Thrifty Thursday: Affordable Snacks in Magic Kingdom

Whether you chose the dining plan for your trip or not, sometimes you need to spend a little money for an extra snack (or two, if you are like my family and have a hubs & a kid who are ALWAYS hungry!)  I like to look around each time I am in Walt Disney World and check prices and make a mental note of where to buy our snacks, because prices vary from place to place and I like to be smart about what we pay for.  There are reasonably priced snacks hidden all over, amongst all the “I-am-not-paying-that-much-for-that!” type snacks 🙂  To me, any “snack” that costs over $5 seems too expensive, and even paying $4.99 doesn’t seem great to me, but that’s how I figure out if we should get it or not.  If one of us wants a snack, I’ll say, “as long as it’s under $5 :)”

One of the best, and healthiest snacks in the World is fruit.  There are fruit stands in each park, the one we visit frequently are the stand in Magic Kingdom called Liberty Square Market.  They sell whole pieces of fruit for less that $2.00!!  A banana or apple are about $1.29.    They have other great items too like crackers, apple slices, and baked potatoes!!  YUM!  What I love most about this stand is that 1. There are healthier options here that keep my family full longer and 2. Almost everything is under $4 per snack.  At WDW, I call that a deal.  It doesn’t make me cringe spending money on an extra bite even if we have the meal plan.  Let’s be honest, with my family…a counter service, a snack, and a meal doesn’t always cut it;)

We also love Pecos Bill Cafe in Frontier Land.  You can get fries with chili and cheese for under $5.  It’s not the healthiest snack, but we think is a great deal.  You can also get fries, no chili or cheese, for $2.49.  Pecos Bills is central for us because we are always headed over that way for Splash and Thunder Mountain!

Over on Main Street, we love the bakery!  The apple turnover/croissant/chocolate croissant/danish are all under $3 and are perfect for that sweet tooth. If you want coffee to go with that sweet tooth, it will set you back around $2.  I suggest filling up your refillable mug with coffee before you leave your resort and save the money;)

Another hidden snack gem is the The Egg Roll Wagon over in Adventure Land.  The Wagon sells pork & shrimp egg rolls for $2.50 and veggie egg rolls for $2.25.  You can get 2 and that would be a great little meal!  One of these tend to fill us up nicely and hold us over if we have a later lunch or dinner reservation.

Bottled Water is sold all over WDW for about $2.50 a bottle.  I’m a firm believer of bringing our own water into the parks, because $7.50 for 3 bottles doesn’t seem very frugal to me!  We like to buy a 12 pack of them from Garden Grocer for less than $5 and have them delivered to our hotel room.  Make sure you put in your order before your trip, delivery slots fill up fast!

Last but not least, one of the best treats by far for kids and adults alike are the Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bars.  These are sold all around the parks at various carts and cost $3.50.  To us, these bars are a wonderful part of the magic of Disney! 

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Tina works full time as a school counselor in an elementary school. She lives close to Baltimore, MD with her husband Dave and her 13 year old stepdaughter, Ashley. They also have a furry family member, a cat name Frodo, that keeps life interesting in their house! Tina began visiting Disney World as a child with her family, and now her, Dave & Ashley take a trip to the World every year. She considers herself a Disney “fanatic” and once her family is finished one trip, she is already planning their next one. Tina loves to find the best deals, even in the busy seasons (she can only go when schools are off!) and loves sharing those deals & tips with anyone and everyone! What Tina loves most is the magic of WDW, it makes her feel like a kid again. She hopes that every family has the opportunity go to the World and experience the magic for themselves because it has a way of reminding its visitors that dreams do indeed come true! Read more of Tina’s work on her blog A Not So Bland Life, where she writes about home decor, cooking, couponing, traveling, and and of course, Disney!