffets for lunch - same food and cheaper.

 

[MrsPete]

I hadn't heard that the vouchers might be disappearing, but don't worry: they were only a great deal in a few places. They were just average in other places -- and only then if you chose a full meal plus dessert.

In addition to the suggestions you've already received, here's what else you can do:

1. Plan only two meals per day -- with all the snacks, that'll be plenty.
2. Order a kids' meal at a counter service place. You won't have much in the way of choices, but for about $4-5 you'll have plenty of food and a drink is usually included.
3. Skip the refillable mug ($40 for a family of four to drink sodas for a week? I don't think so!) and bring your own drinks from home. An added bonus is that you can bring them to the parks in the morning to enjoy while you're waiting to get in, then toss them in the trash as you enter the park -- no mug to lug.