How to eat on a budget at Disneyland

Printing coupons for Disneyland food vendors will save you money.

Disneyland may be the happiest place on earth, but it can be a nightmare to your bank account, especially when you are on a tight budget. If you are planning a trip with your family to the Disneyland theme park located in Anaheim, Calif., you will do best by making preparations ahead of time such as choosing what and where to eat. Disneyland is known for expensive restaurant and food vendors, but with the right preparations you will be able to stick to your food budget.

Instructions

1. Use coupons and special discounts for the restaurants and vendors at Disneyland. You'll find coupons online for many of the restaurants in the Disneyland theme park, as well as in coupon books such as the Entertainment coupon book, which costs $5 and is often sold for charity organizations.

2. Put together a list of restaurant and eateries available at Disneyland for menu items and price ranges. The Disneyland website provides you with a list of the theme park's restaurants as well as park maps to look at for various food carts. Make a detailed schedule about where you will eat and at what times during the day to help stick to your food budget.

3. Study your map before deciding where to eat. The park map is free for all visitors to Disneyland and has a list of each restaurant, food cart and vendor. Next to each restaurant icon on the map will be a number of dollar signs indicating how expensive it is. One dollar sign is least expensive while five dollar signs is most expensive.

4. Visit Disneyland during one of its off-seasons. Disneyland raises some of its restaurant prices during the popular seasons, typically around holidays when they get a lot of visitors. You will save money by planning your trip during off-seasons, which are between January and late February, April to May, mid-September to mid-October, and late November (after Thanksgiving) to mid-December (the week before Christmas).

5. Choose food carts with healthy snack options like fresh fruit, as these tend to be the most inexpensive choices.

Tips & Warnings

• You can further save money on food by eating a filling breakfast before getting to Disneyland and bringing nonperishable snacks with you in your purse or bag.

References

• Mouse Planet; The Trip Planner: Disneyland on a Budget; Lani Teshima
• Disneyland Resort: Dining at the Resort
• MouseSavers.com: Discounts on Disneyland Meals, Snacks and Drinks

Resources

• Entertainment: Products and Services