Food at Walt Disney World can be outrageously expensive and, in
some cases, of poor quality. It can make a very large dent in
your vacation budget if you don't plan ahead.
Picnics are not really the solution. You are not allowed to
bring your own food into the theme parks.(the exception being
the two water parks where you can and should take a picnic with
you) People do seem take food into the parks, and I have never
seen anyone challenged. I guess the watchword here is "be
discrete"If you arrive at the gates with a large cooler and
picnic hamper you are inviting the Disney people to take action.
1. Get a good breakfast "Off -World"
Fantastic breakfast deals abound on Hwy 192. Deny's and
International house of Pancakes have a number of locations
serving really good breakfasts. Some smaller restaurants and big
chains like Sizzlers serve a breakfast buffet where you can
really stuff yourself for a few dollars. My personal favorite is
Cracker Barrel who dish up traditional Southern cooking. A good
breakfast will set you up for a hard day at the parks and
prevent mid morning hunger pangs. (However it might not be a
good idea to ride "Tower of Terror" or "Mission Space" with a
full stomach!)
2. Avoid Killer Snacks
Snacks at Disney World can make a big hole in your wallet. You
could buy a full meal "off world" for the price of a Disney
coffee and cake. Try to carry a drink. The parks sell a nifty
shoulder strap to hold a small bottle. After your first
expensive purchase you can replace the bottle with cheaper sodas
from a supermarket.In really hot weather you will appreciate a
drink at regular intervals. Water is probably best. Try to find
some kind of waist strap to hold a bottle which you can
replenish at the water fountains as you come across them. (Totes
do a good one)
3. Avoid fast food.
The best way to avoid expensive, inferior fast food is to
arrange in advance where and when you will eat Trouble comes
when you are too tired or thirsty to care, - the result will be
a very inferior hot dog or slice of pizza at top dollar prices.
A proper sit down restaurant, carefully chosen, will represent
much better value for money and you will have a nice rest in the
process.
4. Eat Your Main Meal at Lunchtime.
Many restaurants have similar dinner and lunch menus but the
lunch time one will be quite a lot cheaper. My family enjoyed a
new meal called Linner. As brunch is to breakfast and lunch,
linner is to Lunch and Dinner. Basically we ate from the lunch
menu as late as possible. We missed the lunch time crowds but
ate before the more expensive dinner menu kicked in (usually
around 3pm) If you have a really good breakfast it will be easy
enough to hold out until 3.00pm We would often buy something to
munch as we sat and waited for Parades, Fantasmic etc.
5. Use the Monorail
Use the monorail to go to a resort hotel at lunch or dinner
time. They are often much less crowded and cheaper than the
theme park restaurants. Get a hand stamp and you can return to
the theme park later.
6 Treat Yourself to a full Service restaurants at EPCOT
Many people consider the restaurants in The World Showcase to be
an important part of the EPCOT experience and you will
definitely want to try one of them. The trick here is to choose
carefully because they can be expensive, make sure it is the
right choice for your family. (Not much point in shelling out
for Japanese if junior will only ear burgers)
About the author:
Jane Williams is vice president of Florida Value. She says: "we
have been providing great value services to Florida vacationers
for over 9 years" Now back in the UK after living in Orlando for
a couple of years Jane still offers great products to Disney
Visitors from all over the World. Check out
Discount tickets
