is dining plan worth it with 14 & 11 year olds ?

[sunil]

I am planning a visit next April. If my kids were younger (< 10), the reguar dining plan would be a great deal for them (and so for teh family). If they were 10 years older, they would probably enjoy the TS meals a lot. But at ages 14 & 11 (adult !! dining prices per Disney), I am waffling.

What do other parents of teenagers and/or pre-teens do ? Do you go with the dining plan and make your kids sit thru long dinners, or do you skip the dining plan and pay OOP ?


Also, are ADRs required even if there is no "free dining" ? I understand duing "free dining" that I would have to book ADRs. But if there is no "free dining" promotion, are ADRs still needed, or can you just walk up and hope to get seating at resort restaurants ? (I am guessing ADRs are still required in the parks, but what about at the resort restaurants like at AKL or Boardwalk ??).

[Mickey country]

kids are actually considered adults @ 10 at Disney. 3-9 is considered a child. The plan will not be cheap for the teens, but if you like restaurant dining than it might be for you. If your kids are not big eaters, than it might be cheaper for you to just pay oop for what they want. You really should make adrs, you are going during a busy time.

[PA Princess]

We travel with two teen boys (about to be 14 and 15) and they love the dining plan maybe even more than anyone. It allows them the freedom to order whatever they want on the menu without a parent turning pale at buying a 12 year old a $30 steak dinner!

We eat out weekly at home, so all of our kids are fine with restaurant eating. Truthfully restaurants are so much more than just eating in disney with theming and such, that we find our meals are something our whole family enjoys. Plus, the break is always nice to talk about what we have done and what we will be doing.

Personally, I think adr's are always a good idea no matter when you travel to WDW any more. Yes, it takes more pre-planning, but it can certainly save some aggravation while vacationing. Happy planning!

[disneygirlinnj]

I think ADRs are needed all the time. It might be easier to just walk up when it's not free dining but I wouldn't take the chance. If you get turned away you'll have to wander to find something else and that's a hassle :)

[Justin the Hook]

I don't remember when the dining plan started, and I don't have any teenaged kids yet, but the last time I went down with my parents only we were on the dining plan May of 1995 and I was 17. It was great, there were many times that I just went off by myself without my parents to the parks and was able to just go eat. I think the dining plan is a good idea, you won't get that sticker shock on the cost of the food. My wife and I always keep the receipts and add them up when we get home to see how much money we actually ate. This last trip Sept 08, as a family of 5 we ate $1,600 worth of food and we went over free dining and our trip only cost us $2,100. In our eyes we only spent $500 for hotel and tickets to the park for a 7 day trip for 5 people. So that is how we justify the plan.

[sunil]

Since I am not going during "free dining", the cost for me will be 42x4 = 168/day; that will be 1176 for the week. With tips around 1300. Ouch ! More than I was hoping to spend on food for a week.


Some more questions (sorry, full of questions this morning - but this board is great so I am trying to get all the info I can to maximize my "planning fun ;-)).

- Can I make ADRs without buying the dining plan ? If that is possible it might be my best option (I might make "some" ADRs and then just do QS for the rest of the days, and pay for everything OOP).

- If paying OOP, can the kids order off the kids menus and pay kid prices in the TS restaurants ? Or is it 9-and-under even for OOP ? Most places here will even allow my 14-year-old to order kids meals, which she still does sometimes - although less & less these days. (and of course my 11-year-old always orders kids meals when we eat out, his idea of heavenly food is a cheeseburger.)

- If paying OOP, can I make ADRs for just 2 people (even though my room reservation is for 4 people) ? We are staying at AKL; I can easily let the kids eat at Mara while the two of us do a Boma or Sanaa dinner if that is allowed.

- If paying OOP, can I make an ADR for 4 people, and then share meals ? For example, order just 2 entrees, 1 appetizer and 1 dessert for the 4 of us ? Typically that will be plenty of food for us, wondering if that would be okay in most places.

- Are there some places which are better for "sharing food family style" compared to others ? I know the buffets are out, and I do not want to try & share a steak; what places would you recommend which are the best for "sharing food family style" ?

- Are the dinner shows in Fort Wilderness fun for teenagers ? Or are they more geared for the younger kids ? (We were in Hawaii this year otherwise I would have considered the Polynesian dinner show). Would you recommend one of the Ft Wilderness dinner shows with 14 & 11 year olds ?

(And I know griping is useless, but it sure bugs me that I get free beer/wine with the dinner shows - making the $60 price comparable to Hawaii) - but my 11 year old also has to pay $60. In Hawaii we only had to pay $25 for the 11-year-old for a great luau. Oh well - Disney....).

[minkydog]

We love the free dining plan. The last time we were at WDW was 2007, when our kids were 12,14 & 21. My kids are pretty adventurous eaters and they were always able to find something they liked. My youngest is very autistic and even he was able to eat balanced meals. My kids loved having more exotic choices than chicken nuggets, hot dog, and mac & cheese.

Before the advent of the dining plan we tended to eat on the run, whatever was quick. Then at the end of the day we were tired, hungry, and dehydrated because we didn't take time to just sit down and eat. With the dining plan we just pick out the restaurants that we like and we don't worry about the cost because we've already paid for it, might as well eat. We are more likely to eat breakfast, rather than grabbing a poptart or some other equivelent yuck food.

The best part of the dining plan, IMO, is that my older kids can go off for the day with their room cards and they can get food without needing Dad to pay for it. They know how to use the dining plan and they don't have to worry about needing a lot of cash. Usually they eat counter service during the day and join us for table service in the evening.

[Calgary DISHeads]

What works for us on the dining plan is that if one of the kids wanted something off the kid's menu or something cheaper ie: flatbread at CG for an entree we would pay OOP for those meals and save the credits for other meals. I wouldn't hold my breath over value added with wine and beer being included in the dinner shows - we have been to both dinner shows and when we asked for our first refills the server looked at us like we had two heads. I was too embarassed to ask for a third. Dinner shows are a lot of fun - our kids are now 15 (DS) and 12 (DD) and we will be doing Hoop De Doo again this time. DS was 13 last time and although he pretended he was too cool he really did enjoy it.

[duffy]

When we went last time my daughter was 12 and she had absolutely no problem ordering off the adult menu. She actually was on a salmon kick, and got salmon at the Coral Reef, Crystal Palace, Le Cellier and probably a few more that I can't remember. It was great because she got to be adventurous! We ended up trading plates once in a while so she could eat some of my meal and I'd eat some of hers. She would have been bored and jealous if she'd been forced to eat nuggets and mac 'n cheese.