Any of you campers get the meal plan? Is it available at FW?

[tinkerdorabelle]

Thinking I don't want to cook too much. Anybody ever do the meal plan while at FW? How did you like it, was it worth it to you. I am not a big foodie, would eat whole grain bagels/bread, cereal, cream cheese, Sunbutter (allergic to peanuts), fruits, salads and be happy. Not as much my hubbie. So even if we eat those things for one meal a day, might be kind of nice to eat out at least once a day. Never did meal plan before so know little about it.

 

[chartle]

There is a Dining plan forum under the restaurant forum. But yes you can get the DDP at the fort.

http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-dining-plan.116/

 

[tiggerdad]

You can, and I did it in 2012. Will not do it again while staying at campground. Was a big waste of money. You are better off to pay out of pocket for the meals you want and do the rest at the campground. This really depends on what you are looking to do however. One of the big reasons I camp is to make the stay more affordable. Getting off the meal plan saves a bunch of money. This past trip in 2014 I booked a few table meals for the kids to have character interaction and did the rest at the camper. Came out a whole lot better that way.

From what you are saying I think this might be a better deal for you instead of paying for the whole plan.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Really do some research before you decide to purchase the meal plan. I know that some people do it as a way to pre-pay their vacation and then not have to worry about food expenses. Personally I think it's a waste of money unless it's free - for my family anyway. We don't eat desserts when we get a counter service meal, don't have any need for a refillable mug (especially not when camping), etc. When I priced out the dining plan versus purchasing our own meals, it was cheaper to pay as we go; especially now that you only get one snack credit per day. If you get the regular dining plan (the one that is sit down and counter service), you also need to factor in tips as they are not included in the price.

Now back in the day when I could stay at POP for $90/night and get the regular dining plan (that included tips and appetizers) for 2 adults free I loved it!

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

I agree it doesn't look too great a deal now that I read your posts and looked into it more. Thanks for the input.

 

[bama_ed]

Since most of us travel in a trailer or rv with a kitchen, folks tend to not buy the dining plan. Of course, our poster Joy says she is on vacation so she buys it but few do. Since you have to buy it for EVERY day of your vacation, it's not worth it to me.

'Course, if I had to string a couple reservations back-to-back to get dates consecutive like folks do for busy times, I might be tempted to do the dining plan for the length of one of those reservations to see what it was like.

Bama Ed

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

(We are staying on property for 2 nights over Easter, Sat-Mon)

I thought I had sworn off the DDP forever now that my pickey eater is 3 and has to be included in the dining plan...until I realized the cost of 2 TS meals on Easter Sunday! When I add the cost for brunch at Chef Mickey and dinner at Cape May Cafe (prices are increased for the holiday) we are only spending $38.09 for 10 QS meals, 10 snacks, and 5 mugs. Can't beat that! We'll still have food in our RV to cover breakfasts and food there and back.

It did take me 2 calls to find a CM who knew how to make my room only reservation a "ticketless package" by adding the dining plan don't have park tickets for this trip), but that's fine, I'll take a little inconvienence on my end for such great savings!

So, it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of answer, you need to run the numbers (using menus on line for prices) to see if there's any value for you personally.

 

[cousineddie]

We always get the meal plan. Of course, we're huge foodies and a lot of the reason we love going to Epcot is for the food in the different pavilions. My daughter was actually upset she couldn't order "real" food the first time we went because she was still considered a child and could only order of the children's menu. I'm sure if we didn't have the option we'd brown bag it and cook more in our camper, but it's just one of the expenses we build into our trips. For what it's worth, we always eat several hundred dollars more food than what it costs to purchase the plan. We also leave early and come in late and have yet spent enough time in Ft. Wilderness during our trips.

 

[PPink]

(We are staying on property for 2 nights over Easter, Sat-Mon)

I thought I had sworn off the DDP forever now that my pickey eater is 3 and has to be included in the dining plan...until I realized the cost of 2 TS meals on Easter Sunday! When I add the cost for brunch at Chef Mickey and dinner at Cape May Cafe (prices are increased for the holiday) we are only spending $38.09 for 10 QS meals, 10 snacks, and 5 mugs. Can't beat that! We'll still have food in our RV to cover breakfasts and food there and back.

It did take me 2 calls to find a CM who knew how to make my room only reservation a "ticketless package" by adding the dining plan don't have park tickets for this trip), but that's fine, I'll take a little inconvienence on my end for such great savings!

