Don't finish those meals by yourself. And don't let them go to waste, either. Split your meals, and you'll not only save money on the per-person cost of eating out, you'll avoid the urge to overeat all that extra food on your plate.
Splitting meals not only saves you money inside a theme park, it can be a great way to cut expenses to help you save money for your next vacation, too. Share when you eat out in your hometown to start cutting your spending, so you'll have money left at the end of the month to put in your vacation fund. (Remember, the best way to save money on a vacation is to pay for it up front - so you can avoid big interest charges while paying your credit card bills for months after you come home.)
Be careful when pricing vacations that include dining, such as the Disney Dining Plan. If you're considering one of the Walt Disney World vacation packages that include "free" dining, consider how much it would cost to split meals on that same vacation, if you stayed in a comparable, but less expensive, hotel. Would that be the better deal?
If you decide to go with a Disney Dining option, switch your thinking from "find the place that serves the most food for the lowest cost" to "find the place that serves the best food, in reasonable portions, for the most money." Remember, you're spending credits, not cash. And sharing meals won't help you get value, so go for the best quality food you can find to get your money's worth. One of the ironies of modern food service is that the better quality restaurants tend to serve the more reasonable portion sizes. Take advantage of that.
What are some of your favorite tips for getting the most value from dining out?
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I will also say that the 2 credit meal plan places are usually the best and worth it.
As for eating less, you are on vacation! I will admit that I try to get the best food for my money.
My family has a rule: no burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, or pizza at Disney World (except Via Napoli)
You forget a simple way of saving money. Bring the packable sandwiches, chips, snacks, and soda. I will bring pre-popped popcorn in a baggie. I done this at theater shows.
Remember why you go to a certain park. At Disneyland, I think of Churros. At DCA, I think of corn dogs. You can bring them to the park. Pull them out when you have a craving.
We eat before arriving to the park, & usually on do 1 main meal at the park (cause we will eat after leaving the park as well)
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At DLR, I also use my pass to get a discount & always get water instead of other beverages.