Smart Strategies for Disney Dining on a Budget

Would you believe that you can eat three meals at Disney for under $25? Today we are looking at Disney dining on a budget!

For many people like myself, dining at Disney is part of the fun, but it can get very expensive, very quickly. I love trying new restaurants and rarely stick to a food budget. However. for one day, I decided to eat frugally to show just how affordable Disney dining can be.

I found that for me, the key was mobile ordering kids’ meals. Yes, they are for ages nine and under, but when mobile ordering, I’ve never been asked to show proof of a guest under that age to pick up my meal. The meals are also smaller but sometimes, when at Disney, that can be a blessing in disguise.

Here's what my day looked like.

Breakfast

I’m not a big breakfast eater but coffee is a must to get my morning off to a good start. I started my day with two cups of Joffrey’s coffee in my resort room. The cost for that was nothing, if you do not count that it has already been included in the room rate, so I was off to a good start.

I did consider grabbing a kids’ meal, a donut, or a muffin at the resort’s quick serve, but I decided to hold off on food until I arrived at Epcot. I headed straight to Soarin’ for my first ride, then visited The Land Cart, located on the right, between The Land and Journey into Imagination.

A Refreshing Tropical Smoothie

There, I had a Tropical Smoothie. This drink is beautiful to look at and tastes SO good. It’s a blended drink made with DOLE Whip®, Pineapple, banana, and mango ($6.66 with tax at time of writing).

Lunch

By lunchtime I was in the World Showcase and chose Regal Eagle Smokehouse as my lunch destination. I’d never tried a kids’ meal there so this was a gamble. My options were stereotypical: cheeseburger, chicken strips, macaroni & cheese.

Regal Eagle Chicken Salad with Macaroni Cheese & Watermelon Sides

Fortunately, they also had a salad with chicken option. I chose that and was so glad I did. I got a nice salad of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, and cucumber topped with grilled chicken. Two sides came with it, so I chose a small mac & cheese and watermelon slices. My beverage choice was either low-fat milk, water, or a small fountain drink. I took the fountain drink and decided on water there vs. soda. The total with tax was $8.30.

Arugula-Farro Salad

Dinner

After a full day at Epcot, I took the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios for a couple of rides. When dinnertime rolled around, I knew exactly where I was eating. ABC Commissary has an AMAZING arugula-farro side salad.

You will find this on the kids’ menu, it’s offered as an entrée, topped with a generous portion of grilled chicken. The salad itself contains arugula and farro, with Granny Smith apples, dried cranberries, plant-based parmesan, and pecans tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette.

A drink and two sides are also included. My selections were bottled water, chips and a cookie but fruit was also an option. The price was the same as my lunch: $8.30 with tax. Because I ate late and the meal was filling, I decided to save the chips and cookie for the next day.

Summary

On reflection, I would not choose to eat like this every day, but I considered the experiment a great success. I left the parks feeling very satisfied, and with the added bonus of a cookie and some chips in my bag.

More importantly, my purse was only lighter by $23.26. Even if I’d added a drink at Epcot, or a glass of wine with my dinner, that still would be a very affordable, and calorically responsible, day.

Are you going to try a budget-friendly day of eating at Walt Disney World?

Have you got a favourite affordable Disney meal?

What would be your top tips for saving money on food and drink at the parks?

Join the conversation and let us know in the comments below.