Budget Saving Tips for Meals in Disney Parks
Nathan and Seamus eating Mickey ice cream, Disney World
Guest Blogger Kristin Graham offers insight into how to tackle DisneyWorld with kids including where to stay and eat and money and time saving tips in this three part blog series. This is part 3 of 3. Also see: Fun & Sun and Budget Saving Tips for Accommodation in DisneyWorld
By Guest Blogger Kristin Graham
There are endless options for meals in Disney hotels and the parks and a little planning will help tremendously. A lot of people use the Disney Dining Plan and swear by it. We haven’t used it, opting instead to split meals, take leftovers back to our kitchen, and stock up on groceries.
Whatever you decide, it is worth it to make reservations in advance for a few places you know you want to go. Disney is so popular that it’s hard at times to get in to eat at the times you want for the sit-down places. There are lots of grab-and-sit places so you can flex as much as needed.
Tip: You can book breakfast reservations at places inside the parks before the park is open. The reservation will be attached to your ticket so you get early entry into the park and a head start on the crowds after eating.
Beyond food, give some thought to your drink habits. We learned the hard way that our kids are never thirstier than when water costs money. Bottled water in the parks and hotel costs $2.75 and most soft drinks are around $3. You can bring food and drink into any park so we always have refillable water bottles. There are ample water fountains to refill bottles and we often ask the restaurant to fill up our bottles before we leave. We bought one Dasani bottle and used it for four days. That one refilled water bottle saves us more than $35 than if we bought a new bottle each time.
Tip: If you have a thirsty group, the parks and resorts have a Rapid Refill Mug that offers unlimited refills on fountain drinks, coffee, and tea. These are typically sold as at a per-day or per-stay price and have a chip in the bottom to activate the beverage stations.
Inside the park, there are lots of snack stands that offer healthy fare alongside the Mickey-shaped ice cream bars. However, a three-pack of clementine’s costs $3.95 and my Greek yogurt cost $3.19 so healthy comes at a cost. BYO whenever possible.
Croissant Donuts, Disney World
Family Faves – Eats at DisneyWorld:
• In Epcot: Via Napoli for great Italian food. They actually fly in flour and water from Italy to make it all the more authentic. Caramel Apples from the Karamell-Küche shop (a.k.a. Werther’s Caramels) in Germany. The croissant donut in the Refreshment Port (near World Showcase) is a life changer. Worth every calorie, and it comes available with soft serve ice cream on top.
• In Magic Kingdom: Citrus Swirl or Pina Colada slushy at the Sunshine Tree Terrace.
• In Animal Kingdom: Yak & Yeti for an Asian-style menu.
• In Hollywood Studios: For some good ol’ Americana cooking, visit the 50s Prime Time Café or the Sci-Fi Drive-In Theatre.
About the Author:
After eight years as an executive at online travel giant Expedia, Kristin Graham set off this summer for a travel sabbatical with her family. Kristin has been telling stories since she borrowed a typewriter in elementary school. After 20 years writing for companies, she took a sabbatical from corporate life to travel with her husband and their two boys. You can follow Kristin’s adventures on her My Year of Life blog or on Twitter at @kristingraham.
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