Basic DDP - Enough Food?

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Okay, we have never done the dining plan before, but now have it for free. The more I think about it I keep feeling like it won't be enough meals. I am perfectly fine with one TS meal a day. But I feel like you would need two counter services, not one. I realize of course, that because I got the plan for Free, I'll just easily pay for extra meals as needed - BUT - we upgraded our hotel because of free dining, soooo - if we have to pay for a lot of extra food, maybe the upgrade wasn't so smart. Any opnions on how much food is enough? Thanks!! Jane

[Disneychix]

Last year DH and I ate so much that we cancelled some of our OOP dining ADRs because we just couldn't eat anymore. We also had snacks leftover. We bought muffins or fruit as snacks for breakfast or did CS breakfast. We used snacks for lunch, I don't think we ever did a CS lunch. We did TS dinners. We only paid for one OOP as we did Artist Point one night and it was 2TS.

Of course that was with the appetizers so maybe we won't be as full this year. But last year we just didn't want to eat anymore food by the end!

[pumpkinbuddy]

Okay, we have never done the dining plan before, but now have it for free. The more I think about it I keep feeling like it won't be enough meals. I am perfectly fine with one TS meal a day. But I feel like you would need two counter services, not one. I realize of course, that because I got the plan for Free, I'll just easily pay for extra meals as needed - BUT - we upgraded our hotel because of free dining, soooo - if we have to pay for a lot of extra food, maybe the upgrade wasn't so smart. Any opnions on how much food is enough? Thanks!! Jane

We had a car so we ate at Mcdonalds for breakfast everyday. We are not big breakfast eaters and also to save money and time. Last year we were on the dining plan and let me tell you it was soooo much food. Last year the appetizers were included but, it actually was over kill for us. The counter service meals were also very good and included dessert. I too was worried about not having enough food but, that will not be your problem. When getting a snack it is usually very large often. Alot of times we were not even hungry for dinner but we ate anyhow.

The strange thing was when were at the end of our stay. I said to my husband, "You know I can't wait to get home and have just a regular peanutbutter sandwich" Great food at disney. Don't worry about not having enough worry about gaining weight:rotfl:

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

[QUOTE=pumpkinbuddy;24535492]We had a car so we ate at Mcdonalds for breakfast everyday. We are not big breakfast eaters and also to save money and time. Last year we were on the dining plan and let me tell you it was soooo much food. Last year the appetizers were included but, it actually was over kill for us. The counter service meals were also very good and included dessert. I too was worried about not having enough food but, that will not be your problem. When getting a snack it is usually very large often. Alot of times we were not even hungry for dinner but we ate anyhow.

The strange thing was when were at the end of our stay. I said to my husband, "You know I can't wait to get home and have just a regular peanutbutter sandwich" Ain't that the truth!!!:rotfl: The 10 pounds it takes me six months to lose for the trip, will be easily gained back in one week at Disney!!! Still worth it though! :banana: Jane

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

I messed that up! I was trying to respond to what you said about the weight. I should not be allowed to use technology of the magnitude!:lmao: :lmao: Thanks for the opnions though, Jane

[Crystal_27]

We are paying OOP for the DDP for our upcoming September trip and I, too, worry that we won't have enough food. However, when we went in December, 2007, we typically ate TS breakfasts, CS lunches, and snacks for dinner. Since we have mostly planned TS dinners for this trip, my plan is to maximize our CS credits by sharing 2 CS breakfast or lunch meals between the three of us. I also am planning on using snack credits at the bakeries for breakfasts when we are at the parks so hopefully that will help as well. Having said all of that though, with my calculations, we are still going to have to pay out of pocket for our breakfast at CRT and our breakfast at Kona - LOL. Hope this helps - happy planning!

[ADP]

We just returned last week from a week long trip and did the dining plan for the first time. We felt the plan provided too much food for our family. We found ourselves eating just to avoid losing credits. The last day of our trip we still had 6 counter service credits to use and we only had 1/2 day to use them. We ate a late breakfast and then gobbled down lunch. It was probably the wrong thing to do because I felt bloated on the plane trip home! :)

I think it just depends on your family. Can you eat that much each day? Are you the type of family who will be ok stopping to eat 2 or 3 times a day. We found out it was ok to start with, but towards the end of our trip it became inconvenient.

