1st time with no dining plan... need a thought partner please...

[nbsmjs]

We have always had the disney dining plan but this time we will not. Our deal through magical vacations travel is awesome and low enough that it makes sense to go with them but we can't get the dining plan with that deal. We are a family of 4... 1 meat eating adult, 1 vegetarian adult and 2 kids (7 and 9) whose lives DO NOT revolve around food at all and would be happy eating pizza, chicken nuggets and peanut butter the whole trip... (and frankly, I'm good at making them eat fruits and veggie at home so 1 week of not being so good about it, won't hurt them...)

The table service dinners seem pricey to me when I look at the menu options... and we aren't going to Disney for the food. (...we live near NYC and go there frequently for dinner where delicious food abounds...)

My thought is to perhaps NOT make dinner reservations at all... and just do quick service for lunches AND dinners during our trip. MAYBE we make something like 2 dinner reservations for 2 of our 7 nights just to break things up a bit...

But the thought of going to DISNEY and NOT making dining reservations feels really odd and bizarre to me... anyone else do Disney and eat dinner at the parks but sort of wing it without any sit down reservations?

Also, with the (new to us) policy of needing to cancel your reservation 24 hours in advance or you get charged... that has me even more leaning towards not making reservations...

We are going end of August btw... in case that matters...

Thoughts??

 

[HopperFan]

We prefer to to book Table Service at lunch time on days we are sure about. The prices are lower, we still get a nice meal being waited on and it's a great mid day break. Then come evenings we aren't committed to a dinner time or location or if we even want a big meal. We sometimes do quick service, sometimes look at app if anything has an opening or sometimes we just grab a snack. It makes our days more relaxing and flexible.

 

[minnie mum]

Do whatever feels right for your family. Plenty of people go to WDW and never enter a TS restaurant. They eat CS or go off site. Or make their own meals in their villa or condo. Of course not making ADRs will feel strange this time - the DDP forced you to make them, whether you wanted them or not.

If food isn't a priority for your family, then its nice if you don't make it one. There is plenty of variety amongst the CS restaurants and resort food courts. But if you think that you would like a couple of TS meals during your trip, don't just wing it. If you don't want to make ADRs well in advance at least make them the day before or the day of.

We usually have 1 TS meal per day, because a nice dinner IS an important part of any vacation for us. But this summer DD and I had a trip to DLR and didn't have a single TS meal. And our meals were ALL delicious.

 

[jawa7400]

I think you could do all QS meals and be fine. You will definitely need to research a little so that you can get a variety of QS food (7 days is a long time for nothing but burgers and nuggets!) but it's totally doable. Maybe consider buying some groceries and packing the kids something for during the day. I have take-it-or-leave-it kids too when it comes to food and my daughter was so happy with her PB sandwich and carrots in the park at the random hour she decided she was hungry.

 

[bumbershoot]

We don't live for "dining", but we do like to sit down and have some nice food. Since we know we're going to eat, and since we like many of the restaurants, we always have a reservation. Usually at lunchtime.

It also gives us something to plan around; a place to be that day, and a timeframe to do other things around. We like that.

We (I) scour the menus here and at allears.net, and choose the places that have food we like. If, by chance, the food looks good to DH and DS, but not me, and they really want to go, we have no problem if I get some extra food before or after, just have something small at the sitdown restaurant, and it's no big deal. (we started doing that at Disneyland when I wanted one counter service item, DS wanted another, and sometimes DH wanted something else...we just ate in shifts and as we got hungry!)

But then if there are quick service places that sound good to you, and there would be enough to make you guys happy, then go for it.

Of course, don't forget that people can share. Without the constraints of a dining plan, if someone wants a salad and that's it, they can get that and maybe take a bite of someone's entree. And so on.

 

[nbsmjs]

good ideas everyone! i think we will get some groceries like the individual peanut butter containers and apples... apple and peanut butter has been my 9 year old's school lunch for 5 years now... healthy and easy... no need to change that at disney and it will save us money.

and we are staying at the beachclub for the first time so it seems like the boardwalk has a ton of great options for quick stuff to grab if we are hungry when we get back to the hotel area or if we leave the park early and just come back to swim and have some dinner to go.

