Tips about Food & Beverage

Epcot - My husband and I recently learned of something called the "Wine Walk" at Epcot. For $20 you can purchase a passport at the France, Germany or Italy wine shops. The passport allows you to taste six different wines (two per country). The passport lists the two specific wines in each country. What is unique about the Wine Walk is that you do not have to use the whole passport in one trip. You can try a few and then save the rest for a future trip if you like. Each wine is a two-ounce pour, but Germany seems to be the only country that was very strict on this. Italy and France were a bit more liberal with their pours. Our favorite country for the tastings was Italy. Even though you only get about two ounces per taste, we felt it was a pretty good bargain as we would have paid about $35 if we bought each pour individually. - Tiffany Harmon

While Disney resorts don't have microwaves in the room, they do have at least one microwave for common use that is usually situated close to the food court. They are available 24 hours a day and can be a great money-saver. From a snack such as popcorn to soup or noodles, using the microwave to replace or supplement bought food can be a big money-saver. - Connie McGouldrick

If you are there for a week or longer, find out how much it is to take a cab for shopping. We did a roundtrip cab (having him even wait for us in parking lot) and it cost us $32 with tip to Walgreen's. We got much needed cold/flu supplies, drinks, and snacks. I added up just two of the tons of items we bought price for price for what they were in the gift shop, and there alone was our cab fare! - Dana Barish

Animal Kingdom - If you're looking for a cheap, healthy snack in the Animal Kingdom, check out the fruit cart in the Harambe Village of Africa. There's lots of fresh, ice cold fruit that's cheap and much healthier than ice cream or popcorn. Our family got apple slices with caramel, fresh oranges and bananas, and it was delicious. The cart also sells chips, water and drinks. - Katherine

Animal Kingdom - If you're looking for a cheap, healthy snack in the Animal Kingdom, check out the fruit cart in the Harambe Village of Africa. There's lots of fresh, ice cold fruit that's cheap and much healthier than ice cream or popcorn. Our family got apple slices with caramel, fresh oranges and bananas, and it was delicious. The cart also sells chips, water and drinks. - Katherine

Our family has found an easy way to keep track of our dining information during a Disney trip. I use my cell phone's calendar to enter the times and confirmation numbers of all our meals. My phone is always with me, so I don't have to carry an extra list. If we're really trying to pack a lot into our day, I set my alarm to go off a half hour before our reservation. Having our confirmation number handy helped us out a couple years ago when our reservation got mixed up. - Deborah Shauan

I wrote you in January of this year regarding the fact that Earl of Sandwich in Disney Springs was using latex gloves in food prep. I wanted to update you with the fact that when we were at WDW at the end of September, we were happy to learn that "Earl" has now become latex-free! Of course, it's always important to ask at the time of ordering, but we were told they would be latex-free going forward. Unfortunately, when we went to purchase fudge at the Main Street Confectionery, we were told that they for some reason are still using latex gloves (despite the fact that we've been told over and over that WDW food prep is now latex-free) as well as vinyl gloves, so we were advised not to chance purchasing anything. Very disappointing! - Amy Keen

Save yourself time and money on hydration while roaming the parks. My husband and I each have a CamelBak hydration pack (they have packs with only a beverage bladder or models with decent-sized backpacks for the rest of your Disney necessities). A trip to the resort ice machine, a little powdered drink mix and you're good for the whole day. Plus, the ice in the pack keeps you cool on a hot day, even through the insulated padding. You'll save the cost of the CamelBak in the first couple of days plus no time waiting in line for an expensive bottle of water! - Karen Henny

I don't know if it has been mentioned, but you can only make your online dining reservations if you have fewer than 10 people in your group. We have 14 in our group and I still had to call the group number to make our dining reservations. (For groups of 10 or more, call 407-939-5665.) - Melissa Speegle

During a recent visit to Walt Disney World our family stayed at Kidani Village. One of things we were curious about was quick dining. Many DVC members have expressed concerned about the lack of quick dining options at Kidani Village. It's understandable considering the size of the resort and the distance (about half a mile from front entrance to front entrance) to Jambo House to eat at the Mara (Jambo's counter service location).

