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| Photo fun at the California Tunnel Tree. |
Earlier this year, my husband and I went to California for a week. It was my first time visiting so I had a lot of places to check off. Our trip started with a day in Los Angeles, a day at Universal Studios Hollywood, two days at Disneyland and our last 3 days was spent visiting a couple National Parks. It was the end of April, meaning there was lots of melting snow creating rivers on the paths. While the parks are certainly less busy this time of year, and not boiling hot, there's more of a chance of certain areas being closed due to road conditions. That was true of many of the areas we would have visited had there been more time to explore.
Now that I've shared my few quick tips for a Disneyland trip, here are all the tasty treats and meals we had on our trip! Since we only had 2 days and 3 nights we had to be very strategic about where we ate. While I would have loved to do 3 sit-down meals a day to try as much food as possible we also wanted to prioritize all the rides that we don't have over in Disney World.
Disneyland Eats
Disneyland Popcorn Carts
Mickey Beignets
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| My Ratatouille Dooney & Bourke bag featuring Remy & Emile was ready for tasty food! |
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| Mint Julep |
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| Battered & Fried Monte Cristo - Sliced Turkey, Ham and Swiss with Seasonal Preserves and choice of Pommes Frites or Petite Salad |
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| Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Citron-Orange Salad and Coq Au Vin Jus |
Ronto Roasters - Galaxy's Edge
Café Daisy - ToonTown
WE had a super quick snack/lunch at Cafe Daisy on day 1 when my friend Caleb joined us. Christian and I shared the Pepperoni Pizza Flop-Over (Pepperoni, Mozzarella, Provolone with Tomato Sauce) and I stole a Daisy's Goody-Goody Donuts (House-made Mini-Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar) from Caleb. (didn't snag a picture because we ate super fast, ha ha.
Downtown Disney Eats
Naples Ristorante e Bar
Disney California Adventure Eats
Jack-Jack Cookie Num Nums - Pixar Pier
One of our favorite eats of the trip was the famous Jack-Jack Cookie Num Num which is a very large chocolate chip cookie served nice and warm. They have these at Disney World as well but we hadn't gotten around to buying one yet. Next trip to Hollywood Studios we'll be grabbing one to see if they're just as good.
Mickey Pretzels
Can't go to Disneyland without getting something Mickey shaped so I needed a Mickey pretzel! Yes, I know I had Mickey beignets too, shh! I got mine at Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. in Pacific Wharf (soon to be San Fransokyo) next to Pixar Pier.
Corn Dog Castle - Paradise Gardens Park
We were told we had to have an Original Corn Dog (dipped in Corn Batter and fried to a golden Brown served with Cuties® Mandarin or Small Bag of Chips) so we grabbed one for breakfast on day 2 of the trip. Meal times don't matter at Disney, ha ha!
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
We're spoiled by EPCOT's food festivals so both of us were a little disappointed in the DCA Food & Wine Festival. I don't like cheese and almost everything on the menus had cheese, so the only thing I got was the Celebration Chocolate Fudge Brownie (Gooey Chocolate Brownie with
Pecans, topped with Chocolate Pecan Glaze and finished with Chocolate
Pearls and Silver Stars.) Christian got the Carbonara-Garlic Mac & Cheese with Nueske’s Peppered Bacon from the Garlic Kissed booth and loved it. Sadly he was disappointed by the Kenny’s Family Cheesecake topped with mixed berry compote from the Berry Patch booth.
Lamplight Lounge - Pixar Pier
I was very excited to eat at Lamplight Lounge but ended up disappointed.The restaurant is full of Pixar memorabilia on the inside and the outside has a beautiful view of Pixar Pier. Unfortunately we got seated at a shared raised rectangular table in the middle of the patio with a view of the people across the table from us. If we had known we would have asked to wait for a single table. The way we were seated, all next to one another, made it impossible to talk while eating, someone was always left out. The service was also pretty slow.
