Hi Elizabeth,
It sounds like you're planning a wonderful Disney adventure with lots of special Mouseketeers in your life! That sounds like SO MUCH FUN!
With a pretty large immediate family myself, I'm always doing my best to stretch our Disney dollars. I'd love to offer you some suggestions for a delicious meal, but I will admit that my very first budget-conscious thought is that you might want to consider visiting Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge on a different day when you're not visiting a theme park. Don't get me wrong...it's AMAZING and one of my very favorite Disney Resort hotels, but it could take you up to 45 minutes to travel each leg when you factor in up to 10 minutes to walk to the bus stop and 20 minutes to wait for a bus to arrive. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge offers many incredible cultural, wildlife, and even culinary events and you could easily spend a few hours just immersed in the African experience. Unless you are Annual Passholders, that's a large chunk of your Magic Kingdom Park ticket price.
But, back to meals...I have some good news for you. If you're wanting to stick to your original plan,
Olivia's Cafe is actually a pretty fantastic value for a delicious Table-service meal. While all of these prices are always subject to change, I just checked the menu and the Southernmost Buttermilk Chicken (which is
ah-mazing!) is only $20! If you'd rather cut out some travel time, however,
Sanaa at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village has some delicious options, including their famous Bread Service for $17 or Butter Chicken for $28. You'll also find
The Mara at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge which offers some unique and tasty options. If you'd rather stay at Magic Kingdom Park,
Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen offers some fantastic dishes including "Tastes Like Chicken" Because it is!, which is currently priced at $24.
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe,
Columbia Harbor House, and
The Plaza Restaurant are also great choices at Magic Kingdom Park with entrée options under $25. If you'd like to dine somewhere closer to Magic Kingdom Park,
Whispering Canyon Cafe offers an all-you-care-to-enjoy lunch skillet for $24 and is only a short boat ride away at Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Of course, the three Resort hotels along the monorail all offer great Quick-service dining options, too, or
The Wave... of American Flavors at Disney's Contemporary Resort is a Table-service restaurant that offers some great meals at great prices, especially at lunchtime. There really are so many scrumptious options to choose from, and my mouth is watering just thinking about them all!
Thanks so much for visiting us at the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Elizabeth, and please feel free to keep your great questions coming! I hope that you have a truly magical...and delicious...vacation!
Missy