Is the Dining Experience Add-On Worth It?

[sylvenmaid]

Ok. I got a price of $38 per adult and $12 per child per day which seems like a lot to me. I know we could eat cheaper than $80 a day. I would like to eat one or two nice sit-down meals. I do plan on bringing snacks with me for the trip as well as breakfast foods. We will eat breakfast in our room. I did go to mousesavers and saw some great tips on places to eat cheaply, and read where a lot of people said the plan had too much food so they couldn't use it. There are only 2 adults and 1 child (age 5). My son & I share food at times when we eat out b/c he doesn't always eat all of his food. Just wanted some input on the plan. Thanks.

 

[ceecee]

While we enjoyed the dining plan, we felt like we were eating all the time! We usually don't eat that much so with desert and appetizers it got to be a lot of food. We had credits left because DD and I share meals a lot.

 

[Alice's Mom]

I agree that it is way too much food, but at the same time we probably wouldn't have eaten the amazing meals that we had and I made a point to have one 2 credit meal to lighten the load a little. We never ended up using our snack credits, so on the last day I bought about 10 mickey rice krispy treats to give as souvenirs to my daughters ballet group.

When my daughter and I went in May the dining plan was only $45.00/day for us, so I guess the rates have gone up.

 

[kelsco99]

We had the free dining plan back in October 05. Me, DH, DD(6), DS (5).
It was great and I will pay for it next time in a heartbeat!
While we may eat a bit cheaper without it, we never would have experienced the great restaurants or the great food. What I really loved about it was that it is prepaid and I could relax over what everyone orders. If I didn't have it I would be trying to get the kids to pick the same thing so they could split but then that would cause fights and whatnot...we don't need that on vacation.
Also, without it I would be sticking to the same old food that I know I would like but with the dining plan, I felt comfortable ordering something a little more adventerous cause the next meal wasn't that far off if I didn't like it.

It's nice that it is flexible too so you if you want to use 2 Table Service meals in one day, no problem, or if you don't want a heavy meal, you can just do counter service. Our stay was 10 days and each of us ended up catching a 24 flu bug going around the resort at different times so the flexibility came in very handy.

Overall, the prepaid part was the best feeling. I truly believe that this is what made our otherwise budgeted vacation feel more relaxed and luxurious.

But I'll end with this... everyones different and my needs may be very different than yours so good luck with whichever decision you choose.

Kelly

 

[bamamom]

We had the dining plan on our trip in October, however it was free, we will buy it when we go back. For us, purchasing it would be worth it. I kept up with my receipts of how much it would have cost if we were paying out of pocket. With my daughter and I sharing, my husband and 9 year old son an average counter service of just burgers and fries was $40 - $45 and then our sit down meal was $75 - $125. We did do several character meals but we love the character meals. To me, paying for the dining plan is worth the great food, atmosphere and most of all the convience of not having to spend your time either traveling back to the resort to eat in room or leaving the property. We had AR for all our sit down meals and never had to wait more than 10 mins for our table.

 

[redman group]

We also brought cereal for mornings, but found it was nice by the end of the week to realize we could use a few counter service meals for a hot breakfast. You can double up on use of table service credits to go to the spirit of aloha show and the hoop de doo. we did both of these and it was alot of fun. My hubby could not believe that we didn't use the credit card once, and came home with money. I'm sure we saved at least 200.00 overall by pre buying the plan. We also shared quite a few meals, that was why we had counter service credits left at the end, even so, we still did not feel ripped off.
if you check on allears.net, they list the prices of most menus. when you add up an ice cream bar here and a popcorn there, its amazing how quickly it all adds up.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

I agree with a previous poster...

The food is way too much..and we LOVE to eat. But we would have NEVER had such amazing Dining had we not had the plan. Our meals were truley the highlight of our trip!

 

[pyrxtc]

is it only one dining plan credit for the character meals? Are there any that are two?

 

[1of6]

I was thinking the same way that you are. I have been reading and posting, posting and reading hoping to find the answer. This is what I have figured out.