However, Christian and Caleb did enjoy their meals. They got the Kung Pao Bao and Al Pastor Pork Chop, respectively as well as the Donuts, a special cookies & cream version for the Food & Wine Festival. My Roasted Chicken wasn't as satisfactory, especially after the roast chicken I had the previous evening at Cafe Orleans. It lacked flavor even though it looked like it would be loaded with it. I would maybe try eating here again but request a normal table and try the pork.
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| Al Pastor Pork Chop - Marinated Al Pastor Bone-in Pork Chop, Oaxaca Cheese Polenta, Pineapple Relish, Charred Onions, Roasted Red Chili Butter and Green Chili Sauce |
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| Kung Pao-glazed crispy Pork Belly, soft Bao Bun, Red Peppers, toasted Peanuts and Green Onions |
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| Ale and Citrus-brined, Dry-rubbed Half Chicken with Seasoned Couscous, Pickled Red Cabbage and Smoked Almond Romesco |
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| Warm fluffy Donuts with cookies & cream dipping sauce |
Finally getting around to doing some posts on our California trip in April! Let's start with something I've been looking forward to for a long time - Disneyland! While I have been to Disney World many times since my first trip in 2011 I had never been to Disneyland, or California for that matter. The parks may both be Disney but they're so different. Different rules, different rides, different sizes. It's a whole new ballgame. Having said that, it was still fairly easy for us to make the most of our trip, even though we were newbies.
My friend Caleb lives in CA now, so he was able to give us all the locals tips that helped in addition to my own Disney knowledge. (We also got to make use of his Magic Key discount for my souvenir shopping & food, ha ha.) Since we had a large list of to-do's on my first trip to California we only did two days at Disneyland & Disney California Adventure so we had a LOT to pack in to those days.
Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we'll be traveling back to two separate Disney World trips to visit Port Orleans Resort - Riverside and Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter. Since they are sister resorts you can use the amenities at both as long as you're staying at one - aka the pools! It's also easy to walk between the resorts to enjoy different dining options. They are both "Moderate" resorts meaning they are slightly fancier than the cheapest options but still fairly affordable if you are able to use an offer or split the cost with a group (of up to 4 people for normal rooms)
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| Royal Guest Room |
Riverside was actually the first Walt Disney World resort I stayed at! Previously, my friends and I would stay at Universal and Uber over to Disney but for this trip my best friend, sister and I decided to "splurge" on a Royal Guest Room. We paid around $420 each, $1,326 total with Passholder discount, for 5 nights in December 2017. Christian and I stayed at French Quarter for two nights in May 2020 for $630 with Passholder discount.
Continuing on with our Throwback Thursday Disney hotel overviews! Today we've got another Disney Vacation Club stay. For our anniversary we finally stayed at one of my top bucket list hotels - Animal Kingdom Lodge! We rented DVC points and stayed in a Deluxe Studio Villa with a Savanna View at Jambo House (you can also stay at Kidani Village, a DVC section of the resort that's a short walk from the main building.)
Since it's Thursday, I decided to do a throwback to our stay at Disney's Riviera Resort. It is a goal of mine to stay at (almost) all of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels. So far I've stayed at eight of the twenty, not counting Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser or doubles of the same hotel (BoardWalk Inn vs BoardWalk Villas.) There are different levels of resorts - Value, Moderate, Deluxe, Deluxe Villas (DVC) and Campgrounds. My current list, in alphabetical order:
As I mentioned last week, Christian and I spent a weekend in Vermont recently. I'm used to going every Summer on our camping trips so it was a nice change to go in Fall! This wasn't a camping trip but we did sleep in our car at a campsite as purely a money-saving tactic. We were visiting Woodstock, VT (and surrounding areas) and hotels are notoriously expensive up there. We spent $54 on 2 nights at the campsite vs at least $200 a night at a hotel. Sheesh!