Here are some thoughts I put together about the dining plan during a live blog I was doing last week during our trip. Again, these are just comments based on our family's experience.

Dining
The Dining Plan
This was the first time we ever used the Disney Dining Plan. My suspicians about the plan were right. It's simply too much food. We had a hard time using all of our credits. We found ourselves simply eating to avoid losing credits (force feeding ourselves). I know the plan is designed to save you money, and it did in theory; however, the plan forces you to eat when you wouldn't normally eat. For example, we ate 7 table service meals. On one of our normal trips we would probably only eat 4 table service meals. So, I'm basically paying for 3 more table service meals I wouldn't normally eat and pay for. So, in reality the plan costs me more money. In addition, since you now have to pay for the tip out of pocket the cost of the dining plan has increased. tipping for 7 table service meals in a week is not cheap; especially for a $100 bill. The plan isn't as convenient as you would think. Since you need to use credits you find yourself stopping to eat in order to try and pace yourself of food intake. "Hey! Has anyone seen my feed bag?" :laughing: I don't think we'll be doing the dining plan again. I wanted to try it to see what it was like. We'll be sticking with our Disney Dining Experience card in the future.

Table Service Dining
The dining plan did allow us to try some restaurants we would not have normally tried. Let me say I believe our table service dining experiences varied based on the chefs who cooked our food. I also believe to some extent certain restaurants get better quality food; which would enhance your dining experience at that restaurant. Here is how I rated our table service restaurant experiences with food and service.
1. Kona Cafe - Excellent food and dessert choices. We'll be going back soon!
2. Chef Mickeys - The prime rib was the best I've ever had.
3. Ohana - Great service. A great breakfast starting your day off right.
4. Olivia's - The food was good, but the service was even better.
5. Tusker House - Average service with slightly above average food.
6. Sci-Fi Dine In - A unique restaurant with average food and average service
7. Tutto Italia - Not a bad experience, but for the price it should be better. A good dining plan restaurant.

Counter Service
Let me say right off the bat the cost of dining at a counter service restaurant at Disney World has increased significantly. I can recall about 5 years ago the cost of the 3 of us dining at a counter service restaurant was a little over $20. Most of our meals this trip cost over $35 :scared1:. For example, our bill was $36 at Restuaranasaurus yesterday for mostly McDonald's branded food. Again, the dining plan did save us money; however, I would have never had 7 counter service meals without the dining plan. So, in reality, it cost us more money. Look, I understand everything goes up in price, but at the rate Disney is raising their prices being able to afford a trip to Disney World will almost be impossible for the average family. Remember when going to a professional sporting event used to be somewhat affordable....Today? Forget about it! I'm seeing this same, alarming trend at Disney parks; ticket prices included! The counter service food is not bad, but nothing exceptional.
Here's how I rate our counter service meals.
1. Backlot Express - Quick line during ordering process and surprisingly good food. A nice place to eat.
2. Casey's Corner - Great location, Still good food despite the bun fiasco.
3. ABC Commisary - Nice choices, very large seating area above average food.
4. Tangerine Cafe - Very good choices and decent food. Service was a bit unorganized.
5. Good's to Go @ Old Key West - Limited seating, decent food, slow service.
6. Restaurantasaurus - Overpriced McDonalds food, but nice fixings bar.
7. Yak & Yeti Counter Service - Pretty disappointing, the seating area was terribly unorganized, the chinese boxed food was not very good. Pass this place up; especially in the summer months.

[1DISNEYLVR]

I also have found that the DDP is too much food & we had credits left on our last day. You have to remember that the servings are quite large and include an entree, drink, & dessert. DD & I could easy split a counter service meal & both be full.

[mkycrzy1971]

We too found the DDP to be a lot of food...believe me, we were never hungry! I ordered water, poptarts, bagels, and donuts from garden grocer along with some snack crackers to throw in our bags for the parks then bought 1/2 gallon of milk at the resort...this eliminated the need to buy breakfast at a CS location and this is how my family normally eats breakfast anyway...we ended up with 15 snack credits left our last day (family of 4) so I purchased mickey rice crispy treats to take home. Garden grocer is very reasonably priced and very reliable but you must place a minimum order of $40...still much less than you would pay for CS breakfast each day....just a suggestion. Have a great time!

