Daughter's Sr. Trip

[irmanator]

My daughter is going to Disneyland (world, idk the one in Fla) She earned the trip herself. I want to know how much would be reasonable to send with her for 3 days worth of lunch and dinner. I have no clue what things cost down there. Thanks a bunch.

[bjl584]

That would be Disney World. And, DisneySteve would be the man that you want to ask on this one.

[Coronet]

For her school trip did they buy package deals that come with food? When I went for a week with my boyfriend last year they did a bundle package that included meals, hotel, and all the tickets to the parks. If it's not included then food is quite expensive down there!

[disneysteve]

Here I am. Yes, Walt Disney World is in Florida. Disneyland is in California. Now that we've got that straight, on to the question.

As a high school group, I suspect they will be doing all counter-service dining, not table-service. Unless she is an exceptionally big eater, about $10/meal should be sufficient and add in a few bucks for a snack here or there. I mean you can't go to Disney World without having a Dole Whip, a churro or a Mickey ice cream bar and those are $3-4 each. So $25/day would be reasonable.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Coronet

food is quite expensive down there!

Not really. Plus, the quality of the food is far superior to what you'll find in virtually every other amusement park. You aren't limited to hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken nuggets. You can get a nice vegetable stir fry, grilled salmon, wood-fired oven pizza, etc. all at counter service locations and pretty moderate prices. I'll take Disney dining over Six Flags crap any day.

[khosta]

I LOVE Disney World! i went there for my Senior trip when I was in High School too! I also went there for my 25th bday and ate in Cinderalla's Castles!!! Corny, I know but I'm a sucker for Disney!!! Disney Steve is right - $25-$30 should be perfect per day for your daughter to eat! Tell her to have fun and take lots of pics!!!

[irmanator]

Thanks, because they didn't have many kids signing up, I guess they didnt get the bulk/group discount. So no meal passes. They are allowed to bring snacks with them so I got her some Granola bars etc.

Thats not so bad. People at work were trying to tell me I should send her w. $500 :-0 I was gonna send her with some money and have her call me to deposit more in her back acct so she could use the card if she needed to.

[DebbieL]

I agree with the others. $25-$30 per day should be fine (unless they're planning to visit some pricier restaurants). I always have at least one pricy meal on my Disneyland (California) trips. The rest of the time, $25-$30 is enough. The one thing I need a lot of when there is water. The water is EXPENSIVE, so if she drinks water it's best to bring a litre bottle in with her each day, then maybe she'll only have to buy one (or can be really cheap and refill it - although I hate tap water so I don't).

[cschin4]

$24/day? Really? I would probably send my kid with at least $100/day.

[Like2Plan]

Here is a link to official Disney World site for restaurants (unfortunately they don't give you much pricing info) Disney World Restuarants

Here is a link to the Dis Board which lists restaurants and you can also click on the menu which will have pricing information:

The Dis Board Disney World Restuarants

It is a shame you couldn't get the meal vouchers because I think they take a lot of worry out of feeding hungry teenagers when they are out on their own.

I generally budget $13.00 per counter service meal and $3.00 per snack. DH and I almost never buy any snacks when it is just the two of us. When we bring our son along we find he has a much bigger appetite and he eats lots of snacks. I often do a lot of research before we go--researching menus, prices and reviews and making reservations. But, I think with the younger crowd it is more about opportunity and proximity to a particular eating establishment when they are hungry. I think I would add in a little extra for a late night burger or slice of pizza at the food court.
Will your daughter be eating breakfast in the room before she goes out or in the parks?

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by irmanator

They are allowed to bring snacks with them so I got her some Granola bars etc.

People at work were trying to tell me I should send her w. $500

Yes, you can bring in snacks. We always carry granola bars and similar easy-to-carry items in our bags.

I don't know what your coworkers are eating when they go to Disney. For 3 of us, we spend a grand total of under $2,500 for a one-week vacation to Disney World including everything - transportation, accommodations, food, park tickets, souvenirs, etc. I can't fathom one teen spending $500 for food in 3 days. That would be quite insane.

Originally Posted by DebbieL

The one thing I need a lot of when there is water. The water is EXPENSIVE, so if she drinks water it's best to bring a litre bottle in with her each day, then maybe she'll only have to buy one (or can be really cheap and refill it - although I hate tap water so I don't).

DebbieL raises a good point. We also drink plenty of water while at Disney, but water is FREE. I have no idea why people insist on paying $2.50/bottle. Every restaurant will happily give you a cup of ice water with your meal. There are water fountains throughout the park. I'd suggest she bring some type of refillable bottle with a belt clip or shoulder strap. When she stops for meals, get a cup of ice and pour it into the bottle along with more water and just use that throughout the day.

Originally Posted by cschin4

$24/day? Really? I would probably send my kid with at least $100/day.

For what, exactly? That would be $50 for lunch and $50 for dinner.

Let me give you some real-world numbers. We go to Disney World every year. The past two years, we've gone for 2 weeks and the previous years it was for 1 week. We stay off-site and our meals are eaten both on-site and off-site so we aren't paying Disney prices all of the time which I realize reduces our costs. Still, we average just $20/person/day for ALL food, meals, snacks and drinks. And that number has remained the same for the past 4-5 years. In fact, when we've traveled to other destinations, we've also come within a couple of dollars of that number no matter where we happened to be (California, New Hampshire, Boston, etc.).

