We will be in Orlando for 8 days in May. We are a family of three. Two adults and a 5 year old. I'm wondering how much money to plan to take. I don't want to be worried about money, so I don't need a super conservative amount. I want to be able to have a good time and not really worry too much as we spend.

I don't need to count in lodging, disney tickets, or transportation. I am strictly wondering how much for food and spending for a family of three for a week.

Opinions...please:)

I think it depends. My daughter and I just went for four days and we didn't spend much at all. We ate mostly counter service or convenience food at the Beach Club. We didn't buy many souvenirs. We probably averaged less than $50 a day.

However, on previous trips, we have done a lot of the more upscale sit down dinners and done lots of extra activities at the resorts probably closer to $100-150 a day. It depends on your plans. Are you staying at a Disney resort? If so, you can put most expenses on your room key. Then, pay at the end with your credit card.

We are staying off site at a timeshare. We have booked CRT, so that is paid for. And we also have ADRs at Chef Mickey's and Coral Reef in Epcot.

So, other than that, what would be a good daily/weekly budget for food and spending?

That's a hard question to pin down. Counter service lunch will cost around $15 per person. You can eat breakfast at the hotel food courts pretty cheaply - maybe around $10 to $15 per person. Depending on whether you're doing fast food or table service dining, dinner could either cost $15 or as much as $60 per person. Then there's snacks, which are usually around $3 to $4 for an ice cream bar or a coke or bottle of water. And souvenirs can be either cheapie stuff for $5 or shirts for $40 to $50 each.

Personally, I'm a solo visitor, and plan about $100 per day for fast food lunch and a sitdown dinner, plus drinks. Your family probably doesn't need that much, especially with a 5 year old (unless he already has a drinking habit!).

Your family probably doesn't need that much, especially with a 5 year old (unless he already has a drinking habit!).

Thanks and LOL.

Have fun on your trip:) I see that is is approaching quickly!

We budget $50/day for an adult and $30/day for small kids to eat. It's worked out well for us and we've always come home with money leftover. That includes our snacks and 3-4 TS meals a trip. We eat CS the majority of the time. We also usually take $200 for extras, boat rental, balloons, cab ride, etc. We budget beforehand for souvenirs. Our first trip we gave everyone $200 and it was gone quickly. This time we are giving everyone $50and anything more they had to save for. Just depends on how much you'd like to shop. Hope this helps!

We budget $50/day for an adult and $30/day for small kids to eat. It's worked out well for us and we've always come home with money leftover. That includes our snacks and 3-4 TS meals a trip. We eat CS the majority of the time. We also usually take $200 for extras, boat rental, balloons, cab ride, etc. We budget beforehand for souvenirs. Our first trip we gave everyone $200 and it was gone quickly. This time we are giving everyone $50and anything more they had to save for. Just depends on how much you'd like to shop. Hope this helps!


It does....thanks. My daughter is 5 and I know we will buy souvenirs, but I know she will want things that we will not buy, so I told her if she wants she can empty her piggy bank. She is pretty good about that, and then she is also careful with her money and really contemplates buying things....maybe I'm teaching her some kind of good lesson here...I don't know....lol.

Have fun on your trip:) I see that is is approaching quickly!


Yes, it is! (Not that I'm counting or anything . . .)

I know she will want things that we will not buy, so I told her if she wants she can empty her piggy bank. She is pretty good about that, and then she is also careful with her money and really contemplates buying things....maybe I'm teaching her some kind of good lesson here...I don't know....lol.

Yes, you are teaching her a good lesson. So many kids don't know the value of money these days. Early training is good, IMHO :)

As far as spending money...well, we are pretty cheap...er...frugal..uhhh...let's just say thrifty...

On our trip in '03-'04 (and I realize you will need to factor in inflation)...2 adults and 2 small kids, we budgeted $100 a day, and usually only needed between $60-80. We brought in our own snacks and water, and ate breakfast in the hotel room about 3 times. We only bought a few souvenirs. It is really going to depend on your family's spending habits. Do you order appetizers and dessert? Do you buy several snacks...it all adds up quickly. I know for our next trip I am going to need to budget closer to $150 a day, as we have growing boys with big appetites! :p

Hope this helps.

I have found that giving out Disney Dollars which can be purchased at your local Disney store is a great way to get the kids working around the house. Also I use it as a reward for good behavior when we are out instead of buying more junky toys. It is also fun for the kids to count them and educational. I have 3 boys and budget aroung 50.00 a piece plus what they have earned on their own. There is a store downtown disney I can't rememebr the name but had something to do with Goofy. Everthing is 10.00 and under. As for food. I usually eat kids meals myself at counter service and save the big money for dinners. You can spend much less than 15.00 per person per day for lunch especially if your doing big dinners. I hate to be to full and trying to tour the parks. Have a great trip!

We budgeted $200 per day, 2 adults and 2 children, to include paying for all food and the town car to and from the airport, several taxis and all tips. We ate TS about every other day I think. It was far too much, I bought at least $400 home and frankly bought a load of stuff we didn't need when we still had money left towards the end of week 2. As for the children - they had about $100 each to spend. I can't be doing with a load of stress on holiday so I was quite clear with them if they chose to splurge it all on day 1 that was entirely up to them, so long as they understood there would be nothing else for the fortnight. This worked like a dream and they stretched their spends out up until 2 days before we went home.