Yes you can eat cheaper than $80 a day if you want. That said, you will not be able to do it eating many ts meals, and you will be eating some breakfasts in your room. If you are fine eating cs (we are) and only 1 or 2 ts I bet you can eat most days for less than the cost of the plan. Not everyday will cost less, just most of them.

Check out allearsnet.com. You can view each menu with prices and add up what you think you might spend. It is a lot of guess work but you know how your family eats. (I have 2k that are in that dreaded chicken nugget, mac & cheese, plain noodles only phase.)

 

[crisrn2003]

Hi! I just had to put in my 2 cents worth. We just got home last week from Disney utilizing the dining plan. We did feel like we were eating all the time and we had way more food than we would have had.
HOWEVER:
1. it was prepaid, so we didn't have to worry about having enough money to eat and splurge.
2. we got to eat a restaurants I would NEVER had paid that much for us to go to---at Le Cellier, for two adults, a junior (who gets charged adult prices--it's okay though as he eats like an adult) and a child, our bill was $171.77. At 1900 Park Fare Character dinner, the bill was $150.34. Most of the character meals we ate at were at least $120.00. Our counter services for lunch were usually around $50. We did have some trouble with out tickets/dining plan so I was always a little hesitant to try to use them for just snacks. When the end of the trip came, I had 21 left so we got drinks for the ride home (we drove), big bags of chips and multiple rice crispy treats in the shape of Mickey. The guy checking us out knew immediately what I was doing and provided me with a paper bag to pack it all into.
3. it's a good chance to try things you normally wouldn't eat or wouldn't get to try. I ate chilled strawberry soup. Never would I have purchased this, but it was a great chance!
4. great opportunity to do multiple character meals and not have to pay thru your nose for it.
Did I feel some of it was a waste? Sure. Did I do the research and feel I could have done it cheaper? Sure. Would I do it again on our next trip? You Betcha! It just gave us dining opportunities that if I were paying on the spot for, I wouldn't have done.
Either way, good luck and have fun with your choice.

 

[jpmandan]

We are huge fans of the dining plan!! We would recommend for people with teenage boys like us!

 

[CherylA]

I've gone through the numbers 3 times and I can't realistically do it on my own for cheaper than the meal plan. Take the time to pick the couple of sit down meals you will be doing. Don't forget drinks (nonalcoholic) and tax and gratuity. Also when you look at the menus don't just pick what is the cheapest thing to calculate but what you all will most likely order. I can do my best to keep a bill down but my husband always ends up ordering the steak! For a 6 night trip for 2 adults and 1 child I had figured on 2 sit down lunches ($70 and $ 57) 1 character breakfast ($70) and 1 character dinner ($75) for 2 adults and 1 child plus I figured $5 for each meal we eat in the room because they do cost something. $13 for each food court breakfast (3 days) and $23 for each counter service lunch/dinner (8 meals total) I also figured an extra $10 day for snacks that would have been covered on the plan (water sodas mickey bars) I come out at $570 for all that and the meal plan would cost me $522. Soooo its actually cheaper for me to go with the meal plan even if I don't use everything it has to offer. Plus we did it last time and it is sooooo nice to just let everyone order what they want without worrying about price. How often can you do that?

Also wanted to add that my little one is 3 and hardly eats anything so unless she wants a kids meal, which she usually doesn't, we just order her a drink and let her share off our plates. We pay cash for the drink and get to do another sit down meal later or a signature meal (which requires 2 of your dining points) We also have a 1 1/2 yr old so its tough to make it through a meal which is why I was only planning on the 4 sit down meals but with the other credits we can use them for counter service or get the table service food to go!

DO IT, disney has got to be loosing money on this and it may be your only opportunity to do disney food no holds barred!

 

[MyGoofy26]

I think there are a couple things to take into consideration. Do you eat cheaply because you prefer it? Or do you do it just to stay on the cheap?

If you have a preference for your own snacks and counter service, then the plan will be a waste. If you're not happy eating TS almost every day, then don't waste your money. You'll end up feeling obligated to eat meals that you don't care for.

