How much spending money to budget?

[mymickey]

We will be traveling to WDW June and I was wondering how much money to bring. Myself, my husband, and my 11 yr old DS will be there for 7 days and 6 nights. We will be eating breakfast in our room, but lunch and dinner in the parks or at the resort (all star music). We are not getting reservations for dining, and will be mostly eating counter service meals. I'm not concerned about money for souvenirs, but how much to bring for our eats, etc. Any advice or comments are greatly appreciated!!!

[Strmchsr]

Have you looked into the counter service dining plan? That might be cheaper for you.

In general, I plan on 1 snack per day (about $2.50/person) and the meals are $8-10/person at the counter service with $4.99 for the kids. Check the menus in Info Central and you'll be able to judge via the prices how much to bring.

[BigRedDad]

It really depends on what you consider a meal. The QSDP is based off the following model:

2x Snacks @ $4 each
2x CS meals with dessert @ $12 each

If you look at the counter service meals, they have quite a bit of food. My wife and I will share one for the most part. Plus, we do not get the desserts. For us, the QSDP is quickly not worth it unless I find a meal that is $12.

Example @ Cosmic Ray's
Double Cheeseburger: $6.59
Drink: $3.00
Dessert: $3.00

Only if I get the dessert will I be ahead. This holds true for any of the counter service meals. It also assumes my wife and I get separate meals each time.

For budgeting purposes, I would assume $10 per counter service meal. Adjust this accordingly if you drink water or order desserts.

[SBETigg]

It depends on your vacation style. You could get away with as little as $100-$150 a day, but you might want to add to that if you're planning on doing lots of souvenir shopping.

[betteratmk]

Epcot has some great quick service( Sunshine Seasons) They have a few full meals and the dessert is to die for! Contempo Cafe in the Contemporary is very good, check out the cupcakes! With the quick service plan you get 2 quick service meals, 2 snacks and a refillable mug per person! With an 11 year old boy that comes in handy!! Flame Tree in the AK is good as well!

[mymickey]

Thanks for the advise.I do not think the QSDP is for us. My husband and I will be sharing meals for the most part as it will be hot weather and the appetite tends to be less. I really appreciate the pricing examples. That is exactly what I was looking for . Thank you guys!

[Tick-Tock]

Intercot's Info Central section has menus that you can check out to get an idea of the costs of various meals.

[Mousefever]

My husband, 11 year old son, and I just got back from 9 nights/10 days. I'm staring at the total bill right now. $1761.21 That amount includes all meals, snacks, souvenirs, internet access, etc.

I figured out that our food bill was $917.80 out of that amount. We ate at 'Ohana, Le Cellier, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Biergarten, and the Plaza Restaurant. The rest of our meals were counter service. I hope this helps in your planning.

By the way, welcome to Intercot!

Amy

[Tink#64]

There are 4 of us, myself, DH & 2 DS's, 12 & 14 and we've never done any of the dining plans as we aren't big eaters, not at WDW for the food and frequently don't order an entree for each person. WDW portions are very generous and after the first day or two we remember how generous they are & we start order less food so we're not just throwing it (our money!) away! I usually look at the menu's to get an idea of meal costs for the restaurants we're planning & go by those #'s. We always come in under budget on food, but then we end up spending more on souvenears so it all balances out! We too eat breakfast in the room, usually one meal a day comes from the food court at Pop, where of course we don't have to pay for beverage each time because we purchase the refillable mugs! Most days we usually eat one CS meal in the parks, but over the course of the week we usually have 1 or 2 TS's as well. For us typical CS meal is around $40 - 45 and TS closer to $100 on average. But looking at each restaurants menu's can help you more with your budget.

Happy planning!

[EeyoresBestFriend]

We do alot of mid range TS and CS when we are down there.

We are pretty laid back when we travel and don't penny pinch a whole lot(takes the fun out of it for me). I save for quite a while before our trips. I have always based our money on $60-70 US per person per day. I find it usually works out in the wash, one way or another. I have never run out using this method - nor has anyone that I've suggested it too. Actually, I usually come home with extra( for the next trip)

I always look at it that if I have extra ~ I can use it for souvenirs!

[LVT]

May trip 3 adults 9days about $1100, but we did a lot of the nice Table service places.