UPDATE: Congratulations to Lauren Cortright for being the lucky winner for this giveaway! And thanks to all for the fantastic money-saving tips on dining: there were tons of great idea!
Last week I told you that I had a week’s worth of Disney souvenir giveaways for you this week, from our recent vacation at Disney’s Hilton Head Island resort. 🙂
Yesterday I ran a fun contest on my Facebook page. Today’s contest is here at The Affordable Mouse blog. And what will today’s lucky winner receive?
We love pin-trading, so I just fell in love with this Tinkerbell lanyard and pouch. 🙂
It’s a perfect way to get a head start on your pin-collecting plans before your next Disney vacation!
But in order to be eligible, you are going to have to do a *little* work…… 🙂
As you know, I am in the process of a blog series related to affordable Disney World dining. With that in mind, I would love to find out from you:
“What tips, ideas, suggestions, advice, or information would you give to someone who is trying to save money on their meals at Disney World?”
To enter, simply leave a comment below before midnight ET today, Tuesday, August 24, 2010. One entry per person. I will choose a winner at random from all names who respond tomorrow morning, and announce the winner here in an update, as well as on our Facebook page and Twitter.
Good luck! Oh, and if you want to be eligible for the contests the rest of the week, be sure to *Like* us on Facebook and go to Twitter and *Follow* us!!
Well, the dining plan can be a great deal, depending on your family. But, especially at CS mals, many can be shared. We will get a couple meals to share for an early lunch and then if we feel hungry a couple meals later for an early dinnner and a couple later to keep us going through the parks. That way no one is really full at any time. Our favorites to share are at places like Cosmic Ray’s. The ribs and chicken is planty for 2 and getting the fresh veggies which are not only tasty, but good for you is great! It would spread your $ for sure and again, no one wants to be too full when you are riding rides.
I am also loving that there are more options for fresh veggies these days too! And yes, those ribs and chicken are PLENTY for two people!! 🙂
My big dining tip is to eat at the expensive dining places for lunch at the latest time possible. That way you can enjoy the delicious food and experience the atmosphere of the dining spots and not have to pay the dinner prices. Our other way to save money is to split meals at counter service places. Our favorite is the rib platter at Flame Tree BBQ.
Big fan of splitting meals here! 🙂 Not only does it save money, but I don’t eat as much too! (Saves more room for desserts LOL!)
I think a lot of people purchase the dining plan without looking at their eating habits, thinking it will be cheaper. Take a look at where you eat, and what you typically, then check out the dining plans. If there’s a plan that fits your habits, it may be cheaper than purchasing food on your own. If you’re spending money for a dining plan that doesn’t suit your needs, it’s not worth it.
Kathy you bring up an excellent point: The Dining Plan is not ALWAYS a money-saver! It is so important to look at how you and your family eat, and decide what is realistic. I agree that paying money for a Dining Plan where you end up throwing out half the food is not a money-saver!
For adults, it’s easy to stock up on items for breakfast and snacks to supplement one meal splurge during the day. Noon meals are cheaper than supper-time dining. Bringing a collapsible cooler or requesting a fridge in your room will help keep items cold. With kids, it’s harder to do so if you can get a deal with the free meal plan that’s your best bet.
Yes I agree Teresa that having a frig…even a mini one is a must at Disney. Even if it’s just to keep water/juice cold!
My tip is to order breakfast and snack items from Garden Grocer to be delivered the day you arrive. It’s convenient to eat in your room and much cheaper than the food court.
You know I have heard of others using Garden Grocer and being very happy with them. Silly question though: Where are the items when you arrive? Are they already in your room? Do you order refrigerated items?
My tip is to bring breakfast items and snack items from home. Eat at the table service places at lunch time since the price will be cheaper than at supper time. Free dining plans are also the best.
I’m also a big fan of bringing breakfast items from home!
Splurge and get the deluxe dining! Its a lot of food, but use a snack for a pastry breakfast, a counter service for lunch and then a signature dining restaurant for dinner. You’ll be satisfied! Plus, since an appetizer entrees and dessert is alot, have only one of you order the appetizer and share! Same with dessert!!!!
We actually did this at California Grill on our last trip: we ordered, I think one appetizer to share for the 3 of us and two desserts and it was PLENTY. This is a great strategy to make the most out of that deluxe dining package!
You get two snacks btw. So use the one for breakfast and the other to grab a fun treat to take home!!
Don’t think that you have to eat THREE meals a day. Eat a filling breakfast (definitely include a protein!), take ‘brought from home’ snacks to munch on at the park, and then eat a very late lunch/early dinner. What we do is schedule our Character dining either really late (like Breakfast at 10:45 or 11:00) or really early (like a lunch at 11:30) and just skip the other meal.
You bring up an important point: you really don’t need 3 meals, especially considering the snacking that goes on all day long. And the added bonus would be eating in restaurants at non-peak times: easier to get ADRs or seats at counter service…and eating the big meal early would mean it would be cheaper than dinner prices.
I generally try to bring healthy snacks and meals from home. Granola, cereal bars, dried fruit, etc. You can also buy fresh fruit in the parks to add to it. The nice restaurants generally are less crowded and cost less at lunch time, then for dinner, try counter service. One of my favorite dinner items is a turkey leg that you can buy at the Magic Kingdom and the other parks. It’s not expensive, and it’s PLENTY to eat!
Ahh the turkey leg! My husband’s absolute favorite!! 🙂 I can personally vouch for the fact that yes, it IS plenty to eat!!
If we have access to an in-room fridge, we take advantage of it. One of the best things I’ve found for breakfast are seedless grapes. They’re wonderfully refreshing, they give you a healthy fill-up, without feeling weighted down and miserable like some bigger breakfasts tend to do at times, AND they are kid friendly. You can give them grapes and no need to worry about them staining their clothes before they even make it to the park. Also, if you’re running behind (if you have a “schedule” like us!), they’re a great on-the-go breakfast to take with you on the bus/monorail.
Also, some meals in Disney are large enough to split. Consider sharing to cut costs, with an added bonus of not whistling carrots (or your Pinocchio burger) on Space Mountain!
What a simple go-anywhere idea! Healthy, easily portable, no crumbs….love bringing grapes along!
Although food is not an area that I skimp on, it helps to bring some of your own snacks into the parks. I also find that my family (which includes two little ones under five) is fine with breakfast in the hotel room and one real meal. Snacks fill us up otherwise.
It definitely helps to bring snacks into the parks! I like having something like trail mix to munch on while waiting in line.
UPDATE: Congratulations Lauren Cortright: you were the winner for this giveaway! Please email me at nancy@theaffordablemouse.com so that I can send you the Tinkerbell lanyard! Thanks for entering!
I hate wasting money on park food!! We do cereal/donuts/coffee cake in the mornings. I pack sandwiches and snacks. We usually do one character dining and other dinner nightss include things we can share ~ like pizza
That’s a great strategy for saving money on food! I am also a big fan of easy in-the-room breakfast: saves money and time so we can get out to the parks quicker!
I would suggest splitting counter service meals! We had more trouble finishing our CS meals than our TS meals!
Also, there are many snack options that could serve as a breakfast or lunch and are pretty cheap! Ex, cinnamon rolls from Main Street Bakery!