Saving Money on Food

Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. Part Fourteen: 10 Easy Tips to Reduce Your Food Budget

Nancy Affordable Disney Vacations, Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money on Food , , 2 Comments

This is part fourteen in my blog series: Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. You can read the rest of the posts here.

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

In the last post, I discussed how to use the Disney Dining Plancooking as a way to help you have an affordable Disney vacation.  Today I want to share some additional tips, ideas, and strategies that can help you save money on food at Walt Disney World.

Let’s start by saying that you CAN spend a lot on your meals on your Disney vacation…but you don’t HAVE to.  Here then, in no particular order, are 10 ways that you can cut your meal costs for a truly affordable Disney vacation.

  1. Cook/eat some meals in your room. If you are staying in a vacation home, villa, condo, or even a hotel suite, you will probably have access to a kitchen. Use it to do some simple cooking. Even if you have a traditional hotel room, you should be able to have a small refrigerator: get some milk, juices, and even some lunchmeat and cheese to keep in it. We have done this and had cereal in the morning before leaving for the parks, and made some sandwiches to bring with us for a quick, easy, and inexpensive lunch.
  2. Bring your own snacks, juices, water etc. Not having to pay park prices on these things will save you a lot of money…plus it is so much more convenient to just grab a bottle from your backpack instead of standing in a long, hot line.
  3. Consider sharing meals, especially if you have little ones who don’t eat much. Disney portions are usually quite large and sharing…whether between 2 kids, or an adult and child…will not leave anyone hungry. This works, by the way, whether you are eating counter service or table service.
  4. Speaking of table service, are you planning some sit-down meals? Look for buffets, as you will get more for your money! Or think about having your table service meals for lunch: you will still get a lot of the same delicious food options but at lunch prices rather than dinner prices.
  5. Consider foregoing table service meals altogether and just eat quick service. Many families find that this is the best way to go with small children, as there are no long waits for food, and the meals tend to be more “kid-friendly”.
  6. Eat some meals away from Disney. Non-park restaurants may be less expensive than those you find in the parks.
  7. Consider off-site hotels that offer free breakfast.
  8. If staying off-site, ask your hotel for local restaurant discount coupons or promotions. Or invest in a local Entertainment Book for restaurant coupons.
  9. Check local Florida/Orlando websites for discount coupons for eating establishments.
  10. As mentioned last time: If offered, try to book a Disney Package during any Free Dining promotion. It will save you a LOT of money.

OK, so there you go, 10 easy ways that you can pare down your food budget on a trip to Disney World. Clearly, all will not apply in all situations, but you should be able to use a few on your vacation, and when it comes to trying to have an affordable Disney vacation, every little bit helps! 🙂

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Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. Part Thirteen: Decide if the Disney Dining Plan is Right For You

Nancy Affordable Disney Vacations, Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money on Food , , , 3 Comments

This is part thirteen in my blog series: Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. You can read the rest of the posts here.

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

food-797785Now that we have covered some of the major and most expensive portions of your trip…lodging and transportation…let’s talk about food.

One of the best ways to help have a truly affordable Disney vacation is to plan your meals economically. This post will discuss one of the most popular ways to get the most out of your food budget: using the Disney Dining Plan.

On the Disney Dining Plan (DDP), if you have reserved a Disney package, you can have the option of pre-paying for most, if not all of your meals, by choosing one of several plans. (Please note that having a Disney package is a requirement, unless you have Annual Passes or are Disney Vacation Club members.)

With the Quick Service Dining Plan, you get two quick service meals and two snacks per person, per day, and one resort refillable mug per person, per package. With the basic Dining Plan, you will have one table service, one quick service, and one snack per person, per day. And finally, there is the Deluxe Dining Plan, offering 3 table or quick service meals and two snacks per person, per day, plus a refillable mug for each person per package.