For someone confined to Disney property, that number would be a bit higher, but that would be offset by the fact that she doesn't have to pay for breakfast. I'm quite certain I could still average $20/person/day on-site if I only had to cover 2 meals with that but I think $25 is more reasonable and would include snacks. If you want to send more, that's fine, too. But if money is an issue, she won't go hungry with $25/day.

[Like2Plan]

Here are a couple of examples:

Here is a link to Cosmic Rays (couter service at the Magic Kingdom--not too far from Space Mountain)

Bacon Double Cheeseburger - Served with your choice of French fries or apple slices. - $8.59
Bottled Water - Dasani bottled water - $2.50
plus tax.

Here is a link to Columbia Harbour House (counter service in the Magic Kingdom--not too far from the Haunted Mansion)

#5 Anchors Aweigh Sandwich - White tuna with lettuce and tomato served on a toasted multi-grain bread. Served with chips or carrots. - $8.09
Dasani Bottled Water - . - $2.50
plus tax


When DH and I go, we share if the portion sizes are larger.
For example
Sunshine Seasons Foodcourt (locted in EPCOT not too far from Soarin'

Smoked Ham & Salami Grinder - Smoked ham and salami grinder. - $9.19
DH and I will split this sandwich, but a teenager may be able to eat it no problem!

[disneysteve]

Thanks for posting examples, L2P. As you can see, if you knock off the ridiculous $2.50 water, each of those meals comes in under $10.

[Like2Plan]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

DebbieL raises a good point. We also drink plenty of water while at Disney, but water is FREE. I have no idea why people insist on paying $2.50/bottle. Every restaurant will happily give you a cup of ice water with your meal. There are water fountains throughout the park. I'd suggest she bring some type of refillable bottle with a belt clip or shoulder strap. When she stops for meals, get a cup of ice and pour it into the bottle along with more water and just use that throughout the day.

DisneySteve,
I have to go with DebbieL on this one. The water that comes out of the taps in Orlando tastes like mold or sulfur to me. We got sick on one of our first visits. I think it had to do with not drinking enough water--and I think that had to do with the water not tasting very good. Ever since that time we buy bottled water at the store when we arrive (we almost always fly in)--and we will often freeze a bottle and grab a bottle and put it on one of those strings things and take it with us to the park. (We almost always go back to the room for a break so we can get another bottle).
But, I have found that the younger crowd will comply when ordered to carry a bottle with them (and I am there to supervise )--may not be so apt to do so when they out on their own with their friends. (It is one less thing to carry. )
While water is my drink of choice, it may not be so for teens (Wouldn't it be nice to be an age to have a guilt free milkshake or smoothie? Not happening for me. )

[irmanator]

Thanks all. I was anticipateing 200 and telling her to wait until the last day to buy souvineers. That way she wont starve. So I am glad to be reassured that will be probably more than enough.

btw she got a book from the library called "The Unofficial guide walt disney world 2011" lol trying to make the most of her trip.

[nycdebt]

Does she need general spending money as well or just food money?

If it's both, I think $50/day is more than reasonable. Gives her a little extra cash to play some games, lunch/dinner, random snacks/drinks and a little souvenir shopping.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by irmanator

I have no clue what things cost down there.

Why is that anyway? Have you not been? Come on now. Get with the program. If you're free in August, you can tag along with us and we'll be your tour guides. This will be DD's 17th visit (she's 15).

[DebbieL]

Originally Posted by cschin4

$24/day? Really? I would probably send my kid with at least $100/day.

Why would your kids need that much for food? My daughter is 18 and I don't think she could finish a whole meal there (Disneyland, California) if she tried. The portions tend to be large. I'm a big eater (which daughter is not), and even for me $30 is plenty for food on most days I'm there. For the one day I might eat at a nicer restaurant I'd probably budget about $60 per person (for the day). DH and I don't drink alcohol (which isn't available in Disneyland, but is served in the California Adventure park and Downtown Disney restaurants), so that tends to keep the prices lower for our nicer meals, lol.

[DebbieL]

Originally Posted by irmanator

Thanks all. I was anticipateing 200 and telling her to wait until the last day to buy souvineers. That way she wont starve. So I am glad to be reassured that will be probably more than enough.

btw she got a book from the library called "The Unofficial guide walt disney world 2011" lol trying to make the most of her trip.

I actually think waiting until the last day to buy souvenirs is a good idea. That's what we tend to do (well, I don't really buy much there anyways, but DH and DD18 buy some stuff). She can find a few things she really wants that way, instead of just on day 1 thinking "I have to have everything in sight" lol. I'd probably buy some mouse ears on day 1 though (if she's a "mouse ears" kind of girl).

ETA: Since it's Disney World she's going to and not Disneyland (where we go the parks are right next door to each other and so easy to hop between them), it might make sense to buy a souvenir from each park as she goes there if she'll only be there once (if they only go to Epcot one day, etc).

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by DebbieL

Since it's Disney World she's going to and not Disneyland (where we go the parks are right next door to each other and so easy to hop between them), it might make sense to buy a souvenir from each park as she goes there if she'll only be there once (if they only go to Epcot one day, etc).

I was going to say the same thing. Although Disney has greatly homogenized the shopping experience (which many of us really hate), there are still items that can only be found in certain locations. I do not think she should wait until the end to shop. If she sees something on day one that she really loves, she should buy it then because she might not see it again.