Disney Dining on the Cheap!

Planning Ahead

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Everyone knows that it can be hard to budget for all the extra spends that you encounter on holiday. Disney has come up with a couple of ways of helping you budget for your vacation before you leave home. One of these methods is to buy the Quick Service Dining Plan. This can be purchased in advance if you are staying at a WDW property, at some times during the year this is also offered free as part of a package at some of the resorts.The plan has to be purchased for every member of the party for every night of the vacation. Each person is allocated 2 quick service meal credits (also known as counter-service), 2 snack credits and 1 refillable mug that can only be used at the resort in w...Read More

Everyone knows that it can be hard to budget for all the extra spends that you encounter on holiday. Disney has come up with a couple of ways of helping you budget for your vacation before you leave home. One of these methods is to buy the Quick Service Dining Plan. This can be purchased in advance if you are staying at a WDW property, at some times during the year this is also offered free as part of a package at some of the resorts.

The plan has to be purchased for every member of the party for every night of the vacation. Each person is allocated 2 quick service meal credits (also known as counter-service), 2 snack credits and 1 refillable mug that can only be used at the resort in which you are staying. The credits are loaded onto your "Key to the World" door key and each time you use some credits you get a receipt telling you how many are left. You can redeem the credits in any order on any day of your vacation.

The Quick Service meals are available throughout the resort at hotels and theme parks and they do not all have to consist of chips; there is a great variety to choose from.
Breakfast- many resorts have a QS breakfast and there is normally a large platter with a variety of breakfast items, some families find that they don’t need to redeem a credit each as they can share. This is acceptable if all members are on the plan and you are just saving credits, it is not acceptable to buy food using credits for people not on the plan. As well as your breakfast selection you also get a non-alcoholic drink.

Lunch/Dinner- there are lots of brilliant places to choose from including Wolfgang Puck at DTD, Cantina de San Angel at Epcot and Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom. The lunch or dinner consists of a main course, a dessert and a non-alcoholic drink. If you are not hungry enough for dessert then take a pre-wrapped cookie or a piece of fruit to have later in the day.

Snacks- the snack credits are often used for ice-creams, single-serving popcorn or soft drinks but there are lots of other things too. You can get jacket potatoes, side orders of chips, sandwiches and muffins. Most people find that they struggle to use all of their snack credits so it is worth bearing in mind that you can have muffins and pastries that you can save for breakfast or you can buy small packets of Disney candy which can make ideal little gifts for children. Also if you are at Epcot during the food and wine festival you can use the credits for lots of the food carts around the lagoon to try some unusual dishes.

The price for 2011 is $35 for adults and $12 for children. This does seem quite a lot but if you are careful you should have enough to eat for a family and shouldn’t have to keep putting your hand in your pocket for extras like ice-creams and water or any meals.
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Pecos Bill Café

Restaurant | "Second Time Lucky!"

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There are many places to eat in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. My family prefer to spend their time enjoying the rides and attraction and really do not like wasting their time in table service restaurants whilst in the parks. For this reason we usually choose a quick service dining outlet so that we can be refuelled and on the rides again in as little time as possible.This year we decided to try Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe which is located in Frontierland, very close to the Country Bear Jamboree and on the way to the major attractions of Splash Mountain and Big Thunder. The outside looks like a Western saloon from the old cowboy films and the Western theme is continue ins...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on December 1, 2025

Pecos Bill Café
Frontierland, Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World, Florida

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Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe

Restaurant | "Futuristic Food!"

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We always tend to opt for fast-food dining when in the theme parks of Walt Disney World as table-service cuts into our theme-park time as well as our spending money!Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe is probably our favourite venue for a quick meal in any of the parks and it is found in Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. The cafe accepts Quick service Dining Plan and Snack Credits for people using those plans. The fantastic thing about Cosmic Ray’s is that it has three separate serving areas which have different food selections so this works well for families where everyone fancies something different. The only downside is that you have to queue separately in each area, it would be much better if ...Read More

We always tend to opt for fast-food dining when in the theme parks of Walt Disney World as table-service cuts into our theme-park time as well as our spending money!

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe is probably our favourite venue for a quick meal in any of the parks and it is found in Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. The cafe accepts Quick service Dining Plan and Snack Credits for people using those plans. The fantastic thing about Cosmic Ray’s is that it has three separate serving areas which have different food selections so this works well for families where everyone fancies something different. The only downside is that you have to queue separately in each area, it would be much better if you could just order at one window.

This is the largest counter service restaurant in the Magic Kingdom and we have never had any problems finding seats, even at busy times. There is seating in each area, one part has an animatronic DJ to entertain you whilst you eat or you can opt to sit outside and watch the world go by.

The restaurant opens at about 10.30am and stays open through lunch and dinner.