[MPHARJ]

For the past 2 years and probably this year, we don't use anything but snack credits for breakfast. You can buy an entire box of donuts for 1 snack credit. That is what the kids always ate, and I always grabbed some fruit. We bought refillable mugs and that was our drinks for the morning. CS forlunch and TS for dinner. Again this year the appetizer isn't included, which was too much last year with dessert etc.. but I am still sure there will be plenty of food.

[beroh2253]

WOW ADP great review.
At our resort we just get a pastery using SC in the morning along with a coffee using the resort mug.
For lunch we use our CS and dinner our TS and this was plenty of food, other then a few waters or sodas in the parks and the resort mug we buy nothing else to eat.
Now a few beers watching Illuminations or Fantasmic at night that is OOP.

[aubriee]

For the past 2 years and probably this year, we don't use anything but snack credits for breakfast. You can buy an entire box of donuts for 1 snack credit. That is what the kids always ate, and I always grabbed some fruit. We bought refillable mugs and that was our drinks for the morning. CS forlunch and TS for dinner. Again this year the appetizer isn't included, which was too much last year with dessert etc.. but I am still sure there will be plenty of food.

You won't be able to use your snack credits for those boxes of donuts this year. As of January '08 only single serving size snacks are allowed (no more boxes of donuts or large family size bags of chips:sad1: ). However, you should still be OK. You can use a snack credit for pieces of fruit or individual pastries at your resort or use them at Starring Rolls in MGM for pastries, or at the Main Street Bakery for alot of items, or at the fruit market in AK, or Sunshine Seasons in Epcot. You could also pack some pop tarts or granola bars to grab in your room. You would then still have a CS for lunch and a TS for dinner. Servings at WDW are large, so you could easily share some meals, also. If you are still concerned, about having enough food, you could always upgrade to the DxDDP where you get three dining credits/day and two snacks/day.

[MPHARJ]

Wonder why they are changing the snack credits too, you could get a whole bag of chips last year or a whole box of donuts with those snack credits, 2 credits fed my kids for the entire trip last year. :lmao: Oh well good thing it is only my son and I this trip, me personally I can skip breakfast too early to eat for me and he lvoe poptarts, so a quick trip to the store will fix that.

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Thanks everyone. I guess I am worrying about nothing. I didn't realize how many items, like pastry at Main Street Bakey counted as snack credits. Does any have or know of a good list of snack credit items and/or places? Jane

[ExtinctDino]

Thanks everyone. I guess I am worrying about nothing. I didn't realize how many items, like pastry at Main Street Bakey counted as snack credits. Does any have or know of a good list of snack credit items and/or places? Jane

Yup - check the threads at the top of the list for DDP.

[mkycrzy1971]

Here you go: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1683477

[wishesUT]

I agree that the DDP is a lot of food. I considered going Deluxe for this trip, but then I remembered how I always felt full last September and so I decided it would not be worth the extra money. Since I have little ones that need breakfast every morning I just packed some of those little boxes of cereal and then bought some milk at the resort. We had them for breakfast on most mornings and then just hit a CS around 11 for lunch. Portions are big and so they easily tide you over until dinner. The day before we left we were frantically trying to use snack credits and we even had a CS left over because one day I just couldn't eat anything for lunch. I think the DDP includes plenty of food for most people. . . I just wish the tip was still included.

[aubriee]

I think the DDP includes plenty of food for most people. . . I just wish the tip was still included.

I agree, along with getting the appetizer back. We prefer the appetizers over the desserts at most places, so chose to go with the DxDDP. It will probably be too much food, but we know we can always run by Goofy's on our last day and get snacks to bring home.

[septbaby]

We just returned last week from a week long trip and did the dining plan for the first time. We felt the plan provided too much food for our family. We found ourselves eating just to avoid losing credits. The last day of our trip we still had 6 counter service credits to use and we only had 1/2 day to use them. We ate a late breakfast and then gobbled down lunch. It was probably the wrong thing to do because I felt bloated on the plane trip home! :).

