In my previous articles on dining on a budget at Walt Disney World, I covered the three main meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner. But what about the snacks?
Sometimes you just need a little somethin’-somethin’ to get you through to the next meal. Follow these tips and you can safely satisfy that craving without busting the budget:
- Free Ghirardelli chocolate. Every day at the Ghirardelli shop at Downtown Disney, there is a person inside the store side of the building handing out squares of their chocolate to sample. These are the same squares they charge 45 cents a piece for, but the sample is completely free.
- Goofy’s Kitchen. You’ll find just about any sugary confection in this shop at Downtown Disney, but the best deal is the make-your-own-treats area of the store. For an average price of $3.50, you can take a mickey-shaped rice krispie bar, gingerbread cookies, fudge cookies, marshmallows or pretzel rods and cover them with your choice of toppings ranging from three kinds of chocolate to crushed butterfinger bits to nuts – a whole counter full of toppings. And you can put as many of the toppings on there as will fit. I usually get the pretzel rods covered in milk chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, butterfinger bits, peanuts and sprinkles. The three rods usually last me a few days. And if you visit the shop during a slow period, they often have free samples out on the counter to try.
- Character or Princess cookies. Any Disney giftshop with a snack or sweets section will sell a box of these sugar cookies at a budget-friendly price of $1.50. Each box has about 10-15 shaped cookies and the Princess ones come with a sugary pink icing.
- Fresh fruit. Each of the four Disney parks offers fruit for sale, either whole or cut up and served in plastic bowls. You can find everything from apples and bananas to watermelon and grapes, with most offerings are priced at $2.50 or less.
- Popcorn in a bucket. Each of the parks also has numerous popcorn carts throughout and while it may seem more budget-friendly to go with the smaller cardboard container for $2.25, splurge and get the bucket for $3.75. You get almost twice as much popcorn and you also get to keep the plastic bucket as a souvenir – each park has a different design on the bucket. Use the bucket to help protect breakables in your suitcase and then when you get home, you can use it to store numerous other things.
- Mickey Mouse ice cream bars. If you crave something sweet and cold, go for one of the popular Mickey-shaped ice cream bars featuring premium vanilla ice cream coated in rich chocolate. For under $3, there’s just something about biting the ears off that makes you feel like a kid again.
- International treats. When touring the World Showcase at Epcot, stop in the stores for snacks with an international flavor. From marzipan in Germany to fine Italian chocolates to shrimp-flavored chips in Japan, you’ll find so many interesting treats to try, with most priced at $3 or less.
I hope you enjoyed these tips and articles on how to snack at Walt Disney World without spending a lot of money. If you have any tips or suggestions, please leave a comment.
The copyright of the article Snacking at Walt Disney World in Budget Dining Options is owned by Michelle Snow. Permission to republish Snacking at Walt Disney World in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Nov 15, 2008 12:50 PM
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