Without dining plan... looking for the best value dining and snacks

[Eastern]

Look at all the menus now so you can sort of plan what you would order. I do not order a meal just for the sake of ordering it. If I am not that hungry, I'll split a meal with my husband or just order an app. My kids did mention that they thought the burgers at SciFi drive in were huge. They could have split meals and they are young men. We also don't drink soda and that saves a lot. For breakfast I usually get a yogurt or $2 banana in the parks.

I think you can decline fries at CS and get a couple dollars off; not sure it that still applies. Even at home we usually split fries to avoid the calories. Bringing some snacks with you also helps (granola bars, almonds, etc).

I agree with others that dining plan is convenient but in most cases is not a money saver. In the old days you could maximize the value by ordering more expensive items but they've standardized the menus to the point that it doesn't matter anymore.

 

[frannn]

We went this past March and spent about 800 less than if we had used the DP. It was just DD and me this time, with no car. We spent about 1000 over 12 nights, including refillable mugs and a popcorn bucket. She ate mostly kids meals and we usually skipped breakfast or lunch, with minimal snacking. Honestly, it would have been more enjoyable with the DP and more places open. DD eats like a bird and wouldn't split deserts or snacks with me, so we just skipped those most of the time. Had we been on the DP we prob would've ordered more even if we just enjoyed a few bites. We also found many of the snacks we enjoyed in the past were no longer available, especially at Pop, plus by the time we got back to the room we didn't feel like doing the whole mobile order thing. So, it was a big savings due to a number of factors. We did, however, have a TS every day, including Brown Derby and Be our Guest.

 

[frannn]

...and in response to your actual question, lol, Homecomin was a great value to us. The kid's burger was a large portion, as was the chicken on biscuit appetizer, which I ate as my meal and had leftovers.

 

[loves to dive]

I agree with others kids meals if you don't eat large amounts of food at any given meal. I always order them if I'm eating QS and sometimes have to put the fruit in my bag for a later snack. A lot of the TS meals are large and are sharable. I tend to order an appetizer or two then share a dessert with my son. I don't eat a lot of snacks but the popcorn buckets can be a good deal if your family are popcorn eaters because you can refill them for much less and everyone can share that. Water, water, water. You can get it for free at QS. The pastry shop in France has pretty large portions that are easily shared. Some snack items can easily be meals, I order the fried rice and water from Yak and Yeti QS in AK and can never finish it. Lots of menus at TS have things like loaded fries as appetizers that can be meals. If you want, you can bring something to eat for breakfast in your room (we don't cause vacation).

 

[gisele2]

We eat breakfast in the room, and love the lounge at Brown Derby and the Nomad lounge in AK. We share sometimes QS meals like the Ribs and chicken combo at Flame Tree BBQ, we do not eat dessert, but indulge in snack that are sharable like popcorn, glazed almonds, and not so sharable but to much for one person like the ice cream cookie sandwich at Dino bites.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We've always done the dining plan and I know it doesn't work for all; it has worked for us. So now I'm trying to avoid sticker shock and looking for some of the best dining options for the value in the parks. Meals, QS and TS, as well as snacks. Thanks,

Like yourself we normally order a dining plan but I’m wondering if we will next trip. It was fine when there were 3 of us but we are now 2.

These are some of the places that I noted gave a good bang for the buck

The QS at Japan Pavilion (can't recall the name) is great for the food and sitting. It’s set back in the pavilion on a hill that makes you feel as if you are in the Japanese countryside. Well made light, greaseless tempura and soups our our favorite there and you can check the menu for the full list of offerings.

Sommerfest, the QS at the German Pavilion has giant pretzels and various sausages (but not weisswurst, sniffles) that are quite filling and reasonably priced. Not many seats but easy enough to walk out the pavilion and sit by the lakeside.

Looking forward to eating at the new crêperie at France Pavilion. Don’t know the category (QS, TS, or what) but DGD and I are suckers for a well made crepe so suspect we’ll find ourselves there sooner or later.

Love the German confectionary with its candy by the pound. Think it’s sponsored by Werther’s.

Stepping over to MK, the frank stand gives decent food for the price and the French fries are yummy. Think it’s called Casey’s and the man would pull out puppy eyes to eat there, LOL. The Sleepy Hollow has a fried chicken and waffle sandwich that could make an agreeable lunch. I’m not a big fan of most of the food at MK so we frequently eat at WL’s Geyser Point instead. Cold adult beverages and well thought out sandwiches there and you’ve a choice of the QS window or sit down waiter served patio.