If it's a budget thing, make a realistic draft of the places you think you would end up eating and use the menus available on AllEarsNet to get pricing information and get a rough estimate on how much you'll be paying out of pocket. Sometimes adding it up to one lump sum is a lot more than it sounds when you think "$20 here, $50 there. . ." Then just compare that number to the cost of the plan for your family. You may find that you can "splurge" on meals you'd never dream of paying out of pocket for for very little more than what you'd have paid out of pocket for the week.

It is a lot of food. But you don't *have* to eat everything offered just because you can. But what I noticed about the plan was that even if we didn't "maximize" the deal at each meal. . . we still came out WAY ahead value-wise.

 

[can'twait]

Totally!

For 7 nights we paid $130 for the plan for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids (initially it was $630 but we got a $500 discount for the "free dining" promotion later, making it $130).

We got $950 worth of food on the plan - Woo Hoo! So it would have been worth it even if we had paid full price. Would we have bought that much food if we weren’t on the plan? Doubtful, but it was nice not to have to shell out cash for every meal and not to have to worry about prices or forcing people to share meals if they didn't want to. Everyone got their own meal and ate what they wanted. We’ll definitely do it again, even if we have to pay for it.

We paid $186.10 out of pocket, including one water at a cart at MK because they didn’t accept the plan, one water at the Confectionary because they didn’t take the plan, 2 hot fudge sundaes and a package of Pop Tarts that were not considered snacks at the food court and one refillable mug. Glad we didn’t buy more mugs because we didn’t eat much at the food court and only re-filled it twice. It’s a nice souvie though.

We stopped at Wal-Mart to get breakfast foods and bottled water upon our arrival so we could eat breakfast in the room rather than waste prime morning ride time at the food court, and it worked out well, except that we threw out three half-full boxes of cereal when we left. Next time we’ll buy one box instead of three.

We used all but four snack credits, and that’s only because I didn’t have enough hands to carry more Mickey Rice Krispy treats out to the car on our last day. We mostly used them for water and Mickey bars in the parks and a few Rice Krispy treats at the food court. The chocolate covered ones ROCKED! The bottled waters are huge, so we would get two at a time and share them between the four of us. Also, we would get four waters at CS meals and share them – two during the meal and two to carry until they were gone. If we got soda we couldn’t carry them around. We were allowed to bring bottled water on rides but not sodas, I guess because you can close the top on the bottle but you can’t close a paper cup with a flimsy top on it. At least not inside your backpack.

We ended up with 5 extra counter service credits at the end of our stay, because we did share a few counter service meals. I wanted to share counter service meals more often, to make them go further, and I did end up using some credits for hot breakfasts from the food court at the end, but sometimes we all just wanted to eat different things, and it was worth it not to have to stress over that.

Bottom line:

It was a great deal for us, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, even if I paid full price for it. Next time I would do one TS per day with an early dinner ADR to try to cut down on time spent in the restaurants and split the CS credits between breakfast and lunch by sharing meals. If we ran out of CS credits at the end we would share OOP CS meals.

CS meals are great because you can eat faster and spend more time on rides, but part of the Disney experience is eating character meals and eating at fun places like PTC and Sci Fi. I would never want to do all TS or all CS meals, so the plan is a great split. However, I bet a lot of people end up in our situation – paying OOP for some categories and still having credits left in others. I think it would be a great idea to just have a bank of credits that you can use however you like for whatever type of meal you like. For example:

Snacks – 1 credit
CS – 2 credits
TS – 3 credits
Dinner shows – 4 credits

You would get 6 credits per day to use however you wish, whether it be 6 Mickey bars or 2 TS meals, etc. That would be Magic Your Way! Some people would eat all TS meals and some would eat all CS meals and I bet some people would still spend some $ out of pocket, but probably not as much as with the current plan. The bottom line is the plan keeps people in the parks, which is what Disney wants, but they should make it a little more flexible so people can eat where they want.

JMHO

 

[Mickeysooner]

Do you have to be on a package to get the dining plan?

