The Dining Plan, why I'll never/always do it.

[fsdriver]

I LOVE WDW like everyone else, but I admit to not understanding ppl who go more than once a year.

My family and I go once every few years; the new attractions that pop up in the interim give us something to look forward to!

As for the subject at hand, this will be the second time that my family will use the DDP. It works well for us, but its all about how you use it.

The last time, we used most of our TS at character breakfast buffets; it killed two birds with one stone for us---characters + autographs combined with the fact that we are big breakfast eaters. Hey...we NEED the feul to tackle those parks at full speed ahead! 'lol'
Conversely, we would use counter service meals in whatever park we happened to have picked for that day. That way, our "flow" isnt interrupted too much and we can get back to the riding.

Our next is proving to be a bit more difficult in that they havent posted May hours yet, but also in that we did most of the characters last time so it isnt as imperative this time....i am tryng to toss up our TS's into some big breakfasts AND sit down dinner...........it's killing me slowly!!


anyway....just a long way to say that i love the plan!!!

This is us, we are huge breakfast eaters, so we did the basic plan, so we have a big breakfast, grab a snack in the afternoon and a CS in the evening, unless there is just something we want. This is how most of our trips are no matter where we go. To us breakfast is the best meal of the day, plus ds will get to see all the characters and get pics and autographs in the morning then we can go where ever we want the rest of the day!

 

[luckytobeme88]

We absolutely love the DDP and will always do it
Almost every time we go to WDW, we would purchase the DxDDP for one less night of total stay. This will allow us to stretch the credits for the last night. We are a family who love their food(a lot) Even my 16 yrs old likes to have at least one/two sit-down meals a day. A perfect vacation for us is 50% parks and 50% food....Go figures

 

[tavettava]

We like the DDp because we eat at least 1 sit down every day. Dd is allergic to gluten and dairy so we need to have a sit down so we don't have to worry about our meals.

 

[Markstudy]

We love the dining plan. We get the deluxe

It's not about the money at all for us. It's the vacation style .... feels "all inclusive" to us ....

We take plenty of character meals, as many or few as we choose.

I agree! ....its about more than the math for us

if you love the feel of "getting away" at Disney, and really leaving the real world behind.... try the deluxe dining plan!

never asking, or looking at the price, for an entire week... its so cool!

eating at some of the signature restaurants, shows, and character meals. I wouldn't be able to have as much SILLY FUN, if I had to think about the crazy "Disney prices" at each meal!

I wanted to share for people on the fence about this issue Some folks would rather go for more days, or take trips more often, or on a budget. But I'd rather save longer and get the full Disney "feel" when I do go. We all have our own style... just need to find what works best for your family

 

[Colleen27]

We enjoyed the standard plan in its previous incarnation, before the elimination of tips and appetizers. Now we wouldn't bother with it, because we're appetizer people who don't always order dessert and because we don't want as many CS meals as the plan offered.

We LOVED the deluxe dining plan, and unless it changes significantly, I don't see us doing on-site trips without it. Dining at the kinds of places our small hometown lacks is one of the best parts of any vacation for us, and we prefer table service to counter service every time. So the deluxe plan is a great fit. It is also a better deal than the standard plan at the moment; we ate the way we like to eat on vacation, tried a lot of the signature restaurants, hardly used any of our snacks, had some counter service here and there as our schedule dictated, and still came out ahead by a few hundred dollars.

 

[jimmiej]

I've crunched the numbers every which way. Based on our experiences, I think we'll spend less w/o the DP.

 

[mandymommy4]

We did the deluxe plan and would do it again and again!

We did a character breakfast every morning and a signature restaurant every evening except fro the night we did Hoop de doo and 1900 Park Fare! We felt like we were not eating to much since we had two meals a day and a snack mid day. We enjoyed having our meals planned out....with 4 kids we like plans and schedules..... We NEVER had to do deal with CS places and that is what defines a vacation to us!

We did not have any meal credits left over but we did have snack credits...... we chose to buy goodies from the main street bakery to take home and enjoy! We got some yummy candy apples that we enjoyed the next day!

 

[luckytobeme88]

......We NEVER had to do deal with CS places and that is what defines a vacation to us! ....

Right on the money.
I think the DxDDP was designed for vacationers like us.

