Can anyone give me and estimate on how much should I plan on spending on food in Disney World?

Question

We´re going next month. Family of 4, two adults and two children, 4 and 2 yo. We're staying off property in Orange Lake. And plan to have breakfast in the apartment. Should I take some snacks for the day?

Hope someone can help!

Answer 1

Bringing in some snacks may be a good idea, as Disney can be expensive.

Disney offers many dining options and you can find all of the menus with prices at the following website: www.allears.net.

Buffets may be a good option for you, especially if they are character meals. I suggest doing any table service meals during lunch, as this will be cheaper than dinner.  Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom is great for young children!

Some of the counter-service meals are large enough for people to share (depending on your appetite), so that can save money.

DON"T waste money buying "customized plans" for your trip.  Check out the official and unofficial websites and free tips offered.  I can't imagine paying someone to make an itinerary for me--what a rip-off!.  Have fun on your trip and be spontaneous.   Before you go, I would do the following: 1.) make a list of the attractions you know you want to see  2.) check out www.allears.net for tips, dining options, etc. 3.) make any table-service reservations you may want.

One tip--if you don't mind missing parades and shows--it would be a great time to visit Fantasyland.

Answer 2

I've been to WDW over 30 times.  I stopped counting because I'm an annual pass holder and FL resident and average once a month.  I'm going to give you tools for you to do the math, because each family's preferences and budget are different.  Some people can get buy on pb&j, and others just have to have sit-down.  There is no correct answer, but I hope to help you economize as well as plan in a way that helps you enjoy your trip.

You can do this and buy only 1 meal in the parks if you want without starving or sacrificing quality of trip.  You can take snacks, sandwiches, and  drinks.  Have the 4 yr old take a f***y pack with individual snacks.  We used to let each kid choose their snacks each day, so it was a treat.  We included gum, because you can't buy that in the parks.  Disney counter service restaurants will give you free cups of ice water if you go in and ask.  The 2 yr. old eats FREE at buffets (character meal) but not if you order a kid's meal at counter restaurants.  



Daily Meal Strategy

Do b-fast in the hotel and pack snacks including pb or cheese sandwiches/tortillas.  Hit the parks early (before official opening) to avoid crowds.  Leave at 11:00 to avoid the heat of the day and peak crowds for a break/nap/swim and have lunch outside the parks in your hotel or at fast food outside the parks.  Refill the snacks for round 2 in the parks.  Return to the parks at 4 or 5 (when crowds and heat are decreasing and when kids and parents are rested and fed).  Eat only supper in the parks and supplement with the snacks.  Taking the break saves you some money in food, but most of all it saves sanity and preserves your Disney vacation.  

  

You can see the MENUS at www.allearsnet.com.

For money saving tips go to www.mousesavers.com

A good community with lots of info www.disboards.com.  You can find more tips for saving money on food on and off site.

Character Meals

2 yr. old is free.  Breakfast costs the least, and if you get a late time, you can use it as brunch/break.  Lunch at Garden Grill can substitute for leaving the park and taking a break, a good option on the day you're trying to get around World Showcase.  It's hard to get around Epcot and WS and take that afternoon break otherwise.  Lunch is cheaper than dinner.  The other big perk is that your kids don't have to wait in line to get to characters, but they come to you.  The Garden Grill lunch is going away soon, but we found it to be an excellent way to rejuvenate our little ones and keep going if we didn't want to leave the parks.

Our fave deals on food in the parks -

Epcot - bakery in France - ham and cheese croissant $3

turkey legs (big and filling)

Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland, Cosmic Rays - chicken Caesar Salad -     costs less than off site sit-downs for same size salad

Magic Kingdom, Adventureland, Aloha Isle - Dole Whip - $3

      pineapple soft serve - good size treat for the money compared to

      a Mickey bar - also have choc, van, and swirl

Not Worth $4 - Casey's hot dog - bun change = decreased quality and flavor - This was a must have but now it's a no way.

Mistakes to avoid: http://www.wdwinfo.com/tips_for_touring/...

Make a plan - Your options are to BUY A BOOK which you can highlight and has a plans included, read the wbb and MAKE YOUR OWN PLAN (time consuming for first-timers), or BUY A PLAN ONLINE.  My favorite book is the Unofficial Guide to Disney World, and you should always spring for your own copy of the most updated year rather than checking out an outdated copy from the library.  Disney info changes, and you can highlight important info as well as take the book with you.  I've already listed my favorite websites, and my pick for buying a plan (last time I checked only $8) is www.touringplans.com.  Buying a plan saves you both time planning and time in line.  Disney is no place for pure spontaneity unless you like seeing less in more time because you've successfully navigated your family into the longest lines during the hottest time of the day.  

