Honestly, how can you possibly afford to eat in Disney??? (LONG)

[curlyjbs]

I was researching the menus of restaurants in the parks and resorts.(trying to start planning our food budget) Well, let me tell you, the prices are insane! We are a family of 5. water alone I (I know bring your own) @ $2.50 is already over $10, lunch at...lets see....Liberty Inn (Epcot) average adult: $10-12, aver. child: $3.25 We are talking $35-40 FOR LUNCH - and this is counter service! Tony's Town Square (MK) adults $15-20, Kids $5, again we are talking $40 - for counter service. I did'nt even check sit downs. Don't get me wrong I know it's vacation. Let your hair down, get crazy but come on. I love reading all the trip reports but when I hear people talk about their ps "here" and a ps "there", lunch and dinner @ the California Grill etc. I think WOW, Rockerfellers? Must be. It costs around $50 person per day just to walk through the gates. (I know I'm not telling you anything you don't know already - just let me vent) tack on another $25+ for a charactor meal, or sit down for lunch, maybe one for dinner....not to mention snacks (I know, bring your own) and you are talking about a lot of $$$$$$$. And that is just 1 day. Some visit 4,5,6 or 7 days. I don't get it. I know Disney is not a charity. I just want to be able to feed my kids something besides peanut butter crackers and juice boxes (seems to be a fav. on this board) EVERY DAY.

So tell me, what's the secret, how do you all do it? <IMG SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif" alt="confused">

P.S. If you are one of those "Rockerfellers" please don't take offense.

<font Color =FF0000>HIFS 10/01
<marquee direction ="right" align="middle" behavior="alternate">can't wait, can't wait, CAN'T WAIT!!</marquee>

<font face="comic sans MS">"It's disney, it's crowded. Get over it!"</font>

 

[ReneeA]

My husband and I both enjoy the challenge of Disney on a budget.

We bought one of the Brita water bottles with the filter built in, and just filled it with water from the fountains (we don't mind sharing one bottle). I've also heard of people bringing in powdered drink mixes to add to the water (KoolAid or Crystal Light, etc).

As for the food...we usually stay off-site, so we stop for a breakfast buffet on the way to the parks in the morning. Shoneys' had a huge buffet that was only around $5.95 for adults. It filled us until late afternoon. We usually stop for snacks late morning/early afternoon. Then, we try to get in at the end of lunch hours at a sit down restaurant. The prices are significantly lower than dinner, the menus are very similar, and they give you as much food as dinner. We typically paid around $35 for two adult meals. That doesn't include appetizers or alcoholic beverages, though. There have also been suggestions to split meals, which Disney is happy to do for you. My dh is a big eater, so that's not really an option for us

If it ended up being a late night, and we were hungry after the parks, we stopped for fast food or got take out pizza on the way back to the hotel.

I enjoy staying off-site for a lot of reasons. I like having the freedom of a car; we enjoy Universal & IOA, and Seaworld is also wonderful. As much as I like Disney's restaurants...there is a wonderful selection offsite, and the prices are more reasonable. Since we don't have children yet, we don't take time off to nap.

ReneeA

 

[Lewisc]

Some thoughts:
1) Many people do have money to spend on vacation. Some people earn more money than you and me, save money or sacrifice other expenditure (drive an older car, don't go out to diner etc)
2) You don't have to buy water. Water fountains are free as is ice water in restaurants.
3) A good budget idea is eat breakfast out of the parks (many offsite hotels offer free breakfast).
4) Have a late lunch so you get some disney meals.
5) Eat diner offsite. Don't spend any more than you would at home (That can be anything from McDonalds, Sizzler, Olive Garden, Outback etc.)
6)Although prices for food at Disney looks expensive it's probably no more unreasonable than popcorn at a movie theater or a hot dog and beer at a Yankee game.
7) Somewhere I read the average family goes to Disney once or twice and doesn't care how much they spend.
But yes, 3 meals a day at Disney is expensive.
Another budget idea, go fewer days.

