Purchasing your park tickets and booking your hotel are typically the first and most obvious major expenses to account for in your budget when planning a Walt Disney World vacation, but don't froget about food! If you don’t plan at all in advance, you could easily spend a small fortune on meals, snacks and drinks. (Psst, it’s toadally fine if you want to treat yourself when it comes to food … you’re on vacation, after all!) But eating at Disney World on a budget isn’t impossible, either.
As frugal frogs, we’ve tried many dining hacks to save when necessary. Here are some of our favorite ways that you can dine at Disney World without breaking the bank.
Our Frog Family’s Tips for Eating at Disney World on a Budget
1. Go Grocery Shopping Upon Arrival
If you want to limit the number of meals inside the parks right off the bat, consider grocery shopping once you arrive in Orlando. You can find plenty of local stores or grocery chains, such as Publix or Winn-Dixie, around the outskirts of Disney World property. It is especially useful to load up on groceries if you have a longer vacation or if you’re staying in a suite or villa that has a kitchenette. That way, you can prepare meals right at your hotel! Enjoy in the comforts of your room, or find a nice spot outside and have a picnic.
2. Get Groceries Delivered to Your Hotel
Understandably, grocery shopping is much easier if you have access to a car. You may also not want to take the extra time to go shopping yourself. Thanks to modern tech, many apps, such as Instacart, Shipt, Uber Eats and Amazon Prime, can deliver your groceries straight to your resort! Garden Grocer is another popular service that delivers to many Walt Disney World Resorts and can leave your order at Bell Services so you can pick it up later. When you arrive, ask the front desk about any package holding fees. Typically, this fee is $6.
3. Pack Snacks (or Meals!)
Your grocery shopping will also allow you to pack snacks and even meals. Disney allows guests to bring in outside food items that do not require heating, as long as they’re not carried in glass containers. Coolers larger than 24" long x 15" wide x 18" high (and loose ice inside these containers) are not allowed, but reusable ice packs are permitted. PB&J sandwiches for the win! Tad and Lily love snacking on granola bars, trail mix, crackers and string cheese.
4. Eat Breakfast in Your Room
Not only will you cut back on money, but you’ll also save precious time in the morning! It can be as simple as a bowl of cereal and fruit, and you don’t have to worry about long lines or snagging a table at the food court. You can get some extra sleep or an earlier start to your day at the parks. To cut down on even more time, eat in shifts. The tadpoles can munch on breakfast while you shower and get dressed, then switch off.
5. Bring Refillable Water Bottles
In order to beat the heat at Disney World, you’ll need to drink lots of water so you can stay hydrated. You can save a LOT of money by bringing your own refillable water bottles. Regular-sized bottled water can cost about $3.75. For a family of four, that would set you back $15 if everyone got their own bottled water — and that’s not nearly enough water for one day. There are water refill stations throughout the park so you can easily stay hydrated at Disney World.
6. Order Water with Your Meals
Instead of ordering a soda with your meal, opt for water. If you ask for “a cup of water” (as opposed to bottled water) at any quick-service restaurant, you’ll get it for free. We’ve even seen a large container of water already set up with cups by the pick-up window at some food counters, like Casey's Corner. The same goes for table-service restaurants.
7. Opt for Quick-Service Restaurants
Generally, you’ll get a better bang for your buck at a quick-service restaurant than at a table-service restaurant. Similar menu items can have drastically different price tags. For example, if you’re feelin’ in the mood for Fish & Chips at the UK pavilion in EPCOT, go to Yorkshire County Fish Stop where the classic British dish is $13.49, compared to ordering Fish & Chips at Rose and Crown Dining Room for $28. Both versions are great, though! The ambiance surely plays a part since Yorkshire County Fish Shop is an outdoor walk-up counter with limited seating, while there’s plenty of indoor seating and air conditioning at Rose and Crown.
8. Frogs Can Order from the Tadpoles’ Menu at Select Restaurants
At any quick-service restaurant, there’s nothing stopping a grown-up frog from ordering off the tadpoles’ menu. A kid's meal comes with an entree, a side and a drink. This is a great money-saving option, particularly for lighter eaters who would rather not waste any food (or money). However, table-service restaurants with fixed-price menus and buffet dining experiences are known to enforce adult menu prices.
9. Buy a Popcorn Bucket
Although you may not need a popcorn bucket, buying one is one of our secret tips for saving money on food at the parks. Popcorn buckets generally cost around $20, depending on the design. The standard buckets are usually cheaper, between $13 - $15. Every bucket purchase, of course, comes with fresh popcorn.
This becomes a major money-saving hack because, with a bucket, you get cheap refills for the remainder of your stay. (As long as you carry the bucket with you, of course). Popcorn refills are $2.25, so even if you get two refills a day for five days, you’re spending less than $25 for your entire family.
The initial cost is worth it in our opinion. Plus, there are so many fun popcorn buckets young frogs will love, including both Princess Tiana and Simba!
10. Share Your Meal or Order Appetizers
Portion sizes can actually be generous enough that there’s food for two. It's easy to split an entree and a side at quick-service restaurants. At Flame Tree Barbecue, the 1/2 Chicken entree meal is served with signature baked beans and coleslaw for about $14. It's plenty of food that a pair can share! Splitting a couple of appetizers can also be the way to go if you're ordering at a table-service restaurant.
11. If a Character Meal Is a Must, Go for Breakfast
Character dining experiences can be pricey, but if they're a must-do on your Disney bucket list, choose breakfast over lunch or dinner. Dinner is generally the most expensive option and breakfast is the cheapest. If you’re already planning on eating at Disney World on a budget, then just think of it this way: the money you saved instead of eating out for every meal can be used to splurge on a character dining experience. If you fill up, then you won’t need a huge lunch.
12. Eat Off-Site
This option really only works best if you have access to a car (or perhaps if you’re staying at an off-site hotel that’s within walking distance of other restaurants). You can pretty much find anything from fast food to chain restaurants, such as McDonald’s or Outback Steakhouse, just a short drive away. But if you need Uber or a taxi to get away, it’s not worth the extra transportation costs.
13. Load Money on a Disney Gift Card to Prevent Overspending
If you’re dead set on spending only a certain amount of money on food, we’d highly recommend loading up a Disney gift card with your maximum limit. This is the same strategy we use at the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival because it’s so easy to go overboard. By putting an allotted amount on a gift card, you can better pace your spending on food over the length of your vacation.
14. Take Advantage of Discounts
If you're an Annual Passholder, use your 10 to 20 percent discount at select restaurants. Disney Vacation Club Members and Chase Disney Visa cardholders also receive a discount at select restaurants on property - usually 10%.
We hope these dining hack tips will help you save money on food. Do you have any extra tips for eating at Disney World on a budget? Share in the comments below!
Related: The Ins and Outs of Disney World Dining Reservations
Related: Our Top Spots for Cheap Food at Disney World
Hoppy planning!
