Planning Guide
Disney World · Budget Food · Every Park
Cheap Eats at Disney World
That Are Actually Worth It
The best-value food in all four Disney World parks, Blizzard Beach, Disney Springs, and the resorts: big portions, easy sharing, and snacks kids actually eat.
The cheapest way to eat at Disney World is to bring snacks and water from home, then spend your food money on a few things that are filling, shareable, and good. Disney food isn’t cheap, but some items give you a lot more for the price than others. A cinnamon roll big enough for the whole family, a quiche lunch under $8, and kids’ meals around $7 are all out there if you know where to look.
This guide covers the best cheap eats at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Disney Springs, and the resort food courts, plus the free water and refill tricks that save the most. Disney adjusts menu prices often, so treat every price here as a guide and check the My Disney Experience app before you go.
Water is free. Any quick-service counter will give you a cup of ice water, even if you’re not buying anything.
You can bring your own food. Disney World allows outside snacks, meals, and non-alcoholic drinks in small soft-sided coolers.
Share the big stuff. One cinnamon roll, waffle, or cone of fries often feeds two kids for the price of one.
Resort food courts can be the best deal. A large pizza at a value resort food court feeds a family for about $21.
Start With What’s Free: Water and Snacks From Home
Before you spend anything, cover the basics. Disney World lets you bring outside food and non-alcoholic drinks into the parks, as long as you skip glass containers and large hard-sided coolers. Our best snacks for Disney and Universal guide covers what holds up in a park bag.
- Free ice water: Ask for a cup at any quick-service counter. The cups are small, so ask for two.
- Bring a bottle for each kid: An insulated water bottle keeps water cold all day, and you can fill it at any fountain or ask a counter to fill it with ice.
- Make water more interesting: A packet of Liquid I.V. or another drink mix gets kids drinking without buying a $5 soda.
- Pre-portion snacks: Reusable silicone snack bags filled the night before mean you hand over a bag in line instead of buying a snack every hour.
- Pack a real lunch: Disney allows full meals, so a Bentgo Kids lunch bag with sandwiches can cover one meal a day. It fits inside most park backpacks.
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Cheap Eats at Magic Kingdom
The best shareable breakfast in Magic Kingdom. It’s huge, warm, and heavily frosted, and it easily feeds two to four people. Grab it early before Fantasyland fills up.
Chicken strips with fries in a generous portion, plus a quieter upstairs seating area that’s a nice break on a busy day. Add the hushpuppies ($5.49) as a side to share. Kids’ meals here run about $7.29 to $9.49.
A plain waffle or funnel cake with powdered sugar is big enough for two or three kids to split as an afternoon treat. The topped versions cost more.
The classic Disney treat is still one of the cheapest. Aloha Isle has the longer line, but Sunshine Tree Terrace, a short walk away, sells a cup for a little less. A cup is plenty for a younger child, and it’s dairy-free.
Cheap Eats at EPCOT
One of the best values in any Disney park. Quiche Lorraine is about $7.50, soup in a bread bowl about $7.95, a ham and butter baguette sandwich about $11.25, and a plain croissant about $3.95. It’s real food, not just snacks, for under $12.
A sweet bun filled with custard and topped with coconut that’s filling for the price. The lefse, a soft flatbread with cinnamon butter, is about $3.99 and a hit with kids.
During EPCOT’s festivals, the small-plate booths around World Showcase can add up quickly. One or two shared plates are fun, but a quick-service meal like Les Halles usually fills kids up for less. Our must-try Disney World food guide covers the treats worth the splurge.
Cheap Eats at Hollywood Studios
A grilled cheese kids love, plus the Lunch Box Tart (about $5.29) as a cheap dessert. Kids’ meals here are some of the lowest-priced at Disney, with a kids’ grilled cheese at about $7.49.
A personal pizza that’s easy to split between two small kids, or order the kids’ cheese pizza for about $7.99. It’s quick, and it’s close to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.
Four chicken strips are about $11.99, a side of fries about $5.49, and the kids’ mac and cheese about $7.49. It’s a big indoor restaurant, so it’s a good place to cool off.
Cheap Eats at Animal Kingdom
A big cone of seasoned fries that’s easy to share while you walk. The chicken dumplings (about $7.49) make it more of a meal.
Flame Tree has some of the cheapest kids’ meals in the park, including an Uncrustables PB&J (about $7.29) and a hot dog or pulled pork (about $7.99). Adults can share a side of fries (about $5.49), and the shaded waterfront seating is one of the nicest spots in the park.
Satu’li is one of the best quick-service restaurants at Disney World, and its kids’ meals are fairly priced. For a cheap dessert in Africa, Tamu Tamu sells a Dole Whip cup for about $5.79.