I second the recommendation to give your child Disney Dollars to spend. I often use them as small holiday gifts. My kids are making much better choices for their spending, and never bug me at every gift shop. One suggestion for a fun collection, at minimal cost, is pressed pennies. Take along lots of quarters and pennies, and let her use the many machines around the parks and hotels. You can purchase pressed penny holder books to hold them. You can have a lot of fun, and only spend a few dollars. If you have your own kitchen facilities, you can save a lot by eating breakfast at your resort. I purchase bottled water by the case, and we take a few bottles with us each day. You can also freeze bottled water, which makes it more refreshing as it melts, and it can also be used as an ice pack, if you decide to pack lunch. It is reasonable to figure one counter service meal, probably averaging about $10 per adult, including a soda, per day. You will probably want an ice cream or other snack, maybe $4 per snack, per person. If you want to indulge in an alcoholic drink, and lots are around Epcot, figure that in also.

On the food front, go to www.allearsnet.com and click on menues. It'll give you every menu at every park (plus all the resorts and D/T) plus prices and that'll give you a pretty accurate idea of what it'll cost for how your family likes to eat.


DAN!!! You're leaving in 10 days!! And you spend about $100/day on food and drinks? Any extra room in your luggage? Like, for me? :p

FYI Mouseplanet also has updated menus.

DAN!!! You're leaving in 10 days!! And you spend about $100/day on food and drinks? Any extra room in your luggage? Like, for me? :p

Sorry, solo park stormer here! I average $100 per day, as I usually enjoy the fine dining at dinner, including a glass or 3 of wine. I've spent more than $100 just for dinner for one at the California Grill! I don't eat that way at home - I have to do a lot of microwaveable meals to afford to party Disney style!!!

I figure it's better to take more money than you think you will need. Nobody says you have to spend it all. We are going in July and Are set up on the dining plan, but I am still figuring about $100 a day.

We are also contiplating how much to budget for spending. We pre-paid for the Deluxe Dining, so food is taken care of, but I know that we will be purchasing Kona coffee, dole whips, churros, and ice cream sundays that aren't included in the meal plan. We love to buy souveneers, but on our last trip to Disneyland I noticed that we spent more on food than souveniers. You have to also account if you're going to buy the photopass pics or stick with your camera shots.

I am going to order from green grocer and have water and some essential staples delivered to our room. I cannot bare paying $3 for a bottled water in the parks.

Deluxe Dining includes the refillable resort mugs, as well as two snacks per person per night of stay, usable in any order or quantity from your bank of credits.

We've used snack credits for bottled water, Dole Whips in the MK, ice cream bars, frozen bananas on a stick, all sorts of items. Also, the counter service drinks are usually large, so when two of us order a meal, one orders a drink (and takes two straws), while the other takes a bottle of water as the counter service meal beverage. Then we can use the water for the parks and save that snack credit for something else that is yummy. Several counter service locations also have a sugar free brownie that is pre-wrapped, or sometimes fruit. We'll often get that for our counter service dessert and use it for a snack later.

We threw away half consumed diluted drinks with melted ice the first few days on our first dining plan, and declined dessert a few times too. Then we decided to make the plan work for us and not waste the features it includes. We often split a half chicken counter service lunch if we have an early dinner reservation too.

I've been wondering this same thing, but based on days at Disneyland, I'm trying to come up with a reasonable amount for Walt Disney World, knowing what we MUST get and what mysteries are to be had. (I'm talking souvenirs, here). I know we have to get Potatohead parts, so that's going to be about $18, my son wants a Donald to add to his collection of buddies, so another $15, etc. I'm a HUGE pin collector, so I'm going to have to limit myself there a bit or my lanyard will be so heavy I'll have to see a chiroprator when I return! :) I'm also a pressed penny collector . . . I'm already saving up good pennies and my quarters in M&M mini's containers.

We set up a jar for my son (who is 3) called "Dimes for Disney". Since we are going through a lot of training - sleeping in the bed, potty (not any more, but we did), helping clean his room, etc. - he earned dimes for his jar. He decided this will go toward his Donald. I've started calling it "Dimes for Donald".

I think the advice to check the menus is a great idea. Not only will it help you plan which places you want to eat, but how much you should expect to spend there. Even snacks are listed. Gotta get that Dole Whip!

This is how I figure it out for us and you can do it as well. Just follow the steps I give you and you will be all set!

1. Take your pinky and point it to the corner of your mouth
2. Say out loud "1 Million Dollars!"
3. Follow that up with an evil laugh

:p

But in all seriousness it depends on what your expectations are, I have went with people who will share meals, only drink water and buy a minimal amount of souvenirs. Now I splurge, I bring plenty of extra credit cards just in case. My theory is if you save as much as possible it you'll prolly still find things you want that exceed that limit.

Have a Magical Trip

Family of 4 here - we have two boys, 10 & 12 yrs. old. My husband & I enjoy a few adult drinks in the afternoon (mostly in EPCOT...). We usually average 1 sit down meal per day. We plan on $250-$300/per day. This includes meals, and whatever odds & ends we buy during the day.
That being said. We are not the type of folks who bring stuff into the parks with us, so we buy our water & snacks in-park. And this last trip we ate breakfast in our rooms, we just get tired of eating the same old stuff from counter service. But keep in mind, my boys could eat a breakfast of cereal, toast & bacon at 7:30 and be hungry for a snack by 10 and bugging us for lunch by or before noon!
we usually come home with $$$ leftover though.