How to Save Money on Food at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Disney Food Budget Tips

Taking my family of six to Disney’s Animal Kingdom was an adventure, but it also meant keeping a close eye on our Disney food budget. With four growing boys, food can quickly become one of the biggest expenses on a Disney vacation. For this last-minute trip, we focused on planning, research, and making intentional choices to save money on meals while still enjoying the park.

We’ve been on Disney vacations where we splurged and spent hundreds of dollars a day on food for our family, but this was a last-minute trip, and we needed to be conservative with our spending. Eating at Disney can be fun and the focus of your day, but for this trip, we decided to focus on family fun. Our goal was to see and do as much as possible without spending much time or money on food.

Set a Disney Food Budget

For our Animal Kingdom day, I set a goal of spending under $100 on food. Because the park closes early, quick-service meals and food kiosks were the best options — table-service restaurants were not in the plan.

Disney allows guests to bring in outside food, which is a huge advantage for families on a Disney food budget. Packing snacks or light meals helps save hundreds of dollars and prevents impulse spending inside the park.

We also reviewed menus ahead of time using the My Disney Experience app and ran sample mobile orders to understand pricing and portion sizes. Factoring in our family’s food preferences helped ensure everyone had something they would enjoy.

Pro Planning Tip: We recommend using Jessica Lieb with ET Family Travel to book your Disney vacation!

Opt for Kids Meals

Ordering kids’ meals is one of the easiest ways to save money at Disney World. Anyone can order off the kid’s menu at quick-service restaurants. Not all kids’ meals are created equal, though — some provide better portions for the price.

For lunch, we ate at Satu’li Canteen in Pandora. Kids’ meals were under $9 each and came with a refillable drink. My husband and I ordered mini versions of the adult customizable bowls, which were smaller but satisfying. The kids had Teylu-wrapped hotdogs or quesadillas with chips and mandarin oranges.

Total lunch cost: $50.40

Buy Sharable Snacks

Mid-August heat made a cold snack a must. We chose Kakigori shaved ice from Caravan Road — watermelon, mango/passion fruit, and kakigori flavors. We shared the portions among the family, which were large enough to satisfy everyone.

My husband also grabbed a cold brew coffee mid-afternoon while the kids refilled water bottles and snacked from our backpacks.

Total snack and coffee cost: $22.64

Packing Snacks

Bringing snacks is one of the simplest ways to protect your Disney food budget. We packed two backpacks with crackers, cookies, cereal bars, and refillable water bottles. Having snacks on hand helped prevent hunger meltdowns and unnecessary spending in the park.

Eat Outside of the Park

Since Animal Kingdom closes early (around 6 p.m.), we saved money by eating dinner after leaving the park. Staying at an off-property hotel with a kitchenette allowed us to cook a small meal, which was cheaper and more relaxing than returning to a table-service restaurant.

Total Spent on Food at Animal Kingdom

Our total food and beverage expenses in Animal Kingdom were $72.04, keeping us well within our daily Disney food budget. With planning and intentional choices, it’s easy to enjoy your day at the park without overspending.

For more ways to stay on a Disney food budget, check out our guide to maximizing your Disney food budget at Epcot and saving money on food at Hollywood Studios.