Eat
breakfast in your hotel room. Buying cereals, bread, etc from a supermarket
can work out a lot cheaper than buying breakfast at your hotel or the
parks every morning. You can rent fridges at the Disney hotels for $10
a day. If you only want to keep something cool for a short time, instead
of renting a fridge, make use of the ice bucket in your room, &
one of the ice machines in your hotel, or take a small cooler. Make
sure you take plastic plates & cutlery with you from home.
Buy
a cheap cooler from Walmart and use this in your room instead of payinf
to rent a fridge.
Officially you aren't allowed to take your own food into the parks at
WDW, but it can work out a lot cheaper to take a snack for lunch to
the parks, & have a proper meal at dinner. Just be a little discreet
when eating your own food in the parks ;-)
If
you're staying at a WDW resort, when you first arrive, go to the food
court/cafe & buy a refillable mug. They
cost around $8 each, but can be refilled for free throughout your stay.
Don't keep buying bottles of water, refill them for free at the water
fountains that can be found throughout the parks. Alternatively, buy
a large bottle of water off-site & keep it in your hotel room, &
use it to refill smaller bottles.
If you really want to eat at one of the many great WDW restaurants,
consider eating at lunchtime when the menus are the same but are often
cheaper than at dinner.
Groceries
are available at various shops in WDW, but can be expensive, instead
go to one of the local supermarkets - Publix, Goodings - and stock up
there. If you use a towncar or limo, such as Happy
Limo, to get from the airport, they will often offer a free 30 minute
grocery stop at a supermarket.
Portions
of food in WDW restaurants can be too much for one person, just order
one appetiser or entree between two people, and ask for two plates.
Not
hungry enough for a 3 course meal? Just order an appetiser & dessert.
If you
eat at one of the breakfast buffets, take an extra piece of fruit and
a pastry or two, wrap them in a napkin & you've got some snack for
later in the day.
Buffets
are often a lot cheaper at off-site restaurants, which can be found
scattered around the Crossroads at Lake Buena Vista.
If you
haven't got a big appetite, just buy a kid's meal.
Cheap
snacks in the parks are fresh fruit, available from stands at all parks.
Single pieces of fruit cost less than $1, with melon, pineapple, grapes
& fruit salad between $1.50 and $2.
Take
your own snack to the parks - cookies, nuts, candy, etc.
You
can save money by not attending character meals, which tend to cost
more than ordinary meals. Characters can be
found throughout the parks. Alternatively, try the
ice cream social, or Wonderland tea party
for the kids only. If a character meal is essential, do lunch instead
of dinner.
If you
go to a character breakfast, make priority seating for the latest time
available. Have a small snack when you get up, then you won't need any
lunch if you fill up on the breakfast
Go for
an all-you-can-eat or buffet restaurant if you want a sit-down meal,
they work out much better value than a-la-carte dining .
When buying soft drinks, ask
for them without ice, you'll get more drink in the cup and drinks are
served chilled anyway.
Buy a large soft drink &
ask for extra empty cups, you can then split the drink between a few
people.
If you ask, they will give
you a cup of ice for free, use this to put your bottled water in for
a nice refreshing drink.
Thirsty whilst at Epcot? Pop
into Ice Station Cool for free drinks samples.
If you
want to experience a particular restaurant (e.g. Sci-Fi Dine-In), just
go for dessert and a drink.
Check
if the restaurant at which you're eating offers discounts for Annual
Pass holders, or American Express card holders.
Save
money at offsite restaurants with the Entertainment
Book.
Go back to your hotel food
court or snack bar for lunch and/or dinner, it may work out cheaper
than eating at the parks. Plus you can use your refillable mug if you
have one.
Save money on dining by collecting
online reward points.
Do you have any money-saving tips to add?
Email me.
