$40 a Day for Dining at Disney

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Yes, I eat breakfast, definately coffee, in the room.
Frequently it is a cheese stick or 2 and V-8, or breakfast bar and OJ.
Coffee is a must though.

But to try to stay true to the original concept with price increases:

Animal Kingdom $39.90
Kusafiri--apple turnover and coffee. $5.09
Flame Tree BBQ--1/2 slab ribs w/baked beans and coleslaw and Diet Coke. $14.14
Yak & Yeti--Dim Sum Basket for Two and water to drink. $17.42
Snack--to grab on way out of park and eat on walk out to buses and while waiting for bus--Edy's Strawberry Fruit Bar. $3.25

Animal Kingdom closes so early, even in summer it is only open until 7PM, so all these meals would not be spread out enough for me.

 

[lovin'fl]

Here's my MK day (starting with a hearty sit down breakfast at my hotel - OKW) Prices are from allearsnet.

Breakfast:
Olivia’s:
Banana Bread French Toast - topped with Bahamian Banana Rum Butter Sauce, vanilla whipped cream, and your choice of Bacon, Sausage, or Ham $10.99
Freshly brewed coffee $2.39
10.99 + 2.39 X 1.245 (18% tip + 6.5% tax) = $16.66

Lunch:
Tony’s Town Square:
Mixed Greens - tossed in our House Dressing topped with Feta and Croutons $5.49
Seasonal Soup $5.49
Ice Water Free
5.49 + 5.49 X 1.245 = $13.67

Dinner:
Casey’s:
Hot Dog Meal - served with French fries $6.59 x 1.065 = 7.02

Snack:
Cosmic Ray’s
Brownie (no sugar added) $2.39 x 1.065 = 2.65

Total for the day: 2.65+7.02+13.67+16.66 = $40

Love it!! Especially since we are staying at OKW and have a breakfast ADR one morning and I plan to get the banana bread french toast and coffee. I could totally do this day.

 

[stayhomemom77]

Okay, so instead of sticking to the $40 per adult per day and $20 per child per day rule...we would average $120 a day so we could do a character meal.

So I did a five day plan...

TS meals are highlighted in blue and I always order ice water, so you'll probably only notice a soda tossed in most meals for my hubby and nothing for me.

This plan is amazing...we get TONS of food, several sit down meal and a few treats, all with tax and tip included for $120 a day. Amazing for a family of four, I think!

Family Plan $120 a day (breakfast in the hotel room--cereal from home)
Total of $600 allowed over 5 days
Actual spent: $599.70

DHS day $110.67

Lunch at Sci Fi
Burger for ladies to share
Shake for ladies to share
Burger for menfolk to share
Shake for menfolk to share

Dinner at Mama Melrose
Chicken Flatbread
Carne Flatbread
Soda
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal

Snacks
Carrot Cake Cookie to share

Epcot Day $211.79

Late Breakfast Seating as early lunch at Akershus
Adult Buffet
Adult Buffet
Child Buffet
Child Buffet

Dinner at Rose and Crown
Fish and Chips
Fish and Chips
Soda
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal

Non Park Day $63.71

Lunch at Beaches and Cream
Hot Dog and Fries
Hot Dog and Fries
Hot Dog and Fries (kids to split)
Fudge Mud Slide to share
Ice waters to drink


Dinner at Earl of Sandwich
Sandwich
Sandwich
Soda (for DH and DS to split)
Kid's Sandwich
Kid's Sandwich
Ice waters for mom and DD

MK day $118.03

Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern
Freedom Pasta
Pilgrim's Feast
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda

Dinner at The Plaza
Rueben
Plaza Club
Soda
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal



AK day $95.51

Lunch at Yak and Yeti/Safari Wings
Sweet and Sour Wings
Egg Rolls and Fried Rice
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda

Dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express
Penette Chicken Alfredo
Half Rotisserie Chicken
Soda
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal

Snacks
2 ice cream cookie sandwiches

 

[beansmom]

i LOVE this thread...it has made me think about how to do this, too...without eating breakfast in the room. I am just not going to do that. For me, however, I don't drink anything but water so I can shift that around.

It's a fun project! Keep it coming!

 

[sharonabe]

This is a two-day plan for two adults @ $40/day for each, so $160 for the two days. I'm over by less than $1. It's not completely in line with the original OP since I don't have a true TS on day two, but I have a much better snack to make up for it.