 

[orangecats2]

We love the dining plan and are looking forward to Sept 2009 for free dining. However it is just DH and I and we are bigger eaters who love sit down restaurants. I was not crazy about the CS places. We would never even consider sharing a meal. One day I would like to try the deluxe plan because we paid OOP for several meals because we had used up all our credits. Also, if we are paying for it I like to include it in our package so we can pay it off in increments.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I go solo so there is no argument its dining plan every time. I like planning adrs and sitting at ts tables. This time its deluxe hotel and deluxe dining plan can't wait!!!

 

[Faldred]

March 2009 will be my 4th trip to WDW and the first time staying on-site. With three young children (DS4, DS2, DD2), my wife and I already expect ANY meal to take no less than 45 minutes, so going with the deluxe plan and having mostly sit-down meals makes a lot of sense this time around.

Especially since the twins will be free.

Besides, as somewhat experienced cruisers, we've definitely come to terms with the fact that when we're outside and active, we tend to eat quite heartily at meals, so I'm hoping deluxe won't actually be overkill. Plus, the twins will be sharing off our plates and DS4's.

We'll see how it goes and decide which plan (if any) to get the next time. Personally, I'd like an "in between" package of 2 CS + 1 TS or 2 TS + 1 CS per day rather than the 3 TS, 1 TS + 1 CS, or 2 CS options.

 

[jimmiej]

Especially since the twins will be free.

Ain't it great! We're taking our 2yo granddaughter in June. The only thing we're having to pay for her is her plane ticket.

 

[skier_pete]

OK, before I go to far, I have to say we have only PAID for DDP once, the other two times we had free dining, which no-one can argue is not worth it!
But, we so far love the dining plan for the following reasons.

1) We really enjoy being able to eat in the sit-down restaurants...we could not afford them regularly, but the savings for the DDP makes it worth it. I also love having the "break" of sitting down an eating the meal.

2) We don't have a problem using all the creidts...do people really have difficulty eating two meals in a day?

3) Being tied to the ADRs has never bothered us...I am a big time planner, and it makes the planning more fun.

4) We DEFINITELY saved money, last trip I actually kept complete track of everything we "bought". DDP would have cost $688 for 8 days, our total food cost was $863, so we save about $175. And we did NOT at all use the credits effeciently, even though we did use them all. For instance, we only did two dinners, and did lunches and breakfasts the rest of the way. We easily could have gotten $1000 worth of food for our $688.

5) If we were not on the DDP, i would not enjoy the meals as much. I would be looking at prices: "Hmmm, steak is $29.99, but if I get the chicken it's only $21.99." or "$7 for dessert, I don't think so." By pre-paying the meals, I never think about how expensive they are, and thus enjoy them more.

6) Our DD5 is a decent eater, and likes a variety of food - so she gets her money's worth too.

So, for us at this stage it is a definite winner. However, I think when DD turns 10, it probably won't be. This is the one place where I think the DDP really can screw you...what 10 year-olds eat like adults? I understand why they use 10 as the cut-off, because people try and cheat and get their kids in their until they are old. But, that doesn't make it useful. I have to imagine that when DD turns 10, we will go off the meal plan after that for a while.

SkierPete

 

[sandym718]

5) If we were not on the DDP, i would not enjoy the meals as much. I would be looking at prices: "Hmmm, steak is $29.99, but if I get the chicken it's only $21.99." or "$7 for dessert, I don't think so." By pre-paying the meals, I never think about how expensive they are, and thus enjoy them more.

This is key for us too! I love Filet Mignon, but do I get it everytime I go out to eat at home - no! It's a rare, special treat. Yet, I had it twice in 6 meals on our last trip!

 

[luckytobeme88]

....I think the DDP really can screw you...what 10 year-olds eat like adults? I have to imagine that when DD turns 10, we will go off the meal plan after that for a while.

SkierPete

If I were in your shoes, I would still get the Basic DDP. Since all adults credits are pooled together, you can use yours plus your DD's and she can order off the kids menu(pay oop). I think this would work.

 

[dqpowell]

Personally, I'd like an "in between" package of 2 CS + 1 TS or 2 TS + 1 CS per day rather than the 3 TS, 1 TS + 1 CS, or 2 CS options.

