Disney World On A Budget - Food

Chef Mickey's located in Disney's Contemporary Resort

You have chosen your travel dates, made reservations at an Orlando area hotel, and decided how you would get to Disney World. Now you need to tackle the question how much money will I need to budget for food during my trip? Aside from lodging and airfare the most amount of money you will spend on your Disney World trip will be on food. Listed below I have information about food costs based on where you choose to stay while visiting Disney World. No matter where you choose to stay, if you want to eat at good table service restaurants you will need to make your reservations as early as possible. Disney starts taking reservations 180 days in advance of your visit.  Most of the good table service restaurants start filling up that early. Planning will get you the meals you want. Reservations are not available at quick service restaurants with the exception of Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. To make reservations you can call 407 939-3463 or visit the Disney Dining Reservation website.

Disney Dining Plan For Guests Staying At A Disney World Hotel: If you choose to stay at a Disney World hotel you will have the option of purchasing the Disney Dining Plan. Basically Disney offers 3 meal plans from which to choose. You can choose the Disney Quick Service, Disney Dining Plan, or the Disney Deluxe Dining plan. Only Disney resort guests have the option to purchase meal plans. We chose the Disney Dining Plan for our trip in 2013. Listed here I have each plan option and the cost:

	Quick Service Dining Plan	Dining Plan	Deluxe Dining Plan
What types of meals do I get with this plan?	2 quick service** meals + 1 snack per night per person + a refillable resort mug. Meal includes an entrée, non-alcoholic beverage, & dessert.	1 quick service**,       1 table service***, + 1 snack per night per person + a refillable resort mug.  Meal includes an entrée, non-alcoholic beverage, & dessert OR 1 full buffet.	2 snacks per night, 3 meals of your choosing (quick** or table service***) per night per person. A meal consists of appetizer, entrée, dessert, & a non-alcoholic beverage OR 1 full buffet.
Cost per adult per night (Ages 10 & Up)	$41.99*  per adult per night	$60.04*  per adult per night	$109.53*  per adult per night
Cost per child per night (Ages 3 – 9)	$16.03* per child per night. Children must order from Child’s Menu.	$19.23* per child per night. Children must order from Child’s Menu.	$29.86* per child per night. Children must order from the Child’s Menu.

*The cost as of 2015 for dining plans are in addition to the cost of your Disney World Magic Your Way package.

** Quick service meals may consist of an entree or a combo meal at a Quick service location. Quick service meals are often referred to as counter service meals and are similar to fast food options such as McDonald's.

*** Table service is a sit down restaurant. 

Disney's Polynesian Resort Ohana Restaurant

What is the difference in cost between purchasing the dining plan or paying as you go? For the budget conscious family I recommend deciding how much you would like to eat while at Disney World. Once you decide how frequently you would get snacks or eat desserts with a meal, then you will need to start crunching numbers. Go to the Disney World dining web page and check out the menus to get an idea of the cost for places you will eat. For my upcoming trip I had the knowledge of how the meal plan worked and decided I would compare going with the plan versus paying as I go.  For each night of my upcoming stay I selected 2 meals from a variety of quick service and table service locations. Two of the meals I planned were at Ohana's & the Hoop Dee Doo Revue - both are expensive table service options. The Dining Plan meal plan would cost my family of 3 adults (10+ in age) $1,275 for 7 nights/8 days. To pay as I go I anticipate the cost being $775.  That is a savings of $500!  Now understand we do not typically eat desserts or snacks. If we did eat snacks and desserts for every meal then our estimated cost would have been significantly higher. Since I could potentially save $500 on my upcoming trip, I opted NOT to purchase the Disney Dining Plan. The only time I would select the dining plan would be if Disney were offering it FREE with your package.  This usually happens twice per year, in the fall and late winter/early spring when school is still in session. 

Some families like being able to sit down for dinner and not have to study the menu and prices.  If you enjoy this luxury then maybe the dining plan is for you! If you decide to purchase any one of the dining plans you can use your meals in any order you wish.  If you want to eat 5 times a day for the first 2 days of your trip, you can do that.  However you will not be eating much on the remaining 3 days of your trip because you will have used your credits.  At the same time, whatever meals or snack credits you do not use by midnight on the day you check out of your hotel, you will lose that number of meals or snacks. People almost always have snack credits left over.  Make sure you spend your credits wisely.  Some ideas include purchasing the Mickey shaped cookies or the premium popcorn for souvenirs. Another idea for snack credits is to use them to purchase breakfast items since on all but one dining plan you only get 2 meals per day.  There are even lunch/dinner options that are on the snack credit list. When we had the dining plan we used one of our snack credits to purchase chicken fried rice at Yak & Yeti's in Animal Kingdom. It was plenty big enough for a meal! When you look at a menu you will see SC next to the items that are on the snack list. 

