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Copyright © 2001 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc
Mini Mickey: Make It a Small World By Beating the High Cost of Dining at Walt Disney World
When it comes to cheap eats with the Mouse, it's a Walt Dismal World after all.
Once you're on premises, you're a captive. Especially at the Magic Kingdom, where egress requires at least two forms of transportation and miles of blank highway, the idea of ducking out of the park for a quick bite is simply not feasible. Not surprisingly, that's part of Disney's plan. If you can't escape, you're stuck paying $6 to $8 each for the most moderately priced counter-service sandwich, plus at least $2 for a simple medium-size soft drink, the going rate in all the Orlando parks. A family of four can easily spend $80 for each full meal they eat together!
Don't be goofy--save money! There are a number of strategies you can employ that will help you stretch your hard-earned money once you reach the vacuum-powered cash registers of Walt Disney World.
In terms of efficiency, partaking of the à la carte sit-down restaurants is not the best strategy. First of all, they're more expensive than all-you-can-eat buffets or counter-service food. But the hidden costs are high, too: Sit-down meals in the Disney parks can chomp as much as 90 minutes per meal out of your daily touring time. Do that for two meals and you've lost about a third of your day, wasting much of that $50 park ticket. A park that could be seen in one day would then require two, greatly increasing your costs.
If you'd really like to eat at a sit-down facility, choose one outside the park and hold off until the park closes. Once you sit down, you can take as long as you like as the perfect coda to a frenzied day. For lunch, try eating early (around 11 a.m.), since crowds are light then and you won't waste expensive time. Better yet, make plans to hit one of the all-you-can-eat spots. They cost a pretty penny (generally $14 to $18), but if you're a big eater, you can easily obviate the need for a second meal later in the day. (If you eat again later, though, or if you go to one for dinner, you won't have saved anything.)
All-you-can-eat facilities are sprinkled throughout the parks. There's no quick rule of thumb to tell you which is cheapest. The dinnertime clambake at the Cape May Café, located at the out-of-the-way Yacht and Beach Resort, commands the same tariff as the festive open-flame dinner banquet at the Polynesian Resort's 'Ohanes, across the lagoon from Cinderella's Castle. Both are $22 for adults and $10 for kids, and neither is open at lunch. Mind you, in Orlando, kids' prices are only good up to age 11.
Another superb option, and the cheapest, is fruit. Each park has at least one fruit stand hidden somewhere, which gives you a great option for healthy food on the go. Prices are pretty much the same at each: apples, pears, single bananas, and oranges go for 85 cents. Some stands also sell 3-ounce packs of baby carrots for 85 cents and slices of watermelon, cantaloupe, or pineapple for $1.50. Five-ounce bundles of grapes are $1.65, pre-packaged fruit salad is $2, and sometimes you can find packets of strawberries for $2.
In the Magic Kingdom, there are two fruit stands. One, on the right-hand side street as you stroll up Main Street, closes at 4 p.m., but the other, under the Liberty Tree in Liberty Square with all the other budget stands, is open late. At MGM, Anaheim Produce is clustered with the budget stands along Sunset Blvd. At Epcot, you can buy fruit in the basement of The Land in Future World or at the Outpost (between Germany and China) in the World Showcase. And at Animal Kingdom, go to Harambe Fruit Market in the Africa section. Its location outside Kilimanjaro Safaris, which most people visit as soon as they enter the park, makes it perfect for light breakfasts.
While we're on the subject, we're tempted to suggest you avoid breakfasts entirely and simply eat an early, crowd-free lunch. But we know that many readers enjoy their morning meals. In light of that, we'll suggest you maximize your dollar power by making reservations at a Disney character breakfast. Those are the sit-down early-morning affairs hosted throughout the resort area. In addition to all-you-can-eat buffet dining, you get a free souvenir cup and visits from a few costumed Disney characters. One of the most popular is at Chef Mickey's, which is located on the fourth floor of the Contemporary Resort and patronized by Mickey and Minnie themselves. If you're a big eater, you can save money this way. Grown-ups pay a steep $16 each to eat there, and kids 3 to 11 pay $9, but after gorging themselves at the smorgasbord on a fully cooked and expansive breakfast, chances are that even the heartiest eaters won't crave much lunch. Besides, you get to hang out and take pictures with those famous Disney characters. Price-wise, it doesn't make much difference where you book your Character Breakfast; the cheapest, at Olivia's of Old Key West and at Artist's Point of Wilderness Lodge, are $15 for adults and $8 for kids, which is hardly worth the hassle to find them. Whatever you choose, ensure you reserve ahead by calling 407/939-3463 (407/WDW-DINE).
