Don't Eat in the parks/Take your own water

M

Mark_E

Active Member
Original Poster
On our day at Hollywood Studios, we were about to eat at one of the stands on Sunset Boulevard. It would have cost around $50 for a meal/desert/drink for everyone, and as with all theme park food, it looked like utter crap ($8 for a tiny pizza, erm... no). We also didn't eat at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom because it was just too expensive for a proper meal and anything cheap looked awful

So afew options to consider:

We left the park for an hour and a half when we went to Hollywood Studios, and had the most delicious meal in Cracker Barrel, about a 10 minute drive from the park, on the 192. We each got a beautiful main course, a dessert, and unlimited drink re-fills for $55. We did the same when we went to EPCOT and got a steak in Ponderosa for half the price it would have cost at Disney.

The day we went to Animal Kingdom, we bought a load of stuff to make a packed lunch the night before (cost around $20) and took sandwiches, crisps, cake, bananas and cookies to the park. Lovely

Also, we bought big batches of water bottles (28 bottles for around $5). We took 6 bottles a day, two of which were frozen, and the frozen ones kept the other ones cool throughout the day. By the time we needed them, the frozen ones were mostly melted.

You can save ALOT of money by doing this.
 
Monty

Monty

Brilliant...and Canadian
In the Parks
No
Personally, I've never worried about it. I'm in WDW, there are good food options available and the cost doesn't bother me. An hour and a half outside the parks isn't worth the savings to me. :shrug:
 
CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Mark_E said:
The day we went to Animal Kingdom, we bought a load of stuff to make a packed lunch the night before (cost around $20) and took sandwiches, crisps, cake, bananas and cookies to the park. Lovely

Also, we bought big batches of water bottles (28 bottles for around $5). We took 6 bottles a day, two of which were frozen, and the frozen ones kept the other ones cool throughout the day. By the time we needed them, the frozen ones were mostly melted.

You can save ALOT of money by doing this.
Click to expand...

Thats the way to do it - we find that when we fo the parks we just don't have an hour and a half to spare to leave the parks to eat
 
M

Mark_E

Active Member
Original Poster
We only did the pack lunches that one day, but next time (won't be for a few years) we will be doing it every day.

I can understand not wanting to leave the parks. I guess at Hollywood Studios it was partly because we wanted a good meal and since it was our last day we didn't want to have a big meal too late on the night. And at EPCOT a big storm was approaching so we decided it was better to have some time out.

Pack lunches are the way forward! American bread tastes so good!
 
ErickainPA

ErickainPA

New Member
Everyone is different. When I go with my family, we just eat at the parks, (the places you listed, we can go to anytime since we live in the US) and there are so many options to choose from at the restaurants in the parks and resorts. I don't bother to buy the water bottles at the parks or resorts and I don't bother getting a beverage at the restaurants. I usually just have a water bottle that I can refill brought from home and bring little flavor packets to kill the taste of Orlando water.

We are going to be out and about at 2 different parks for 2 days of our trip so we won't be eating in the parks and will only have a rental for the 2 days. Maybe for some, renting a car for the week or longer if you come from the UK and then taking time out of the parks to go and eat makes it a value to them, but I personally don't see it.
 
M

Mark_E

Active Member
Original Poster
It is a good thing to consider though when you are on a budget (we paid almost £3000/$4500 for airfare, so we needed to save in other places). We almost didn't make it there this summer.
 
Cindy'sBruno

Cindy'sBruno

Active Member
Also....it isnt always about the food....its about the atmosphere as well. Whether its taking my DD to Chef Mickey's or to Pizza Planet...the look on her face is worth the money spent. :)
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
Testtrack321 said:
I never thought I'd be reading those two thoughts together, ever.
Click to expand...


I thought the same thing.


As others have said, when I go to the parks, I plan on spending money on food.

If I think it is going to be too much, then we go for fewer days. However it is just me and my two kids. We are not huge snackers. We tend to eat breakfast, maybe grab something small at noon time, and then have a sit-down dinner. I can understand if you have a family of 4 or 5 and have teenagers who are eating ever 30 minutes. Then the saving will add up.

As far as water is concerned, I save even more money, I drink from the water fountains.

-dave
 
tizzo

tizzo

Member
Mark_E said:
On our day at Hollywood Studios, we were about to eat at one of the stands on Sunset Boulevard. It would have cost around $50 for a meal/desert/drink for everyone, and as with all theme park food, it looked like utter crap ($8 for a tiny pizza, erm... no). We also didn't eat at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom because it was just too expensive for a proper meal and anything cheap looked awful
Click to expand...

I'm surprised you didn't take more flack for this - Disney has a reputation for outstanding dining options, and people who frequent these boards tend to be loyal. However - I'm right there with you.

Does Disney have some good to excellent options for food? Absolutely. But they are expensive, and although I haven't done a ton of on-property dining, I have yet to have a meal that is worth what I paid for it.

You need to keep in mind that Disney is catering to vacationers, and that the high price of food is built into many of their budgets. And in many cases the food is not all, or even most, of what you're paying for. Still, I'm coming from the perspective of a local AP holder, and if I ate someplace on-property where I was going to get a decent meal all the time, the cost of my AP would end up being a rounding error on the amount of money I'd spend there.

Thus, out of necessity, I've familiarized myself with a handful of just-off-property places where you can get a decent meal. And I'll tell you that you can do a lot better (and probably cheaper) than Cracker Barrel.

My personal favorite is a place called Sweet Tomatoes. It's a soup/salad buffet (better than it sounds) at the Crossroads plaza, which is at the end of Hotel Plaza Boulevard. Prices are very reasonable (less than $10/adult for dinner, less for lunch), and if you register on their web site they'll email you coupons, generally for BOGOF. It used to be that we'd decide where we were eating - and sometimes whether we were even going to WDW on a given weekend - based on whether we had an active coupon there. But since the economy tanked, I've been getting coupons pretty much every week. I don't think there's been a day in the last year for which I didn't have a BOGOF coupon.

The Crossroads has several other places as well (mostly chains - Fuddruckers, Fridays), and there are tons of places on US-192.
 
M

Mark_E

Active Member
Original Poster
Im really surprised people don't like cracker barrel, especially when compared to the disney fast food which costs the same as a full meal there. Maybe it's just because we are from the UK but seriously thought it was very very nice.

The buffet at Hollywood studios was very expensive for what you would get, so I think we made the right move.
 
wdwmomof3

wdwmomof3

Well-Known Member
We actually like the food at the parks and I had much rather pay a little more to eat there than take two hours or more to leave & come back. Time IS money at Disney. :animwink:
 
David S.

David S.

Member
I just eat in the parks, even as a seasonal local with an AP, but then again I eat like a bird and don't like taking time out of the day to leave the parks and come back. The personal sized pizzas could be a little cheaper but then again I just get one a day, so considering I am not spending any gas money driving off-property to eat, or losing my great parking spot I had for being at rope drop, etc, I don't feel I am overspending. When I get thirsty, water is free in a cup with ice from any food or drink place that sells fountain drinks. These are also convenient for pouring down my shirt to cool off on excessively hot days (which for my taste, is any day over 80 degrees! - I'm there mainly in the winter/early spring)

I usually buy a Coke or two in the morning to help me wake up (I wish they had the better-tasting Dr. Pepper, Mr. Pibb, or Root Beer), and often an ice cream and/or some chocolate milk as a snack during the day. And I have a major soft spot for that delicious popcorn, particularly if you are walking by a cart, it is just popping, and there is little to no line! Hot, fresh, popcorn - YUM! :)
 

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