So basically, there is a Plan for whatever your budget is. 🙂

Since we enjoy a table service meal each night, our family has purchased the basic Dining Plan on each of our last several trips and it is a huge saving for us. We use the counter service meal (entrée, drink, and dessert) for lunch, the table service meal (entrée, drink, dessert) for dinner, and we use the snack credits for either breakfast…or eat light in our room. For us, it is usually way more food than we can usually eat, and so often get our dessert at dinner “to go” since we are so full. Other times we choose fruit and/or muffins for our lunch or dinner desserts and use these for snacks later or breakfast. We have experimented with the plan a number of different ways, and no matter how we do it, we eat very well, have food left over to bring home (snack credits purchase great edible “souvenirs” J), and we save money.

How then does the Dining Plan help us have an affordable Disney vacation?

Currently, the basic plan costs from $41.99 to $46.99 (depending on the time of year) per adult/per day, which for our family of 3 is usually less than we would have spent out of pocket just for dinner itself. So clearly, it is a huge cost-saver for us.

Will it be for your family? Possibly, depending on your family size, eating habits, time of year etc. In other words, like most other things related to planning an affordable Disney vacation, you’ll need to do the research and then do the math. J Compare all levels of the Dining Plan: if you have small children, you may find the Quick Service Plan to be more suited to your family’s needs than the basic or Deluxe Plan.

Related to the Dining Plan, there are a few additional things you should know:

  1. Disney has offered for the past few years, a package promotion in late summer/early fall that includes the Disney Dining Plan for FREE. Yup, you have that right: FREE FOOD. This is seriously a huge cost-saver, and if your schedule allows traveling at that time of year, you should really consider it. Now there are no guarantees, but in the current economic climate, and since Disney has offered this the past several years now, it is reasonable to think that they MAY offer it again this year. Stay tuned.
  2. While you don’t have to pay for the Dining Plan when you reserve your package, and so technically it is not something you need to decide early in the planning process…..this is so important…..IF you are planning to get the Basic Plan and so have table service meals…you absolutely need to think about what restaurants you will want to eat in, and make your reservations (Advanced Dining Reservations) well in advance. Disney currently starts accepting  ADRs 6 months in advance, and if you are visiting during any of the busy seasons…or during Free Dining…if you don’t reserve well in advance, you risk not eating where you want.  I just can’t stress this part enough…when it comes to Disney table service restaurants during high-traffic seasons, the early bird definitely gets the worm.

So your action plan for this week for planning an affordable Disney vacation: look at the Disney Dining Plan and see if it can save you money!

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Learn the Basics of a Disney Vacation with Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World

Nancy Disney Travel Guide, Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money on Accommodations, Saving Money on Food , , , , 0 Comment

The final post in my series about my favorite Disney vacation guides, is all about the “official” Disney travel guide, Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World birnbaum. While not the biggest, most detailed guidebook, and certainly not the most critical (as it is approved by Disney, it can’t be), this little book, nevertheless, holds a very special place in my heart…and may very well hold one in yours as well.

I will say that I truly love Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World travel guide. Part of this is due to the fact that this was the first Disney book I purchased, when we were planning our very first visit to Walt Disney World. But beyond that, I really feel that this book is an excellent option to help in your Disney vacation planning…mostly because it provides a very nice, initial, overview for what to expect at Disney World. Think of it as “setting the stage” for beginning to learn about the best way to plan a Disney vacation.

If you have never been to Walt Disney World, I really think this is a great way to start. Get a feel for what is available, see what appeals to your family….and then move forward with more detailed planning. I kind of compare it to getting in a pool: you can jump in the “deep end” with a completely detailed guide about absolutely everything there is to know…but you risk getting in over your head quickly if you do lol! For me, I kind of liked starting at the shallow end, and getting used to the water before venturing into that deep water. 🙂

It is important to realize that as the official Disney-endorsed book, it is not unbiased. Even so, I found it to be especially helpful especially regarding rides. When we were still new to Walt Disney World, the “Birnbaum’s Best” designation for some of the rides was how my family decided which rides were must-sees.

