It’s pretty much a fact that Disney is not the cheapest place to go on vacation. One of the places people try to cut costs down is with food. We have compiled a list of some of the best budget friendly meals and snacks you can get to get the biggest bang for your buck.
Refillable Popcorn Bucket! – Everywhere
They sell these guys everywhere at Walt Disney World. For $10 you can get a refillable bucket that holds more than the normal box and a refill is only $1.75! You can snack on these all day long. All of the buttered flavor fresh popcorn is vegan and the maple flavor from Frontierland in Magic Kingdom and the Canada pavilion in Epcot are safe and included in the refills! You can also splurge and get the $15 Mickey Balloon shaped popcorn bucket for refills as well.
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe – Magic Kingdom
Pecos Bill’s has two great options for those sticking to a budget. You can get the Vegetable Bowl (make sure to note vegan as we get a different rice) and then you can load that thing up at the buffet. The Vegetable Bowl is $9.99, the kids Rice and Beans bowl is $6.99. You can really load that thing up on the buffet.
The other option here is to just order some sides and skip the bowl. A side of Black Beans is $2.99 and a side of rice (again specify) is also $2.99. Ask for an extra bowl and load up!
Columbia Harbour House – Magic Kingdom
Columbia Harbour House has quite a few vegan sides you can choose from. The most filling being the Vegetarian Chili which comes in at $6.49, just specify no crackers when ordering. You can also get sides of Green Beans and Carrots for $2.99 and a side of Couscous for $3.59.
Fairfax Fare – Hollywood Studios
Fairfaxe Fare is a new great vegan option. Here you can find the 7-Layer Rice Bowl which can be made vegan! All you need to do is order it with vegan chili and have them skip the cheese and sour cream. This is a pretty big portion and is super filling. This bowl comes in at $11.29, but as I said, it’s pretty big (aka you can share) and it’s super filling!
Tangierine Cafe – Epcot
Tangierine Cafe is located in the Morocco pavilion in Epcot and has a great filling vegan meal on the menu. The Vegetable Platter from Tangierine Cafe includes falafel (shared fryer so you can swap it for an extra side if you don’t want it), olives, tabbouleh, couscous, hummus and pita. Just double check the pita bread, as always! The Vegetable Platter is $12.99, but is a huge portion, great for sharing! If you’re not wanting to get the whole platter you can order just the sides for $3.99 each.
Liberty Inn – Epcot
Liberty Inn is part of the America pavilion and offers a Beyond Burger! The Grilled Vegetable Burger is $10.99 and comes with a side of french fries. The fries are from a shared fryer so you can always swap them for whatever vegetable side they have at the time.
Satu’li Canteen – Animal Kingdom
Satu’li Canteen is in the Pandora – World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. They have a ton of vegan variations and the portion sizes are great. The Fried Tofu Bowl has multiple bases to choose from and a delicious Charred Onion Vinaigrette to top it with. The Fried Tofu Bowl is $11.49. You can also order the kids size, which does not include the vinaigrette but has the Whole Grains and Rice and Tofu for $7.49. To see what is safe check out our latest post about Satu’li Canteen.
Blaze Pizza – Disney Springs
Blaze Pizza is a chain restaurant which happens to be located at Disney Springs. They have a build your own pizza for $9.65, which is a very large “personal” sized pizza. They don’t charge extra for vegan cheese here either! Load that guy up with toppings and you can easily split that into two meals or share.
Capt. Cooke’s – Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Capt. Cooke’s at the Poly can give you a little taste of heaven. Here you can get Tonga Toast without doing the sit down option at Kona Cafe. Tonga Toast is not typically vegan, so be sure to speak with a chef to get it made that way! Tonga Toast here is only $8.49.
Bring your own water bottle
Disney is cool with you bringing in your own water bottle, as long as it’s not glass. There are tons of water fountains to refill throughout the day. If you don’t want to bring a bottle with you, you can always just buy a bottle of water on day one then refill throughout the week.I love bringing my Hydro Flask because it keeps my water cool on a hot Florida day. Additionally you can always ask for a cup of water when ordering food and it’s free, just specify cup and not bottle! (Like my sticker? Check out Little Box Guy.)
Other great tips for planning on doing Disney on a budget is to pack your own food. Disney is great with bringing your own food into the parks. Just do not bring glass containers or alcohol. We have always packed our own breakfasts to eat in the room as it’s just easier for starting the day. If you want to know more about getting your own food to bring check out our post about ordering groceries with Amazon Prime Now.
All of the prices above were current during April 2018.
