[Question] Help Budget Help

[mousedaddy]

[talrodriguez2]

budget

I enjoy 1 disneyland trip per month and have learned several ways to save on trips. Typically we stay in an affordable hotel that is walking distance which saves 15$ on parking. The hotel does not have free breakfast but we take snacks and breakfast cereal etc. I freeze water bottles so they stay cold for the day and also help keep sandwiches or other food items cold. We typically eat inside once during the day. Where and what depends.. we like rainforest cafe and espn zone they have pretty good menus and are not totally overpriced. We like getting ice cream and corn dogs etc in the park.

[Chesire]

Re: Help Budget Help

Hmm for Option 1 it really is going to depend on where you eat.

You could probably only spend 100 on Lunch and Dinner for your whole family if you eat inexpensively, bit of you're planning on eating at Blue Bayou, or other expensive restaurants, you may be paying a little more.

[DrFink]

Re: Help Budget Help

As Chesire mentioned, your personal food budget truly depends on where you choose to eat.
Seeing that you have young children who don't eat as much as the average adult you can always have them share food. My parents used to do what when they'd take our family to Disneyland. I would usually share lunch or dinner with my sister. If you look around at people buying giant burger and french fry trays for kids half the time they wind up throwing away most of it because the kid doesn't eat it all.

You can always refill water bottles at water fountains to save you from buying overpriced drinks left and right. When I went in March I would eat breakfast at my hotel, get something small for lunch and then have a bigger dinner. I probably spent around $30-40 on food every day, if that.

[swampymarsh]

Re: Help Budget Help

You can eat for about $15 for adults and $10 for kids at counter service locations. So you could do a counter service and table service and come in under $200. Table Service is usually cheaper for lunch so that can help you budget as well.

You can only bring in a 6 pack sized, soft sided cooler. Not an ice chest. So if you want to bring in sandwiches for lunch that is fine if you prefer that.

Keep in mind when budgeting, purchasing food, shirts, glow sticks all cost money even when bought out of the park.

[disneychrista]

Re: Help Budget Help

Option 3. Eat Breakfast in the room/at the hotel. A snack/light meal in the park. Then an early dinner/main meal at the hotel after your mid-day break (which you will need with the little ones). Then a second snack in the evening at the park.

Cost for in park meals: <$50/day.

[ScottG]

Re: Help Budget Help

We eat Bfast (continental) at the hotel and do lunch and dinner at DLR. The three of us don't spend anywhere near $200 a day even if we eat at one of the fancier places a few times during our stay. We don't do many snacks though (maybe one small item a day) because we try to keep it healthy and not eat too much though it can be a challenge sometimes!

[JerrodDRagon]

Re: Help Budget Help

There are some breakfast places like Mimi's and I Hop around the resort too...maybe like 200 feet away...and you get ALOT more food for the same price as in the parks...for breakfast...lunch or dinner

[PascalGal]

Re: Help Budget Help

Sharing meals (portions are generous at DLR), drinking free water, packing our own snacks (protein, protein, protein!) really help stretch our food budget. Planning ahead helps, too. You can find updated DLR menus online. Knowing what we want to eat and where prevents us from being overly impulsive with our food money.

[4Apples4Disney]

Re: Help Budget Help

We've been really happy with the IHOP. Kids eat free after 4pm.

[sailor310]

Re: Help Budget Help

There's and old thread somewhere here on the site about the picnic area to the left of the DL front gate. People gave it favorable reviews. There are lockers there to store picnic foods.

[Jayce]

Re: Help Budget Help

Whitewater snacks is very reasonable and pretty good food.

[MikkiandtheMouse]

Re: Help Budget Help

I am not sure about the other table service restaurants, but Blue Bayou will do a "split plate". It is a cost-saving measure and it is PLENTY of food for 2 people.

[disneyhound]

Re: Help Budget Help

We always stay across the street from the park; a room includes free continental breakfast. We usually head back to our hotel for an afternoon rest. At least once we will order a delivery from Pizza Hut; we order enough for a couple meals as the rooms have a "frig". We also get a case or two of water; same price as a single bottle inside the park.

[hubcap]

Re: Help Budget Help

My husband and I usually stop by Subway or make sandwiches and bring them in our backpack for lunch along with some other bags of quick snacks to eat while in line. There's a picnic area outside the gate or if you're eating a quick sandwich from a ziploc bag (not like a huge bucket of KFC chicken or something similar) I've never had a problem plopping down on a bench inside the park for lunch.

If I were you I'd do that, especially since you'd be able to pack what you know your kids like to eat. Then if you figure $20 per adult for dinner and maybe $15 for kids, plus maybe an extra $25 for "Daddy please just one" snacks you're only at $95 a day. This estimate is REALLY high, too. You can eat much, much, much more cheaply-- and you probably will-- but it's always better to budget more than not enough.

[1Disneylandfan]

Re: Help Budget Help

I usually bring my own bottled water and snacks and that way I can eat one meal in the park. I usually don't eat much for breakfast except a espresso beverage from Starbucks. I've also brought in a few capri-sun drinks and just store it in a locker. This upcoming trip this weekend I'm going to get a sandwich from Togo's and put it in my small soft sided lunch bag. I agree with others comments to fill up on protein, it will last you longer. Trail mix can be a good idea.

[OCCOBRA]

Re: Help Budget Help

Generally we make sandwiches and bring cookies and snacks and protien bars put it in a double plastic bag and throw some frozen ice packs in there. Get a meduim size locker if you can first thing should give you room for food and clothes. Have a big breakkfast in the morning. And graze through out the day. I prefer to get fountain drinks and buy water there at the park and it is only 3 bucks a pop so not so bad. We have never been bothered about bringing in food ever. We hang out at one of the hubs and watch the people as we eat. The picnic area is real nice and those lockers I would use if you are park hopping. Yea $100 dollars a day is plenty if your just getting counter service. Good luck and save your money.