While dining at the many restaurants at Walt Disney World can be a lot of fun, it can also become expensive if you’re not careful. However, you can save some money on meals and snacks with a little bit of pre-planning and by taking things with you to the Disney parks each day. In addition, having cereal, granola bars, yogurt and juice in the room can give you a jump-start in the morning, and can save both money and time!
Small soft-sided coolers are acceptable to take into the parks. Coolers larger than 24” x 15” x 18” are not allowed in the parks. The exception to this is coolers for medications, which can be stored in a locker or at Guest Relations. Also, no glass or alcoholic beverages are allowed in any of the parks. My rule of thought is, what could I comfortably carry all day and still be able to handle when on a ride. Lockers are available at the front of all parks, but you will have to walk back to the front each time to retrieve anything out of the locker.
Typical items to carry each day include a water bottle, which can be refilled at the multiple water fountains, granola bars, and small bagged snacks. To really save money, consider packing sandwiches and chips and leave in a locker, then plan some downtime around mid-afternoon for a impromptu picnic and to do some people watching.
On days when you really don’t feel like carrying extra stuff around, consider splitting a lunch at the many counter service locations. Most meals are large enough to split either between 2 children or even 2 adults and then you can splurge on desert, like a dole whip!
Planning ahead with snacks and drinks helps to cut the cost of spur of the moment snacks during the day!
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Debbie and her husband live in Collegedale, TN where her youngest son is going to college. She is a huge Disney fan who dreams of someday retiring and working as a tour guide at Walt Disney World. She has enjoyed many trips to WDW with children, grandchildren and sometimes adults only. It is her ultimate goal to make sure everyone who visits WDW has the same magical time that she enjoys every time she visits.
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