The Deluxe Dining plan could work sort of like that if you treated your 3 TS credits per day as 2 TS meals...

Think 1 credit TS breakfast plus a 2 credit TS dinner at a signature restaurant. Not a bad way to get through the credits. Then at lunch time you just use a couple of snack credits instead of a full meal. Or reverse that -- a couple of snack credits used on breakfast, a 1 credit TS lunch and a 2 credit TS dinner.

David

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

We just got back and saved just about $100 with the basic DDP. Now this was a trip for 2 adults, and so for us it made sense because we wanted to eat in some of the WS places we had not tried like Les Chefs, Teppan Edo, Nine Dragons etc. If we were to go with our kids who are now "adults" on the DDP since they are 10 and 12, this would not be a good value for us. First of all we would probably stay in a bigger room, most likely rent DVC points so we would have the kitchen. Therefore we would have drinks, breakfasts and snacks in the room, have pizza delivered one night, etc. Also my 10 year old is a very picky eater (Autism) and will really only eat chicken nuggets and fries. Not all of the sit down places offer these and if they do it is off the kids menu so we would be paying adult prices for kids meals. Now this is just my family, but I am sure that many families have the same or similar reasons why DDP just does not work for their family (kids ages, picky eaters,touring plans, etc) . For us we will do it again ALWAYS when we go without the kids and most likely NEVER for our trips with the boys. Although there is the QS plan, that might work.......have to go get my calculator.....

 

[KKB]

Even with my disappointment of losing appetizers (can I PLEASE have an appetizer instead of dessert??!!)

I wasn't convinced; my mom talked us into it. As expensive as CS meals are, and I could SOOOOOO not have CS for every meal....We had ADRs around 5:30 every night & it was the perfect time to slow down & relax together. And we ate SUCH good food--and I am a foodie! Ohanas, Le Cellier & Boma are on our ALWAYS list, but I would not hesitate to eat at Le Chefs, Kona & Narcoosees again! We LOVED Wolfgang Pucks for lunch as well.

ALWAYS--for convenience, avoiding CS for all meals, and terrific TS meals (both quality & experience)...trying to decide what new places to try this year!

 

[Colleen27]

\
So, for us at this stage it is a definite winner. However, I think when DD turns 10, it probably won't be. This is the one place where I think the DDP really can screw you...what 10 year-olds eat like adults? I understand why they use 10 as the cut-off, because people try and cheat and get their kids in their until they are old. But, that doesn't make it useful. I have to imagine that when DD turns 10, we will go off the meal plan after that for a while.

It really depends upon the kid. My DS, now 10, has been eating enough like an adult long enough that we seriously considered up-aging him on our last trip when he was 9. He'd much, MUCH rather order adult meals than anything on a typical kids' menu. We did okay with him as a child for that trip, only because we were on the deluxe plan and had plenty of food to share with him when he didn't feel like kid food and because Disney offers a little better kids' options than most places, but we have no doubt that his eating habits will be worth the adult price on our next trip.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

It really depends upon the kid. My DS, now 10, has been eating enough like an adult long enough that we seriously considered up-aging him on our last trip when he was 9. He'd much, MUCH rather order adult meals than anything on a typical kids' menu. We did okay with him as a child for that trip, only because we were on the deluxe plan and had plenty of food to share with him when he didn't feel like kid food and because Disney offers a little better kids' options than most places, but we have no doubt that his eating habits will be worth the adult price on our next trip.

We are the opposite.

We had the DDP in 2006 that we paid for, but tips & appetizers were included. DS was still a "child" for that one and we saved about $250.

In 2007 we had "free dining" which was not free at all because we lost the AP discount on the room. We saved some money, but not tons.

This year for part of our trip we had DxDDP and we got absolutely stomped as far as value. I should have just stood in front of the toilet and flushed money down. DS counts as an adult but still prefers kid's meals. We thought by doing buffet breakfasts and signature dinners we wouldn't be stuffed, but we were. Not having tips included added about $60 per day in OOP costs. I got sick on the last day our credits were valid so we lost some, wasted some on grab & go sandwiches, and used a bunch of snack credits (10 or 12) on $2 bottles of water. For the rest of the trip we just used the DDE card and let DS order from the kid's menu if he wanted to. No more dining plans for us!