For future reference you can use those CS credits at your Grab & Go for things to take. We had a couple left and the CM helped us grab "meals":

2 Bottled drinks and either a pastry item, sandwich, Uncrustable, fruit/cheese plate or fresh fruit; you could either pack the bottle drinks, enjoy them on the way to the airport, etc. I know I downed a small OJ and bottled water. In the FL heat it was a good idea to keep downing that water.

Someone mentioned the donuts that we can no longer get as snack credits. You can grab a dessert item that can be saved for breakfast (yogurt, bakery item, fruit, etc.).

[3"Mouse"keteers]

For the past 2 years and probably this year, we don't use anything but snack credits for breakfast. You can buy an entire box of donuts for 1 snack credit. That is what the kids always ate, and I always grabbed some fruit. We bought refillable mugs and that was our drinks for the morning. CS forlunch and TS for dinner. Again this year the appetizer isn't included, which was too much last year with dessert etc.. but I am still sure there will be plenty of food.
Can you still get a box of donuts for a snack credit since they changed the snack rules this year?

[mickeynut1]

We think the basic DDP is PLENTY OF FOOD!!! We have 2 teenage boys and we had no problem getting enough to eat:thumbsup2 I'm not a big eater so I would use a snack credit for a muffin once or twice during the week for breakfast, not use a CS hardly at all, and have a TS each night for dinner:goodvibes Between my DH and 2 DSs, they took care of my CS and snack credits for the most part.....but we still have some lingering at the end of the week and had to find a way to use them:) But even if I DID use all my credits myself, we still would have had plenty to eat for the week. The Dxl DDP is WAY TOO MUCH food for our family:scared1: (although the thought of upgrading does cross my mind every now and again just to "try" it; but once I think about it, I realize we would never utilize all those credits and we'd be paying for food we would never come close to eating:sad2:). But every family is different and likes different things. If you think the basic DDP won't be enough food, then go for the Dlx DDP:cool1: :cool1: One nice thing about the Dlx plan is if you're interested in any (or all) of the signature restaurants, that would be well worth getting to do those dinners every night using 2 TS credits;)

[aubriee]

Can you still get a box of donuts for a snack credit since they changed the snack rules this year?

No, as of January '08 snack credits may only be used for individual serving sized items. No more boxes of donuts, large family sized bags of chips, or 1/2 gallons of milk are allowed.

[karrit2000]

Since we usually do mostly CS I find the regular Dining plan to be plenty and prior to this year when the appetizer was still included, way too much food. Did we over eat anyway, yes. There are a number of CS where you can really maximize a meal if you feel you aren't getting enough food. For example you can get the combo Chicken & Ribs meal in Cosmic Rays (MK) that for most people is enough to feed two. There is also the Fish & Chicken combo meal at Columbia Harbour House that has a lot of food. The CS meals at Flame Tree Barbecue in AK can fill me up for the entire day. I wish they had a cheaper plan that only gave you TS every other day. I usually don't want to take the time for a full sit down meal. With the Dining Plan I tend to sometimes pick the more expensive of the items I would consider at most of the retaurants. If I were paying OOP I might think twice about whether to choose the steak or a slightly less expensive item off the menu and I would rarely get a dessert. At the CS I normally would not purchase a dessert either. These can be saved for snacking later so you can use the snack credits for your breakfasts.

[Lureen]

We spent a week at the World in February paying OOP for all our food.

We found that on most days, we bought what we would get if we had the plan. IOW, most days, we picked on something small for breakfast, had a CS lunch, a snack in the afternoon and a TS dinner. That's the DDP, pretty much.

We're taking a Free Dining plan trip in August, and I don't expect to buy much food.

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

[QU. At the CS I normally would not purchase a dessert either. These can be saved for snacking later so you can use the snack credits for your breakfasts.[/QUOTE]


Are you saying that the CS includes a desert and if you don't get the desert you can save it and still get it at another time as a snack? If that is the case, We are using two of our TS's for Breakfast meals, and of course we wouldn't get desert with those. Can you save that desert also?

I am so confused!! Jane

[Tricia1972]

[QU. At the CS I normally would not purchase a dessert either. These can be saved for snacking later so you can use the snack credits for your breakfasts.