MK for two
Main St Bakery--Cinnamon roll, bread pudding, 2 coffees $11.89
Plaza--Reuben, Veg Sand, 1soup add-on $32.33 (includes TIP)
Cosmic Rays--1/2 chick/rib combo, cucumber salad, french fries, 1 lg soda $24.03
Snack--Corn dog nuggest, sm drink $7.22 (DH doesn't do sweets, this snack could be pretzel or popcorn to share; corn dog nuggets was most expensive)
Total--$75.47

AK/DTD for two
Royal Anandapur Tea--2 pastries, Chai latte, double espresso $14.65
Flame Tree--BBQ chicken salad, Smoked turkey sand, onion ring basket, 1 lg soda $24.98
WPE--tortilla soup to share, meatloaf, 4 cheese pizza $36.10
Ghiradelli--share a sundae $9.53
Total--$85.26

 

[shalom]

Alright...allears.net still doesn't have many updated menus but easywdw.com does so I used those and made a dining plan for the MK with the increased prices still for under $40 a day. It IS harder though...a lot less choice and some of the parks that don't have TS options for quite as cheap are going to be REALLY tough.

I'm amazed you managed to do it at all. I was going to suggest that the cap be moved up a bit, because I love this thread and don't want to see it die due to inflation (whether general or Disney ).

Okay, so instead of sticking to the $40 per adult per day and $20 per child per day rule...we would average $120 a day so we could do a character meal.

I firmly believe that average price is the way to go. If hubby knew how much some stuff we've done costs, he'd choke, but as long as I keep the average daily price down, I get to do what I want, so I'm happy, and the over-all price keeps him happy. Win/win!

 

[Muslickz]

We have always done the DDP before too...it's just so convenient having everything paid for ahead of time but our next trip in January we are just going to pay OOP and I've gone through and added up the cost of what we are going to spend at the places we are going to eat (California Grill, Kona, O'hana, etc) vs what we will be paying OOP and it's actually cheaper to pay OOP, so you might be surprised if you sit down and do the math.

That is how we feel too especially if you have a couple of young kids your not sure what or when they want to eat.... plus if you pay attention to the insert for dining in the map you get, they run 10% and 20% off deals at certain times.. Hope this helps

-M

 

[stayhomemom77]

Another family plan ($120 a day) averaged over 5 days with breakfast in the room.

Total allowed $600
Total spent $599.19

No snacks you'll notice BUT they're ALL TS meals! Whoot!

MK day $138.57

Lunch at Tony's Town Square
Meatball Sub
Tony's Flatbread
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda

Dinner at Grand Floridian Café
New York Strip
Half Rotisserie Chicken
Soda
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal



AK day $138.57

Lunch at Sanaa
Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori Lamb
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda

Dinner at Kona Café
Chicken Pan Asian Noodles
Chicken Pan Asian Noodles
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda

DHS day $105.21

Lunch at Sci Fi
Burger for ladies to share
Shake for ladies to share
Burger for menfolk to share
Shake for menfolk to share

Dinner at ESPN Club
Triple Play Turkey
ESPN Dinger Sandwich
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda




Epcot Day $114.90

Lunch at Nine Dragons
Lunch Box Set
Lunch Box Set
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal


Dinner at Via Napoli
Large Pepperoni Pizza to share
Soda
Soda
Soda


Non Park Day $101.94

Lunch at Beaches and Cream
Hot Dog and Fries girls to split
Hot Dog and Fries guys to split
Fudge Mud Slide to share
Fudge Mud Slide to share


Dinner at Trex
Porkasaurus Panini
Soup and Jurassic Salad
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda

 

[stayhomemom77]

And finally....

Another family plan with 2 of the major character meals we have yet to experience at WDW.

These are costly babies so we only have 3 TS meals in total and not a whole lot of snacks but my kiddies would be over the moon with these choices.

Same stats as above...breakfasts in the room, 5 days, $600 dollars and we're spending $600.20 on this plan.

