Dining at Disney on a Budget

 Top Tips for Saving on food at Disney World

1. Plan ahead...seems obvious, right...

2. Order from Amazon, Shipt, or local grocery delivery in Orlando directly to your resort. We talked to the staff working in that department while on property in May 2023. They receive deliveries every day and the companies scan in and take it into the holding area where luggage is stored when you arrive and on the day of your departure. As we asked questions for 15 minutes, three different outside vendors made deliveries. There are not fees imposed by Disney as long as you choose to pick it up yourself. If you ask them to bring it to your room there is a small fee. I would suggest you bring $5 to tip them as you would with retrieving your luggage on check out day. They cautioned me that guests need to ensure they use the specific and accurate address of the resort that can easily be found by going to www.disneyworld.com then clicking hotels, choosing yours and scrolling down on the right hand side. They suggest the name on your reservation and check in date be on the label. 

3. WATER, depending on your family´s pickiness level, this might mean bringing your own refillable mugs that you will fill at many of the available drink stations throughout all parks or in the food court using the water option on the fountain. Water at Magic Kingdom is AWFUL, it has a very strong sulfer smell. We brought 3 $5 cases from home but once I saw everything being seamlessly delivered that seems worth trying.

 4. Don´t allow family to order drinks at meals, we do this at all locations we eat at throughout the year because we have 7 kids. By the time you add the cost of a soda ($4-6) plus tip, plus tax on that amount a family of 4 has easily added $20 to their meal. I prefer to spend my drink money at the Dole whip stand!

5. If flying Southwest, pack snacks, protein bars, oatmeal packets, water flavor packets, cereal, dried fruit in your luggage since you get two free pieces of luggage with each ticket. Then on the way home you have space for all the extra Mickey Ears you bought!

6. Plan the meals you will eat each day in advance by looking at the menus and pricing on the app. Maybe you are a super planner and you will do this prior to leaving home. I do this for two reasons. ¨where does everyone want to eat¨ might be the most annoying phrase in the world of Mom. While on a trip, I don´t need additional decisions or confusion. Once my kids alert me that they are hungry they are actually on the pentacle of a breakdown and no great decision making will happen. I like to compare reviews, pricing and the likes of my kids. Then I make note of it and you can also note things on your app. My 21 year old daughter and I prefer to share so we are not stuffed and nauseated while hopping on rides. We also eat a meal to survive but want to grab snacks and treats. Some table service meals do not allow sharing if it is all you care to eat or a buffet. This is often the case with favorites like Ohana and character dining. If you will be doing these meals and/or have kids between 3-9 the dining plan would likely save money. You can read my article: Dining Plan for 2024

7. If you are staying at a Disney Resort, value or moderate resort you can usually by an XL whole pizza for $22. This is an excellent price and decent pizza.

8. Via Napoli in EPCOT requires reservations and can be affordable if you choose to buy two large pizzas and water. We did this with 6 adults (4 were starving guys) with tax and tip we paid about $120 for dinner for 6. That is a great ¨in park¨ price an brick oven pizza with toppings. Most families of 4 could do with 1/2 this.

9. Plan one serious meal a day around 2-3pm. This will be less crowded at meals but the most crowded time in the parks making it a great (HOT) time to stop and eat. This will require everyone to get up and eat in the room with the food you delivered, or bought and bringing snacks for the morning. Then snack from your backpack and grab a large pizza at the end of the night to share in the food court. Pizza pictured below is a food court meal!

10. Breakfast in the room is not only a cost saver but a time saver and smoother start to your day. Our adult daughter, went down and asked for a free cup and spoon, got Hot water from the machines for tea at the drink fountain and made oatmeal most days. I like cereal but NOT milk, so I bring baggies and miniwheats and eat them on transportation to the park. For those that prefer milk it is sold in the foodcourt. Our boys grabbed protein bars but we did have to feed them in lines throughout the day or they would have wilted.

11. Drinks are such an enormous waste of money! If you or someone in your party is not going to survive without a truly fountain soda, you can get a refillable mug for use at resort for $22. You could take this to the park but only refill with water (and a flavor packet) there. I would bring a carabiner clip to avoid carrying on the backpack once it is empty. You can bring single serve instant coffee (Starbucks has an excellent one) and make your own coffee in the morning in the food court with creamer and sweetener for free. You could also bring tea and make your own then add their ice if you prefer it iced. 

12. Check out all the options for meals at Disney Springs, Earl of Sandwich is an 14incredible bargain and excellent food. It is easily packaged in foil to bring back to the hotel refrigerator.

13. Finally, if you want the convenience of the dining plan but can´t make sense of the cost, we chose to buy a Disney Gift card this last trip for our 17 year old. I figured out how many table service meals I would buy, and brought breakfast. So, I added up how many quick services he would buy. I figured on average they are about $15 without drinks plus tax and a snack for about $6-7 a day. I did the math for number of meals a snack a day and a resort mug then explained this and he did his own budget. If he overspent, that was on him which doubled as a great life lesson. It also made it so much less stressful because he never asked me if he could have a drink or snack. He could have whatever he wanted it as long as he paid for it!

14. We also did a lunch table service at Wilderness Canyon cafe for all you care to eat BBQ for about $30 a person with tax. This was a very filling meal and one of the boys favorites. If I was only traveling with my daughter, this would not have been a top pick but my boys can EAT!

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