The BEST Ways To Eat At Disney World On A Budget!
"And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents: your dinner!" - Beauty And The Beast
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| Woody's Lunch Box |
As a penny-pinching first-time pass holder, I've learned a bunch of useful things about saving some money at Disney World this past year. Especially in the food department! So, if you would like to learn more about spending less on food at Disney World, you've come to the right place. If you enjoy these tips or find any of them helpful, I highly encourage you to read some of my other blog posts about budgeting at Disney World. My budgeting series covers everything from saving on food and hotels, to discounted merch, experiences, and even some free stuff!
1. Do NOT Purchase Bottled Water In The Parks
If there is only one piece of advice that you can take away from this blog, it should be this one. That's why I put it at the top of this post and that's why so many people advise against it! The best rule at Disney World is that guests are allowed to bring outside food and non-alcoholic beverages into the parks. As long as they are not in glass containers and do not require anything like heating or refrigeration.
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| $3.50 and $5.50 for a bottle of water! |
So if you want to bring your own bottles of water, please do so! It can save you SO much money with Disney water bottles running you around $3- $6 per bottle. Those price points are even crazier when you take into consideration that some Disney food items cost the same if not LESS (like an entire baguette with butter in Epcot) than a single bottle of water!
Not to mention, you can walk over to most quick service spots and ask for as many free cups of ice water as you need to keep yourself hydrated and healthy in the brutal Florida heat. There are also plenty of water fountains and even some water bottle re-fill stations throughout the parks. So, if you can, bring a reusable bottle!
Lately, we've seen people bringing little collapsible water bottles and tumblers with crossbody attachments. These are especially useful if you want to have your hands free and not have to worry about where to put your bottles when not in use. The crossbodies are especially handy because they can also hold your phone, wallet, and keys- perfect for ease of access to anything important!
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| Link To Tumbler Crossbody |
Lastly, if you're picky about the taste of water (like I am) it is recommended to bring water flavoring packets especially if you are from out of state. The fountain/ tap water flavor here in Florida is something you need to get used to over time, it can definitely be off-putting at first. The quick-service water is fine, it's just the fountains that are very Florida-y. Trust me though, if you absolutely need water and quick service or flavoring is not an option, please just drink the fountain water. You would much rather fight through drinking some weird Florida water for a few seconds than end up being dehydrated or having a heat stroke and having your magical day cut short.
2. Bring Food Into The Parks
As mentioned above, Disney World allows you to bring your own food into the parks. This is especially useful for storing emergency snacks in your bag. However, I have definitely seen people bring entire meals into the parks and even picnics! If you do decide to bring more than just snacks, please note that there are size limitations on bags, backpacks, and coolers. They cannot exceed being 24'' long x 15'' wide x 18'' high. Loose or dry ice is also prohibited and it is recommended to use reusable ice packs to keep your food and beverages cold.
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| Mickey Insulated Lunch Bag |
Recommendations on what you could bring:
Snacks:
-Pretzels
-Granola Bars
-Fruit Snacks
-Jerky
-Applesauce Pouches
-Goldfish Crackers (they even sell Disney and Star Wars-shaped ones in stores!)
-Single Serving Chips
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| Disney Goldfish! |
Meals:
-Sandwiches (Pub Subs!)
-Salads
-Fresh Fruits and Veggies
-Lunchables
-Hummus
-Cheese Sticks
-Juice Pouches
-Utensils, napkins, plastic baggies!
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| A simple picnic idea |
3. Quick Service Snacks
While many quick-service restaurants inside the parks can still be very pricey, many of them do have affordable and shareable options. While there are some "classic" Disney snacks that you should definitely avoid cause they are seriously overpriced, a few of them are surprisingly a green flag in the cost department! Some of these classics include Dole Whip and popcorn. I do recommend purchasing a refillable popcorn bucket because the popcorn refills are only $2 and it honestly seems like you get more popcorn than the $5 single-serving boxes!
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| A Cast Member Gave Logan A Free Bucket Refill For His Birthday! |
Some of my favorite lesser-known but note-worthy affordable snack options include:
-The Baguette with butter at Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie in EPCOT: $2.75 for a half baguette OR $3.95 for a full baguette!
-Grilled Corn On The Cob with African Spices at Harambe Fruit Market in Animal Kingdom: $5.29
-Warm Cinnamon Roll with icing cup at Gaston's Tavern in Magic Kingdom: $6.99
-The Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie at Trolley Cart Cafe in Hollywood Studios: $4.99
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| Us With Some Quick-Service Goodies! |
4. EPCOT Festivals
Epcot is home to a handful of unique and entertaining festivals throughout the year. There's barely any time that passes between the ending of one festival before they start celebrating the next one so chances that you'll be at Epcot during a festival are high. If you're not going to Epcot during a festival, well, you should!
During these festivals, you can grab a "passport" booklet at the front of the park near the maps. In the back of these booklets, you will find a stamp page, where you can collect stamps for eating certain food items to earn a FREE prize! Usually, there will be around 10 food items listed that you can choose to purchase but you only need to purchase 5 to claim your prize. The passport will tell you where each food item is as well as where to claim your prize. The food for the passport is pretty affordable, usually staying around the $5-$7 range. We've never spent more than $30 to complete a passport which is pretty good for 5 food items and a sweet treat + souvenir at the end! We were also easily able to share all of the food between two people throughout the day at Epcot without feeling hungry afterward.
