Disneyworld

Toto

we are going to florida this saturday and I am trying to budget for the trip. Can anyone who has been give me a rough idea of food costs in the parks? How much did you spend on average per person per day? I've been scanning the net and can't find a lot to help. I realise there are different options for eating out which is why I would assume most people would do a mix of all options, so average daily spend over the course of the holiday would really help.

steveo3002

if you're on a budget id suggest a decent breakfast before you go, then take a packed lunch or snacks for the park, and have a meal when you leave

i cant recall any specific prices but its wayy more expensive than a regular restarant type place...chances are a good breakfast will fill you up for most of the day

tazz233

Hello Toto,

I am so jealous- Wish I was going to Florida on saturday
Where are you staying in Florida? Are you staying onsite at Disney? How many are there in your family?

Here are the menus and prices for food in Disney:
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm

Have you done much planning for the holiday (decided what rides you want to go, which parks to visit etc?). I would recommend having a look at the rest of the site for ideas:
http://www.allearsnet.com/index.html

Also have a look at http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=60 for planning guides for UK visitors etc

As a warning, if you plan to have any sit down table meals in the parks, it is best to phone disney and reserve a table, as it can get very busy and people are often turned away :eek:

Let me know if I can help further.. I love planning disney holidays! :rotfl:

tazz233

Ok an average counter service meal in the parks is about $7-10 (This includes a main meal-such as a burger, pizza, chicken etc, a side dish-such as salad, chips, corn on the cob etc and a large drink such as bottled water, coke etc)
For example Cosmic Rays in the Magic Kingdom
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_cr.htm

A sit down meal can vary depending on whether it has characters, whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner!
If you eat at a character meal it can cost between $18-28 for all you can eat and visits to your table by different characters. An example of this is the Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom where Winnie the Pooh and friends visit!
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_cpl.htm

Another sit down restaurants are around $20-30, unless you want something special and then it can be $50+!

It all depends what type of food you like and what you willing to spend

The counter service meals for $8 are large meals and my boyfriend and I often shared one meal between us as the portions are large! If you know where to look you can get other foods such as chinese and mexican food for $7 so you don't need to eat burgers and hot dogs all the time either!

There are also bakerys and deli type places in the parks, whether you can get pastrys and cakes and there are plenty of snack foods scattered all over the parks (ice cream, crisps, fruit bowls for under $3)

Food I don't think is that expensive compared to the theme parks in England and I think the quality is much better. However bottled water is what is expensive there.. $2.50 for a bottle so if you can buy them off site, I would recommend it (You can get 8 bottles for $3 in a small walgreens). They do have water fountains in the park but they taste a bit funny to me

Hope thats helped a bit!

caseya

Hi Toto

You may want to check out this website - I have found it REALLY useful so far in my planning (I am going in May). It has info about what to expect on arrival at the airport and a whole thread on different families spending habbits to give you something to measure against, plus loads more.

https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums

Hope you have a great time!

caseya

blue_monkey_2

We have just come back from there last week - Boo Hoo, feels like we never went now!! Had a fab time though. The food in the Disney parks is not so bad and then drinks for $2.50 but elsewhere, like SeaWorld for example, we found it was double what we had been playing in Disney and lunch there cost us $15 a head for ribs and fries - and it wasn't that great either.

The best place to eat is The Land in Epcot where there is a choice of lots of things and something for everyone. Every food place sells kids meals for $3.99 (don't forget to add tax at 7%) and anyone can have them but the portions are quite big and with the walking around the the heat you'll find you won't want a big meal in the day. Tony's in Main Street Magic Kingdom is the only place that seems to sell Pasta. If you are eating in the evening then go out of the parks as the prices are much better and the buffets like Ponderosa are your best bet so you can have a choice. Pick up the discount booklets from Supermarkets and Shops as you'll save money with these and do not be embarrassed in using them. I am not sure on where you are staying or how many are going but for us there was 2 adults and 2 kids, our hotel was the best place for Breakfast (We stayed at the Radisson on Parkway) as, even with the tips added, it came out at the cheapest for us.

