Chances are good that at some point during your Disney vacation you’ll want to eat. It could be the smell of the freshly popped popcorn or seeing others enjoying their Mickey bars. Or it could be that you’re just hungry during your vacation. Thankfully there are plenty of options to curb your hunger.
Sit Down Dining
When you’re looking for a sit down meal, you’ve got options in all four theme parks, select Walt Disney World Resort hotels and Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney). Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) can be made in advance online or by phone. Once you’re at Walt Disney World you can stop by Guest Services in the parks or resorts to get assistance making an ADR. Sometimes you’ll get lucky enough to stop at the actual restaurant and find an opening for your party. Each of the sit down locations offer different themes and cuisines and do a good job handling any food related concerns you might have.
Quick Meals
Not everyone’s up for a sit down meal during their vacation. In each of the theme parks, resorts and Disney Springs you’ll find options to order your meal and either get it “to go” to take back to your room or another location to enjoy or on a tray to take to the provided seating areas to eat. Different locations offer different options as far as food goes and the decor inside the restaurant generally matches wherever the restaurant is located.
Snacks
Throughout the parks you’ll find snack carts and stores with amazing creations that you can enjoy between meals when you’re just looking for a snack. (There’s enough variety and options that you could just eat things considered snacks and make several meals from them – especially in Epcot’s World Showcase). Snacks are a little bit trickier than food – if you see something that looks tasty, get it while you see it. Mickey bars are a constant but many other things change depending on the location or snack cart you visit. Most Cast Members at snack locations do a good job with food related allergies but we’ve gotten things with peanut butter in them (unknown to us when we purchased) that the Cast Member specifically told us didn’t contain anything with peanuts (my oldest son has a peanut allergy).
Bringing In Your Own Food
Disney does allow you to bring your own food into the parks. Guests with serious food allergies may be more comfortable bringing their own food with them during their visit. We always bring our own drinks and snacks when we visit to save money. My kids are always hungry so I’d go broke if I stopped and got them a snack every time they asked. Find a quiet spot in the park to enjoy a picnic lunch between shows and attractions or borrow seating at a Quick Service location during a non-busy time.
General Tips
Popular sit down restaurants book up very early so make sure you secure your ADRs as soon as your booking window opens. If you’re looking for something specific, keep trying! People change their plans and cancel reservations all the time.
Don’t spend your park time eating – consider grabbing something to eat on your way out of the park or on your way to the park.
Enjoy a meal or snack during a parade or fireworks. Since you’ll be in one spot for a little while (especially if you camp out before the start time for a good spot), grab something to eat or snack on.
Bring easy things into the park with you. Consider prepackaged snacks (or ones you’ve prebagged yourself) so everything is already portioned out and quick to grab.
Be considerate of others. Many visit Disney and deal with food allergies that can be deadly. Grab a napkin or wipe to clean yourselves up after eating or to clean up any mess you make while eating.
[…] you’re lucky. To help with the budget, resort guests will have the option of purchasing the Disney Dining Plan as part of your Magic Your Way package. Adding this option will allow you to choose a dining plan […]