Please Help Decide About Dining Plan!!!!!

[chippydale33]

Okay, my family is a family of 4. Mom, Dad, turning-19 Brother, and me turning-14 girl. We like to eat at sit down restaurants and character dinings bc they are so much fun! haha We have discussed the dining plan, and each time, we figured out we would "barley be eating" or it would cost us more money with the plan if we wanted the one a step-up from the Quick Service dining plan. We figure we spend about $20 on breakfast (we eat @ our hotel's food court), about $50 on lunch, and $100+ on dinner. We also figured out that we would be eating Breakfast and Dinner but no lunch. So is it worth it?? :confused3 If we didn't use the dining plan, and we included 1 bottle of water per person per 8 days & breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it would cost us around $1600. So someone please help!!! I think its worth it, but my mom and brother arent so sure. THANKS SO MUCH!! :thumbsup2

[chippydale33]

please guys!! :(

[patsal]

Okay, my family is a family of 4. Mom, Dad, turning-19 Brother, and me turning-14 girl. We like to eat at sit down restaurants and character dinings bc they are so much fun! haha We have discussed the dining plan, and each time, we figured out we would "barley be eating" or it would cost us more money with the plan if we wanted the one a step-up from the Quick Service dining plan. We figure we spend about $20 on breakfast (we eat @ our hotel's food court), about $50 on lunch, and $100+ on dinner. We also figured out that we would be eating Breakfast and Dinner but no lunch. So is it worth it?? :confused3 If we didn't use the dining plan, and we included 1 bottle of water per person per 8 days & breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it would cost us around $1600. So someone please help!!! I think its worth it, but my mom and brother arent so sure. THANKS SO MUCH!! :thumbsup2

All adults paying for the regular DDP would save you some money IF you have a lot of character meals planned. Mnay CS breakfasts are enough food to share as are lunches. MY family is 4 also, with DS 17 and DD 13. Oretty much we find paying OOP works best for us as we eat breakfast inteh villa, lunch is usually out, but not CS or character and Dinner can be counter service, TS again not character or off site/in the villa. Figure out where you will be eating if it is mainly character meals for dinner than the DDP wil be good for you. Breakfast you can use the snack credits to help out here, split CS meals or do a combo of CS a credits and a little OOP. CS lunces will let you get an extra bottle of water rather than dessert.
I might be able to help a bit more with a little more specifics of where you would eat and what a typical breakfast looks liek for your family. It may be very close in price between OOP and DDP.

[jensen]

I think we need a little more information before we can help you out... are you trying to compare your OOP estimates to the regular DDP? Are you staying 7 nights or 8 nights (you only mention 8 days) - dining plan is figured per night. You will get one CS and one TS per person per day, plus one snack. It sounds like this is about how you eat... except you add another CS per day. If you used the plan, you might be able to get by with the meals it provides by sharing some CS breakfasts and lunches... or plan to spend the extra money for an extra CS per day.

Either way, I think the math will work out pretty good for you to do the plan.

[chippydale33]

we're staying 8 nights, 9 days but we are leaving in the early morning on the way home & to disney. so on the first day, we would eat lunch & dinner but thn on the last day, probably just breakfast. and i think we wanted to the the Castle breakfast but the one w/o the princesses and we wanted to do either Chef Mickey's or Garden Grill or both! haha and we wanted to do one of the Fanstasmic dinner package ones. We're thinking Brown Derby. we will also want to eat at some of the countries @ Epcot. France & Canada i think we are planning? there are so many places we want to go, but we're not sure how to work them in price-wise. and thx for all that info guys :)

[septbaby]

The plan would cost your family $160 per night. All taxes are included in that fee. If you'll spend $170 not sure if you've included taxes in that amount.

We didn't find we needed 3 meals per day per se but here are ways to do that:

1. Share some CS meals
- Breakfast comes with 2 drinks and if you order the breakfast platter there is plenty to share between two people.
- Use snack credits for breakfast or save your CS dessert item for breakfast (yogurt, fruit, cinnamon roll, etc.)
- One the same day you share breakfast you can also share lunch, thus still using one CS credit per day per person
- Cosmic Rays in MK has a Rib and Chicken platter that is easily sharable

Generally no one complains they didn't have enough to eat on the Basic DP. It should be a good choice for your group.

[colinsdad]

we're staying 8 nights, 9 days but we are leaving in the early morning on the way home & to disney. so on the first day, we would eat lunch & dinner but thn on the last day, probably just breakfast. and i think we wanted to the the Castle breakfast but the one w/o the princesses and we wanted to do either Chef Mickey's or Garden Grill or both! haha and we wanted to do one of the Fanstasmic dinner package ones. We're thinking Brown Derby. we will also want to eat at some of the countries @ Epcot. France & Canada i think we are planning? there are so many places we want to go, but we're not sure how to work them in price-wise. and thx for all that info guys :)

Just an FYI. There is no "Castle Breakfast" that does not have princesses. Do you mean Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends?

Also, if you do mean castle, Cinderella's Royal Table and Fantasmic Brown Derby take 2 TS credits on the plan. It is NEVER a good deal using 2 TS pretty much for anything. And, when using a TS for an adult Buffet BF (even Character ones), the adult will usually break even or lose money that day on the DDP so that is not a good deal either.

Adults make out like bandits on this plan having TS dinners at the "good restaurants" like Le Celier, Tutto Italia, and Chef de France. You will more than break (but not by much) using the TS for adult dinner buffets, and will lose out by using the TS for buffet bf.

Kids make out pretty much using the DDP in any combination. But if you have more than 8 TS planned, try to use the DDP more for the character bf for the kids and pay OOP for the dinner (kids character bf is $10.99, while dinner is usually $7.59).

[ms*mountaineer]

Make a list of the meals you want to do - and look up the menus online. If it's a buffet like Crystal Palace, then it will be a flat price. Just add it up and compare it to what it would cost you for the dining plan. That will help you make the decision.

I can see if you are only planning a couple of sit-down meals, then the DDP may not be a deal for you. For us, I knew where we wanted to eat - so I added up the costs and the dining plan was just about the same. BUT with the DDP, I would get counter service and a snack - so it was a bonus for us.

I know it can work out to be a good deal if you have kids under 10 - buffet prices for them is more expensive than the DDP for them, so that's where it's a savings. With your crowd - just do the math.

[kaytieeldr]

Menus online (as up to date as possible, given what the Webmasters have been provided with): http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm

[chippydale33]

thank you everyone!! i'm going to start my list right now!!! :thumbsup2

[chippydale33]

i made my list which totaled about $740. Then i added $30 per day for breakfast = $980. then i added $16 per day for snacks = a $1108 Total. So i don't think we are going to do the DP. but who knos with my confused family :confused3 :rotfl:

[chippydale33]

any other advice or tips? :) thank you!

[septbaby]

I don't think you need any. You did the math and no DP works for your family.

Just be sure to make those ADRs before arriving at WDW. You won't have much luck just walking up and asking for a table. Even if you did you'll waste time waiting to be seated.