If you follow me on Instagram you'll know Christian and I went to Vermont last weekend and one of our activities was taking a baking class at the King Arthur Baking School in Norwich, VT. We signed up for the Pizza Perfected class, a 3 hour session to teach us how to make better pizza! Longtime followers will remember that I've been getting into making pizza from scratch these past few years so I was excited to learn from the professionals - and FINALLY do a hand-stretched pizza (instead of just stretching it in the pan.) The description of the class is:
Continuing on with the Disney trip recaps, let's talk about FOOOOD! One of Christian and my favorite parts of a Disney trip is trying all the new treats and snacks. We had a quicker visit this time and focused mainly on Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants and the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. Outside of that we did have a few snacks at Magic Kingdom, the Grand Floridian and Animal Kingdom.
One of the things I was most excited for on our recent trip to Disney World was FINALLY doing Wild Africa Trek. The moment I learned what it was it has been on my Disney Bucket List. I almost did it for my 30th birthday in 2018 but my friend and I decided to do character meals instead. Christian and I had booked it for our May 2020 trip that got cancelled. When we rescheduled the trip for the May 2022 we decided to skip it that trip and plan a special Disney World vacation for our wedding anniversary. Thus, our Animal Kingdom-centric trip was born!
We decided to do it up big and stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge with a Savannah View room, booked through David's Vacation Club Rentals to utilize Disney Vacation Club points to stay for lower than Disney rack rates. We paid $900 for 3 nights compared to $2381 if booked directly through Disney. We planned our meals just at the hotel and wanted to spend a bulk of our time there. Since we're Annual Passholders (well, were until September 30th) we were able to use our Passhoolder discount on Wild Africa Trek tickets and paid $360.28 vs $423.88.
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| This sign look familiar? See photos of our shirts below if not ;) |
I'll do my best to walk you through what happens during this amazing three hour tour. If you don't want details so you can be pleasantly surprised on your own Trek feel free to just look at the images. The short description of the tour from Disney is "Encounter exotic wildlife on a guided expedition with African-inspired snacks and photo keepsakes."
Earlier this month we went our our annual camping trip that I've been going on since I was about 7. There were a bunch of years during High School that I didn't go and during College but after that I went with my friends a few years and then Christian and I started going together with my Aunt & Uncle. The past couple years my parents and siblings joined back in too. So it's nice to keep the tradition going!
I shared some of these outfits on Instagram yesterday as part of a partnership with Aetrex, but figured I should share all the outfits photos I have. Camping is obviously not a fashionable vacation so these are super comfortable casual looks.
Also turning this into a mini travel guide of sorts since I'll chat about the activities we took part in on our long weekend.
P.S. Use code MEGAN20 at Aetrex for 20% off a full price pair of shoes through 7/23!
Shopping Outfit: Wore this for our morning trek over to The Vermont Country Store in Weston, VT. A must-do on every trip. We arrived and had lunch at Mildred's Grill, shopped at the Vermont Country Store and then walked across the street to browse the Weston Village Christmas Shop and Weston Village Country Store. Then it was back to the campground!
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| Romper: Greylin 'Osten' Romper (Gilt), Bag: Etienne Aigner (thrifted), Sandals: Aetrex 'Janey Sport Slide' (gifted) |
An Evening Walk: One evening we took a little stroll outside the campground to Jamaica Village and did a quick walk around the block. We didn't want to get bit up by mosquitos so we changed to jeans, ha ha. The village has a small grocery store, yoga studio and a couple galleries.
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| Tee: A New Day (Target), Jeans: Michael by Michael Kors, Sneakers: Ryka "Belong" Walking Shoe in Plum Red/Burgundy (DSW) |
Swimming at Salmon Hole: The swimming at West River was a little crowded the weekend we went, it was the 4th of July, so we didn't actually do any swimming but I did take a morning walk along the river and stuck my toes in. Can't go camping here without at least touching the water! Back in the day there used to be a spot a little up river where the rocks were placed in such a way that if you sat in the right spot you'd have little waterfalls giving you a nice back massage.