I knew the pool bar had some food offerings and the gift shop inside the lobby (Johari Treasures) had some quick food items as well; however, I discovered something else. A private dining option is available at the Maji pool bar.

Here's how it works. Look for the phone and menu display at the Maji Pool Bar, pick it up and it will ring into the Sanaa kitchen. Make sure to reference your private dining number on your identification tent. Place your order with the Cast Member. They will give you an approximate wait time, a total, and ask you how you will pay; cash, credit, or room charge. Take your number tent to your pool chair and wait for the Cast Member to bring you the food. There is an adult menu and a kids menu to choose from. Each adult entree comes with specific side items and a pudding dessert. Kid's meals come with 2 sides and a chocolate cake dessert.

Something I found unusual is the resort does not have a fryer so you will not find any fried foods on the private dining menu. According to the Cast Member this was because of Disney's healthier foods initiative. We ordered a kid's pizza for our daughter which came with 2 sides; carrot sticks and fruit salad, a piece of chocolate cake for dessert and a bottle of water. The food came out in less than 15 minutes.

When you order through the private dining line you are charged a $3 trip charge and an automatic 18% gratuity. The total for our daughter's kid's meal was $12.75. There was some confusion whether the drink was included with the meal. When we called private dining they said yes, but the bottle of water did not come out, so we received one at the pool bar at no cost. You cannot use the Disney Dining Plan for this dining option.

The Maji pool bar also offers a very limited selection of quick foods you can order and receive from their refrigerator right away without going through private dining. Make sure to bring your resort refillable mug to the Kidani Village pool. They have a soda refilling station next to the bar; a nice feature and very convenient.

For those of you who stay at this resort the Johari Treasures gift shop also has some quick, cold food and breakfast options. There are cereals, breads and other breakfast fare to choose from. Potato chips and other afternoon or evening snacks are available as well. Many of the food items are eligible as snack credits on the Disney Dining Plan. You could very easily take this food to your villa and prepare it in your kitchen or kitchenette. The gift shop also houses a refillable mug station for soda, coffee, and tea; however, there is no hot chocolate.

Despite the lack of a quick service restaurant at Kidani Village there are still options to choose from if you don't want to walk, take the bus, or drive over to Jambo House. Be sure to check them out while you are enjoying this beautiful resort. - Aaron DelPrince

Share meals. If you're buying at the resort (we do, since I don't cook on vacation!), split entrees. Or get a double cheeseburger, cut it in half, and you've got two burgers at a fraction of the price of two full meals. Cast members have always accommodated our requests for an extra plate or extra silver. Their servings are large, and you won't go hungry! - Mark & Eileen Miller

My wife and I split an entree at table service restaurants. The portion sizes are usually more than one person can handle (or should handle anyway). Our server at the Sci-Fi Dine In split a milkshake for our 3 and 4 year old daughters to share also. Sharing really made sense for us, as my wife has had Lap Band surgery and is not able to eat much anyway--sharing made her feel less wasteful. - Jeremy Hardy

Eat at a more expensive restaurant for lunch rather than dinner, as the menu choices are similar but the prices are lower - so you can experience the restaurant of your choice for less. Also, check out the menus on Deb's site before you go. They've been updated recently, and the price of an entree can differ in price between otherwise "comparable" restaurants. - Jennifer J. Bogdanski, Esq

One of the best money-saving things we found on our last trip was the Rotisserie section at the Caribbean Beach food court. The turkey and chicken meals came with enough food (vegetable, mashed potatoes, etc.) that I was able to split the meal with my 2-year-old. Plus, I felt like we were eating something a little healthier than just hamburgers and hot dogs. - Elizabeth Doda

Even though a counter service restaurant offers meals in a combo form, it may be possible to buy the items separately. Recently, I did this at Pecos Bill's in Frontierland. I wanted the vegetarian burger, but didn't really want the fries that came with it. I asked and ended up saving almost $3. I was amazed at the difference in price. - Debbie