For first-timers I strongly suggest buying the book or the plan as well as perusing the web.  Read those menus to help you decide where you'd like to eat, then avoid the peak times (11-2, 5-7).  If you want character meals or sit-downs you'll need reservations which can be made 180 days in advance.  That means you need to call now, and if you don't get what you want, keep trying.  You can always check for openings at guest services during your trip, too.    

Answer 3

Take lots of snacks.....$100 to $150 a day........really expensive......

Answer 4

It depends on how many sit down meals you have planned.  Do you have any meal reservations (ADRs)?  Sit down meals can add to the cost.  One nice thing is that Disney does not charge for children under 3 at the buffet restaurants, so your 2 year old can eat for free at those locations.  Also, most of the character meals are buffet or family style, so you get characters and a free meal for the youngest.  If you do not have meal plans, feel free to contact my service, we can help you plan your meals and park touring to save you money on food.

I would bring snacks to the parks.  My son loves to snack while waiting for the shows and parades.  I usually bring fruit snacks, raisins, granola bars, goldfish, pretzels, etc.  I also bring my own water and juice pouches into the parks.  It is a big money saver.  I allow each kid one purchased snack per park visit as a treat.  This plan really saves me money.

Finally, with two small kids, you want to avoid the lines at Disney World.  My service specializes in saving clients time in line.  On average, we save our clients 3-6 hours a day on lines and our clients rarely wait more than 15 minutes for any ride.  This is so important with little ones.  I was at WDW with my two year old recently and I can't imagine how difficult the days would have been if he had to wait in some of the long lines we saw.  If you decide to use my service, be sure to use the Yahoo Answers discount code:  YA08.

Answer 5

ok first yes def take snacks.

you can bring bottled drinks or juice boxes or sippie cups if your little ones use them.

and you can bring all kinds of snacks. like granola bars, any kids snacks, chips, pretzels,

i'd suggest anything pre pacakged or put the snacks if its like a big bag of gold fish crackers into little snack sized zip loc baggies. this way you have just enough and not a huge container, it will be easier to monitor how much your kids are eating, less messy. and more space efficient and organized.

you can always refill your drink bottles with water from disney[s water fountains.

if you plan to get away with spending the least amount of money on food then i would stick to the fast food type restaurants in disney. they have some great choices its not all just cheese burgers and fries. for kids they have a wide variety of healthier foods like fruit cups, sandwhiches, milk. things like that. of course they also have things you would expect like mac and cheese cookies and cake as well but if you want them to eat mostly healthier meals and slip in a few not so healthy ones you have the option. and the fast food places have a variety of choices for adults as well. from sandwhiches, to soups and salads, and hamburgers and fries and chicken strips and more.

i highly suggest getting a roasted turkey leg from one of  the cart venders for the 2 adults to share. it is huge and delicious.

now for prices.

the average fast food meal which would include:

drink

main dish and side

and a desert

will run you about $10 per person per meal.

of course you could always just get the main dish and side and bring your own drink and forget about desert and it would cost about $6 per person per meal.

i'd just suggest getting the entire meal.

the portion size for adults and children are a good portion.

for adults its enough but not too much and the childrens size is a great amount for them as well not too much or not enough.

if you were looking to eat at a sit down restaurant it can get a bit expensive.

for a full meal including:

appetizer

main dish and side

drink

desert

don't be surprised if it runs you $30 per adult and $20 per child per sit down meal.

once again of course you could just get the main dish and side and drink and forget about the appetizer and desert and it would be about $20 per adult and about $12 per child per meal.

and the sizes for these meals i have found that depending on how much you stomach can hold or not hold there may be too much food.

they give generous servings. its like they could give you a smaller serving at a cheaper price and you'd be happier but thats now how they work.

so hope i've help a bit.

ps. if your kids are as picky as the children in my family and love mcdonalds and feel the need to have it i wanted to let you know that they do have a mcdonalds at hollwood studios and at epcot but do remember that the prices will be inflated since its on disney property.

Answer 6

Alot!

Breakfast: I usually get some coffee and some fruit with yogurt and thats about $5-7

Lunch: I would get either a burger, fries and a drink for about $7-8

          Or Pizza with fries and a drink for the same

Dinner: Usually the same for lunch

Now if your going to a resturant, be prepared to spend a good amount.

Disney isnt cheap so really plan how much you want to spend on food each day

even water bottles are about $2.50

Answer 7

food at disney is very expensive so i deffinately recommend bringing some snacks maybe bought at a grocerystore or gas station, cuz it is really expensive at disney but not too bad, its about 20 dollars a meal  kids about 10

Answer 8

the restaraunts inside are a bomb so i would take your own food personally maybe get them a drink there or something. if you want breakfast or dinner restaraunts outside of the parks, ponderosa steakhouse does breakdast, lunch and dinner buffets literally are great its like $10 per adult adn $5 per child for as much as you want and there is loads to choose from i love it there, we go there about 5 times during our holiday! but i would recommend taking your own snacks to parks because the places in there are deer.