We often go to AK early in the morning and then eat lunch at Sanaa. “Ahmazing” food, plentiful and decent price. Check the menu to see if it agrees with you.

At HS, we are addicted to Brown Derby but have been known to eat the burgers at Rosie’s All American or salad at Catalina Eddie’s. The salad is just what you’d expect from a QS but it is healthful while the burgers come with fresh lettuce and tomato slices. My choices are driven by my lower carb life diet and avoidance of commercially processed foods. but others don’t have those diet constrictions.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tastiness of the products at Chicken Guy and the Earl of Sandwich is always a fallback.

Have fun whenever you go and hopefully all Disney’s eateries will be opened!

 

[NOLA_Tink]

If you make an ADR, breakfast is the best bang for your buck. Whispering Canyon's unlimited skillets are around $20 and will keep you full for the day. Fort Wilderness' PJ'S Southern Takaway also has fried chicken & ribs family packs that range from $24-$49, including a loaf of corn bread & large sides. The refillable popcorn bucket is also a great snack because you get unlimited refills for $2.
I think the biggest sticker shock is $4 for a Coke at the counter service spots. I don't drink sodas, but my DH does and it makes me cringe to spend $4 on a soda that he won't get refills on...although, I don't mind spending $10 on a beer.

 

[Brob2132]

I don't know that I have ever eaten at Disney and thought, "Wow, what a great value". I've thought, "that was worth the money" , but you're probably looking at the wrong place if money is really a huge factor (the sales side of me is saying, see, value doesn't always mean cheapest!).

Two tips that we always use:

1) Like others, we eat most of the breakfasts in the room (we'll usually do 1-2 character meals). We eat granola, yogurt, protein bars, fruit, etc. This keeps the cost down, allows us to get to the parks in a timely fashion, keeps us a bit healthier, and carries us through to the next meal.

2)We wait until it's 5% cash back on our CC, then buy a gift card for our trip from Kroger when it's 4X the fuel points. At $1000, we get 50 back in cash and usually two tanks of essentially free gas

 

[Debbie Jean]

If you don't have a car... and you've never done it before... now may be the time to try a grocery delivery service... I use Instacart and have found them easy to work with and very reasonably priced. You can order breakfast food, snacks and most importantly water or soda. As others have said, breakfast in the room and drinks on hand can be a great $$ saver. If you have something light before you leave in the morning, then book a later breakfast at an all-you-care-to-eat restaurant, you may find it takes you through until dinner.

 

[DKNHM]

Quick service will always be cheaper than counter service. I also skip the soda and just bring my own water. What dining plan did you have? I suggest visiting the same places in the parks and ordering what you enjoyed if it was the standard (quick service) dining plan. The deluxe and moderate resorts will have healthier quick service food options than the value resorts in my opinion. If you had the plan which included table service then Yak & Yeti, Skippers Canteen, and Sci-Fi are moderately priced and have many excellent/good reviews. Truly, your best bet would be to research the different restaurants in each park/on property and look at their menus so that you can see if you like the menu and how much it would cost. Disney Springs has Earl of Sandwich and Blaze Pizza which are also cost effective options.

 

[jimmymc]

Pretty much all quick service meals are $13 to $17. For the best value, I would say stick with entres or kids meals, avoid the appetizers and desserts, and drink water. If you're doing a good amount of resort days or resort hopping, the refillable mugs are a good deal as well. Resort food courts tend to be cheaper than park QS restaurants.

In Magic Kingdom, I like Gaston's cinnamon roll for breakfast, going to Captain Cook's at the Poly if I want a QS lunch or dinner, and Jungle Skipper Canteen for TS. It's not the cheapest TS, but way better food than the rest of MK, which really isn't the best place for food.

At Epcot, Les Halles Boulangerie, the pizza window in Italy, and Katsura Grill have cheaper, good QS meals. All the TS meals at Epcot tend to be overpriced, but Chefs du France is the best value for me.

In Studios, Woody's Lunchbox and Docking Bay 7 have good QS meals. I love the Hollywood Brown Derby and it's usually the only sit down restaurant I'll eat at in Studios, but if you want a cheaper indoor meal then Sci-Fi Dine In Theater is a better value.

Satuli Canteen and Flame Tree BBQ are both good value and good food in Animal Kingdom. I wouldn't recommend doing table service in the park for value, but Sanaa at the AK resort is supposedly very good.

 

[Simba's Mom]

At CS, I often get kids' meals. Unfortunately, not enough places have offerings other than chicken nuggets and pizza, but those that do are to be considered. And their meals usually include beverage and a cookie or cutie mandarin.