Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7.
Crowds also pack nearby eateries before, during, and immediately after special
events, parades, and shows such as the wildly popular
World of Color
in DCA.
Conversely, dining venues far from the action are almost empty during their run
times, and you can typically walk right up to the counter without any wait at all.
Beyond Counter Service: Tips for Saving Money on Food
Though buying food from counter-service restaurants and vendors will save you time
and money compared with full-service dining, additional strategies can bolster your
budget and maintain your waistline. Over the years, our readers have offered the fol-
lowing suggestions:
1.
Go to Disneyland during a period of fasting and abstinence. You can save a for-
tune
and
save your soul!
2.
Wear clothes that are slightly too small and make you feel like dieting. (No span-
dex allowed!)
3.
Whenever you're feeling hungry, ride the Mad Tea Party, California Screamin', or
other attractions that can induce motion sickness.
4.
Leave your cash and credit cards at your hotel. Buy food only with money your
children fish out of fountains and wishing wells.
unofficial
TIP
Restaurants with a Mickey Check logo on their menu boards (showing Mickey's
head with a check mark) offer special meals for kids ages 3-9. Menu items (includ-
ing meat loaf, roast turkey, and mac and cheese) are designed to meet balanced nu-
tritional guidelines with zero saturated and trans fats, less sugar, and reduced sodi-
um.
Cost-conscious readers also have volunteered ideas for stretching food dollars. A
Missouri mom writes:
Weshoppedandarrivedwithourcoolerwellstockedwithmilkandsandwichfixings.
I froze a block of ice in a milk bottle, and we replenished it daily from the resort
ice machine. I also froze small packages of deli meats for later in the week. We ate
cereal, milk, and fruit each morning, with boxed juices. I also had a hot pot to boil
water for instant coffee, oatmeal, and soup.
Each child had a belt bag of his own, which he filled from a special box of
goodies each day. I made a great mystery of filling that box in the weeks before the
trip. Some things were actual food, [such as] packages of crackers andcheese [and]
packets of peanuts and raisins. Some were worthless junk, [such as] candy and gum.
They grazed from their bags at will throughout the day, with no interference from