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| Bathing Suit: All in Motion Zip-Front Racerback Laser Cut Back One-Piece in Black Floral (Target), Jean Shorts: Madewell, Sandals: Aetrex 'Janey Sport Slide' (gifted), Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop |
Hiking up to The Overlook: No trip is complete without a hike on the Overlook Trail. There are two ways to get up here, we usually take the shorter route that has a bit more rock climbing involved and usually takes a half hour. There is a longer trail that has a more gradual uphill walk as well. The campground has other trails but I'm usually too lazy to do the longer ones these days. My new sneakers were very comfy and perfect for the hike.
Fun Fact: This is where Christian proposed to me in 2018, after I was attacked by mosquitos the whole way up, ha ha.
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| Tank: American Eagle, Leggings: Fabletics (old), Sports Bra: Fabletics (old), Sneakers: Ryka "Belong" Walking Shoe in Plum Red/Burgundy (DSW) |
Hanging at the Campsite: Our main activity over the weekend was just hanging out at our campsites, chatting, enjoying a fire and eating too much food. I hate getting bug bites on my feet so I sport the super fashionable "socks with sandals" that I would be embarrassed to be seen in outside of camping, ha ha. I also wore this to the Newfane Flea Market where Christian and I splurged on some delicious sausages from A Crooked Barn Charcuterie. Going to have to buy more next time we're in VT, unless the owner adds online shopping before then!
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| Top: Fabletics 'Savannah Top' (old) Shorts: Old Navy 'High-Waisted Textured Twill Shorts' in Copper Moon, Sandals: Aetrex 'Janey Sport Slide' (gifted), Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop, Socks: Target |
Drive Home & Stop at Retreat Farm: On our drive home we decided to finally stop at Retreat Farm after saying "we should stop here" every other year. Christian bought a bunch of cheese at Grafton Village Cheese before we walked the grounds of the farm and said "hi!" to various animals including a HUGE bull named Carlos. We were there on the Fourth of July so it was not crowded at all, just how I like my activities! Before leaving we grabbed some strawberry and lemon gelato made with local ingredients.
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| Tank: American Eagle, Shorts: Old Navy 'High-Waisted Textured Twill Shorts' in Copper Moon, Sandals: Aetrex 'Janey Sport Slide' (gifted), Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop |
EDIT: Much of this has changed since the pandemic, make sure to check and see if all of these still apply when you're booking your trip. Some experiences/discounts are not available at the moment.
People are constantly amazed/shocked by how often I go down to Disney World. Starting in 2014 I went around three times a year (mixed with Universal Orlando Resort.) The past couple years I've just been visiting Disney since we focused more on Universal on previous trips.
I think it's time for me to share how I plan and save for these trips as well as how I save a bit of cash along the way because, as we all know, Disney is expensive!
In the future I won't be going nearly as often because of adult responsibilities like mortgage payments and saving for new (but still used) cars. It was also cheaper for me in the past because I split hotel bills with friends. So that's my first tip - share hotels with friends and make it a friend's getaway! I'm determined to still get down to Florida on occasion to check out the new rides/lands/etc. (I'm looking at you, Ratatouille ride opening this Summer!)
This guide will not go into the Disney Dining Plan or buying hotel packages with tickets because that's not how I plan my trips. But definitely google if you want to learn more about DDP!
My Disney Travel Trick to Saving Money!
Here's my Disney travel secret - I save money by buying Disney Gift Cards! How does buying gift cards save money, you ask?
If you are a member of BJs, Costco or Sam's Club you can buy discounted Disney gift cards. At BJs you can get a $500 card for $479.99. That's an extra $20 you can use for food or souvenirs. You don't save as much on the $25 or $50 cards (the $100 is comparable to the $500.)
Don't worry if you aren't a member of a cost club - many send out free trials that you can take advantage of. For example, BJs often offers 3 free months. Pay attention to any coupon books you get in the mail! My mom and I share a membership that we paid $25 for with a deal. You can also use a Target Red card to get 5% off the purchase of any gift card.
Once you have all your gift cards, head over to DisneyGiftCard.com and combine them! You can have up to $1000 per card so you may have a few fully loaded ones. Then use these to buy your tickets, pay for your hotel and on your trip for food and souvenirs!