Also, make your first stop Wal-Mart. We found it on the very last day but you can buy your Disney merchandise there for a fraction of the cost Disney charge. We are gutted as wish we had known. I got some Ladies Levis - Mid Rise ones, for $5 and the Low Rise for $17.97 so definately check this out. Kids tops and Tees are $2 and I got a Disney Cars Tee for $3 for my son. Also for snacks and drinks stock up there and you'll save a fortune and take them with you. If you are not going to be driving, get a cab there and a cab back and save room in your cases for the extra things you will buy. Get your photos done there and they are cheap for getting the photos put onto disc and then printed out at the same time.

Beware of the additives in everything - my kids are still high and we got back last week!! The colours in the foods just amazed me and everything is SuperSized, even cans and bottles of coke are bigger sized than ours. We had a huge shock when we saw them. Some things are much cheaper, other not.

At the end of the day though, it depends on what you want to eat. You can get a nice meal at the Rainforest Cafe for about $80 with drinks, or snacks for $40 - definately worth a look. Where are you staying though as this will make a difference on what places there are around you to eat.

PS. Any room in your case for me????

Toto

Thanks everyone that is super helpful. We have an autistic child who can be a bit picky so I will be taking a few bits with me for her, a jar of marmite for example. But the plus side of having her with us (apart from the fact she is a total sweetheart) is that we get a pass so we don't need to queue for the rides at all. We have planned a bit, looked at the parks but to be honest with the little one it's better to just wing it depending on her needs.

I am dead excited, I tell you more so than the kids! I didn't buy the food package because I felt we could probably money save a bit by doing it ourselves, not sure if that was a mistake or not. We are always careful with money but for this holiday we have decided we will have what we want to eat etc, no strict budgeting, I personally hate burgers as do my daughters so we will probably eat in the posher places, I will try to make some sandwiches to take with us for lunch if I can, we will eat a big breakfast so hopefully will only need 2 paying meals a day.

I would love to take you all along, but I will take some photos and post a few when we get back. Thanks again for your help... is it saturday yet?????

Toto

Oh and yes we are staying in the resort in the all star movies hotel. The posher ones looked lovely but in all honesty how much time will we spend in the hotel? Not much if my kids are on form, they will be banging on the door of the mgic kingdom at 5am demanding cinderella gets out of bed!

blue_monkey_2

Hi again,

I have to confess, the AS Disney hotel was pretty pants for breakfast so get along to a supermarket and pick up some cereals and throwaway/cheap bowls and some plastic spoons (you can get these from the restaurants) so you can eat something to tide you over. The All Star (when we stayed) only had things like cake or junk food for breakfast and you just get fed up with it. This could have changed though.

You don't say if you will have a car or not but if not then I am afraid you had better get used to burgers, LOL, as they seemed to sell them everywhere. Most of the outlets sell them and it can be hard if your child is picky to get something decent. The food outlets seem to just have a few choices, 3 or 4 in each so you have to wander to get something you all like in the same plce. if going to the classier places you generally have to book anything from 3-5 days in advance, we tried to get in to the buffet and couldn't so just beware of this and book well in advance. You'll probably find the meal plan is the better option if only eating in Disney and not worrying about the cost - I am sure it'll not be too late to add it on. It is quite a trek to get out of Disney if you do not have a car and only want to eat as you have to get a buss to the Transportation Centre and get a Lynx Bus or get a taxi which will cost around £20-30 to get to the restaurants. Next time we are going to do a week in a Disney Hotel and a week outside as you get the best of both then. The cheaper hotels seem to think you do not want to pay so much for food and offer mainly fast or junk food. It might be worth checking in the brochures, or online, to see what the other hotels have to offer and go to those for lunch or dinner as you are welcome to do this. As I say it might have changed but the All Star only had junk for sale when we last stayed and we ended up leaving and going to an int Drive for the last week of our holiday as I had enough of their offerings.