If your family eats a lot of popcorn, Disney’s refillable popcorn bucket is about $14.29 with the first fill, then about $2.79 per refill for the rest of your stay. A regular box costs $5.99 to $6.99, so it pays off after a few refills.
Cheap Eats at Blizzard Beach
Disney’s water parks let you bring your own snacks and drinks too, which is the easiest way to save. If you’re buying, Lottawatta Lodge is the main restaurant at Blizzard Beach. A turkey and cheddar sandwich is about $9.99, a kids’ chicken rice bowl about $7.99, and fries about $5.49. Our Disney water parks family guide covers the treats worth trying, plus rides by age.
Cheap Eats at Disney Springs
The cheapest filling meal at Disney Springs. Hot sandwiches like The Original 1762 are about $9.49, and kids’ meals are about $6.49. It’s an easy stop before or after a park day.
Cheap Eats at the Disney Resorts
Resort food courts are often the best value of the whole trip, especially for breakfast and an easy dinner after a long day.
- Value resort food courts: Everything POP at Pop Century sells a large cheese pizza for about $20.99, which feeds a family. Most value resort food courts also sell grab-and-go fruit, cheese, and snacks for a few dollars each.
- Refillable resort mugs: The resort mug is about $22.99 for your whole stay and refills soda, coffee, and cocoa at any Disney resort food court, but not in the parks. It usually pays off after four or five drinks.
If you’re still choosing where to stay, our best Disney World resorts by budget guide compares the food courts and dining at each tier, and our Disney World on a budget guide covers savings beyond food.
We’ve found that having the right snacks and drinks on hand makes a big difference throughout the day. We always bring a leakproof, insulated water bottle for each of the kids and add drink packets like lemonade or electrolytes so they actually drink. For snacks, we keep it simple with reusable bags of easy favorites like Goldfish, pretzels, and dried fruit. That keeps us from constant snack stops and leaves room in the budget for the food that becomes part of the trip.
How to Spend Less on Disney Food
Save Money By…
- Bringing water bottles, snacks, and even lunch from home
- Splitting big items like cinnamon rolls, waffles, and fries
- Eating breakfast at the resort food court
- Ordering kids’ meals for small adult appetites
- Skipping bottled drinks in favor of free ice water
It’s Worth Paying For…
- One signature treat your kids will remember
- A sit-down lunch indoors on a hot afternoon
- A popcorn bucket or resort mug if your family will use it
- Themed food in a land your kids love
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ✕Buying bottled water all day. Free ice water and a refillable bottle save more than almost anything else.
- ✕Ordering a full adult meal for every small child. Many kids are happy with a kids’ meal or a shared entrée.
- ✕Buying a popcorn bucket or resort mug you’ll only use twice. Count how many refills your family really will use.
- ✕Forgetting you can bring food. Disney allows outside meals, so a packed lunch is an easy way to save.
- ✕Waiting until everyone is starving. Hungry kids choose the most expensive thing on the menu, and lines get longest at noon.
Bring the basics, then spend on food that’s big, shareable, or memorable.
Free water and snacks from home do most of the saving at Disney World. In the parks, look for items that feed more than one person, like Gaston’s cinnamon roll or a Sleepy Hollow waffle, and real-food bargains like Les Halles quiche. Use the resort food court for easy breakfasts and dinners.
Then save room in the budget for one or two treats that become part of the trip. That’s where your food money goes the furthest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the cheapest items are a plain croissant at Les Halles in EPCOT (about $3.95), lefse at Kringla Bakeri in Norway (about $3.99), and a Dole Whip cup (about $5.79 to $5.99). For a filling meal, Les Halles quiche or soup in a bread bowl is under $8.
Yes. Any quick-service counter will give you a free cup of ice water. Bring a refillable bottle for each person to fill at fountains.
Yes. Disney World allows outside food and non-alcoholic drinks, including small soft-sided coolers. Glass containers, loose ice, and large hard-sided coolers aren’t allowed.
Most quick-service kids’ meals are about $6.50 to $9.50. Woody’s Lunch Box, Flame Tree Barbecue, and Earl of Sandwich at Disney Springs are some of the cheaper spots.
It is if your family eats popcorn every day. The bucket is about $14.29 with the first fill, and refills are about $2.79 for the rest of your stay, compared to $5.99 or more for a regular box.
It can be if you’ll use it at your resort. It’s about $22.99 for your whole stay and usually pays off after four or five drinks, but it only works at Disney resort hotels, not in the parks.
Food budget sorted. Let’s plan the park days.
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