Slowly buy these throughout the year or do what I do - save per month in a Capital One 360 Savings Account (this link should give you an extra $25!) Before my trip I make a spreadsheet of the costs I know and estimate for food, souvenirs, etc. so I know how much to save. For this particular trip I saved almost $100 on Christian's park ticket and our hotel by purchasing gift cards.
When it's time to get your park tickets - buy that amount of gift cards and continue to save in your account. Buy the rest of your gift cards as you get closer to the trip so the money you saved gains interest instead of sitting in a gift card gathering dust. Take note of purchase limits, some stores only allow you to buy a certain number of gift cards.
And now on to the rest of the planning process!
Where to Stay
Disney World Hotels
I prefer to stay on-site at Disney World hotels even though they are usually more expensive than other options. For me, the benefits of staying on property outweigh the slightly higher cost.By staying at a Disney owned hotel you don't have to worry about transportation. Disney provides a free shuttle service - Disney's Magical Express from Orlando airport. It can also take care of your checked baggage so you don't have to waste time waiting.
Disney World also offers a few forms of transportation to and from the parks. You can take buses, boats, the monorail and even the brand new Skyliner. If you want a more private form of transportation you can still pay for an Uber or a Lyft Minnie Van.
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| Disney World Skyliner transportation |
Hotel guests can also take advantage of early Fast Pass booking for popular rides. Instead of the usual 30 days regular ticket holders get, you can book your Fast Passes 60 days ahead of your check in date! This comes in super handy when trying to experience popular rides like Smugglers Run, Flight of Passage, Slinky Dog Dash or Seven Dwarves Mine Train.
Another great perk of staying at a Disney hotel is Extra Magic Hours. On certain mornings and evenings hotel guests are able to go to the park before any other guests or stay past traditional park closing time. This is a great way to have less wait time for rides and enjoy a slightly less crowded park. Once EMH begins you have to scan your magic band before getting in ride lines to prove you have a hotel reservation.
When to book?
A lot of people don't realize this, but you are able to cancel Disney hotel reservations up to 5 days before your check-in date. You can also update your reservation if a deal is released.NOTE: I'm not sure if this applies if you buy your park tickets and hotel as a package.
I like to book the cheapest on-site hotel (except All Star Movies/Music - not a fan) for the dates I want as soon as I decide when I want to go. Then I keep checking for Disney to release their seasonal deals or Annual Passholder deals and update my reservation. Usually it's the same hotel but sometimes I change if another is cheaper or if a hotel I really want to stay at has a good deal.
Sometimes I book trips for two separate date windows if I haven't decided on flights yet. You have to put down a one night deposit upon booking, but when you cancel that is returned to you. I find this helpful in planning trips with multiple friends until we can fully nail down dates.
My past few trips I stayed at Pop Century Resort but I've also stayed at Art of Animation and Port Orleans Riverside (both are usually too expensive.) In the future I plan to splurge on a couple nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge and spend the rest of that same trip at a cheaper hotel.
Staying Off-Site
If staying on property isn't possible for you, there are other options. You could stay at a Disney affiliated hotel, another local hotel or even an airbnb. I am not the best person to ask for this type of advice as I have only ever stayed on property at Universal or Disney. (I've also stayed with friends a couple of times)If you don't stay on site keep in mind the other costs involved. How will you get to and from the parks? Will you rent a car or Uber everywhere? Same with getting to your hotel from the airport.
By staying off-site you also lose out on other benefits of staying at a Disney hotel - Extra Magic Hours and early Fast Pass access mentioned above (Disney partner hotels do offer 60 day Fast Passes.) You also won't get a complimentary (or discounted) Magic Band.
Flights/Driving
I won't go too detailed into traveling to Disney because everyone has their favorite airline or way to travel. I will say I haven't paid for a flight to Disney - and most of my US-based trips - since January 2014. I signed up for a Southwest credit card when they had a 50,000 point sign up bonus and have used points to pay for my flights ever since! It is my main credit card so all my purchases gain me points for flights. I even used my points for Christian's flights this year.Southwest currently has a 40,000 point bonus if you spend $1000 in your first 3 months - some cards are higher than 40K. I also have their business card since I'm a freelancer so I got another 50,000 points with that.