Paying For Meals As You Go: So you have decided you are not purchasing the meal plan OR you are staying at a non-Disney hotel and you do not have the option.  What do you do about eating in Disney World and not spending every available penny on food?  Listed below are some ideas for saving money on food at Disney World: 

• Water is FREE from any quick service restaurant.  You just walk up to the counter and ask for water.  When I last went to Disney World in 2013, I received a 20 ounce cup of water with ice.  Prior to my learning this trick I would be a pack mule toting water bottles in the park. Make sure you drink plenty of water if you are visiting during the summer.  It won't take long to dehydrate in the Florida heat. 
• If you don't like plain water, take Gatorade or Kool-Aid packets with you into the park each day.
• Share food with members of your family. Instead of ordering 2 combos and throwing away the extra fries order 1 combo and share it.  Cosmic Rays at Magic Kingdom has a rotisserie chicken that could be shared by 2. 
• If you don't want the side order of fries or a salad ask the cashier for just the entree. You will save money and not waste the side items you would not eat anyway. For example at Hollywood Studios Pizza Planet all personal pizzas come with a side order of a salad. If you do not want the salad tell the cashier and you can save $2.00. 



Disney's Hollywood Studios Pizza Planet





• Look for restaurants such as Magic Kingdom's Cosmic Rays or Tortuga Tavern that have toppings bar. This is a salad bar type area that is available for you to add unlimited toppings to your burgers etc. Examples of toppings included lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, sauteed onions & mushrooms, pickles, or sauerkraut. Other restaurants that have similar spreads include Hollywood Studios Sunset Ranch Market or Epcot's Cantina de San Angel.
• Surf the condiment selection at your hotel or in the theme park. You will most likely find peanut butter, jelly, and honey among other offerings for FREE. Order 2 slices of bread & you have a cheap PB&J for the picky child (or adult).
• Eat breakfast in your hotel room.  All Disney hotels and most non-Disney hotels now have a refrigerator in your room. Bring breakfast bars, cereal, & pop tarts from home. When we drive to Disney World, we buy milk from a local Walmart or grocery store before heading to our hotel the first day we arrive.  If you are staying off Disney property select a hotel that offers a free breakfast.  Take some of the fruit and boxed cereal with you to the park each day. 
• If you fly to Disney World you can order groceries ahead of time.  One such website that will deliver your groceries to you is We Go Shop. I have not personally used this service, but it gets good reviews on other blogs I have read.
• I highly recommend having a Disney Character Meal if you have never done this or you are travelling with children.  This is a great way for the kids to get to see their favorite characters in a more personal non-rushed setting. However, it costs quite a bit for a family on a budget.  To save you money I recommend you have Character Breakfast meals.  If you make reservations for the last reservation for breakfast it is usually around 11 AM.  The buffets are filled with plenty of meats, fruits, and pastries that you will not be hungry again until dinner time. If you have a Character Lunch or Dinner it cost more than breakfast. My favorite Character breakfast is at Magic Kingdom's Crystal Palace. Make sure you make your Character breakfast reservation as soon as you have finalized plans to go to Disney.

Listed below is a list of some of our favorite restaurants and some we are going to try.  I also have the average per person menu prices as of 2015.