MK day $68.06

Lunch at Cosmic Ray's
Half Chicken Combo
Bacon Cheeseburger Meal
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda

Dinner at Casey's
Hot Dog Meal
Hot Dog Meal
Soda
Hot Dog Meal for kids to share
2 Popcorns to share



AK day $63.05

Lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue
1/2 slab of ribs
BBQ Chicken Salad
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda
2 Ice Cream Sandwiches to share

Dinner at Home Resort
Large Cheese Pizza
Soda
Chocolate Milk to split


DHS day $92.38

Lunch at Starring Rolls
Sandwich
Sandwich
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda
2 Brownies to share

Dinner at Sci Fi
Burger for ladies to share
Shake for ladies to share
Burger for menfolk to share
Shake for menfolk to share


Epcot Day $203.72

Lunch at Sunshine Seasons
Ginger Mongolian Beef
Turkey Focaccia
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda

Dinner at Akershus
Adult Meal
Adult Meal
Kid Meal
Kid Meal


Non Park Day $172.98

Late Breakfast as Early Lunch at Chef Mickey's
Adult Buffet
Adult Buffet
Kid Buffet
Kid Buffet


Dinner at POFQ Food Court
Create your own pasta
Freshly carved beef or turkey
Kid's Meal
Kid's Meal
Soda
2 Magic Cookie Bars to share

 

[stayhomemom77]

Alright, I amended the formula based on the new prices and I have to say that it's a plan with VERY slim margins.

I've listed the pretax (and in the case of the TS meal the pretax AND pretip price) and then the total with it (them) included.

If you spend less in one area, obviously you have more to spend in another but as a general rule, the guidelines are as follows:


TS Meal $14.99/$18.66 (TOTAL to spend for entree AND drink...I suggest ice water here as there are few things under $14.99 anymore.)
Snack $3.99/$4.25
Breakfast (e.g. $2.59 muffin + $2.19 coffee) $4.78/$5.09
CS Meal (e.g. $2.50 bottle of water + $8.79 entree) $11.38/$12.02


Gives us a daily total of...

$40.02

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

I'm amazed you managed to do it at all. I was going to suggest that the cap be moved up a bit, because I love this thread and don't want to see it die due to inflation (whether general or Disney ).



I firmly believe that average price is the way to go. If hubby knew how much some stuff we've done costs, he'd choke, but as long as I keep the average daily price down, I get to do what I want, so I'm happy, and the over-all price keeps him happy. Win/win!

I love this thread too. Raising the cap makes sense, especially since I am a soda drinker, and the price increase really cut into my food budget. However, no trips in near future, and $40 still is too much for my budget.
My daughter and BF are going next May. I don't think they realize how $$$$ it will be to eat.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

I haven't had anyone ask recently but I've lost my excel document that I offered to send to anyone who was interested. It's sort of moot now anyway with the price increases but I wanted to say, if you were thinking of asking me for it...I no longer have it. Sorry!



I'm still waiting on the price increase updates...they are trickling in slowly but it's making it difficult for me to prepare anything for posting.

I did however, work out a formula...a general guideline so that you don't have to concentrate too hard when you're out and about. If you stick to these category maximums, you'll be under $40 a day. The first number is a subtotal...pretax and tip (where applicable) and the second figure has them included.

Breakfast-$5.25/$5.59
TS meal-$15.99/$19.91
CS meal-$10.59/$11.58
Snack-$2.99/$3.18

Grand Total-$39.96

Obviously, if you want to get a more expensive entree at your TS meal, you'll need to readjust the other categories or go over $40. Contrarily, if you wanted, say a second snack or a more expensive one you'd need to choose a cheaper entree at your TS meal (which is easier to do when you have TS for lunch).

An example of this formula for the MK:

Main Street Bakery Cinnamon Roll/Coffee, Tea or Hot Cocoa $6.18 $6.58
LTT Pilgrim's Feast $14.99 $18.66
Pecos Bill's Taco Salad/choc milk $10.38 $11.05
Snack Dole Whip $3.49 $3.72

Grand Total; $40.01

As you can see, I saved a dollar on my TS entree which I used in part at breakfast and in part at snack time. Can't do the MK without my Dole Whip!!





Snack

I like this formula.
or if you wanted a $17.99 entree, like the pot roast at Liberty Tree Tavern and 50's Prime Time, and again, eating breakfast in room, it could be:

TS--$17.99/$22.40 w/tax & tip
Leaves $16.52 pre-tax to spend on CS and snack, or however you wish. $17.60w/tax.

Just seems like alot more choices avaliable as $17.99 entrees. (But what they will be when we get there remains to be seen.) Anyway, $16.52 for the rest of the day isn't too bad. Of course, my TS is just entree and water, and bread if they give it to me.

 

[sharonabe]

So, if you eat breakfast in your room most days (like so many of us do), can you do a character buffet and QS for $40/day??? YES YOU CAN!

