The Disney Fountain of Youth: DISNEY DINING TIP: SHARING IS CARING (...But Splitting is SAVING!)

     A big part of the Disney Parks experience is the food. That's for sure. If you are tripping on a budget, one easy way to save a few bucks is by splitting meals.

   Most meals at the Disney eateries are served in very generous portions. And, one of the nice things is that most (if not all) of the table service restaurants will not charge for "splitting" meals.

The Turf Club

Ask for the larger cut of Prime Rib (like this one at Disney's Turf Club) for splitting. You won't go hungry!

   Since retirement, I don't have the (seemingly) "unlimited funds" that I did when I was working. Our last trip, was a bit of an experiment in saving on meals. I've learned that while I may not have as much expendable money since retiring, I also don't eat as much as I did when I was younger (and working).

   The Turf Club at Disney's Saratoga Springs resort was a perfect place to share a delicious meal in a cozy (and kinda' romantic) setting. Our server Houda was more than happy to help us out with our split meal. She had a great suggestion. When I asked about the Prime Rib, and said we wanted to split it, she asked if we would like to order the larger cut (18 oz. I think?) for just $8 more. It worked out great. We still got the dinner rolls, and she brought us both steak knives, and served the meal with an extra plate for sharing. I'm a self-proclaimed connoisseur of Prime Rib, and this was one of the best I've ever had. We were both satisfied (actually quite full), and the price was right for such a great dining experience.

The next night for "Split Meal Dining": Boatwright's Dining Hall

   It worked out good, and the next evening, we headed to another old favorite of ours - Boatwright's Dining Hall at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside resort. Like the Turf Club at Saratoga Springs, Boatwright's is open at 5:00pm for dinner only.

   We took the boat from Disney Springs over to Port Orleans Riverside, and on the boat ride, we met a gentleman named Mark who was from Pompano Beach, Florida. We got to talking, and he said how much he liked the Etouffee at Boatwright's. We decided to try it, I don't remember ever having Crawfish in a dish before, so we decided to order it and asked the waitress about splitting. She was more than happy to split a meal for us, and the kitchen served the dish in two separate bowls to make it easy for us!

Yes, that is a HALF portion of Etouffee in that bowl!

We ordered a Fried Green Tomatoes appetizer along with the meal, and with that delicious corn bread served with the meal (all you want), it was terrific!

....and this is the OTHER HALF!

Boatwright's is another overlooked gem of Walt Disney World dining. If you like cajun cookin' in a relaxed atmosphere, this is your place.

A lesson learned: Casey's is great for "Splitting a meal"!

Table service meals are not the only place where splitting can work out. The "foot long" hot dogs at Casey's Corner in the Magic Kingdom are HUMONGOUS! It was our first time at Casey's and I didn't realize what they offered, if I had only known...we would have just split the foot long. You can easily split one of the large hot dogs (comes with fries) and be full! There is a fixin's bar with Relish and Sauerkraut

The foot long Chile-Cheese dog with added Sauerkraut from the fixin's bar

The foot long makes the regular dog look like an appetizer! Great for splitting.

So good we had to return: The Turf Club

The Turf Club was so good, we had to hit it one more time before the end of the trip (especially since we were staying right there at Saratoga Springs). Our server Nestor was awesome and suggested that the Lamb Osso Buco might be great for splitting.

Another great dish from Disney's Turf Club

He was right! A huge "shank" of braised lamb (bone-in) with Red Pepper-Cheddar Polenta and Gremolata was perfect for 2 to split. We added the Wedge Salad and it was a complete and very filling meal.

How about this for dessert? Brown Butter-Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter Cream.

Splitting is a great way to enjoy the great dining experiences at the Disney parks & resorts. Try it, you'll like it! And with the few bucks you saved, why not split a dessert too!