What do you spend on Food per day?

[Golf Widow]

I realize this is a VERY general question and varies greatly between families and eating patens but how much do YOU spend for your family? How many Adults vs.. Children? Do you bring snack or buy everything in the parks?

I am thinking we will do one "nice" (shoula's, Boma's, CP) one average and one quick meal per day. None of our breakfasts are character meals so I think breakfast will be our "quick/inexpensive meal" - also neither me, DH or DD are big breakfast folks.

This is our first time back in 15 years and DD first time to WDW and I am just looking for some general figures on how much people spend.

Thanks!

 

[becka]

We eat all of our meals on property including snacks and I usually budget $100/day for 2 adults. I have always had extra left over when I budget that way but it is pretty close. We liked to have counter service for 2 meals a day, 1 snack and I drink lots of bottle water ($30-40) and then have 1 sit down meal each day ($40-60)because I get so sick of counter service.

 

[Micca]

First check out wdwig.com I think WDW food always costs more than you think it will. A simple breakfast of juice and muffins can get to $20-$30 before you know it(depending on number in family). The nice places are pretty spendy too especially if you have any drinks or wine. I'm not saying it's any more expensive than other resorts, or that it's not worth it. We really enjoy eating at WDW and don't mind paying for it.

 

[Micca]

First check out wdwig.com I think WDW food always costs more than you think it will. A simple breakfast of juice and muffins can get to $20-$30 before you know it(depending on number in family). The nice places are pretty spendy too especially if you have any drinks or wine. I'm not saying it's any more expensive than other resorts, or that it's not worth it. We really enjoy eating at WDW and don't mind paying for it.

 

[skiwee1]

We are two adults and a 4 y/o. We usually spend $200 a day. We eat entirely onsite either at the parks or at the resorts. That includes $75 or so for a character dinner a day or $100 for a nice sit down non character dinner. We usually eat breakfast at the resort and that is around $30. We eat a quicky lunch in the parks for another $30-$40. Then we spend about $30 on snacks and drinks.

 

[Tonyspad]

We (myself, DW and two DS's 7&5) eat breakfast in the concierge lounge and it still costs me a bundle. $40 for counter service lunch, $30 for snacks and drinks and $100 +/- for dinner. No one ever said it was inexpensive :-( !!!

 

[jann1033]

we haven't been for a few years either(like 5) but from the menus I think we will use about 100 a day for 2 adults including snacks and drinks (the real killers!), hopefully less. we are however buying some connection vouchers( see budget board if interested) for all 3 meals ( about 12 meals worth I think) and only have 3 dinners over 45 (not including tip), and are splitting lunch voucher lunches , q/c dinners and some breakfast...mainly cause I'm on Weight Watchers and that will help me stay on program. I don't see much sense getting a light pastry (bad for me) breakfast for 20-30 when we can get a full meal for 25-30 (Or less with the vouchers) and spend less for lunch. we always eat our largest meal at lunch unless we are going someplace special for dinner.(Boma and Ohana's and Boston Lobster Feast this time) since that costs so much more,often for close to the same thing! Usually we eat a big lunch at a nice sit down theme park or resort restaraunt (plus the old feet need a rest by then!) then a food court type dinner or from an epcot stand.

 

[mickeysaver]

As two adults, we tend to spend a total of $100/day on food. We had days where we were over, but most of the time, we were under. I have the same budget this year for food.

When in doubt about what you might end up spending, check out the menu prices over on WDWIG . Take a few minutes and pick a couple of restaurants. Then make up a family order and tally the cost. Add in the 6.5% tax and a tip. This will give you the ballpark figures to work with. Mickey

 

[Vinnie The Pooh]

If you like to plan and think you can have even a loose idea of where you will want to eat you can go to the on-line menus and actualy plan the cost of each of your meals. I do this with the help of DisPlanner Excel sheet which will add tax and tip in for you. That would be the most accurate way to do it. I do not remember the exact site where I found the DisPlanner but if the search tool is working on this site search for it and you will probably find it.

 

[jdads2]

Well, we budget $125 for meals which we make a PS, $30 for counter service and $30 for snacks during the day. We find that the amount is slightly higher the first couple of days and dramatically decreases during the vacation. We simply can't eat that much stuff. I plan on 3 sit down meals every 2 days but realize that I'll cancel almost half of them. No, I don't get a PS for every meal, only the ones we really know we want. So on a 12 day trip we budget about $2200 but will probably spend much less than that.

As I recall we spent close to $1300 on food during our 9 day stay last year but that included a $400 dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo that we took freinds to see. It also included eating breakfast in the room on the days we had either sit down meals planned or we just weren't hungry.

