More For The Money

[soft_spell]

OK, I know I'm crazy, but I am trying to keep a dinning budget of $20 a day. DBF and I are going for 7 days in May (college break). I explained to him last night (after researching menu on allearsnet.com) that we could probably do $200 per person for the whole trip. He said, "Come on, you can do better than that."
Please help....For those of you who have already been to WDW, where can I get plates with huge serving amounts that we can share every now and then?
And do regular everyday fast food joints exist on property?
Thanks and happy planning
Michelle

 

[Forever42]

Well, do you have any table service restaurants planned?

After that, one of the best things to do is make sure you go to the counter service restaurants with toppings bars. These really save us when we're trying to eat cheaply! Pecos Bill and Cosmic Ray's at MK have the best, IMO.

Other things you can do, for example, is to order a double cheeseburger at one of these places and ask for an extra bun (70 cents). The chicken wrap at Pecos Bill's is large enough to share, after filling up at the toppings bar.

There's also Trail's End for a cheap buffet, it's $11 at breakfast or lunch, and $17 at dinner. They also have a soup/salad only option for about $5 less.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Many of the counter services have large portions. I think you will have a hard time with $20 a day but I'm sure it could be done if you set your mind to it. there are a few McDonalds ... one in EPCOT and one in AK I think.
There is one in DTD. Maybe others can help with this. I don't know where there are any more.
Try going over to the budget board. They have some great ideas on how to cut cost down! Good luck

 

[Lewski709]

I don't think you can do it, unless you eat 2 meals a day and share. If you can do it, you won't eat well. Part of making the trip, for me, is eating. I wish you well, I know how tough it is on a college budget.

 

[randyl]

I agree. It is tough in a college budget and I also wish you well. I am HIGHLY doubtful that you can do it for $20 a day. A simple hamburger meal with fries and soda is about $8.00 plus tax. A bagel is about $2.00 and coffees are about $2.00 a piece. I honestly don't think it is possible. Speaking for myself, I can always find bargain airfare, room discounts (AP, codes, etc) but one thing I haven't ever been able to find bargains on are meals and passes.

 

[bdcp]

I think $200 for 7 days is a great deal. Why is your DBF so intent on you "doing better than that". If he thinks he can do better, tell him to research it himself. Let him discover what you're talking about.

If you do pastry and coffee and/or juice for breakfast and eat counter service for the rest without snacks, that's about as cheap as you can go, short of bringing your own. My personal opinion is on vacation, I don't want to be making any meals. I don't do laundry either unless it's an emergency. Another option is to eat a large breakfast at a buffet and dinner counter service. You can bring snacks and do that in the evening. That's still more than $20. Someone with the name, Steve something I can't remember and I can't search now since that's not working swears they did WDW on $18 or something per person. And that was pretty cheap for eating out. His posts were/are in Budget Boards.

I just can't imagine going without Mickey Ice Cream or another Disney snack, not to mention a Margarita from Mexico in Epcot. Food is such a big part of the experience. Hope you can work this out.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I think 20.00 a day would be very tough.I would recomend however taking some of your own food to cut back when you can. Breakfast in the room at least would help a lot. Snacks that you can carry in your fanny pack and even a cooler with cold cuts and bread in your room for a quick dinner. Good luck and have fun.

Jordan's mom

 

[robinb]

We usually spend $40-50 per person per day. $20 would be cutting it to the bone. I think you'll be lucky to make it through WDW on your $200 pp budget. A bottle of Coke is $2.50! Still, you can cut corners here and there. Stop at the grocery store on the way into your resort/hotel and pick up some food and a cheap styrofoam cooler. A cooler will keep anything cold as long as you change the ice twice a day. If you're staying at a Disney resort you can both share a refillable mug (all you can drink coffee & soda for your stay at the resoort) and use the microwave and toaster. That way you can stock up on Cheesy-Mac, microwave popcorn, pop tarts and bagels. You can also buy or bring cereal and Ziplock or Glad plastic bowls to eat from. PB&J's are always economical and a Ziplock square container keeps the sandwich from being squished in your backpack. A water bottle will each will keep you hydrated. {{shrug}} I wouldn't want to do WDW that way ... but then again my poor college student days are far behind me!

