Dining at Disney can be expensive but finding cheap eats is possible. These tips and tricks will help you learn how to eat at Disney World on a budget.
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There is no place quite like Walt Disney World. The attractions, the resorts, and all the amazing restaurants to choose from. However, what’s not so amazing is the price of food at Disney.
It’s expensive, there is no doubt about it. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t save money while eating at Disney World. You just need to know where to look. Here are a few helpful tips and tricks so you don’t spend a fortune at the happiest place on earth.
How to Eat at Disney World on a Budget
1. Have groceries delivered to your resort
If you are on a tight budget then the best way to save money on food at Disney World is to have groceries delivered to your resort.
Take advantage of Instacart, Amazon Prime Now, or Garden Grocer to stock up on snacks, fruit, breakfast items, and drinks. If you would prefer to go yourself, you can always take an Uber.
To take advantage of Amazon Prime Now, you need to be an Amazon Prime Member. However, it’s a great option because you can place your order when you arrive at the airport and your groceries will be at your resort at about the same time you arrive.
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.Of course, if you have a car you can make a quick trip to the grocery store on your arrival day.
2. Eat breakfast in your room
Before heading out to the parks eat breakfast in your room. Yogurt, fresh fruit, protein bars, and cereal bars are all quick and easy options.
3. Bring a cooler
Did you know that you are allowed to bring a cooler to the parks? It’s true. However, it can’t be larger than 24″L x 15″ W x 18″H and it must be a soft-sided cooler. This insulated cooler backpack works great for carrying food and drinks around the park.
If you would prefer not to carry it around with you while touring the parks, you can rent a locker to store your cooler. Just make sure you pack a lot of ice packs to keep things cold if needed. If you would want to skip the locker then this collapsible cooler would be your best option because it folds down flat when you are done with it.
4. Pack snacks and water
If you would prefer not to bring a cooler in, then you can always pack some small snacks such as goldfish crackers, trail mix, fruit snacks, and granola bars.
The combination of the heat and all the walking at Disney World makes it essential to drink a lot of water so you can stay hydrated. A good idea is to invest in a refillable water bottle. This will enable you to refill at the numerous water fountains and free water bottle stations around the parks. You can even bring water flavor packets if you’d like.
Don’t have a refillable water bottle? Then you can always use a regular one just pour out a little water (to allow for expansion) and then stick it in the freezer the night before so it’s nice and cold for the next morning at the parks.
5. Request free water at quick-service restaurants
Don’t worry if you forget to bring water, you can always request a free cup of water at any of the quick-service restaurants throughout the parks.
6. Save on snacks in the park
If you plan on buying snacks in the park, one way that you can save is by buying a refillable popcorn bucket. The cost can range between the different types of buckets but is usually around $12 and up. The best part is that the refills are only $2. This can be a great deal for the popcorn lover in your family. An inexpensive treat to enjoy during the nighttime shows and afternoon parades.
Another great option is to make sure and check out the fruit stands for an inexpensive and nutritious snack. I know when it’s hot outside and I’m doing a lot of walking from one attraction to the next. A light snack is usually what I would prefer.
However, if you’d like an inexpensive small, and simple sweet treat then these options may be just what you are looking for.
- Werther’s Caramel Popcorn- Karamell-Kuche at Epcot (Germany)
- Churros- La Cantina de San Angel at Epcot (Mexico)
- Mickey Mouse Rice Krispie Treats- Many locations throughout the parks and resorts.
7. Share meals
Many of the counter service meals at Disney are easily able to be shared among two people.
Some great places to share meals in the parks are:
Magic Kingdom
- Peco’s Bills (Frontierland) -Order the Fajita Platter or Nachos and you can easily share. Order the cheese on the side.
- Columbia Harbor House (Liberty Square)- A favorite quick-service restaurant in my family. They have the Fish and Chicken combo that could be split, just get an extra order of french fries.
Epcot
- Yorkshire County Fish Shop (United Kingdom)- Fish and Chips
- La Cantina de San Angel (Mexico)- Many of their entrees can be shared and they have good seating with great views.
Animal Kingdom
- Flame Tree BBQ– They have the Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler, along with the Ribs and Chicken Combo. A great place to go if you want to save a little money by sharing with someone else in your party.