I know that we will be spending a lot less this yr even though I am trying to budget more. It would be nice to come home with enough left over to spend on a return trip for my DW and I in February!

 

[barbeml]

We are two adults and spend between $100 and $175 per day--and we are not snackers! However, we always wind up getting "big meal fatigue" after about three days. This year, we are only doing 3 big breakfasts (in-room stuff I pack or food court will do for our other breakfasts), and we are going to try some counter service restaurants for a change.

But we are still managing to fit in 'Ohana, '50s Prime Time, Boma, Le Cellier and Shutters. I doubt we will go hungry!

 

[diznee25]

We are two adults and I budget $100 per day for us. This is the amount I budgeted for us on our last trip, and we came out with an extra $50, (or an extra $10 per day for our 5 day trip) so this tells me our budget is realistic.

Last trip, our pattern was eating breakfast in the food court at our resort, (POFQ), one restaurant meal (anywhere), and the other meal was counter service.

Diznee25

 

[kayeandjim00]

We budget 100.00 per day for two adults. We do all of our meals on-site. Usually at least 2 character meals and we usually have at least one sit-down per day. This includes snacks as well and all of those cokes, water, and yummy snacks add up quickly. We usually come out a little ahead when it's all said and done but for us it works out well as I don't have to really worry about each meal. I agree with the others, the best way to get an idea of what your family will spend is wdwig menus. They are invaluable when planning your food budget.

 

[Grumpy37]

Just like with my golf expenses, I plead the fifth.

 

[ksmg]

We are not big eaters so I budget $150 per day for my family (2 adults, 3 kids). It works out to $45/adult, and $20/child. My kids eat like birds and can split a regular counter service meal with an extra order of fries between the 3 of them. My husband and I can also split one counter service meal. We bring food for breakfast and some lunches (PB&J and ham sandwiches for our 2 water park days) and bring snacks to the parks. For our upcoming trip, we have a PS for 5 at Chef Mickey's, Ice Cream Social, and Sci-Fi; table for 2 at CRT and Norway breakfasts, and dinner for 2 at Kona and California Grill.

 

[CBRorBust]

2 Adults=$100/day

That is at least one sit down meal, snack, and counter service.

Somedays we spend more than $100 if we have 2 sit downs, and less if we have one of each, etc.

 

[mars315]

We are two adults, and two children. However, one DD is an adult (13) in Disney's eyes. This matters when it comes to buffets, which we like to eat at the breakfast buffets, and dinner at Boma, 'Ohanas, etc. Anyway, we always budget $200/day for all food, and sometimes a few trinkets thrown in also. We usually eat 1 or 2 sit-down meals per day. If we have breakfast and dinner as sit-down meals, then DH and I will not have lunch, but DD's will get something small at lunchtime. If we have just breakfast on the schedule as a sit-down, then we will have one or two counter service, or snacks. Our $200 also includes beer, Mickey bars, water, etc. Like some other posters said, we end up spending less on meals as the vacation goes on, because I just cannot do all those big meals, and I get impatient with the time that it all takes to have 2 sit-down meals a day! Plus, we will find ourselves in Epcot, when our PS was in MK, so we cancel and just get a chicken sandwich.

Michelle

 

[beattyfamily]

Family of 4 (DD's ages 4 and 7) and this year we invited our 14 year old niece.

I just peaked at my Excel spreadsheet and it's about $1000 for 7 days. It's about $200 per day.

I've scheduled 5 meals: 4 dinners and 1 breakfast.

The rest of the food will be counter service, maybe 1 room service, Dunkin's on the way to checkin at the BW, and some breakfasts in our Villa. We'll bring snacks to the parks for the little ones.

 

[mrsltg]

We're figuring on $100 per day for 2 adults and a 3 year old. Some days will be slightly more, some days slightly less. My daughter and I will share food at most meals (neither of us can eat an entire Disney meal be it counter or sit down). I don't count snacks as food - clever, right? - I count them as fun money (same category as souveneirs).

Have a great trip everyone!

Erin

 

[married@wdw]

I plan on $100/per day for DH and I - no kids. But on the two trips since I started Weight Watchers almost a year ago we haven't come anywhere near that. We tend to eat two meals a day -- either a late breakfast at a sit-down or early lunch at a counter service place, followed by a nice sit-down meal at dinner. The difference is, I tend to order a salad, an appetizer and sometimes a side of veggies for dinner, then we share dessert, which probably saves us $20-$30 every night (and is still more than enough food for me). Not really snackers either and we take a few bottles of water with us and refill them in the room as needed.

This trip, we're eating several of our bigger sitdown meals at lunch time so we can hit the rides while everyone is eating dinner. For restaurants that have differing lunch and dinner menus, the meals seem to be much cheaper at lunch time -- especially noticed this in Epcot.