Cape May Breakfast 31.12
Fairfax Salad 8.30
Total 39.42

Biergarten Lunch 27.38
La Cantina Nachos 10.60
Total 37.98

Crystal Palace Lunch 31.12
Columbia Harbor Tuna Sand 9.57
Total 40.69 (a little over today, but averages out)

Tusker House Lunch 30.38
Earl of Sandwich Soup and Sandwich 9.56
Total 39.94

All prices are from wdwmagic.com which seem to be updated and include tax and tip.
You have to drink water with your QS and there's no snack, but the buffets would fill me up with no room left over anyway.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

So, if you eat breakfast in your room most days (like so many of us do), can you do a character buffet and QS for $40/day??? YES YOU CAN!

Cape May Breakfast 31.12
Fairfax Salad 8.30
Total 39.42

Biergarten Lunch 27.38
La Cantina Nachos 10.60
Total 37.98

Crystal Palace Lunch 31.12
Columbia Harbor Tuna Sand 9.57
Total 40.69 (a little over today, but averages out)

Tusker House Lunch 30.38
Earl of Sandwich Soup and Sandwich 9.56
Total 39.94

All prices are from wdwmagic.com which seem to be updated and include tax and tip.
You have to drink water with your QS and there's no snack, but the buffets would fill me up with no room left over anyway.

I love this, Sharonabe. Thanks for coming back.
I wish I could go do some of these days.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

This is a two-day plan for two adults @ $40/day for each, so $160 for the two days. I'm over by less than $1. It's not completely in line with the original OP since I don't have a true TS on day two, but I have a much better snack to make up for it.

MK for two
Main St Bakery--Cinnamon roll, bread pudding, 2 coffees $11.89
Plaza--Reuben, Veg Sand, 1soup add-on $32.33 (includes TIP)
Cosmic Rays--1/2 chick/rib combo, cucumber salad, french fries, 1 lg soda $24.03
Snack--Corn dog nuggest, sm drink $7.22 (DH doesn't do sweets, this snack could be pretzel or popcorn to share; corn dog nuggets was most expensive)
Total--$75.47

AK/DTD for two
Royal Anandapur Tea--2 pastries, Chai latte, double espresso $14.65
Flame Tree--BBQ chicken salad, Smoked turkey sand, onion ring basket, 1 lg soda $24.98
WPE--tortilla soup to share, meatloaf, 4 cheese pizza $36.10
Ghiradelli--share a sundae $9.53
Total--$85.26

Sorry, Sharonabe. I just read through this one.
Wow, that is alot of food. Very good use of your dollars. Corn dog nuggets for snack sounds good to me, too.
Sharing food really opens up more possibilities.

 

[sharonabe]

Sorry, Sharonabe. I just read through this one.
Wow, that is alot of food. Very good use of your dollars. Corn dog nuggets for snack sounds good to me, too.
Sharing food really opens up more possibilities.

Isn't it, though? I'm not even sure DH and I could actually eat all that I've listed, but it would be fun to try. When you consider that this is still $11.50 UNDER the price of 2012 DDP (and we've already paid our tip too!), it should show how important it is to really think about whether the DDP is the right way to go. Granted, we're not eating steak, but I think there were stayathome did a few samples with steak!

 

[vanillarum]

This may break some hearts, but our DS, who is doing an internship at Disney as we speak, just informed us that if we want the dining plan (we originally did not because the 1 time we tried it, it was waaaaay too much food) it will be $30 per person, per nights stay. Yahoo !! Sorry... have a nice day.

 

[macraven]

This may break some hearts, but our DS, who is doing an internship at Disney as we speak, just informed us that if we want the dining plan (we originally did not because the 1 time we tried it, it was waaaaay too much food) it will be $30 per person, per nights stay. Yahoo !! Sorry... have a nice day.

when did this new rate start?
that's a drop of the ddp cost from when i used it.

(you're talking about the ddp and not the qsdp?)

 

[sharonabe]

when did this new rate start?
that's a drop of the ddp cost from when i used it.

(you're talking about the ddp and not the qsdp?)

The rate has NOT dropped. I believe that is the CM's guest price or something like that. Regular people still have to pay the 2012 $51.50 price.

 

[stayhomemom77]

This may break some hearts, but our DS, who is doing an internship at Disney as we speak, just informed us that if we want the dining plan (we originally did not because the 1 time we tried it, it was waaaaay too much food) it will be $30 per person, per nights stay. Yahoo !! Sorry... have a nice day.

Congratulations! Enjoy that great rate and we'll try not to be with envy!