Wondering how to save money on food at Disney World? We’re sharing some of the best tips to budget for your dining expenses.
Food has always been a huge part of my travels. For example, when my family goes on a road trip, our routes and stops are usually dictated by the restaurants we want to eat at.So, it’s no surprise that food also plays a significant role in my Disney World trips. But just like many things at Disney, food can get very expensive. And since guests are already spending a lot on hotels and park tickets, many visitors may be wondering how to save money on food.
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Save Money on Food at Disney World
Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here are ten ways to save money on food at Disney World.
Don’t Do the Disney Dining Plan.
This might sound surprising, but if you want to save money on food, I don’t personally recommend doing the Disney Dining Plan (DDP). Unless you eat a lot and drink an alcoholic beverage with every meal, you’ll likely spend more for the plan than you would out of pocket.
To get the most out of the Disney Dining Plan, you will always have to order the more expensive items on the menu, regardless of whether you want to eat them or not. Some higher-end restaurants even require two credits for a single meal (for example, Cinderella’s Royal Table requires two credits on your plan for one meal). Also, everyone in your party must purchase the DDP. You cannot have some family members on the plan and not others. This makes it harder to justify when some people don’t eat as much.
Photo by Maria Salerno
What my family tends to do regarding Disney World food is gravitate towards Quick Service dining (a.k.a. counter service). But we do like to splurge once or twice on a more expensive Table Service meal. When I end up pricing out our dining, we always save money by not doing the Disney Dining Plan for our personal trips.
One thing to note about the Disney Dining Plan: gratuities are NOT included. This means that on top of the pricing, you’ll also need to factor tips into your food budget if you’re partaking in table-service dining. Of course, if the DDP is offered for free as part of a promotion, or worth it for your trip, go for it. However, in most cases, the big selling point is not that you’d save money but the convenience of having prepaid for your meals and having one less thing to worry about during your trip.
Use the Landry’s Select Club Card
Landry’s restaurants offer a rewards program in the form of the Landry’s Select Club card that allows you to earn and redeem points.What you may not know is that there are 4 Landry’s restaurants at Disney World:
- Rainforest Cafe in Animal Kingdom
- Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs
- T-REX in Disney Springs
- Yak & Yeti Restaurant in Animal Kingdom
So, if you have Landry’s points to redeem or a birthday reward to cash in, using your Landry’s card is a great way to save money on Disney World food.
Annual Passholder Discounts
Yes, I understand you’re shelling out a lot of cash for an Annual Pass. However, you do get some of that money back in the form of AP discounts. And one of the biggest perks of being an AP is you can get up to 20% off dining.
Buy Discounted Disney Gift Cards
If you are like me and you don’t have a Landry’s Card and are not an Annual Passholder, there are still ways to get a discount at Disney World restaurants. My family buys discounted Disney gift cards to pay for our food during our trips. Using our Target RedCard, we can get 5% off Disney gift cards. While it’s not a huge discount, it still usually ends up being the equivalent of a free Quick Service entree, snack, or co*cktail.
You can also check out any wholesale clubs you may be a member of to see if they offer discounted Disney gift cards.
Get a Kids Meal
If you’re not a big eater or not super hungry, getting a full-sized entree is unnecessary. A kid’s meal from a Quick Service restaurant will provide a smaller portion at a lower price. And if you feel weird about ordering a kid’s meal for yourself in person, many of these establishments offer mobile ordering.
Shareable Entrees
Another way to spend less on Disney World food when you don’t have a huge appetite is to share an entree. Whether a large appetizer or a main course, splitting a dish is a great money-saving method.
Grab Free Water
Beverages rack up dining costs quickly. But did you know you can ask for free cups of water at Quick Service dining locations? So skip the sodas and bottled water and hydrate with free water. You can also fill bottles with water and ice at the beverage stations in your Disney resort.
Make Breakfast Your Table Service Meal
I’m all for splurging on a character breakfast. But for most mornings, we try to save money by bringing simple breakfast items from home (e.g., oatmeal, bagels, etc.) or staying in a hotel offering free breakfast. You could flip the script, fill up with a hefty breakfast, and save money with a smaller lunch.
Bring Your Own Snacks
Disney World is famous for its iconic snacks, from Dole Whip to Mickey pretzels to turkey legs. While getting some snacks is part of the Disney experience, you can also bring your own into the parks so that you don’t have to buy overpriced snacks whenever you get hungry constantly.
According to the official Disney World website: “Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverage items into the park for self-consumption, provided they are not in glass containers and do not require heating, reheating, processing, refrigeration or temperature control and do not have pungent odors.”
Make Use of a Kitchen/Kitchenette
Lastly, another way to save money on food while at Disney World is to do your own cooking. If you are staying in a Disney Vacation Club villa or an Airbnb that has a full kitchen, getting some groceries and cooking your own meals can be a significant way to save money. But dining is a huge part of Disney trips. So I wouldn’t recommend cooking all your meals. Be sure to still partake in some of the amazing dining experiences located across Disney World.
Overall, Disney World food can add up very quickly. However, as you just read, there are several ways to help you save some cash as you enjoy the amazing food and drinks that Disney has to offer!
