Some of it is just a natural function of your increased activity. My all time record for steps in a day is 30k at Disneyland. The rest is genius marketing on Disney's part. I swear, they pipe delicious smells into the park so you are craving things you could normally pass up. And Disney knows they have a captive audience in your children too.
And you'll pay a premium to satisfy those cravings and some how they almost always end up being extra tasty and leave you craving more. It's almost ridiculous. OK, not almost. You might even find yourself saying, "$4.25 for a churro? That's a bargain!" Yes, you can get a bigger churro at Costco for $1. But I promise you the one at Disneyland just tastes better. (Of course, it's been six months since I've been to Disneyland it's entirely possible those churros are $4.50 now.)
And then you should probably have a well-balanced meal at some point too. You'll pay a premium for that as well. So how do you save money, you ask? Here's just a few ideas that are more geared toward Disneyland but could apply at Walt Disney World too:
Bring food with you: Yes, you do have to pass through at security check point to get into the park. But they are NOT searching for food. You can absolutely bring food into the parks with you. The only restrictions are glass bottles. We generally stock up on snack foods like the pouches of Nabisco cookies or cans of Pringles when they are on sale for $1, plus granola bars and fruit snacks and other things that are prepackaged and easy to carry. Just some snacks to take the edge off when you are craving something sweet or salty. You could even bring your own lunch. Coolers larger than ones that would hold a six pack are not allowed in the park but according to the Disneyland website:
Guest can store coolers up to 18" wide x 25" high x 37" deep in rentable large lockers located outside the Disneyland Park Main Entrance. Lockers are not refrigerated and availability is limited.Eat before you go to the Park: There are still a few hotels in the area that offer continental breakfast if that is your thing. My personal opinion is they are not really worth it. I am an impulse eater and can't pass up a doughnut or danish if they are in front of me, even if they are stale. But I am perfectly satisfied by a bowl of cereal. So we have started avoiding hotels with the breakfast and bringing our own cereal, milk, and fruit. If you want a hot breakfast, there are several restaurants on Harbor across from the park that offer breakfast including a McDonalds and a Panera. I promise you'll pay significantly less for an Egg McMuffin at Mickey D's than you will having breakfast with Mickey and Friends.
Eat one big meal a day: This worked better when our kids were small but it still sort of works now. In general, we eat breakfast at the hotel and then a heavy snack around midday, a big meal around 3 or 4 p.m. and then another evening snack. If we are going to a character breakfast, then we'll do it late in the morning and grab a corn dog or something smallish in the early evening. This is much more affordable than eating three sit down meals in the park.
Leave the park to eat: This definitely works better at Disneyland than Disney World. One evening when we were at the park with my extended family, my kids were off riding Radiator Springs Racers with my cousin while I sat and ate dinner with my brother's family. When my kids got off the ride, they told me they did not want to eat what was offered at that restaurant but wanted a hamburger. We were pretty much done for the day so I took them to McDonalds instead. They were happy and I saved some money. Besides the McDonalds and Panera, there is a Mimi's, Tony Romas, IHOP, Pizza Press, Denny's and a non-chain buffet place (that I've never heard anything good about) just steps from the transportation plaza. If you have a car, there are even more options down the road. All will save you money over eating at he park. Also, most of the restaurants in Downtown Disney have a counter service option with decent prices. And at Earl of Sandwich, also at Downtown Disney, nothing on the menu is over $7 and the food is good.
Check the menus before you go: several websites offer full menus of all eating establishments in the park including prices. Touring Plans, Disboards, and All Ears are good places to start. You can then review the menus before you even go so 1) you can pick the restaurants with food you and your family will actually like and 2) you can set a budget for the trip. I have a confession to make. We have never, ever eaten at The Blue Bayou or Carthay Circle, the two most iconic restaurants at Disneyland Resort Want to know why? Every time I look at the menus, I see nothing on them that really appeals to me and I know nothing would appeal to my kids either. Are we missing out on an amazing dining experience? Probably, but we have decided it isn't worth it.
Prioritize: Yep, there is that word again. It's OK to splurge on a big meal once or twice on your trip or even once a day if you have the budget. Especially if you've been frugal the rest of the time. If your children are young, take them to a character meal. If they are a little older, try the Fantasmic or World of Color dining package. Yes they are spendy, but you are on vacation and you deserve a splurge once in a while, again, if it's within your budget.
Free Ice Water: When you consider it probably costs Disney about $.25 for that large soda for which it charges you nearly $4, maybe you can skip it. However, a cup of ice water is absolutely free. In fact, we've given up on packing water bottles around and have started to ask for cups of ice water at various snack establishments around the park instead.
Think outside the box: Have I mentioned how much I love churros? But for not much more tan a single churro that you won't want to share, you can get an entire loaf of Boudin sour dough bread at the Pacific Wharf Cafe big enough for your entire group. My family loves to tear off hunks and eat it for a snack.
Gift Cards: Don't forget the discounted gift card trick. You can use Disney Gift Cards to pay for nearly everything at Disneyland, even food carts as long as they accept credit cards. Then you can feel a little better about paying over $4 for a churro.
Walt Disney World Dining Plans: The conventional wisdom on Disney Dining plans has changed over the years. When Disney first introduced these prepaid dining options at Walt Disney World, they were considered a great deal. However, while there are still a few die-hard fans, most will admit they might not be the best value now unless you are getting them either free or discounted during a promotion. And even then, not always. Why? Because sometimes the room only discount will save you more money. I would suggest running the numbers for yourself and figuring out if it really is the best deal for you. When we went in January 2015, we took advantage of the Stay, Play and Dine package that included a regular dining plan consisting of one table service, one counter service and one snack credit for each of us over the five nights we stayed onsite. I created a spread sheet before we booked to see how much money would spend on food if we weren't on the dining plan, guessing where we would eat and what we would order each day. It came to about $600 which was approximately the difference between the Stay, Play and Dine package and the room only discount. So for us it was worth adding the dining plan. When I got home, I ran all the numbers and discovered we ate about $1000 worth of food that was covered by the dining plan. Now we ate much differently on the dining plan than we would have without it: more table service meals, more soft drinks, and no meal sharing or taking into consideration the cost of a menu item before we ordered it.
So what should you eat when you go to a Disney park? I don't want to go into that today or this post will be WAY too long. Of course I have my own opinions, but I would love to hear yours as well. Post them in the comments below and I'll include them in my future post about Disney Park Food.
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