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

[larryz]

...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.

Plus, if you're on park-hoppers, you can just stroll into World Showcase and hit one of the not-so-busy restaurants or great CS places!

 

[GaryDis]

they are saving money when they are actually spending a lot more

In fairness, it's often a bit of both. For many people, they're spending more than they would if they ordered based on OOP payment, but they're paying less than the would if they ordered the exact same things OOP. For some it's a total overpayment, either because they still order the less expensive items for other reasons or because they can't finish everything. For others, it's pure savings, because they would have gone to all those high priced character buffets anyway.

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

We had the same deal this past August and are doing it again August 2016. Initially I worried about not having a dining plan - but it actually turned out better. We spent less than we would have if we had the plan and still had 9 TS. Since it worked out so well I added a 10th TS for this upcoming trip

We did our TS more often for lunches since they're generally cheaper. It was also nice being able to order what you want.

One of my favourite parts of the trip is planning so I can't handle not making ADRs

 

[loves to dive]

In over 30 years of going we have never made an ADR in advance of the trip, even back in the day when we did the dining plan. We don't do the plan now but do still eat TS about 4 out of 5 nights there, either or lunch or supper. We like to make a game out of it. In the morning we go to GS at whatever park we are at and just ask what is available that night in the park we are at. We always have PHs so if we don't like that choice we just ask what is available anywhere during a certain 2 or 3 hour time frame. We've eaten at places we wouldn't have eaten at before doing it that way. We have even done it mid-day and gotten decent choices. I'm not a huge meal eater so I tend to get an appy and salad instead of a meal, it saves room for a dessert if I want it and doesn't leave me feeling stuffed. When I eat at QS I almost always get a kid's meal and have never, I repeat never had nuggets or PB&J doing that, there are plenty of options. We rarely eat snacks between meals so the dining plan just didn't make sense to us.

 

[Realgrumpy]

We are doing the same our next trip. We loved the dining plan, but we were eating soooo much! Desserts every day plus snacks. It's a lot of food. We are still going to enjoy special dining experiences, just without all the extras.

 

[em36]

We have used the DDP, the QSDP, and no DP. When we are not on a dining plan, we try to eat a table service every other day. We choose table service restaurants that are less expensive like Plaza, Beaches and Cream, and Sci Fi. I find that after a few days, waiting in line for QS meals, finding a table, and the noise can get a little old. We do seem to travel at really busy times, so this might not be the case for some.