The outside and inside follow the theming of a futuristic eatery so there is lots of shiny metal and neon signs. As with the other quick service restaurants you queue up to place your order (there are no self-service screens here yet) and then move forward to the hatch to collect it. We usually find the service relatively quick and efficient. You collect the serviettes, straws, condiments and cutlery from the various service points located around the restaurant. Whilst waiting in the queue we usually find that Cast Members come and give you a menu for all three areas so that you can see what else is on offer.

From memory I believe the food s are split into Soups and Salads, Sandwiches and Burgers and Chicken dishes. This gives a huge variety including Caesar salad, hot dogs, rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables, chicken soup and vegetarian wraps. There are also cakes and brownies for desserts.

My family love the Chicken Nuggets on offer here as they contain juicy chicken breast and a lovely spicy coating, they are also very filling. Unfortunately if you order the childs chicken nugget meal they get the horrible, dry, preformed nuggets instead. For the childs meal it is better to order just chicken as it is much nicer. Four chicken nuggets with fries and diet coke comes to about $42 which is expensive but we don’t need to eat for ages afterwards!

I love the futuristic atmosphere here and have always found the food to be hot and it tastes fresh. Seating is never a problem and its location in my favourite part of Magic Kingdom means we always pay it a visit whilst in Florida.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 1, 2025

Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
Disney's Magic Kingdom
Orlando, Florida
(407) WDW-DINE

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Toy Story Pizza Planet

Restaurant | "Pizza? yes, Pizza Planet? No"

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The advantage of counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World is that you don’t need to make an Advance Dining Reservation, you can just stroll up when you are feeling peckish and you don’t have to plan your vacation around the ADRs you may have booked 180days before.Disney Hollywood Studios has several counter service options and the one we use most frequently is Toy Story Pizza Planet. This restaurant is located in the Muppet Show courtyard. It takes Disney Quick Service Plan and Snack credits for people on those schemes. It is open for lunch and dinner.Out of all the Disney restaurants I have visited I must say this one is probably the most lacking in theming and atmo...Read More

The advantage of counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World is that you don’t need to make an Advance Dining Reservation, you can just stroll up when you are feeling peckish and you don’t have to plan your vacation around the ADRs you may have booked 180days before.

Disney Hollywood Studios has several counter service options and the one we use most frequently is Toy Story Pizza Planet. This restaurant is located in the Muppet Show courtyard. It takes Disney Quick Service Plan and Snack credits for people on those schemes. It is open for lunch and dinner.

Out of all the Disney restaurants I have visited I must say this one is probably the most lacking in theming and atmosphere. The first time I visited I was shocked by its bare brick appearance, there are some things inside that will amuse Toy Story fans but I was hoping for something far more representative of the Pizza Planet in the film. There are various arcade machines inside which do make for a noisy dining experience and although there are not usually a lack of seats inside (there is an upstairs too) we still opt to sit outside where it is quieter.

You order at the stands and then walk forward to collect your food under the watchful gaze of Buzz and Woody. Due to the lack of variety of offerings here the service is usually quite quick.

As you would imagine the food on offer here is basically pizza, either cheese, Pepperoni or Veggie. There is also a garden salad or a chicken salad and cookies.

We all opted for pizzas on our last visit. I had veggie and everyone else had pepperoni. The pizzas were nice and hot and tasted freshly baked with a good crust. Personally I prefer thin-based pizzas which these aren’t so it is proof of how nice they were that I thoroughly enjoyed mine anyway. The pizzas are not very big considering that they are over $8 each, none of us had any trouble finishing them completely and I think we could have eaten more.

This is a restaurant that we visit because we rarely have pizza when away and the children love them. They are on a par price-wise with most food available but I really wish they had put more effort into the theming as I really feel this lets the place down.
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on December 1, 2025

Toy Story Pizza Planet
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World, Florida
(407) WDW–DINE

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Electric Umbrella

Restaurant | "Dull and Dark"

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On our last visit to EPCOT we made the mistake of visiting on a Saturday evening during the Food and Wine Festival. The place was extremely busy and we decided to cut our losses and leave. However as we left World Showcase my children started moaning that they were hungry. Our plan had been to leave and eat outside of WDW but the excessive heat and crowds had sapped our energy so we decided to grab something to eat in Future world before heading back to the car. We really couldn’t be bothered to walk anywhere so we stopped at the Electric Umbrella Restaurant which is in Innoventions East on the main concourse.This restaurant opens for Lunch and Dinner and I have heard that it serves br...Read More

On our last visit to EPCOT we made the mistake of visiting on a Saturday evening during the Food and Wine Festival. The place was extremely busy and we decided to cut our losses and leave. However as we left World Showcase my children started moaning that they were hungry. Our plan had been to leave and eat outside of WDW but the excessive heat and crowds had sapped our energy so we decided to grab something to eat in Future world before heading back to the car. We really couldn’t be bothered to walk anywhere so we stopped at the Electric Umbrella Restaurant which is in Innoventions East on the main concourse.