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| Some Festival Passport Offerings |
The Food And Wine Festival left us particularly full because it was ALL cheese dishes! We didn't even know if we'd be able to eat the last item on our booklet or even the prize. After some time, we eventually came around to finishing that passport.
The prizes usually include a sweet treat served in a souvenir cup. These treats are typically cold treats like specially flavored Dole Whip, soft serve, or a smoothie. Sometimes you can get an extra surprise like wildflower seeds that you can grow at home for the Flower and Garden Festival, or the paint pallette cookie from The Festival Of The Arts!
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| Flower & Garden Prize |
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| Food & Wine Prize |
5. Kids Meals (For Adults Too!)
Whether you're ordering a kids' meal for a child or the kids' meals sound more appetizing to you and your wallet, fear not! You are not alone at all. You can order affordable and delicious kids' meals at most quick-service restaurants. If you have anxiety about ordering a kid's meal for yourself you can easily mobile order your meal on the My Disney Experience app.
Kids' meals usually come with an entree, a side (or two), and a beverage. Some of the meals are 100% adult-sized while other times there just isn't enough food. Either way, it is a step up from most of the adult quick-service meals because entrees, sides, and beverages are almost always a la carte. A regular beverage could cost the same or more than an entire kids' meal in certain cases.
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| Turkey Sandwich Kids' Meal At Woody's Lunchbox |
Here are some of the best kids' meals that Walt Disney World has to offer:
-Woody's Lunchbox in Hollywood Studios: Half turkey sandwich with tomato soup, tater tots, and a soft drink for $7.79.
You can also get the same meal but with half a grilled cheese sandwich instead for $6.99.
-ABC Commissary in Hollywood Studios: chicken arugula-farro salad or the pork taco with two sides and drink for $7.79. Big portion!
-Satu'li Canteen in Animal Kingdom: chicken or tofu bowls for 8.79 or the crowd's favorite, cheeseburger steamed pods served with veggie chips, a cuties mandarin, and a beverage for $8.59.
-Connections Eatery in EPCOT: Big slice of cheese pizza with coleslaw, french fries, and soft drink for $7.79.
6. Leave & Come Back
When all else fails, if you would like to you always have the option to leave the park to eat and then come back when you're done. I often do this myself not just to save some money but because the parks can become very overwhelming sometimes. If you would like to stick to the Disney theme you could always have lunch at Disney Springs but if you need a complete break from Disney there are plenty of options surrounding the parks.
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| Rainforest Cafe At Disney Springs! |
You can find everything from familiar fast-food chains to interesting local spots all within minutes of Walt Disney World. There's even a McDonald's on Disney property next to Animal Kingdom, but beware, you'll definitely be paying the Disney tax if you choose to eat at this particular McDonald's.
If you would like to try something new but simple, Chicken Guy! at Disney Springs is delicious. It's owned by Guy Fieri and you can get delicious chicken tenders, sandwiches, salads, and milkshakes! You can also find a good meal at Earl of Sandwich or if you would like to try a seasonal Dole Whip sampler flight head on over to Swirls On The Water. Both are also located in Disney Springs and Swirls is right next to the Rainforest Cafe Volcano (which occasionally erupts with fire) with a nice little spot to sit down next to it.
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| Chicken Guy! Is Always Delicious |
For some more unique off-property experiences, you could go to World Food Trucks where you can find over 60 food trucks, or Mochinut for some delicious Korean corn dogs and mochi donuts. If you're feeling adventurous you could go to Kura which is a revolving sushi restaurant or U & Me Hotpot where you can cook your own meat, seafood, veggies, and noodles in a pot of boiling broth. Both locations use cute little robots as waiters!
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| Mochi Donuts |
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| Kura Sushi |
The best local spot I saved for last. If you want a truly unique experience and delicious pizza you MUST go to Playa Pizza. They are located directly behind Magic Kingdom and you can even see Cinderella's castle peeking over the tree tops from their patio.
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| I Occasionally Dream Of This Pizza... |
Sometimes we go to Orlando just for this spot because it's truly awesome. Even the decor, vibes, and bathroom at this spot are amazing. I mean, they literally make the bathrooms smell like the beach. It's AWESOME!
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| No Lies Found |
I feel bad now even typing the rest of this post because of how excited about Playa Pizza I got...
But, as I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of fast-food options near Disney as well. We frequently go to Taco Bell between parks when we're having a park hopping day for their $5 build-your-own box. Chick-fil-A, Wendy's, Subway, Cracker Barrel, IHOP, TGI Fridays, CiCi's Pizza, Golden Corral, Wawa, and Seven-Eleven are all close by to the parks. Of course, there are some McDonald's locations nearby as well too. There is a particularly special location in Orlando though (besides the Animal Kingdom one) and that's the World's LARGEST McDonald's on Sand Lake Rd.
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| The World's Largest McDonalds! |
This is a 3 story McDonald's with some unique menu items as well as their regular burgers and nuggets. Some of the menu items unique to this location include build-your-own pasta, french toast, pizza, and chocolate cake. You can also find an arcade, as well as a cool fish tank in the lobby!
I hope you were able to take away something useful from this list of tips! Just always remember, your Disney trip is about having a good time. If you have any budget constraints, there's always a way to work around them while still having fun!
Be sure to stick around on the Anything & Everything Disney blog for more future content and advice like this post-
Thanks for reading!
-Tomorrowland Tammy
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