With maps and graphics that really help a Disney newbie get a sense of what the parks look like, it is a light and easy read, and in my opinion is a must-read for anyone who has never been to Walt Disney World. Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World travel guide is the absolute best way to plan a Disney vacation for a first-time visitor.

So there you have it. A collection of great Disney vacation guidebooks, each providing great information for planning a Disney World vacation. Which is the right one for you? 🙂

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Are You an Organizer? The Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation is with the Passporter Walt Disney World

Nancy Disney Travel Guide, Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money on Accommodations, Saving Money on Food , , , , 0 Comment

Have you found the best vacation guide yet, to help you plan an affordable Disney family vacation? If you really like to be organized, then have I got a Disney guidebook for you!

PassPorter Walt Disney World is very possibly one of my favorite Disney vacation planners, probably because organization is passportermy thing. 🙂 Filled with lots of detailed information about every aspect of Walt Disney World, in cluding the parks, the resorts, and the restaurants, it is organized so well that it is very easy to follow….and very easy to quickly find just what you are looking for.

The authors cover each of the 4 parks in great detail, including full-color fold-out maps, tons of their personal pictures, and a complete description of every ride and attraction (this is so helpful!). There are also profiles of each of the Disney-owned hotels which also include maps, color photos, and room layouts. And then there are the reviews of each of the Disney World dining options….all 300+ of them. What is especially nice are the average meal costs for each, from counter-service to table-service. This is a great help when trying to decide where you want to eat before you get to Disney!

All of this is great and makes the Passporter Walt Disney World a valuable resource in itself. But the aspect that I like the best are the handy organizer pockets and journal. This is the perfect place to keep your maps, passes, receipts, must-see lists, as well as anything else that you need to keep! And with a place to make notes and journal memories of your trip, you end up with a wonderful keepsake at the end of your trip!

So, is it important to you to have a well-organized Disney vacation planner? Do you like the idea of being able to keep everything in one place? If so, then for you, the best way to plan a Disney vacation will be with the PassPorter Walt Disney World.

(And if you have missed my other posts on Disney vacation guides, you can find them all here.)

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Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010: More Disney Vacation Information Than You Can Possibly Imagine

Nancy Disney Travel Guide, Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money on Accommodations, Saving Money on Food , , , , 0 Comment

I have been talking in the past several posts about my favorite Disney travel guides……

At over 800 pages, the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010 is the book for51cYJbqBF6L._SL160_ the Disney World visitor who want to know everything there is to know about the parks. It is thorough and provides an unbiased perspective of all the Disney parks, plus SeaWorld and Universal.

To say that it is detailed would be an understatement. Yet it is this detail that make this the book of choice for many. This guide covers pretty much every aspect of a vacation to the Orlando area that you could possibly think of. And it does it without bias, and is, in fact, not shy about being critical where needed.

I will be honest here though, and say that when I read the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010, while I appreciated the author’s forthrightness, as a Disney-lover, I was not always a big fan of the cynicism. After all, I am going to Disney for the “magic”…don’t spoil it for me, ok? 😉

All kidding aside though, I will also be honest and say that many folks really want a critical perspective to help in their Disney vacation planning…and if you are one of them, then you will like this book.

Other than that, there is much to appreciate in the Unofficial Guide. One of the most popular aspects of this book are the Touring Plans which offer how-to guides for spending a day or so at each park. Very helpful indeed, especially if you are planning a trip during one of the busiest times of the year.

While all of the detailed information is great, it is alot of information in my opinion, and is definitely not a little book to take to the parks with you. Still, if you want a great planning guide and don’t mind wading through the many chapters, the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010 may be, for you, the very best way to see Disney World.

Have you missed the other posts in the series? You can check out my reviews of my favorite Disney travel guides here.

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