[This message was edited by Lewisc on 03-14-01 at 11:14 AM.]

 

[curlyjbs]

Boy I sound like a whiner. <IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="15" SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_redface.gif" alt="red face">

We are staying offsite, with free breakfast buffet and I know we can eat at all those off site places.........I guess I just read all these boards too much and start thinking that the only way to enjoy Disney is to "keep up with the Jones'". sigh

Well, we're going to Disney, and none of us will starve. That's all that matters!

<font Color =FF0000>HIFS 10/01
<marquee direction ="right" align="middle" behavior="alternate">can't wait, can't wait, CAN'T WAIT!!</marquee>

<font face="comic sans MS">"It's disney, it's crowded. Get over it!"</font>

 

[Judy from Boise]

If you aren't a big eater, order a children's meal.
Since our cost of living is lower in Idaho, so are our wages ( MUCH lower than Eastern States), but I think the value you get at Disney is good. We just stick to the budget by eating twice a day, not ordering drinks or dessert.

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[ReneeA]

I didn't think you sounded like a whiner!! Just wait and see, all will work out, and not cost as much as you think.

ReneeA

 

[Jen]

We are also a family of five, non-Rockefeller types. You have to face it, if you want to eat in the parks or do character meals it can be expensive. We look at it as a series of compromises. We would love to stay on-site but if we did that we would be eating PB&J all week. So instead, we stayed off-site at a motel that offered a complimentary breakfast buffet.($102 per night). We packed snacks and water but we do that no matter where we go.

The other compromise we made was to take an indirect flight to Orlando that was cheaper than the direct one. It still beat driving.

We would also pick up Taco Bell or whatever on the way back to the motel for our afternoon break.
We ate at the tables by the motel pool and the boys liked these "pool picnics".

By doing these things we were able to do three character meals and a couple of counter service meals and still have enough for the occasional ice cream bar or churro.

 

[LisaRay]

Well first let me say that Tony's is not counter service it is a sit down place. I am not sure about Liberty Inn though.

We like to have breakfast in our room on many mornings. This is cereal and muffins or whatever else you like. Then we have a counter service lunch at say Pecos Bills (MK) which is one of out favorites this is about $15 for 2 adults and one 9 yr. old.

Then maybe have dinner at Chef Mickeys which is about $60 + tip. So we average $100 a day and that is never a problem. Once in awhile we have a breakfast at the food court for $10 too in case we get tired of cereal.

With that said we have also had trips in the past which we ate only 2 or 3 sit down meals all week and every thing else was counter service. The counter service food isn't bad and if you spend alot of time at Epcot they have the most variety.

 

[hansolo]

If you stay at a hotel that includes breakfast, you can eat so much in the morning,you can hardly walk (Make sure you undo the your belt before). This way you don't have to eat lunch. Since the breakfast is free, bring a large purse at breakfast and drop some bagels (wrap them in napkins before) and bring them into the park with you, make sure your spouse covers for you so no one else can see you. Think about the money you'll save. Just think by the end of your vacation you will be full of carbs and when you return from your vacation everyone will think you had a great vacation because you'll be 10 pounds heavier from eating 10 bagels a day. When your neighbor asks you what you ate on your vacation, here's your answer: "I ate a lot of stuff, let's just say we used a lot of dough."

Just remember to enjoy your vacation!

 

[yoopermom]

While watching the Travel Channel special on Disneyland Paris last night, my husband turned to me and said, "Did we really have a GREAT meal at WDW considering the prices?" We stayed onsite, and it did really contribute to the cost (since we ate three "squares" a day and I planned way too many sit-down meals). So, for this trip, to satisfy him and my SF (who's diabetic and needs to eat on a very regimented schedule), we're staying at HIFS. This will allow us to have a big free breakfast (including taking as much back to the room as you want for later on, snacks, etc). We're going to plan on a late sit-down lunch in the park (this will be the big budget-shooter for the day!), then a cheapie supper on the strip or at the hotel (A+W, Pizza Hut right there, cool!). I would also highly recommend looking at Deb's site where the menus are posted (somebody help me, is it www.wdig.com?). Our biggest, most expensive disappointments came from me not realizing that the restaurants I had planned were *not* to my family's taste. (I'll never live down the Coral Reef debacle we experienced.) The one thing I would NOT do is "starve" yourselves to save $$. I seriously think one of the main reasons my DS got so sick on that trip was because we changed his eating habits. Good luck!