Park Tickets
Regular Tickets
You can buy your park tickets as part of your hotel reservation or purchase them separately. Since I'm an annual passholder, I book separately for everyone else in my party. The more days you buy, the cheaper the daily price becomes.For my upcoming trip I bought Christian a 6 day pass even though we were originally going to get a 5 day pass because it was only $13 more. Now we can go to the parks the day we arrive instead of just going to Disney Springs or checking out other hotels. We may only use it to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks, but it's better to have the option than regret not having the extra day.
Disney also offers ticket deals from time to time. Right now they are offering a 4-Park Magic Ticket for $338.77 that let's you enjoy one admission to each of the 4 parks (one per day.) Sometimes they offer Mid-Day magic tickets where you can enter the park after 12pm for a cheaper price. Florida Residents also get great deals more often. Keep an eye out!
To hop or not?
I usually buy park hopper tickets because I like being able to visit more than 1 park in a day. But if you know you will only be heading to 1 park each day there's no need to spend extra for a hopper ticket. You can always upgrade it at a ticket window if you change your mind!Annual Pass
If you are planning on going to Disney more than twice in a 12 month period, an Annual Pass will most likely be cost effective for you. Basically, if you plan on going to the park more than 10 days in a year you will save on normal ticket prices. It's not an exact science because ticket prices vary based on how many days you buy at once and what time of year it is, but generally 10 days will make it worth your while.Not everyone in your travel group needs to have one either. So if you know you'll be going multiple times in a year go ahead and "splurge" on the annual pass. It will save you money in the long run.
Unfortunately, Disney likes to raise the prices on APs frequently, as of writing this post they've just updated the cost of a Platinum pass (cheapest non-Floridian's can buy) to $1,272.68 with tax. When I first bought mine it was $829 and my second pass was $952. BUT as long as you go a certain number of days you can make it worth it.
With the current prices you would have to go on 2 trips for 4 days each to make up for the price of the annual pass. Easy peasy!
Discounts
You'll be able to let your friends share in some of your perks - like dining (10% at select restaurants) and merchandise discounts (20% at most stores - but you will have to make the purchase) Some tours have Annual Passholder discounts as well. You can also get up to 3 extra discounted tickets for special parties (holiday or after hours events.)
Photopass
Annual passes also come with access to all your photopass photos. This means you can take as many pictures as you want with Disney photographers and download them for free! Plus any rides that take a photo of you will also be included. If you want this ability without an annual pass you pay $169 for 30 days of Memory Maker or pay for each photo you download. |
| A fun photopass spot (it also comes with a zoom out video) |
Example
Prices have since gone up but, in 2017, I paid $829 for my annual pass (technically $817 because I used my gift card trick above!) I went to the park 18 days bringing my cost per day down to $46. I also used my discount on merchandise, hotel stays and food.Over the course of the year I saved $1158 vs normal ticket prices, accommodations, merchandise and food. Calculating only what I spent on food, extras and merchandise I saved $244. This is not counting what I saved by having access to Memory Maker each trip (that would bring it up to $1834.)
This trip I'm using it to save 15% on the Wild Africa Trek at Animal Kingdom, a safari tour I've wanted to do for YEARS! (still saving up for a real safari but that's a pipe dream if I'm being honest with myself, especially since I'm married and we would need to save for 2 people now)
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| Savings on 1 visit to Disney World with Annual Pass |
Fast Passes
Fast Passes are they key to not wasting time waiting in lines. The gist is - you get to pre-book 3 fast passes per day at one park. After you use those 3 you can book 1 at a time for the rest of the day. You can only book your first 3 at one park but after that you can switch.
If you are staying at a Disney hotel you can do this 60 days before your trip. If not, be ready to book 30 days before your tickets are active. You can also book them the day you visit the park but the options will be pretty limited by that point, still worth using them though so don't miss out! Fast Pass availability opens up at 7am at your designated day.
