Hows my food budget?

[imgoingtodisney]

Planning on $15 for breakfast (just grabbing bagel, etc), $35 for counterservice, $75 for sitdown (character, dinner shows) and $25 for snacks. Total of $150 per day. My MIL has the FL dining card for 20% off most sitdowns. This is for 3 adults and 1 nine year old. Thanks for your help.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Can't help with kid's. But for two adults $100 a day, at least.
We had grab and go breakfast, counter service lunches and sit down dinners. Dinner always ran minmum $50 - $60.
Unless you bring your own breakfast, I don't see how four could eat on $15 at WDW. Even water is $2.50 a bottle.
You may consider ordering beforehand from an internet grocery service and have snack/breakfast items sent to you at your resort.

 

[kutchyone]

Sorry, but I think you have underestimated the cost. On our last trip I budgeted $50.00 per day for my daughter (12) and myself. My daughter eats at an adult level. After 10 days of eating we were under budget but not by much. We ate what we wanted and did go to the Wilderness Lodge, Cinderella's and the Grand Floridian for character breakfasts. We also ate at LeCelliar, Beach Club (Clambake buffet), The Rainforest Cafe, House of Blues and a few other nice spots. As you can see we really did not scrimp but we did not go overboard either. Breakfast was our big meal with lunch/dinner being eaten mostly at 2:00 - 3:00 to take advantage of the better prices. Most evenings we did a counter food type thing or a couple of snacks. When we did eat at the Beach Club, Rainforest Cafe and House of Blues it was at a normal dinner time. The best way that you can save money would be on drinks....take a water bottle with you and refill it.

 

[eeyore0062]

We usually budget $75 per adult and $50 for DD. We don't always use it all, but better safe than sorry. Whatever we don't use, we push over into the next day... so usually by the end of out stay, we can really splurge or if we go over one day, it is covered by earlier in the week. It really depends on where you plan to eat. We usually eat Breakfast in the room (pastries, juice, etc, that we bring), and then eat 2 other meals. We aren't really big into snacks, but we do buy the bottled water, and a cocktail or beer or 2 during the day.

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by imgoingtodisney
Planning on $15 for breakfast (just grabbing bagel, etc), $35 for counterservice, $75 for sitdown (character, dinner shows) and $25 for snacks. Total of $150 per day. My MIL has the FL dining card for 20% off most sitdowns. This is for 3 adults and 1 nine year old. Thanks for your help.

The DDE card isn't good at any theme park counter service restaurants. So your plans on saving at lunch are out. We planned on $150 per day for 3 adults, and went over on our last trip.

You need to figure on $20 for breakfast, and that's if you all have coffee and a roll or muffin.

Lunch will cost you a minimum of $7 each, that's if you get a combo meal or the special.

Dinner is where you are really off. Dinner shows like the Luau and Hopp Dee Doo run $50 per adult (discounts on the late show only). Character meals run $20+ per adult. This is all before tax and tips.

You are a little shy onbreakfast and lunch, but waaaayyyy off the mark for dinner. I think you need to add at least $50 per day to play it safe.

Anne

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Well, guess I need to increase my food budget. Husband and MIL are driving down to MILs winter home in FL before son and I fly down. They will go shopping for breakfast items.
Fri (arrival day) I am planning on getting the refillable mugs at Roaring Forks when we get lunch. We have Chef Mickey's PS for that night.
Sat - Prime Time PS for lunch, Crystal Palace PS for dinner
Sun - Hoop De Doo (MIL is paying)
Mon - Hollywood & Vine for Fantasmic
Tues - Arabian Nights will cost $90 just to get in the door - MIL is free for her birthday
Wed - Rose & Crown
Thurs - 1900 park Faire character breakfast

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by imgoingtodisney
Well, guess I need to increase my food budget. Husband and MIL are driving down to MILs winter home in FL before son and I fly down. They will go shopping for breakfast items.
Fri (arrival day) I am planning on getting the refillable mugs at Roaring Forks when we get lunch. We have Chef Mickey's PS for that night.
Sat - Prime Time PS for lunch, Crystal Palace PS for dinner
Sun - Hoop De Doo (MIL is paying)
Mon - Hollywood & Vine for Fantasmic
Tues - Arabian Nights will cost $90 just to get in the door - MIL is free for her birthday
Wed - Rose & Crown
Thurs - 1900 park Faire character breakfast

With tax and tip (and three adults) we usually spend $45-65 for lunch at Prime Time. CB's will cost you about $20 per adult. CD's will cost you about $30 per adult (tax and tip included.)

Anne

 

[LuvTigger]

Haha, at first I thought your budget sounds almost like what I budget, then I realized yours was for 3 adults and 1 child, and mine was just for 2 adults!! Actually, I budget about $125 per day for 2 adults. I figure about $10-$15 for breakfast (usually just pastry and OJ), $15-$20 for counter service lunch, and $75-$100 for sit-down dinner. Of course, this all varies. Somedays we will eat a sit-down lunch (usually a lot cheaper than dinner), and a counter-service dinner. We also do 1 character breakfast, and maybe 1 other sit-down breakfast on our "lazy day."

It usually evens out in the end and comes out to about $125 per day for us.

Sounds like you're pretty set in terms of planning where you're going to eat. Have you looked at www.wdwig.com for the menus/prices? If you haven't, you may want to take a look. It may give you a better idea of what your meal totals will come out to.

Happy planning!

 

[heidihiden]

I have two children and my wife and I take them down every year. We currently spend overall about 100 dollars a day. Some days we spend less, others we spend more. Here is how we do it. First of all, plan before you leave. Know all of the discounts available to you. There are several if you are members of the Magic Kingdom Club or are a American Express Cardholder. If you want to eat at any of the epcot rest. then eat a late lunch. Lunch is much less expensive and the menus are almost the same as dinners. Counter service throughout the parks are not that expensive. Chicken Ceasear salads and about 6 dollars. A burger and fries will cost you about the same. So If you do your bagel at breakfast and for the most part a counter service lunch, You will have plenty of money left for a nice dinner. The buffets at 1900 park fare and Chef Mickeys are about 20.00 per adult and less for children. Believe me, you will get tired of eating because you are always on the run. Unless you want big meals everyday, your budget of 150.00 should be fine. A huge savings is beverages. Stop at a market on your arrival and pack a small back pack when in the parks. That will save you about 20 dollars a day right there. We will be back at the Boardwalk for halloween. Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[Jennyfyar]

We budget $100 per day for 2 adults and 1 child. (Other DD is 1, she eats off my plate.) We do 1 or 2 character meals per trip, but the rest is counter service. We try to stay away from sit down restaurants because the one year old can be quite a screamer and does not like to stay in the highchair. We get a go a a variety of counter service places, and we eat very well. I personally get sick of the buffets after 1 or 2 meals. We also save a lot by only drinking water in the parks (not with meals) and refilling water bottles that we bought at home.

 

[eeyore0062]

We probably budget more for meals and my pin habit, than for anything else. Half the fun of going to WDW is eating at all of the wonderful restaurants!!!

 

[mickey7861]

Lunch at a counter service for $35 is good. That's about what we always spend. $15 for breakfast for 4 is low unless you plan on buying at a market and eating in your room sometimes. Even just bagels and juice will be at least $5 each. The sit downs will be ok if you're getting the 20% discount. If not then we usually figure aroung $100.00. Characters dinners are $20-$22 per adult and $15-$17 for kids so that's $75-$85 without tax and tip. If you don't plan a sitdown dinner every day (2 counter service meals) you're budget will be ok if not I'd budget a little more.