 

[LisaRay]

Ok, I can't seem to shut up!! LOL

I thought of something else I think is good to keep in mind.

The past 2 trips we took were for my DH's conferences and so his meals were paid for by the company. We thought that is would be the perfect time to try some new places and eat alot more sit down meals. Only paying for one adult and one child and DH was "free". However, we found that we didn't care for it. We felt more tied to a schedule of PS's and it wasted alot of our park time. Plus we were unimpressed with several of the well talked about places (LeCellier for one).

I think next trip we are going back to only 2 or 3 sit downs for the week and they will probably be character meals. I can eat a good steak in my hometown area any old time and not use my vacation money. This may change when the kids are grown.

Also you will find that with all the great snacks that are around you might not need 3 big meals a day.
sorry I rambled!!

 

[Beverly Lynn]

I rob a bank before each of my trips! I hope I don't get caught now!LOL

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[DeDixie]

We eat breakfast in our room ( pop tart, granola, oatmeal - I bring a hot h20 dispenser, instant breakfast, cereal ) basically I figure this costs us $0 as I would need to buy food if we were home.

Then we take a snack in our hip packs to have either late morning or in the afternoon. I use crackers, cookies, etc.

We try to have our sit down meal at lunch -- it's less crowded and less expensive than at dinner, yet we get to enjoy the different themes. Plus we get a nice break. We don't order any drinks (just water)unless it's included- and try not to over order. It's not like at home where you can take the leftovers. We try to share meals as our girls are not big eaters. If we eat from counter style - we order lite, then get a snack later if someone is still hungry. You don't need to order everyone fries, etc. You can get free ice water at the counter rest. if you order food.

We take a mid afternoon break then grab dinner at the hotel food court before we head back out. I know at the Dixie food court we can all eat for a total of $20.

We purchased the resort mugs which give us coffee,, tea, etc in the morning -- and we get soda and lemonaid for dinner.

I have found that you can keep your budget low, if you plan ahead. We don't do one of the expensive meals every day - but at least every other. If you have a big lunch, you will not want a big dinner.

My food budget at always come in way lower than I planned - yet we never ate off site, and had lots of nice meals. We have been to Disney 3 times in the last 3 years.

Let me know if you want more details.

DeDixie

 

[Katie]

We are staying at HIFS, which offers a free HUGE breakfast buffet! I am hoping that carries us thru to dinner, with maybe a light snack at lunch. We are going in June, so the heat will be intense, and we tend not to eat much when we are hot! We are a family of 5.

We usually go back for a midday break(of course, we have always stayed on site..but this year we are trying to be frugal and staying at HIFS). I hope the midday break is feasible, not staying on site! Anyway, we go back swim, rest, and then eat out of the park, a sit down meal.

I started the rewards programs the day after Christmas. I already have 45.00 in GC from Red Lobster, 20 GC from OliveGarden, 50.oo on my beenz card( basically a debit card worth 50.00..that I can use anywhere!!) and 25 gc from Applebees! I still have over 2 months to keep clicking!!! I am hoping to feed us for dinner for the 10 nights we are there at least 50% from Reward benefits!

We will eat one Character Meal..at Chef Mickeys, because my KIDS love it! The food is okay..but the atmosphere is terrific. We will put over 100.00 that night in food...and that will be our BIG DINNER FOR THE WEEK!