So, it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of answer, you need to run the numbers (using menus on line for prices) to see if there's any value for you personally.

I did not know that you can buy dinning plan without park tickets.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

I did not know that you can buy dinning plan without park tickets.

I know AP holders can do that; not sure if you can with a regular ticket.

 

[drdisneygirl]

Thinking I don't want to cook too much. Anybody ever do the meal plan while at FW? How did you like it, was it worth it to you. I am not a big foodie, would eat whole grain bagels/bread, cereal, cream cheese, Sunbutter (allergic to peanuts), fruits, salads and be happy. Not as much my hubbie. So even if we eat those things for one meal a day, might be kind of nice to eat out at least once a day. Never did meal plan before so know little about it.

We did a few years ago. I wouldn't recommend it because it is so expensive. You are better off to pay out of pocket for your meals. We stayed at Ft. Wilderness in January and I used the crock pot several days. Throw something in there and let it cook all day while you are at the parks, and you feel like you haven't had to cook!

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

I know AP holders can do that; not sure if you can with a regular ticket.

Yes, you can get the dining plan without having park tickets or Annual Passes -- it's called a "ticketless package" -- you are then held to the restrictions of a package, though. So $200 deposit, payment due in full at 45 days out. Like I said, I had to call back because the first CM didnt know how to add it and told me it wasn't possible, which wasn't true. The second CM did it in like 5 minutes.

 

[PPink]

Yes, you can get the dining plan without having park tickets or Annual Passes -- it's called a "ticketless package" -- you are then held to the restrictions of a package, though. So $200 deposit, payment due in full at 45 days out. Like I said, I had to call back because the first CM didnt know how to add it and told me it wasn't possible, which wasn't true. The second CM did it in like 5 minutes.

Yes, you can get the dining plan without having park tickets or Annual Passes -- it's called a "ticketless package" -- you are then held to the restrictions of a package, though. So $200 deposit, payment due in full at 45 days out. Like I said, I had to call back because the first CM didnt know how to add it and told me it wasn't possible, which wasn't true. The second CM did it in like 5 minutes.

That is good to know. I looked up the disney web site for the info after I saw your post and they say that you can buy the dinning plan only if you buy the magic your way package which includes the tickets. I guess they do not advertise it. I will keep it in mind for the future trips. We love hanging out at the Fort and Parks are not just the thing for us. We can definitely eat though . Thanks for the info.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Yes, you can get the dining plan without having park tickets or Annual Passes -- it's called a "ticketless package"

That's good to know - thank you for sharing that information. This makes the DP available to people who buy tickets separately from another source or have old tickets to use up.

 

[Bubblegum1286]

We're going in June and are not going to get the meal plan. We are planning on doing burgers, hot dogs, hobo packets, bratwursts, etc. at the camp (typical camp food-- YUM) and then paying out of pocket for a few meals at the parks. There's at least one character meal I want to do with my kiddos, and then I know for convenience sake, we'll need to grab some quick service meals in parks (like in Animal Kingdom, whose hours are much shorter than MK and therefore make it hard to run back to camp for lunch). I think it's not only cheaper but more convenient because, for instance, on the morning we plan to hit MK super early (my daughter's birthday ), we will just do donuts or muffins at the camp and hop on that boat to the MK as soon as we possibly can! Lunch will be in park, and we'll just pay cash for that. Dinner will be back at the fort. Something simple like hot dogs. And then since we'll hit the park again. Since we're doing so much back and forth, it just makes sense to not get the meal plan.

 

[Southern Bell]

We have only purchased it when offered free, when staying at a hotel. We always have a vehicle and end up shopping or doing other things outside of Disney. We usually eat a couple of meals outside of Disney even when we have the dining plan. So... even though I have a few Character meals reserved, we have figured the cost, between that, quick meals in park, eating at the camper we think we will come out better without purchasing it. I think it was something like $3,600!LOL! (I can buy alot of groceries for that!) and I have 1 adult child who may leave a few days early. So we would have to eat their meals too. I guess you just have to do the math. I think most women do enjoy the Dining plan because of not cooking & cleaning up dishes, pots and pans! LOL! But...I sure do enjoy when my husband grills those steaks! I haven't ate one in Disney as good yet! Just come over to our camper and give us $32 for a steak meal, and I'll include a bake potato, salad, desert, and drink with free refills! LOL! This is probably why Disney doesn't put in anymore To Go food than they do! LOL!