 

[sharonabe]

Because of that new to you cancellation policy, it's actually easier to get day of ADRs now since people will cancel 24 hrs ahead. If you decide you want to do a TS one day, just check the app or consult your concierge for what might be available that evening. It could even make dining a part of the adventure.

 

[nbsmjs]

Because of that new to you cancellation policy, it's actually easier to get day of ADRs now since people will cancel 24 hrs ahead. If you decide you want to do a TS one day, just check the app or consult your concierge for what might be available that evening. It could even make dining a part of the adventure.

great idea!!!!!!!

 

[kastoney]

Because of that new to you cancellation policy, it's actually easier to get day of ADRs now since people will cancel 24 hrs ahead. If you decide you want to do a TS one day, just check the app or consult your concierge for what might be available that evening. It could even make dining a part of the adventure.

Completely agree with this. We often don't make reservations until the day of as we don't like to be too regimented and I think you will be shocked at how much is open. We do a lot of signatures, but on the less costly side of table services we've gotten last minute at via Napoli, Tokyo dining, Teppan edo. San angel, beaches and cream, raglan road, Kona, liberty tree, Sanaa, whispering canyon, and the plaza to name a few.

 

[nbsmjs]

Completely agree with this. We often don't make reservations until the day of as we don't like to be too regimented and I think you will be shocked at how much is open. We do a lot of signatures, but on the less costly side of table services we've gotten last minute at via Napoli, Tokyo dining, Teppan edo. San angel, beaches and cream, raglan road, Kona, liberty tree, Sanaa, whispering canyon, and the plaza to name a few.

music to my ears!!! this makes me so happy!

 

[bluezy]

Because of that new to you cancellation policy, it's actually easier to get day of ADRs now since people will cancel 24 hrs ahead. If you decide you want to do a TS one day, just check the app or consult your concierge for what might be available that evening. It could even make dining a part of the adventure.

I was just going to post the same thing. We don't usually do the dining plan and prefer to just "wing it" when it comes to meals. We eat mostly QS but usually do one or two TS meals a trip. Disney has made changes to a lot of their QS menus over the last few years and there are a lot more options than just burgers and chicken nuggets (especially at places like BOG and Wolfgang Puck Express to name a few). My son is a vegetarian and had no trouble finding options on a 7-day no TS trip a few years ago. When we were at Disney this past June, we took a break and returned to the resort most afternoons. While hanging out at the pool or in our room, DH & I would check the app/website to see what TS locations had openings for a party of 5 for dinner. We had no less than 15 options every evening -- usually more -- and they included things like CRT (granted, it was a 9:30 ADR), California Grill, and Hoop Dee Do. I imagine we would have had even more options if we were a party of 4. We're heading back to Disney in June and we've made ADRs for BOG and CRT. All other meals will be whatever we decide that day. We like the freedom of not being tied down to ADRs every day.

 

[soniam]

We usually don't make more than 1 ADR per day, and sometimes we won't have one at all for a day. Our first trip, 9 days, we made only a few ADRs, because I didn't want to waste a lot of time eating, especially since we were heading back to the hotel in the afternoon for naps. We eat breakfast on the run to save time, so we rarely get a breakfast ADR. Now we like to have about one a day for lunch or dinner. It gives us a stress free meal, with a seat, and out of the elements. We like QS, but at busy times, they get really full. Try to eat early or late to avoid the crowds. When it's really crowded, it can be difficult to find a place to sit at some of the QS. If you are trying to save money, breakfast, especially at the buffets, is cheaper.

I would look to see if any of the QS appeal to you at all of the parks. Some parks are better than others. If you don't see a QS that appeals to you, then you might have better luck booking a TS for that park. MK and Epcot have really great QS options. AK isn't bad, but DHS is the worst. However, DHS currently has some special Star Wars meals at some of the QS, so that may be appealing.