AT HIFS, i will also have a refigerator and mircrowave. WE will stop at the store arrival day and stock up on snacks, and drinks!! My DH plans to tote around a backpack full of H2O, and snacks for the little ones. Last time, we had a stroller to store all of our goodies in..but we have graduated out of the stroller!! He says he will carry a backpack to carry the stuff! NOT ME..too hot!!

anyway,good luck

Katie

 

[shamrock30]

I think it all a matter of priorities. My spouse and I could, but don't chose to, waste the time and money by purchasing a lot of food at Disney. If you look at it as a deprivation, it will feel like one. We look at it as common sense and more vacations per year!

We always get an off-site room with a refrigerator and eat breakfast in our room. We often pack lunch in a small insulated bag in our backpack, and ALWAYS carry water, sodas, and small snack items. The excess can be stored in a locker. We ocassionally eat at the counter service restaurants, and maybe have one sit down dinner per trip. We don't feel like we are missing anything especially in the Magic Kingdom, where the food is mediocre at best <IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="15" SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif" alt="razz">

 

[DisMN]

Agree with Shamrock..........and part of OUR priorities IS the sit-down restraunts.

Part of our vacation IS taking the time for those slow, expensive and delicious dinners!

We don't have the mindset that we must see and do everything in the parks so we're pretty much in a relax mode......which helps at the nicer eateries.

It does depend on what's important to your family. Food/fine dining may not be top priority to you and yours..........

 

[Sharmaine]

The whole Disney food thing mystifies me too.

Just can't see myself spending $100-$150US /day on fast food. So I won't. I guess an awful lot of people think otherwise, in order to keep the Disney food venues going. We're maybe staying onsite (waiting for those first AKL reports to come in to decide for sure), but even if we do, we'll eat mostly offsite. Can't think of any reason on to.

 

[babus]

As a family of 4 we ate for $100 or less every day. We ate at the PO foodcourt for breakfast for about 15 dollars. Then we ate at counter service at the park, about $20, and ate at the foodcourt again when we got back around 8pm for another $20. On some days we had character breakfast for $50-$60 dollars and ate until we were stuffed. Had ice cream bars and popcorn in the park at 4pm and ate at the foodcourt again at 8pm. On one day we had a very light breakfast of doughnuts and cookies and coffee at the foodcourt and then had a late lunch at Crystal Palace at about 1pm. We were full until 8pm and back at the foodcourt. The foodcourt vcost us no more than the local Mc Donalds and in my opinion was much better. It can be done. I always find I am not as hungry on vacation(too much to do) and always lose 5 pounds by the time I get home. could be the no snacking between meals, helps.

 

[stan]

As mentioned by an earlier writer, we ate breakfast in our room (bagels, cereal, milk (had refrigerator), juice, cheese, fruit) and then tended to have a bigger sit down lunch or counter lunch and then usually had dinner at the resort food court or at a counter. For a family of 4 (5 days) our total food budget came to about $250-$300, so my sense is that even being very cautious with food and snacks, you will need to allocate $10-$15 per person per day on food. But I will say our two big sit down lunches were very nice and very reasonable (about $35-40 for the four of us) and really were wonderful experiences. So, my advice is to have lunch if possible at the nicer places you may be thinking of. It might be considerably less than you think and still offer a wonderful experience.

SC

 

[WhenYouWishUponAStar]

Our family is always on a budget when vacationing at Disney, but I'll ditto what some others have already said. We stay on-site but usually always rent a refrigerator for in the room, however, a cooler filled with ice will work just as well. We buy breakfast groceries at the beginning of the week and always eat in the room before heading out to the parks. Sometimes we've even taken a cheapo toaster along with us...I felt like a fool at first knowing I had a TOASTER in my suitcase but when I realized how much $$$ it saves us, I don't feel foolish anymore. We carry snacks and drinks to hold us over until a bigger meal, say a late lunch or dinner either on-site or off. We try to bring coupons or discounts with us and go to places like Red Lobster, Outback, etc. By the way, we are a family of 4 and we never feel deprived by doing it this way. Hope this helps you