If you're staying at a Walt Disney World resort, don't forget about the bottomless souvenir mugs, which cost $8 to $10 and grant you unlimited soft drink refills as long as you're staying there. Since Cokes are $2 a pop, this is a good value only if you're a big fan of soda. You can't use the mug inside the theme parks--only your hotel.
Within the parks, always ask for your soft drinks without ice. Drinks are kept cold anyway and you'll get several more ounces for free. You'd be shocked if you knew what percentage of your Coke was actually plain old ice. Also bring a bottle of your own water. Buying it will set you back $2.50 (way more than the same amount of gasoline!), and besides, you can keep refilling it from the cooled water fountains. (We could also suggest you keep your mouth open during the water rides, but that'd just be plain old CHEAP.)
Also don't forget that Walt Disney world is a big place, and that means lots of dining locations that you may not have known about. While most prices are pretty much the same across the World, there are mild fluctuations in secret, off-the-beaten-path spots. Take the All-Star Resorts. At each of the three moderately priced facilities, there's a food court serving such items as $5.79 meatball subs and chicken sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches for $3.19, grilled chicken caesar salads for $5.89, and soft drinks for $1.79. Most resort areas, though, don't offer such value, and you're not likely to find good deals at places distinctly set aside for evening entertainment. Downtown Disney, the area's nighttime shopping venue, dares to charge $6 to $8 for ice cream sundaes, and Coronado Springs' Pepper Market, geared toward captive conventioneers, deigns to charge $5.50 for soup with bread and $8.50 for beef stir fry. Besides, if you're already out of the parks by dinnertime, you might as well jump in the car and head the few miles to Kissimmee, where costs are always low. It's lunchtime that poses more of a problem.
Tomorrow, we'll take each of the four major theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom) and tell you where the cheapest lunch secrets are in each one.
Copyright © 2001 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc
Mini Mickey: Make It a Small World By Beating the High Cost of Dining at Walt Disney World
When it comes to cheap eats with the Mouse, it's a Walt Dismal World after all.
Once you're on premises, you're a captive. Especially at the Magic Kingdom, where egress requires at least two forms of transportation and miles of blank highway, the idea of ducking out of the park for a quick bite is simply not feasible. Not surprisingly, that's part of Disney's plan. If you can't escape, you're stuck paying $6 to $8 each for the most moderately priced counter-service sandwich, plus at least $2 for a simple medium-size soft drink, the going rate in all the Orlando parks. A family of four can easily spend $80 for each full meal they eat together!
Don't be goofy--save money! There are a number of strategies you can employ that will help you stretch your hard-earned money once you reach the vacuum-powered cash registers of Walt Disney World.
In terms of efficiency, partaking of the à la carte sit-down restaurants is not the best strategy. First of all, they're more expensive than all-you-can-eat buffets or counter-service food. But the hidden costs are high, too: Sit-down meals in the Disney parks can chomp as much as 90 minutes per meal out of your daily touring time. Do that for two meals and you've lost about a third of your day, wasting much of that $50 park ticket. A park that could be seen in one day would then require two, greatly increasing your costs.
If you'd really like to eat at a sit-down facility, choose one outside the park and hold off until the park closes. Once you sit down, you can take as long as you like as the perfect coda to a frenzied day. For lunch, try eating early (around 11 a.m.), since crowds are light then and you won't waste expensive time. Better yet, make plans to hit one of the all-you-can-eat spots. They cost a pretty penny (generally $14 to $18), but if you're a big eater, you can easily obviate the need for a second meal later in the day. (If you eat again later, though, or if you go to one for dinner, you won't have saved anything.)
All-you-can-eat facilities are sprinkled throughout the parks. There's no quick rule of thumb to tell you which is cheapest. The dinnertime clambake at the Cape May Café, located at the out-of-the-way Yacht and Beach Resort, commands the same tariff as the festive open-flame dinner banquet at the Polynesian Resort's 'Ohanes, across the lagoon from Cinderella's Castle. Both are $22 for adults and $10 for kids, and neither is open at lunch. Mind you, in Orlando, kids' prices are only good up to age 11.
