Feeding a family at Disney World can get expensive.\u00a0 You usually won’t have access to a kitchen if you stay on property, so you will be relying on restaurants for most of your meals.\u00a0 Disney restaurants can be pricey; the meals can cost from double to triple what a comparable meal would cost at home.\u00a0 How can you reduce your expenses in this area?\u00a0 Here are a few methods we’ve employed:<\/p>\n
Plan for breakfast and snacks<\/strong><\/p>\n We usually make a stop at a grocery store or retail department store (e.g., Target) near Orlando at the beginning of our trip.\u00a0 We buy cases of water, quick snacks to take to\u00a0the parks (fruit, crackers, granola bars, etc.), breakfast items (oatmeal, bagels, muffins, etc.), and sodas for the room.\u00a0 We can save one to two hundred dollars with this approach.<\/p>\n This isn’t to say we don’t indulge in the treats available in the park.\u00a0 My daughter has a craving for Mickey pretzels and everyone loves Dole whips.\u00a0 But there isn’t much sense in buying grapes in the park for $4.50 a pack when I can pay $1.00 for them at the grocery store.\u00a0 Eating breakfast in our hotel room each morning and carrying snacks in our bags while at the parks allows us to save our snack funds for the special treats we can only get at Disney. It\u2019s also helpful as a touring strategy, because it allows us to continue trucking through the parks and moving through lines instead of breaking down because someone is hungry.<\/p>\n Ask for ice water<\/strong><\/p>\n Any counter service restaurant (where you place your food order at a counter) in the Disney parks will give you a cup of ice water if you ask for it.\u00a0 Cups of ice water aren’t the most convenient things to carry around, but you can bring your own water bottle to the park and just fill it up with ice water.\u00a0 Water in the parks generally costs $2.50 a bottle, so you can\u00a0save a lot by going this route.<\/p>\n Share meals<\/strong><\/p>\n This tip is especially useful if you have children.\u00a0 My kids are hit or miss when it comes to dinner.\u00a0 Rather than purchasing full meals for each person, we can usually get an appetizer and share our large entree and side items with them to save money.\u00a0 This approach comes in handy for counter service meals as well.\u00a0 Instead of ordering 4 entrees, we will order 3 instead and split them.\u00a0 Another option is to order a couple of side items and split the main items.\u00a0 Anything to keep the costs down.<\/p>\n Choose counter service<\/strong><\/p>\n If your food budget is tight, counter service restaurants provide the best bang for your buck. The more counter service meals you select, the less you will spend in tips at the table service\u00a0locations.\u00a0 The entrees, sides, and drinks at counter service restaurants are generally cheaper as well.<\/p>\n