Restaurants - highlighted ones are our favorites. Some of the non-highlighted ones we are trying for the first time this year but they get good reviews.	Avg Meal Cost per Person
Boatwrights @ Disney's Port of Orleans Riverside - UPDATE: Food was bland & not good.	$20.00
Ohana @ Disney's Polynesian Hotel - We LOVE Ohana's. This is our favorite restaurant in all of Disney. . UPDATE: Food, service, & atmosphere was good as always!	$30.00
Hoop Dee Doo Revue dinner AND a show all you can drink beer and sangria as well as down home good food while watching a good ole family fun show. We are trying this trip - gets great reviews online.UPDATE: Great food & entertainment - highly recommend worth every penny!	$58.00
Animal Kingdom Flame Tree - good BBQ with a nice view @ the tables around back of the restaurant Closed for refurbishment when we visited.	$11.00
Animal Kingdom Pizzafari Did not eat there this trip.	$9.00
Animal Kingdom Yak & Yeti Local Foods - Asian food. We really like the chicken fried rice which is a snack on dining plan UPDATE; Food was good.	$10.00
Downtown Disney Earl of Sandwich - The BEST use of a counter service meal. Great food! UPDATE: Great sandwich - worth the wait in the long line.	$8.00
Downtown Disney Cooks of Dublin (Behind Raglan Road) Serves food similar to Raglan Road but is less expensive.Did not eat there this trip.	$12.00
Downtown Disney Raglan Road - It's pricey but if you like authentic Irish food & drink - it's a must! UPDATE: Excellent food, service, & atmosphere.	$22.00
Epcot Sunshine Grill Future World - like a food court serving Asian food, burgers, chicken, etc one of the few places that give FREE drink refills. Our favorite quick service restaurant.UPDATE: Great food & still has FREE drink refills.	$10.00
Epcot Japan Katsura Grill	$11.00
Epcot France Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie Sandwiches & Pastries	$8.00
Epcot America Liberty Inn UPDATE: Food was average.	$10.00
Hollywood Studios ABC Commissary UPDATE: Food was good for counter service.	$11.00
Hollywood Studios 50s Dinner - Our fav. restaurant @ Hollywood Studios downhome food & fun! The waiters are in character from the 1950s. UPDATE: Food was good as usual, service was slow & not as themed as in years past... Maybe I just had a bad waitress.	$20.00
Magic Kingdom Sleepy Hollow (behind castle) Must try Waffle Chicken Sand. $7.49 UPDATE: We did not like the waffle chicken OR ham sandwich - would not recommend.	$8.00
Magic Kingdom Crystal Palace great character meal we always had the breakfast late in the morning. My favorite character meal restaurant.	$20.00
Magic Kingdom Be Our Guest Lunch supposed to be the best counter service restaurant in Disney - I haven't tried it- yet.	$12.00
Magic Kingdom Columbia Harbor House - Serves food similar to Liberty Tree Tavern but less expensive. UPDATE: Good counter service restaurant - highly recommend especially if you do not want a burger.	$11.00
Magic Kingdom Cosmic Rays - set up like a food court with burgers, chicken, or sub sandwiches.	$11.00
Port Orleans Riverside Hotel Boatwrights - Cajun food gets good reviews we will be eating there this trip for 1st time.	$20.00

Disney World On A Budget - Lodging

You have decided your family will spend your hard earned money to go to Disney World. Now for the BIG question - Do you stay in the park or out of the park?  As a budget conscious mom, this decision is very difficult.  We have stayed on Disney property and off Disney property. Listed below are the pros and cons for each choice:

Staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel: Disney offers accommodations from value to luxury in price. Since I am a budget conscious mom, I have only stayed at the value resorts and moderate resorts. For the summer of 2015 the non-discounted value resorts are priced in the $140-$150 a night price range. The moderate resorts are priced at the non-discounted rate of $220 per night. If you want to save money, plan your trip months in advance and book it when Disney first offers a sale.  Sign up for Disney Insider so you can get the latest information about sales. Keep checking the Disney World website for sales. Sign up to receive a FREE vacation packet mailed to you from Disney World. This will get you unadvertised sales mailed to your home as well as your FREE packet.  If you plan to travel to Disney in the month of June, Disney typically starts a sale around January 1st.  If you plan to visit Disney during July or August this sale is typically announced around the end of February. You need to book early so the discounted rooms don't sell out. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of staying at a Disney World hotel?

• Advantages:
1. You don't lose the "magic". I know it sounds kind of silly but when you leave the parks and head to the Holiday, Hampton, or whatever Inn you come back to the real world with real world problems like, traffic...
2. Disney transportation. Disney World has a fantastic bus/boat/monorail system that does a great job moving guests from the parks to their hotel and back. This is included in the cost of your hotel.  You are picked up at a location at your hotel and you are delivered to the entrance of the park you are visiting for the day. You do not have to worry about paying for parking or trying to remember where you parked the car.  You just get on the bus/boat, or monorail and let Disney get you there.  See my blog on Disney World On A Budget - Transportation for more information about how to utilize this system.
3. Extra Magic Hours - Every day one (or more) Disney theme parks offer Extra Magic morning OR evening hours to all Disney resort guests.  Basically if you are a guest at a Disney World resort hotel then you get entrance to the parks either an hour early or stay up to 2 hours later than non-Disney resort guests.
4. Fastpass + Selection First - Disney resort guests get to make their Fastpass + reservations 30 days before non-Disney resort guests. 
5. Complimentary airport shuttle service via the Disney Magic Express.  If you are flying into Orlando, Disney will pick you and your luggage up from the airport and transport you to your Disney hotel for FREE. You just check your luggage at your home airport and then the next time you see the luggage it is in your room.  
6. Complimentary parking at Disney hotels and theme parks for Disney resort guests.
7. Access to the Disney MagicBands.  The MagicBands serve as your room key, ticket to the theme park, as well as you can charge purchases to your room to the band. 
8. Access to the Disney dining plans.  If you stay at a Disney hotel you can choose to purchase a dining plan for your vacation.  See my blog Disney World on a Budget - Dining Plans for more information about this option. 
9. Resort hotel is Disney themed. The Disney hotel also has many activities planned throughout the day and evening for your family to enjoy time at the resort away from the theme parks. 
• Disadvantages:
1. Disney hotels cost more than neighboring non-Disney hotels around Disney World. 
2. There is no "kids eat free" or complimentary breakfast at the Disney hotel.
3. The restaurants in the Disney hotels tend to be expensive.

