DP 2008 vs. not having it vs. eating outside the park (at least for dinner)

[crutnacker]

My wife and I were considering Disney for our 10th anniversary. We found out about the changes to the Disney Dining plan, and I'm wondering if it is worth it. How do you weigh the cost/benefit? I tried looking for menus to compare the cost of a daily plan to what our meals might cost, but can't find any.

We're planning on staying in the park, but also taking a day or two to visit Universal. Would it be smarter to pay cash for our meals in the park and/or drive to a restaurant outside the park to eat occasionally?

It just seems like $36.00 a day isn't much of a bargain over the real prices unless you eat steaks every night.

HELP!

[minniekissedme]

The best value comes from using TS meals for dinner where you'll likely spend $25-$30 each per dinner. More if you decide the filet is the way to go! You can check out the menus on allears.net as well as reviews.

We have only dined in the parks/resorts so I can't really speak to what's outside. Our last trip we had some wonderful dinners from seafood to steak and I enjoy what Disney offers.

Also figure that your QS meals will run in the neighborhood of $10-$15 each time. Add the snacks and you're on your way to saving a couple bucks.

You get one day of meals for each nite you stay. If you're gone one day or more it may not work for you...it's a lot of food to waste.