Well a rough rule of thumb is that what would cost you a pound in UK will cost you a $ in the US so everything is about half price. Food at the Disney parks will cost you more than it would out in the surrounding areas,for the convenience factor. Go for the 'all you can eat' type of breakfast before you head to the parks.

easy enough to say £ to $ etc, but what the cost of meals
if i was to eat out in uk say a steakhouse, a meal would be £20 ish, would the equivalent usa be $20 ish

Mark

Yes,about half of what you'd pay in UK. It applies to almost everything I can think of,food,entertainment,clothing,even cars A car that would cost 20K in England will cost $20K here.
For breakfasts at a family friendly place always head for the Cracker Barrel restaurants wherever you see them. Denny's also has some good deals.
For restaurants in Lake Buena Vista- just Google Kissimmee restaurants-and see what appeals to you- gosh there are so many, all on the main road- W Irlo Bronson Hwy- I would say try the Outback Steakhouse if you like good value steaks,and don't miss their Blooming Onion- yumm- also Chili's, Olive Garden, also Ponderosa have an all you can eat buffet,you don't need to order the steaks there,just have the salad bar-breads-veggies-desserts on the buffet . If you want a 5 star steak place then take a look at Ruth's Chris, DelFrisco's- the choices are unlimited, and of course you have all the drive thru McD's,Burger Kings etc. Don't forget that when you buy a drink with a meal here all refills are free and unlimited. That makes a difference with thirsty kids.

Another good tip is that sometimes you end up eating sooooo much if you have a buffet (all you can eat) breakfast, that you might find you dont need lunch at all, maybe just a snack and then that'll keep you going till dinner. Might be a bit different with the kids, but the adults in our groups managed fine without lunch this way. Buffet's are easier to find things for kids aswell.

Where are you staying, are there any facilities there to do your own breakfast? If the children do not eat much, I would avoid the buffet breakfasts, you may find it a waste. When our children were younger they prefered to just have cereal for breakfast and were ready for a snack lunch in the parks. Some hotels hire fridges, and there is a supermarket handy for buying cereal/milk, plus it saves at least an hour in the mornings waiting for breakfast to be served.

Kaz

we are staying at the courtyard in lake buena vista....no fridge/cooking facilities....hotel does do breakfasts though.
kids survive breakfast with toast/cereal but ready for lunch/snacks by 12 (though will be giddy there.....ages 8 n 7)
We like our dinners, but the kids will restrict themselves to bog standard english kid food!?!
unlimited drinks sounds fab......
I like Italian & Chinese, but will try most things if its not moving on plate!

Mark

The Olive Garden has great Italian food- I love their Lasagna.
Disney parks have all the kid favourites- burgers,chicken nuggets,etc.
The hotel restaurants are always overpriced.

A really really good steak house is the Black Angus, Its really good food and value for money. Just got back 2 weeks ago from Lake Buena Vista. Stayed in Comfort Inn which is opposite Courtyard.

Laura x

Hi Markas,

Our first ever trip to Disney was at the same hotel, with three young children. The location is ideal.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review

Take a look on tripadvisor, it appears that you can request a fridge for your room. Not sure if they charge additionally for this, but it will allow you to buy water/drinks in the supermarket therefore saving a fortune.

Kaz

Hi Marcus
Did you know that you can purchase a eat all you want dine around the theme parks pass? Not sure on the prices but maybe if the little ones only eat small ammounts you could buy 2 adults and 1 child each day that way if you eat on the go you can share and as its unlimited you can go back again if you get peckish. Just an option and its what a lot of families do. Its not just junk food either.
Also if you do decide not to have the option of dine around I agree a large buffet breakie sets you up for the day.
My kids never used to eat breakfast when they where first up, so we used to go to mcdonalds for breakfast sometimes and just get them there food when they where at the parks.
Book a character breakfast its a good way to get them to eat, Cinderells castle is lovely if you have little girls.
Have a good time and be prepared to go back time and time again as its addictive.
Liz.

Liz, how do you know about this? how can I find out where I can get these tickets and at what cost.
Thanx Mark