Another superb option, and the cheapest, is fruit. Each park has at least one fruit stand hidden somewhere, which gives you a great option for healthy food on the go. Prices are pretty much the same at each: apples, pears, single bananas, and oranges go for 85 cents. Some stands also sell 3-ounce packs of baby carrots for 85 cents and slices of watermelon, cantaloupe, or pineapple for $1.50. Five-ounce bundles of grapes are $1.65, pre-packaged fruit salad is $2, and sometimes you can find packets of strawberries for $2.
In the Magic Kingdom, there are two fruit stands. One, on the right-hand side street as you stroll up Main Street, closes at 4 p.m., but the other, under the Liberty Tree in Liberty Square with all the other budget stands, is open late. At MGM, Anaheim Produce is clustered with the budget stands along Sunset Blvd. At Epcot, you can buy fruit in the basement of The Land in Future World or at the Outpost (between Germany and China) in the World Showcase. And at Animal Kingdom, go to Harambe Fruit Market in the Africa section. Its location outside Kilimanjaro Safaris, which most people visit as soon as they enter the park, makes it perfect for light breakfasts.
While we're on the subject, we're tempted to suggest you avoid breakfasts entirely and simply eat an early, crowd-free lunch. But we know that many readers enjoy their morning meals. In light of that, we'll suggest you maximize your dollar power by making reservations at a Disney character breakfast. Those are the sit-down early-morning affairs hosted throughout the resort area. In addition to all-you-can-eat buffet dining, you get a free souvenir cup and visits from a few costumed Disney characters. One of the most popular is at Chef Mickey's, which is located on the fourth floor of the Contemporary Resort and patronized by Mickey and Minnie themselves. If you're a big eater, you can save money this way. Grown-ups pay a steep $16 each to eat there, and kids 3 to 11 pay $9, but after gorging themselves at the smorgasbord on a fully cooked and expansive breakfast, chances are that even the heartiest eaters won't crave much lunch. Besides, you get to hang out and take pictures with those famous Disney characters. Price-wise, it doesn't make much difference where you book your Character Breakfast; the cheapest, at Olivia's of Old Key West and at Artist's Point of Wilderness Lodge, are $15 for adults and $8 for kids, which is hardly worth the hassle to find them. Whatever you choose, ensure you reserve ahead by calling 407/939-3463 (407/WDW-DINE).
If you're staying at a Walt Disney World resort, don't forget about the bottomless souvenir mugs, which cost $8 to $10 and grant you unlimited soft drink refills as long as you're staying there. Since Cokes are $2 a pop, this is a good value only if you're a big fan of soda. You can't use the mug inside the theme parks--only your hotel.
Within the parks, always ask for your soft drinks without ice. Drinks are kept cold anyway and you'll get several more ounces for free. You'd be shocked if you knew what percentage of your Coke was actually plain old ice. Also bring a bottle of your own water. Buying it will set you back $2.50 (way more than the same amount of gasoline!), and besides, you can keep refilling it from the cooled water fountains. (We could also suggest you keep your mouth open during the water rides, but that'd just be plain old CHEAP.)
Also don't forget that Walt Disney world is a big place, and that means lots of dining locations that you may not have known about. While most prices are pretty much the same across the World, there are mild fluctuations in secret, off-the-beaten-path spots. Take the All-Star Resorts. At each of the three moderately priced facilities, there's a food court serving such items as $5.79 meatball subs and chicken sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches for $3.19, grilled chicken caesar salads for $5.89, and soft drinks for $1.79. Most resort areas, though, don't offer such value, and you're not likely to find good deals at places distinctly set aside for evening entertainment. Downtown Disney, the area's nighttime shopping venue, dares to charge $6 to $8 for ice cream sundaes, and Coronado Springs' Pepper Market, geared toward captive conventioneers, deigns to charge $5.50 for soup with bread and $8.50 for beef stir fry. Besides, if you're already out of the parks by dinnertime, you might as well jump in the car and head the few miles to Kissimmee, where costs are always low. It's lunchtime that poses more of a problem.
Tomorrow, we'll take each of the four major theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom) and tell you where the cheapest lunch secrets are in each one.