Staying Outside of Disney World: In the Disney World area you have hundreds of hotels to choose from in a wide range of prices.  For the budget conscious family the money you could potentially save may make it worth the hassle of staying off property. Listed below are the advantages and disadvantages of staying outside of Disney World. You can search for outside of Disney hotels at many sites including Expedia, Hotels.com, or Priceline. Personally I use Google Hotels to find hotels in the area and then I usually book the hotel from the hotel site.  I have read too many blogs about how online travel agencies did not book the room or the reservation was dropped or the price ended up being more than expected.

• Advantages:
1. Price per night - On average, it costs less money per night to stay at a non-Disney hotel. 
2. Shuttle service to Disney World.  Many hotels offer FREE shuttle service to the theme parks, but only at specified times. 
3. You don't have to eat every meal at Disney World thereby saving money.  Many hotels offer free breakfast or kids eat/stay free to draw guests. 
4. If you have a car you can visit other Orlando attractions in addition to Disney World.
5. You can get a room that sleeps more people.  Most Disney hotels sleep up to 4 guests.
• Disadvantages:
1. Traffic - The traffic around Disney World is a nightmare! It once took us no less than 10 minutes to turn left on International Drive. 
2. When you stay at the Holiday, Hampton, or Whatever Inn you lose the Disney magic.  Your hotel room will look just like the hotel you stayed in on vacation last year in Topeka or was it Chicago?
3. If you fly to Orlando, you will have to rent a car, get an Uber, or taxi to get around Orlando if your hotel does not have shuttle service from the airport. 
4. If you plan to use the hotel shuttle service to Disney World you are limited on drop off and pickup times for the hotel. 
5. If you drive yourself to Disney you will have to pay parking each day.  As of April 2015 parking costs $17 per day.  This is good for a full day at any Disney theme park. 

My recommendation:
After staying both off site and on Disney property our choice is to stay on property.  As for which Disney hotel is best, that depends on your family.  As I mentioned I am very budget conscious.  While I would like to stay at the Grand Floridian, I am not willing to pay the price for such accommodations. I have stayed at the All-Star Music value resort and the Port of Orleans French Quarter and Port of Orleans Riverside moderate resorts on our previous trips to Disney.  I can say hands down the moderate resorts are worth the extra money.

Disney All Star Music Resort

The All-Star Music resort seemed to have a Motel 6 feel to it.  The rooms were smaller and noisier than Port of Orleans.  The grounds at the All Star Music hotel looked trampled instead of well manicured like the Port of Orleans. The All Star resorts (Sports, Music, & Movies) all share the same bus to and from the theme parks. Port of Orleans has a dedicated bus most of the time.  The only time the bus is shared is on occasion with the sister property French Quarter. There is only one bus depot at All Star Music while there are 4 bus stops at Port of Orleans Riverside.  Both Port of Orleans Riverside and French Quarter have boat service to Downtown Disney. This is a fun, informative trip up the river with knowledgeable captains. The All Star resorts do not offer boat service.  Of the two Port of Orleans resorts we prefer the French Quarter because of its size. We prefer the smaller sized property over the massive Riverside.  An added benefit is it is a short (beautiful) walk to Port of Orleans Riverside and you can use all the amenities at that resort because it is the sister resort to French Quarter.  However, Disney does not usually run sales at the French Quarter resort so we usually end up staying at Riverside.  See my blog called Disney World On A Budget - Tips for information about requesting a room near the main building. Our room the last time we stayed at Riverside was a good 15 minute walk to the main building because I did not request a room close to the main building.

Disney's Port of Orleans Riverside Resort