As for the marmite I am not sure you'll be allowed to take it in. Wal-Mart does sell some UK foods but be prepared to pay double for it (around £1.50 for a can of Heinz Baked Beans and £3.00 for a 12 pack of Weetabix, LOL) but at the airport the sniffer dog will come around your bags and he seems to detect anything - taking any food into the US is a big no-no but I am not sure how they will deal with Marmite as it is in a sealed jar but it is food. I am not sure, maybe someone else can advise or you can check with US customs and explain to them. I ditched everything food like - although I did take boiled sweets in. Who knows?? I know you can't take chocolate though.

In regard to the sandwiches thing, there is not really anywhere to make them in the All Star hotels as you get a pretty basic room with a bathroom and bed in it - you are better going to Wal-Mart and stocking up on subs there every few days if you can and do it that way. Our Disney room did not have a fridge so you can't store things, we went 5 years ago, Disney are quite sneaky, you can buy a cup and then you get refills on it through the hotel so you do not, in theory, need a fridge as you have drinks on tap. That being said, we stayed at the Animal Lodge for a night and that had a fridge and they did not have the drinks cup so maybe this is changing and the AS will have them as well but I did see people carrying the drinks cups around from the hotels so I cannot be sure.

Ah-ha.... you'll still have to queue though.... when we came back it was getting busier and there was queues of the disabled people waiting to get on the rides, they can't get them all on the rides the same time because of the time as the ride is continuous so unless you are lucky there will be a queue there as well - just so you know - but we did not really queue for anything. Do the rides you want to badly do first thing - we done the whole of tomorrowland twice in an hour without queueing, especially if you use the parks when you have the magic hours, but be prepared, it is very tiring for children and my kids were exhausted, it is a lot of walking for them to do each and every day, you never realise until you have been but I was asleep beofre my kids most nights!! Some of the rides it'll be better to fast pass and then go back later even if you have the pass, Peter Pan for example is always really busy unless you get there first thing so we fast passed this when we went.

Also, if you can go for the Princess and Pirate Party, it is as it says with everything princess or pirate and the park is closed to the public and unless you have a band you will not get in. it was wonderful, a treasure trail with a bag and map where we got treasure of necklaces and chocolate coins and kisses when we found the X marls the spot (not as hard as it sounds, a big illuminiated X on a stick) but my children loved it. There is an extra special parade and fireworks display, all the rides are open so no queues (my kids were more interested in the treasure than the rides - as I said, we hardly had any queues and you are going after the half term holiday). The kids found it tiring and we went back to the hotel for a bit during the day before the party so we could have some time out, but dress your daughter as a princess and every cast member bows or courtseys and greets them with 'Good Evening Princess'. My daughter felt very special and loved every minute but by 10.30 after the last parade she was bushed and we went home - my son who is 3 fell asleep at 8.30 when the pricess music came on with the parade, LOL, it sent him right off!! it is on until 12.30am and the Disney buses to the hotels run during this time and an hour after. You can get the details from the Disney website as it costs more but it is cheaper buying it before the day you want to go. I hope this helps, have a great time. I am sure to remember something else later.

themaccas

Hi
Hope you have a great time. We went 18 months ago, we're a family of 5 and budgeted $200 per day to pay for petrol, food and souvenirs/gifts. We found that was plenty and lived very well on that, though we stayed at Sheraton Vistana in a 2-bed condo with a kitchen. We stocked up at Walmart and made our own breakfast every day and also made an evening lunch of sandwiches at the villa. We only ate out at a restaurant once a day and that really kept our costs down. We pre-purchased all our park tickets before we went.

Toto

Wow blue monkey thanks so much for that, somehow the thanks button doesn't seem enough. I can't tell you how helpful that was, I will certainly follow yur advice and the princess party sound fab, my daughter actually thinks she is a princess so having that confirmed will make her holiday I think :rotfl:

I am looking forward to this trip even more now, I will try to smuggle in a small jar of marmite, so watch the news, if you see an international marmite security threat at gatwick airport you will know it's me. I won't bother with anything else, I'm sure we can cope. I think I am going to call and see if I can add the meals to the trip now, it will be less to worry about and I will need to take much less cash. You are all stars and if I could take you all along with me I would.