This restaurant opens for Lunch and Dinner and I have heard that it serves breakfast as well but I couldn’t confirm that. It is on the Disney Quick service plan and Snack Credits.

Unlike many Disney restaurants there was no obvious theming in here and to be honest it seemed rather dark when we went inside. Although the air-conditioning was nice I decided to sit outside in the heat and watch the dancing fountains instead of sitting in the cool gloom.

The menu selection wasn’t very exciting and it was very similar to other quick service restaurants. Cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, nuggets and vegetable wraps are available along with fries, vegetarian chilli and cookies.

Due to its location this restaurant is busier for lunch than for dinner so the menu is slightly more restricted during the evening when people tend to eat around the World Showcase.

I chose the chicken sandwich which came with plenty of lettuce and tomato and also apple slices. It was nicer than I expected and the bun tasted nice and fresh. My children opted for the chicken nuggets which they love and are the same type that are dished up all over Disney. My husband had the cheeseburger with fries which he ate quickly and said it was unremarkable but perfectly acceptable!

As with all the quick service places we ordered at a stand and collected at the hatch. We then collected condiments etc at the service point but unusually this time we were given our drinks cups to fill up at the machine. No-one said anything about the drinks being refillable but we presumed they were so we went back and all had a second cup which was most welcome in the weather. No one said anything to us so I presume this was allowed. This made the $40 we spent go a little further.

I don’t think I would bother going here again as there are so many interesting meal options in EPCOT but this served its purpose well for us this time.
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on December 1, 2025

Electric Umbrella
EPCOT World Showcase
Walt Disney World, Florida
(407) WDW–DINE

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Liberty Inn

Restaurant | "Light and Airy"

Quote:

EPCOTs World Showcase has a whole range of dining experiences. We have always visited during the Food and Wine festival and so although there are lots of great options everywhere gets very busy and it can be hard to find a table anywhere if you haven’t already booked an ADR. Although I don’t mind quick service meals at most Disney parks I always feel that EPCOT has so much to offer that I do end up a bit disappointed when we have to resort to a quick service meal here. This restaurant serves lunch and dinner but does not open until 12o’clock. It is part of the Quick Service plan and also has snack credit items.Liberty Inn is set about half way around World Showcase in the A...Read More

EPCOTs World Showcase has a whole range of dining experiences. We have always visited during the Food and Wine festival and so although there are lots of great options everywhere gets very busy and it can be hard to find a table anywhere if you haven’t already booked an ADR. Although I don’t mind quick service meals at most Disney parks I always feel that EPCOT has so much to offer that I do end up a bit disappointed when we have to resort to a quick service meal here.

This restaurant serves lunch and dinner but does not open until 12o’clock. It is part of the Quick Service plan and also has snack credit items.

Liberty Inn is set about half way around World Showcase in the America Pavilion next to the American Adventure. It is a large restaurant that is spacious and light due to the mainly glass walls and roof. It is air-conditioned and there is a large out-door seating terrace as well.
Entering the Liberty Inn is a pleasant experience as it feels quite calm. This is due to the fact that the serving counters are located at the back so the queues do not build up near the door. The light, airy atmosphere also helps to increase the feeling of calm, as does the small decorative fountain in the centre. The interior is obviously made to look like text-book history American and it is very pleasing.

The menu is quite predictable with the usual selection of cheeseburgers, BBQ pork sandwich and nuggets. It also serves something that is called Hot Roast Beef with Cheddar and sun chips which sounded a little peculiar and none of us wanted to give it a try, I couldn’t see anybody eating it at any of the tables although I did try looking! There are also vegetable wraps and burgers and Kosher meals. For desserts you can try Apple Cobbler or a special Mickey head shaped Rice Krispie biscuit.

The nuggets and the cheeseburgers that we have eaten here have been pretty standard but perfectly edible and filling. The speed of service does seem to vary very much on the server you get at the counter.

Sitting outside is great during the evening at the Food and Wine festival as the place is buzzing and if you time it right you get to hear whoever is playing the concert, this year it was Howard Jones that we could listen to whilst we ate.

Although this is not as interesting as most EPCOT restaurant it is quick to get food and there is plenty of seating.

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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on December 1, 2025

Liberty Inn
EPCOT World Showcase
Orlando, Florida

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Orlando Journals

Disney Dining on the Cheap!

Planning Ahead

Pecos Bill Café

Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe

Toy Story Pizza Planet

Electric Umbrella

Liberty Inn

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