Hollywood Studios
- ABC Commissary
- Woody’s Lunch Box
Disney Springs
- D-Luxe Burger
- Chicken Guy
If you would like to save some time as well as money while at Disney, check out mobile ordering. It allows you to skip the line by placing your order with the My Disney Experience app. All you have to do is order your food, pay for it, and then when you get to the restaurant let them know you have arrived by pushing “prepare my order”, find a table and you will get a notification when it’s ready to be picked up.
As far as table service meals go, Check out Via Napoli located at the Italy Pavilion in Epcot. The Mezzo Metro Pizza can serve 3-5 people. It’s a huge pizza and probably the best deal you will find to feed your entire family in Epcot.
8. Order off the kid’s menu
If you had a big lunch or just looking for a smaller portion at a cheaper price then how about ordering from the kid’s menu? The meals come with two sides (usually fruit) and a small drink.
9. Plan your table service meal for breakfast instead of dinner
If you have your heart on eating at least one table service meal while you are at Disney World, the best way to save money is to go for breakfast. The prices are much more affordable.
10. Choose the latest breakfast availability
If you opt to eat breakfast at a table service restaurant, try and pick your dining reservation at the very latest time offered for breakfast. This way you can skip lunch and save some money in the process.
Another advantage of this is that you have time to get in a few popular rides before it gets too busy.
11. Share a cinnamon roll
One of our favorite ways to enjoy breakfast on a budget at Disney World is to share a cinnamon roll from Gaston’s Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. They are yummy and gigantic. A perfect sweet treat to start your morning in the Magic Kingdom.
12. Customize your meal
Don’t pay for sides that you don’t want or don’t think you can eat.
13. Order appetizers for a meal
On our last trip, my oldest son and I ordered appetizers to share as our meal when we visited T-Rex in Disney Springs. It saved us a lot of money and we were both full when we left the restaurant.
14. Skip character meals
Character meals are some of the priciest meals at Disney World. There are numerous opportunities throughout the parks to meet the characters without the high price tag.
15. Free Disney Dining plan
Of course, this is only good if you are lucky enough to be going when it’s offered. However, if you are still interested in the dining plan and want to save money, I would suggest using the quick-service dining plan. It’s much less than the other two plans. This plan can be beneficial if you have really big eaters in your family or if you are going with teens. Just make sure you plan ahead to find the best restaurants to get the best bang for your buck so you are actually saving money.
16. Purchase Disney gift cards
If you love the convenience of the Dining Plan and having everything prepaid but can’t afford the price. Then an alternative would be to:
- Plan ahead and check out the menus before your trip at AllEars.net
- Make a plan of where you would like to eat
- Write down the prices of the meals to get an idea of how much it’s going to cost you.
- Buy Disney gift cards in that amount.
- The day before you check out, use the gift cards to pay your meals off.
You can purchase discounted Disney gift cards ahead of time at Target (use the Target Red Card to save 5%), Sam’s Club, or BJ’s Wholesale Club if you have a membership.
17. Use Swagbucks to earn Landry Gift Cards
An easy way to earn money for Disney is to use Swagbucks. If you have never heard of Swagbucks, it’s an online reward site that is completely free to join. You earn points by shopping online, watching videos, searching the web, discovering new offers, and answering surveys. You can redeem your points for gift cards or cash out with PayPal.
They don’t offer Disney gift cards but they do offer Landry’s Gift Cards which can be used at the Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex in Disney Springs or Yak & Yeti Restaurant in the Animal Kingdom.
On our last trip to Disney, I was able to pay for our dinner at T-Rex just with the gift cards I earned from Swagbucks.
As you can see there are many ways that you can eat at Disney World on a budget. Cheap eats can be found. All it takes is a little planning to have a magical vacation at Walt Disney World without breaking the bank.
Interested in saving even more money at Walt Disney World?
- 20 Best Free Things at Disney World
- 15 Easy Ways to Save on a Disney Vacation
- 12 Reasons to Stay at Pop Century Resort
Don’t forget to sign up for my FREE Resource Library filled with planner printables including a Disney Travel Planning Sheet. Also, check out my Pinterest Disney boards for more ways to plan and save for a Walt Disney World Vacation on a budget.