 

[WDWAurora]

We actually just did this. I did some quick reviews. We had my dad (66), DH, me, and our 3 & 5 year old sons. We found some good options.

 

[Keegansmommy]

In our opinion, the dining plan has gotten too ridiculously expensive for what you get. If you add up dollar for dollar what you get with what you spend, I suppose not, but for us, if it's not part of the plan, we wouldn't get drinks and desserts with EVERY meal (we're water drinkers). We're a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 kids ages 2, 6, and 8). This is our first trip in awhile without a dining plan because we were lucky enough to snag free dining and/or a stay/play/dine discount. This trip is a surprise for our kids so we told them some friends of ours were going to Disney and wanted recommendations on where to eat. We told them they had to agree on one place they would tell them to go to eat as their "must go to" place. They decided that O'Hana was their favorite. Score for mommy and daddy - sneaky way to find out what restaurant to book. It's the only ADR that I made. I hate coughing up that much for a breakfast but it's our big food splurge for the whole week. I did have an ADR for T-Rex but cancelled it because I was afraid we'd end up changing our minds and/or forget about the ADR and get charged. We may try doing a walk-up there one day for lunch. If it doesn't work, no biggie. I must say it will be kind of refreshing not to have to worry about being at a certain place at a certain time each day.

 

[Nancyg56]

My DD and her family went with QS for one trip and found that they ate perfectly well. If you have not done this in the past, check out the menus ahead of time so you have a plan.. There is nothing worse than figuring out you are hungry and then can''t decide where to eat. (Happened to me in December, and all that was left was Cosmic Rays)

I like a TS meal every day but like Bumbershoot, there are more reasons than food that go into that decision.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

We're in the same boat! We've ALWAYS had the free dining--every single trip. So have gotten very used to eating that way. This time around we're going with the same magical deal and won't have the plan available to us. It really is a whole new way of thinking!!!

We are a bit different, in that we really do enjoy the break that a sit-down meal allows. It becomes part of our vacation and something we really look forward to. Besides the break on those hot August days is very much welcomed! So we will probably still do one TS a day like we always have, but I'm approaching it a bit different. Here are some of the ideas I've come up with for us to try.

* The Plaza at MK. Have never tried it because the dishes are so inexpensive it seemed a "waste" on the DP. But I hear many good things about it!

* Breakfast as lunch. I've wanted to try the buffet breakfast at either Boma or The Wave, but have just never done it (again, didn't seem worth it on the plan...and also timing). Figured I'd book a very late breakfast time and make it our big meal of the day. If we're eating at a buffet at 10:30 or so, that's going to probably hold us until dinner, with maybe a little snack. Then QS for dinner. Breakfasts seem to be cheaper. And doing it later allows for some early morning park time first.

* Sharing meals. I know at Yak & Yeti, for example, the portions are HUGE. But we'd all order our own meals because we were on the plan. Now I think we'll just end up splitting quite a few. Or at the very least ordering just 3 meals for our party of 4. Via Napoli is another one where we'll just order a large pizza and share.

* 'Ohana room service. This was a tough one! We LOVED 'Ohana last trip and I know everyone will want to go again, but PRICEY!!! We're planning to stay at the Poly and have learned you can actually order this in! But we can order for just 2 or 3 and share, which I'm sure will still be plenty for all of us and a lot cheaper.

* Apps as meals. I'm actually really looking forward to this one! With the DP, I always skip right over the app section on the menu. There's so much food included in our meals that I'm not going to pay for something extra! But often there's something in the app section that I could actually have as just a meal. And some look awfully good too! So I'm sure there will be some meals where I'll just order an appetizer...and maybe dessert...and that will be it.

So, yes, we're still going to make ADRs but I'm looking at things totally different now. And really kind of looking forward to the change!

 

[Nancyg56]

We're in the same boat! We've ALWAYS had the free dining--every single trip. So have gotten very used to eating that way. This time around we're going with the same magical deal and won't have the plan available to us. It really is a whole new way of thinking!!!