 

[GeorgiaAristocat]

is it only one dining plan credit for the character meals? Are there any that are two?

The only "character" meal that is 2 TS credits is CRT. The Dinner shows (Hoop Dee Doo and Aloha) are also 2 TS as well as several "signature" restaurants. Here is a link to the brochure: Disney Dining Brochure
***Please note: I just looked at this, and the updated brochure that was there last week now looks like last year's brochure, and doesn't show that CRT is 2 TS credits. IT IS!! And Coral Reef, in Epcot, that they list as 2 TS credits is now only 1. Also, you no longer get a dessert if you use a meal (either CS or TS) for breakfast. These are the only significant changes that I think are incorrect on this brochure.***

Do you have to be on a package to get the dining plan?

Yes, you do, unless you are a DVC member or "staying as a guest of a DVC member." The DVC is a VERY recent change, applicable to reservations for stays AFTER April 1, 2006. However, there have been RUMORS that Disney may start offering the dining plan to annual passholders. I wouldn't hold my breath on it, though. You CAN get a discounted package through AAA with dining, but unless Disney runs a special offer, no other discounts exist for packages with dining.

We were able to enjoy the "free dining" offer last fall - LOVED IT! Having gone to Disney WITH the Dining Package, I cannot foresee being without it anytime in the immediate future. Given the ages of my kids, and the fact that we will go to A LOT of character meals, the DP is a no-brainer for us. Since we can get it and still rent DVC points - it's REALLY REALLY A NO-BRAINER!!! Like many posters have said, one of the joys is that everything is pre-paid, and I don't have to stress about how "much" each meal is costing. Three or four character meals plus a couple of nice sit-downs cost about the same as the plan, so it's almost like getting the CS for free. But that's how I would want to eat on vacation. My kids are young enough that they will enjoy the character meals just as much as any of the rides. You just have to figure out how you like to vacation, and how much of your vacation time you want to spend eating. Have a wonderful trip no matter what you decide!

 

[jenr812]

We used it last July and absolutely felt it was worth the price for us. I see they've raised the price though it was to be expected!

 

[thelionqueen]

Many posters have made the same observations I did, but just to offer a few more.

The the PP who thought Disney was losing money on the plan. I can guarantee you they are not. Disney is a huge company and they wouldn't have such a large scale program in place if it was losing money..just my .02.

We also got the free dining promo in Oct. and LOVED it!! Looks like Disney is making it's money back on a lot of us who got the free promo...I see tons of people who will not go without it in the future (me included!)

Bottom line for us, you get to eat places you probably would not have eaten at before. Don't feel obligated to eat everthing and use every credit. If you have some left over don't sweat it. It is a lot of food.

No hassles and just convenient. Will NEVER go without the plan again, it was the best!!!

 

[Wickedmom75]

We went last august because of the free dining!!!! After our second night we said that the next time we went we would have no problem paying for it out of pocket. Before the dining plan we would budget $50 a day per person (2a4c) so that equaled out to 300 bucks a day, now mind you we didn't necessarily spend that much in a day but we wanted everything covered. But , we scrutinized everything we ate to make sure we came in under that number and it was nerve wracking. when doing free dining we ate at many places we only dreamed of becuase of the expense. We eneded up doing 3 character meals, Chef Mickey's for Dinner, Crystal Palace for Breakfast, and Cinderellas Gala feast at the 1900 Park Faire, we ate at Le Cellier (that was the clincher ) Nine Dragons , Mama Melrose's, and 50's primetime cafe. The only thing we paid for was Breakfast at CRT. I think the nicest thing about the dining plan even if we had to pay for it was that we did not have to carry any cash around or worry if we had enough to tip the waiter as it was included. We did tip more if we thought they did a decent job. Our next trip we will getting the dining plan even though the price has gone up , we have a DD11 DD10 DS7 DS5 and they can eat!!

 

[DVCJEN]

It's too much food. I never order an appetizer, entree and dessert at a single sit down meal. Plus an entree, side and dessert at CS everday? We are grazers I guess. It is not that great for us.