 

[denecarter]

You can save a couple of $$ per meal if you request the free ice water instead of a soda. Neither DD nor I are supposed to have caffiene... plus, I just prefer water to soda. We've been suprised at how fast the savings adds up. Also... DD and I are both big eaters. Buying two full counter service meals (entree w/fries) is usually too much food for us. We often cut out one of the orders of fries.

 

[dwkwootton]

There's alot of great strategies for dining well at DW on a budget, many already suggested here. No matter what, $20.00/day is so far of a stretch that your trip will likely cease being a vacation. Hopefully your DBF isn't really sitting back and throwing the kind of attitude at you that your post suggested. Maybe he could get a simple part time job, 1 or 2 hours per week between now and your trip so that the price of meals won't even be an issue.

 

[bobcat]

You need to post this on thebudget board. I for one think it can be done and in fact have done it without sacrificing. You can bring breakfast items with you, pop tarts, granola bars as they pack easily. You can pick up juice/milk in the hotel gift shop and even get a box of donuts for a good price if you wish. Counter service can be done for less than $10, even cheaper if you like the kids meals. Turkey legs are $5 and I can't eat one myself. We rarely buy soda in the parks only with a meal and drink water the rest of the time. Check out the menus on www.allearsnet.com AK has a meal deal plan that for around $12 you get a full combo meal and coupons for a snack and a drink to use later in the day.

I do suggest that even on a budget trip you pick one sit down place you would like to try, lunches are less expensive, and add that extra amount into your budget. That way you don;t feel like you are short changing yourself.

 

[dwkwootton]

Not sure if its a great idea to advise the OP to play with the rules to achieve this $20/day thing (food is not supposed to be brought into the parks and kid's meals are supposed to be ordered for kids).

 

[Forever42]

Not sure if its a great idea to advise the OP to play with the rules to achieve this $20/day thing (food is not supposed to be brought into the parks and kid's meals are supposed to be ordered for kids).

Actually, you are allowed to bring food in the parks, and anyone can order kids' meals, as long as you're not at a buffet. We do both all of the time.

 

[lillygator]

I didn't think you were allowed to bring meals (ie sandwhiches etc) into the park...snacks in a diaper bag yes....

 

[Forever42]

I didn't think you were allowed to bring meals (ie sandwhiches etc) into the park...snacks in a diaper bag yes....

Oh, sure, as long as you're not bringing an elaborate dinner, they don't really care that much. Sandwich, fruit, chips, drinks, no one cares about that.

 

[randyl]

Yes, we have brought snacks (Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, granola bars, etc) for our son when he was small. Never the type of stuff and/or enough to make a meal. Now that he is older (6), we don't bother. I don't think I'm much different than anyone here in budgeting between $175 - $200 per day for food for me, DW and DS (6 yo).

 

[dwkwootton]

It doesn't matter to me personally if someone brings a granola bar into the park. Was just mentioning that it isn't allowed, and it isn't. Sure, the CM's aren't going to flag you if you don't push it and go overboard. Same with ordering from the kid's menu. They will let you do it but you are supposed to be 11 (that's why the counter service menu states "for children age 3 to 11" above the kid's meal).

 

[randyl]

I don't think I ever told anyone the the time when this group of people brought beer into MK. We were relaxing over near Liberty Square at the fence along the walkway near where they sell (or used to sell) the baked potatoes. All of a sudden, this group opened up their soft cooler, passed around cans of Budweiser beer and proceeded to hang out drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. I thought it would be a matter of seconds before a CM would come over and talk to them but it never happened. Sorry to get off subject.

 

[crisi]

dwkwootton - can you provide a cite where bringing in food is not allowed - you seem fairly sure. IIRC, Disney removed the "no outside food" signs years ago, and it doesn't say anything in the park maps. I also believe DISers have written Disney on this topic and been told "go ahead."

 

[dwkwootton]

crisi ~ just from being there so many times. Didn't notice that the verbage was removed. An earlier post said that granola etc is ok but meals aren't, so if there is verbage somewhere to clarify what amounts of food or items of food are/aren't allowed, I'm not aware of it and (sincerely no offense intended) am not interested enough to search for a cite with the info. My point is that I think the OP is going to have a real tough time with $20/day. As simple as if one of them wants a cup of coffee mid morning or a soda mid-afternoon but can't cause it would blow the budget or if lunch has to be a hot dog reserved for Mickey's Little Friends to allow enough $ for dinner that evening, to me it doesn't sound fun or practical.