Depending on which park you are at there are different "tiers" of Fast Passes. You can only book one Tier 1 fast pass in your block of 3. As an example, if you get a Slinky Dog Dash fast pass at Hollywood Studios you cannot book a fast pass for Smuggler's Run or the new Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (opening March 4th) until after you use your first 3 fast passes. You can find a list of current tiers and available fast passes here.
UPDATE: Fast Passes have been replaced by Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes
Advance Disney Dining Reservations / Disney Dining
There are 2 different types of restaurants at Disney - Quick Service and Table Service. Quick Service restaurants are great for fast bites and do not take reservations. Some will let you order your food through the Disney app so you don't have to wait in line to order. One of my favorite QS restaurants is Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe, I love their condiment bar (I always grab a huge pile of pickles and fried onion sticks and get made fun of by my friends)
If you want to eat at some of the more popular Table Service restaurants within Disney World like Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table you will most definitely need an advanced dining reservation. They open up 180 days in advance and are available whether you are staying at a Disney hotel or not. Some restaurants, like Cinderella's Royal Table, require payment upon booking, but most you will pay at the restaurant.
If you know you want to eat at a popular restaurant be ready to book 180 days in advance. If you are unable to score a reservation keep checking in the weeks and days before your trip. I've gotten random reservations up to a day before my visit. You can also set up alerts on MouseDining to be notified if a reservation for your party size and date becomes available.
You can also use this handy Disney Dining Calculator to find what it may cost your family for your trip! It let's you plug in specific restaurants or choose the average cost per meal type!
Other Ways to Save
Spoiler Alert: Most of these are going to involve food
Opt out of Housekeeping (suspended since Covid)
If you're staying at a Value or Moderate resort at Disney World you can save a bit of money by opting out of Housekeeping. In doing this you will receive a gift card, the amount will depend on the length of your stay. To figure out how much your gift card will be, multiply the number of nights you are staying times $10 and then subtract $10 from that total. We are staying 7 nights on our next trip so we will get a $60 gift card. Hello, free dinner!What this means is your room won't be cleaned through the duration of your stay. Your sheets and towels will not be changed, your trash won't be emptied and your bed will not be made (unless you make it!) You will be able to call down to the front desk for anything you need (like new towels or sheets) but a member of the housekeeping staff will not make the bed for you.
If you check-in on your phone you can select the "Service Your Way Program" option and if you check in at the hotel your cast member will most likely ask if you would like to opt out of housekeeping. If not, ask to sign up for the Service Your Way Program.
Bring Your Own Snacks/Food
One of my friends likes to bring her own snacks that she can eat for breakfast or between meals at the parks. Some people also like to go grocery shopping when they get to Disney so they can bring things like sandwiches for lunch and not spend a fortune eating out at every meal. Amazon grocery delivery could also be an option.Eat Off the Kid's Menu
This is my personal favorite way to save a few extra dollars. I order off the kid's menu when possible. It's still a good amount of food, especially if you want snacks like pretzels and ice cream during the day. Most quick service restaurants will let you do this, but if you dine at a restaurant with a buffet or Prix Fixe you will have to pay the adult price. I frequently order off the kid's menu at Be Our Guest (Lumiere's Delight for lunch or French Toast at breakfast for the win!) |
| Kid's french toast with the pastry plate they include with all breakfasts (and The Master's Cupcake) |
Share Food/Snack at the EPCOT Festivals
Sharing meals with friends at quick service spots can also help to save some cash and leave room for lots of desserts and snacking. We all need a couple Mickey ice cream bars and some popcorn, right?EPCOT often has festivals going on where you can try sample sized foods from outdoor kitchens throughout World Showcase. Whenever my friends and I go during a festival we don't plan on eating at restaurants. Instead, we visit all the kitchens and snack on the offerings. We'll often share things that we all want to try. It makes for a cheap-ish day and instead of having 2 big meals you can just snack throughout the day.
