The #1 Complaint We See About Disney World Restaurants (and How to Deal With It)

One of the best parts of Disney World is eating all the great food.

Disney World has some of our favorite restaurants in the world, not to mention restaurants owned by celebrity chefs, award-winning restaurants, and more. But as good as the food generally is, there is one huge complaint we always see about Disney World restaurants: how much they cost. But don’t fret — we have some tips to help make those meals cost less.

Yes, dining at Disney World can be very expensive, especially if you want to include table service restaurants during your trip. But there are a few ways to save some money on food.

Order Kid’s Meals

You can save quite a bit of money in Disney World by ordering kid’s meals. You will get smaller portion sizes, but it’s generally enough food to offer a satisfying meal. Plus if you get peckish later, you’ll have saved enough money to splurge on some snacks.

Believe it or not, adults can order kid’s meals in Disney World quick-serve restaurants — it’s really not a problem at all.

Discount

Did you know you could score discounts on food in Disney World? Some restaurants are owned by third parties who have rewards programs that can offer discounts. For example, members of Landry’s Select Club can save on restaurants like Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex, and Yak & Yeti. Likewise, members of the Levy Preferred Loyalty Card can save at Paddlefish or Terralina Crafted Italian. Members of Sprinkles Perks can get a free cupcake during the month of their birthday.

Other memberships can get you discounts at select Disney World restaurants, too: AAA, AARP, Disney Visa, D23 Gold, Annual Pasholder, and Disney Vacation Club.

Sharing

Many restaurants serve pretty large portion sizes and it’s often enough to feed several people. So instead of everyone ordering their own entree, just get one entree and split it between two people. This will cut your meal cost in half.

This isn’t always something you can do, though: Restaurants with pre-fixe menus or family style dining will probably not allow that kind of sharing.

Cheaper alternatives to popular restaurants

If you have your heart set on dining at a specific restaurant, you might want to know that there are cheaper, similar alternatives. For example, you’ll pay less to dine at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall than Cinderella’s Royal Table, although both have the same kind of theme and princesses you can meet throughout your meal.

This is true with all character dining, though. You can have a cheaper character breakfast at a place like Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort than at Chef Mickey’s.

Getting the same food for less

One thing we’ve noticed is that at certain locations, you can actually pay LESS for a food item than you would pay for it elsewhere. If you want to try Tonga Toast (and trust us, you do), you can get it cheaper at Capt. Cook’s than at Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

If you want Fish and Chips, skip sitting down at the Rose and Crown Dining Room at EPCOT‘s U.K. Pavilion and get those Fish and Chips at the Rose and Crown Pub instead: you’ll save a considerable amount of money. You’ll also pay less for Honey Chicken (a fan favorite) at Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes than you would pay at the Yak & Yeti Restaurant. The same goes for egg rolls and chicken fried rice.

Free water

You don’t have to pay for water in Disney World, and that’s good because bottled water is pricey. You can ask for a cup of free water at most counter service locations plus you can order a glass of water in any table service restaurant.

Bring a water bottle and you can fill it up at a variety of water bottle refill stations throughout Disney World.

Grocery delivery

You can also choose to have groceries delivered to your hotel room at Disney World. And before you ask, yes, you can take food and drinks into the park with you. Grab some items that won’t spoil easily in the Florida heat and humidity, pack them in your day bag, and go.

Our reporters often live off of things like packaged snacks and Uncrustables, and you can, too (especially if you’ve got kids).

So there is a way to save money on dining in Disney World, if you know a few tips and tricks. Of course, if you want to save up for a splurge dining experience, these tips are a good way to do that, too.

Check back with AllEars again for more.