What the ‘eating with no budget at Disney World’ trend is costing TikTokers: ‘That’s half my paycheck’
“Disney Adults” are documenting how much it costs to eat without a budget at Disneyland and Disney World — and while some TikTokers are reeling from sticker shock, others agree that dining at Disney is “all just vibes.”
With over 102 million collective views on TikTok, the hashtag #disneyeats proves that obsessively logging and rating every Disney snack or meal is no new trend for Disney fans — no matter which park. (However, Disneyland seems to be the more popular food destination, with the hashtag #whatiateatdisneyland boasting over 65 million views — compared with #disneyworldfood, coming in at 39 million views).
And while we’ve seen Disney meals go viral in the past — such as the $32 per ounce wagyu steak meal that’s served with a “traumatizing” piece of paper, or the $100 Avengers-themed sandwich that ranks as one of the most expensive in the world — this budget-unfriendly trend has some Disney fans saying “garsh!”
It’s no secret that a day in any Disney park is going to cost a pretty penny, and most people will do anything to save a few bucks — like the family who allegedly crammed their little girl into a baby stroller just to avoid paying for another adult ticket.
But some Disney Adults aren’t doing anything special to save money while dining at the parks. In fact, they’re going in without any budget at all, and they’re documenting every impulse purchase on TikTok.
Usually dubbed “everything I ate at [Disney park] with ✨no budget✨” or “what I eat in a day at [Disney park] with ✨no budget✨,” the trend typically logs each meal or snack, where it can be purchased, how much it costs and what the TikToker rates it on a scale of 1 to 10.
TikToker @gracemarywilliams, a candy and toy reviewer, gained nearly 1 million views with one such video, filmed at Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando, Fla. “DONT JUDGE ME,” she writes in the caption.
“I swear, there’s something about walking around the park that you just don’t care spending money on food,” she states in the video, holding a $6.99 flute of Dole Whip. She takes viewers through all the food she sampled that day, including a Sully Slushy for $5.99, a Cheshire Cat Tail for $5.79 and a Crystal Palace buffet dinner for $59.00.
By the end of the day, @gracemarywilliams spent $153.67 on her food purchases — which, according to some TikTokers, was well beyond their means.
“that’s half my paycheck💀,” one user wrote.
“On todays episode of im rich and you’re poor,” another user commented.
However, many TikTokers fully supported her no-budget approach to dining in the parks.
“I do not budget for food at the parks. It’s all just vibes,” one user commented.
“No budget Disney is the only way to do it 🥰,” another user agreed.
Another TikToker, Disney and lifestyle influencer @anddislife, also documents all her no-budget trips to Disney World in a series of TikTok videos.
In part 11 of that series — gaining over 1.5 million views and 91,000 likes — @anddislife logged and reviewed each food purchase of her day, the total of which came to $115.78.
Again, viewers were split in the comment section.
“🧍 wish i had this kind of money, bro i cant even ensure imma eat tomorrow,” one money-strapped user wrote.
“Honestly I have to put away like 1k for food & merch every time cause im not budgeting & thinking about money at Disney 🫡,” a free-spending user wrote.
Some users pointed out that bringing kids to Disney might make budget-free dining very difficult.
“another reason to never have a kid cause you don’t need to worry about paying for them here too 🤣,” one user wrote.
To this, @anddislife replied, “I know😂 I don’t even wanna think about paying for kids.”
According to the Disney trip planning website Ziggy Knows Disney, visitors who aren’t on the Disney Dining Plan should expect to spend $10 to $15 per day, per person, on snacks — a much lower price than those seen in the “eating with no budget” trend.
But when looking at all of the most popular Disney snacks and their prices, staying within the $10 to $15 range might be tricky.
Disney Food Blog reports that if you sample each of the “20 best snacks” at Disney World, the total would come to $147.10. Some of those snacks and their prices include:
Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookies: $6
Adventureland Spring Rolls: $9.50
Carrot Cake Cookie: $4.99
Totchos: $9.99
Blue or Green Milk: $8.49
Grey Stuff Cupcake: $5.49
‘Ohana Bread Pudding: $12
Mr. Kamal’s Fries: $5.99
Num Num Cookie: $6.19
Considering that the average cost of a six-day trip to Disney will cost a group of 2 over $3,400 (which includes $550 Quick Service dining plan), those extra snack purchases certainly add up.
However, not every Disney Adult is entering the parks without a budget.
Many TikTokers have made it their mission to document all the budget-friendly meal options visitors can find across the different Disney properties.
Many also document which meals are worth the cost and which are not, so visitors can avoid wasting money on food they won’t enjoy.
Some users even film clever food hacks to help families stretch their dollar while dining in the Disney parks, like the TikToker who figured out a way to feed an entire family with a single turkey leg.
While the “eating with no budget at Disney” trend might not be feasible for everyone’s wallet, thanks to these Disney Adult influencers, TikTok users can live vicariously through each one of their spendthrift snack reviews.
And for those looking for a slightly more practical look at Disney food, the hashtags #budgetdisney or #disneyhacks might be more your cup of (affordable yet still magical) tea.
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