Are you saying that the CS includes a desert and if you don't get the desert you can save it and still get it at another time as a snack? If that is the case, We are using two of our TS's for Breakfast meals, and of course we wouldn't get desert with those. Can you save that desert also?

I am so confused!! Jane[/quote]

No you can't save your dessert to get an extra snack later. I believe what the PP meant was that many of the desserts come in prepackaged containers. You get the dessert with your CS meal and just save the prepackaged dessert portion to munch on later as a snack.

This is something that we tried a few times in October an inevitably someone got sick of carrying the snacks, they'd get ruined in the heat, or they'd get crushed under the stroller. One of those things that works well for some and not at all for others.

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Are you saying that the CS includes a desert and if you don't get the desert you can save it and still get it at another time as a snack? If that is the case, We are using two of our TS's for Breakfast meals, and of course we wouldn't get desert with those. Can you save that desert also?

I am so confused!! Jane

No you can't save your dessert to get an extra snack later. I believe what the PP meant was that many of the desserts come in prepackaged containers. You get the dessert with your CS meal and just save the prepackaged dessert portion to munch on later as a snack.

This is something that we tried a few times in October an inevitably someone got sick of carrying the snacks, they'd get ruined in the heat, or they'd get crushed under the stroller. One of those things that works well for some and not at all for others.[/QUOTE]

oh - Nevermind (ha ha) I got excited for a minute. Thanks - I shouldhave known that was too good to be true. Jane

[lpberg]

Ok - seems like a good place to ask this....... I've read a bunch about the DDP. We've booked free dining. I understand no app's are included in the credits, nor are tips. HOWEVER - sometimes I read posts that make it sound as if you can only order *certain* items on the menu... are there restrictions on what you can/cannot order? (again, excepting the app's). Thanks for any clarification you can provide....

I could see it now - no, dear, I know we're not PAYING for the dining plan but you can't eat THAT! :rotfl:

Lynne

[JMADgrad]

Good question - we will be meeting up/touring the parks with relatives from overseas who don't have the ddp - think this will be problematic? The adults are vegetarian and the kids are choosy - so if certain items are off limits I don't want to suggest they get the plan (not sure if they can now anyway since they booked with a tour company on their end - anyone know the answer to this, too?) :confused3

[RACHELSMOM1]

For the past 2 years and probably this year, we don't use anything but snack credits for breakfast. You can buy an entire box of donuts for 1 snack credit. That is what the kids always ate, and I always grabbed some fruit. We bought refillable mugs and that was our drinks for the morning. CS forlunch and TS for dinner. Again this year the appetizer isn't included, which was too much last year with dessert etc.. but I am still sure there will be plenty of food.

You can no longer buy a box of donuts for one snack credit!!

[cdrn1]

We (three women 45-55) had MORE than enough to eat on the basic plan. As a matter of fact we cancelled our LeCellier reservation because we just plain weren't hungry enough to do it justice. We decided if we do it again we will use our CS for breakfast instead of lunch, because we really weren't hungry for even our late dinners after eating CS lunch. We bought stuff with our leftover snack credits to bring home to our grandkids.

[DisneyCatMom]

Just back from 8 nights, 9 days on DDP.
Me, DH, DD5, DS8, DM and DDad.
For my immediate family it was enough food.
For Mom and Dad it wasn't enough.
My Mom and Dad used all there S and CS credits up by day 6. They had to have 2 CS meals a day plus 1 TS.
It was hot and they used snack for drinks and ran out early also.

It just all depends on how you eat.

[mickey2000]

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[luv2nascar]

I think you will be fine. I didn't catch how many or ages of your party. We had the DDP with myself, DH, DD9 & DD2 at the time. So only three getting meals. DD2 ate off our plates or free at buffets. We only paid I think twice for a kids meal for her. Once was after Ohana because she slept in her stroller through the whole meal so we got her mac n cheese at Pop when we got back to hotel.

I'm sure you will be fine. We are big eaters and we had plenty. When breakfast was at 10am more like brunch I had snacks to take to the park for kids (rice krispy treat bars, granola bars, cheerios, and fruit snacks).