We are a bit different, in that we really do enjoy the break that a sit-down meal allows. It becomes part of our vacation and something we really look forward to. Besides the break on those hot August days is very much welcomed! So we will probably still do one TS a day like we always have, but I'm approaching it a bit different. Here are some of the ideas I've come up with for us to try.

* The Plaza at MK. Have never tried it because the dishes are so inexpensive it seemed a "waste" on the DP. But I hear many good things about it!

* Breakfast as lunch. I've wanted to try the buffet breakfast at either Boma or The Wave, but have just never done it (again, didn't seem worth it on the plan...and also timing). Figured I'd book a very late breakfast time and make it our big meal of the day. If we're eating at a buffet at 10:30 or so, that's going to probably hold us until dinner, with maybe a little snack. Then QS for dinner. Breakfasts seem to be cheaper. And doing it later allows for some early morning park time first.

* Sharing meals. I know at Yak & Yeti, for example, the portions are HUGE. But we'd all order our own meals because we were on the plan. Now I think we'll just end up splitting quite a few. Or at the very least ordering just 3 meals for our party of 4. Via Napoli is another one where we'll just order a large pizza and share.

* 'Ohana room service. This was a tough one! We LOVED 'Ohana last trip and I know everyone will want to go again, but PRICEY!!! We're planning to stay at the Poly and have learned you can actually order this in! But we can order for just 2 or 3 and share, which I'm sure will still be plenty for all of us and a lot cheaper.

* Apps as meals. I'm actually really looking forward to this one! With the DP, I always skip right over the app section on the menu. There's so much food included in our meals that I'm not going to pay for something extra! But often there's something in the app section that I could actually have as just a meal. And some look awfully good too! So I'm sure there will be some meals where I'll just order an appetizer...and maybe dessert...and that will be it.

So, yes, we're still going to make ADRs but I'm looking at things totally different now. And really kind of looking forward to the change!

We shared meals several times. Even on the ddp you can share, but off of the pla, sharing becomes even more practical. There were three of us on the last trip and when possible (Via napoli and the CP package you could not)) we ordered two meals and split them between the three of us.. We did this for CS as well. WE never left rolling out of the restaurant and made our credits last even though we had signature dining.

 

[over50visits]

What a great time to try an experiment...put the amount of the dining plan in your pocket, plus some amount for tips (say 10-15% since you don't tip CS). Now eat where and when you want, have snacks, etc. Enjoy character meals, buffets, Signature dining, popcorn, hamburgers. I think you'll be surprised at how much money is left over in your pocket at the end. The dining plan is one of Disney's brilliant revenue generators...it fills their restaurants with guests who think they are saving money when they are actually spending a lot more. Instead of a mindset that you should eat expensive meals with expensive entrees all the time because you "can," now you are free to eat whatever you want. I think once you realize the savings and improved dining experience you'll never go back.

 

[Trip planner]

We tried no DDP for the first time last August.
Pros: we saved money! We don't snack much and we often share meals (especially QS)
we walked up to sci fi at lunch shared a meal (sandwich) and app. (Plus 2kids meals) about $40.
We walked up to kona breakfast.
We had adrs at O'hana, CM, biergarten, Kona dinner.
Cons: DH complained about food bills EVERY meal (except sci fi)
Especially QS because we don't care for most QS and it "feels" expensive if you don't love the food.
Result: back to DDP for our next trip. Money saved isn't worth DH complaining!
But if I had to go no DDP again, I would eat more TS where you can split meals.

 

[MamaToDavis]

We are in the same boat. I've made reservations at our must-dos, Crystal Palace breakfast, Garden Grill dinner, and Cape May on arrival night. We will wing the rest. Now that our boys are older, we don't eat on such a regimented schedule. This is our first stay at the Beach Club, and I'm looking forward to the variety that's close by. We've never stayed near Epcot, so there are lots (and lots) of places we've never tried. I definitely plan to have pizza delivered one night to have by the pool. We did that a while back at the Poly, so hopefully that is still allowed. It was cheap, easy, and the kids loved it.