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!

For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook   and feel free to email for a quote dillontravels@gmail.com Remember we are paid by our vendors like Disney, Sandals, Virgin Voyages Palace, and Royal Caribbean (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!

Disney 2023

 One thing we LOVE about Disney is the constant innovation and every trip is a different experience. One thing I struggle with at Disney is change. Okay, I said it. I love Disney but gosh, these last 3 years have really been a trip on the spinning teacups. 

New Things I LOVE!

• Pop Century: the renovations over the past few years that incorporate a fold away bed and upgraded both beds to queen size really makes the resort work so much better for all the adult children we have. Folding the bed away helps me relax and not feel like the room is stuffed full. The bathroom design  with the sliding door that allows one person to shower, another to be changing or getting ready privately, and the rest of the party to be in the main room are very nice for a large family. The skyliner (gondola to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios) seals the deal making this my resort of choice. Pro Tip: There are 5 value resorts but only two have standard rooms on the skyliners path: Pop Century and Art of Animation. These are more expensive than All Stars but well worth the added expense.
• 
  Guardians of the Galaxy amazed us all. I have heard from others that if you struggle with being motion sick this ride will wreck you. It swivels while in motion. I have seen the first movie, and liked it. A Guardians fan would lose their minds. There are a variety of songs that randomly play so each ride is unique. Pro Tip: right now you have to get on the app and try to get in the virtual queue at 7 am, The only way to do 7 am is if you are staying on property and for 2023, have a reservation to the park. These spots are taken in SECONDS. Have several people in your party logged into the app clicking refresh, one person can get it for all once they are ¨in¨. There is a second opportunity at 1 pm if you miss the first one or are not staying on property. You have to be inside the park with the ride you want to join the queue    

• Tron is great, I was impressed until I road Guardians of the Galaxy :-) Still a solid ride and my husband that gets motion sick did fine on the ride other than his anxiety that it might be bad. He would describe it as a faster, smoother Space Mountain with less drops. He preferred it over space mountain. He struggles with slight sickness on Star Tours or Pandora.
• Ratatouille was adorable and I really liked it. We were able to use our early park entry to get their quickly with a reasonable wait. I will continue to ride it and it is much better than the ¨little kids rides"at Magic Kingdom. It is not a thrill rides so older kids may be annoyed with the wait. There are so many things happening quickly that you could ride it a lot to see new things. The motion on this ride is similar to Toy Story Mania. Pro Tip: Place short travelers in the front because I was annoyed with looking at the people (in my own family) in front of me in our cart and I am 5´6¨
• Reservation changes while traveling are very easy on the app if you work to understand it. Pro Tip: We planned our dining very late. Only weird times were left, so we were checking once we arrived and a lot of new times were available. Grab any dining you can get then make changes on the go.
• Parking at the resort is FREE AGAIN!!

Changes that made me look like Eeyore

• Old Fast Pass...oh how I miss you. For those of you Disney diehards that have been around for 25 years of repeated Disney trips we have seen quite the ride wait evolution. In the beginning, there was a race across the park with family theme park tickets for the whole party to grab a fast pass that you would come back for with no wait. This was AMAZING, well it was for those of us that were efficient and felt we were Disney Ninjas. I suspect it was great because most people were not utilizing it. Then the fastpass went online allowing a lot more people to plan, it also allowed people to plan in advance and limited the ¨good passes¨. Then, no passes...now this wild Genie+ option that comes with a fee that limits participation. I feel like my clients are paying enough and it frustrates me that there are added fees. Pro Tip: You need to make your plans on your app before you go, familiarize yourself with it and you will have a lot easier trip making and changing plans as needed throughout your trip.

• I have missed the dining plan. It was a big part of our vacations because Disney has some amazing meals as well as entertainment/character meals that are a set fee that is pricey for many families. The dining plan is returning in 2024 but it will be pricey and with other increases it won´t be affordable for all. Pro Tip: price out your next trip with and without the dining plan to decide if the convenience is worth it to you. If you have teens it will be well worth it to let them loose and not worry about feeding them or being ¨fair¨.
• Magic Bands were free for years and allowed for the convenience of charging privileges, park tickets, dining and resort stay verification for early or late hours. Now you have to purchase one for those conveniences. Otherwise you rely on a phone app that will have limited battery life and or apple wallet for your ticket. It is just inconvenient after experiencing the perks of the band. Pro Tip: you can always use your previous bands on new trips.

As we look ahead to our next Disney Vacation we are reminded of the evolution of all of our Disney favorites. What do you love and what do you miss?

For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook   and feel free to email for a quote dillontravels@gmail.com Remember we are paid by our vendors like Disney, Sandals, Virgin Voyages Palace, and Royal Caribbean (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!

Disney-What NOT to do!

I get a lot of questions on what to make sure and do at Disney.  People should ask what NOT to do because oftentimes that will make more of a headache for you then missing something.

• When your kids are melting STOP! Do not continue, do not get in line, do not do MORE, just stop!
• get them a snack in an air conditioned facility
• go back to the hotel and swim or just call it a day and get to sleep.
• it is okay to break your itinerary, you will be miserable if you try to make them last.
• Remember, the exception is a scheduled table service. Those must be canceled 24 hours in advance. You can still try calling to cancel last minute and see if they will forego the $10 per person cancellation for being last minute. 1-407-939-3463 Disney Dining
• Do NOT rely wholeheartedly on the My Disney Experience app. It has stopped working several times. PLEASE print your itinerary including dining times and your Fastpass+ times from My Disney Experience before you leave home. If you do not do this I will not be able to access it for you.
• Do not put princess shoes on your princess!  If she is going to fight to wear them bring real shoes and socks in your backpack. You will be walking a lot and the princess will turn into Maleficent!
• Do not cram so much into a day that everyone is scrambling and not really taking it all in.
• Do not stand in the entry way to a park in complete awe while thousands of people pass you and get on rides.  All of that magnificence will be there after you take advantage of early hour ride times in the parks.
• Do not miss opportunities for candid snapshots of your kids when they approach a character. Often the best pictures are before the posed picture when they are walking up to their favorite character.

My princess, Emma, meeting Cinderella. This is the picture before the posed photo.