Best BANG for the Dining Plan...WHERE??

[millerjudi]

We (me, DH, DS age 8 and DD age 6) went for 4 days in November 05 on the dinning plan and did no planning to figure out where to get the best bang for our buck--we had CS lunchs at the closest place in whatever park we were in and we made dinner reservations in the restaurants that looked best to us but did not do any signature dining as we thought that would be lost on the kids--we kept track of what we were spending and we saved at least $50 per day. I think the beauty of the dinning plan is not squeezing every dollar possible out of it--I think that it is convenient and will always save you money if you are planning to eat all your meals at WDW. Have a wonderful time there!

 

[rumrunnergirl]

Oh my gosh, we saved a bundle!! The best bang was LeCellier - for DH & I our tab was $108.07 for a total of 2TS. Jiko was 4TS for two people and our tab was $113. Cali Grill - me, DH & 2 kids - $207.11. Normally we can't afford to eat at these places, so it was a nice splurge. Usually we bring our own food to the hotel, and spend less than $200 for a week for four of us (2 adults, 2 kids). But, we thought for an extra $160 we can eat really nice and not have to worry about smushed sandwiches and warm juice packs and every nickel and dime. If the kids wanted an ice cream - fine! Popcorn? Why not!
We paid $360 for the dining plan (4 days) and rang up $800 for food, taxes, tips. I kept all our food tickets and added everything up. We don't usually both order appetizers and desserts - but hey, why not? We got portable desserts when we could and took them back to the room, where DH snacked on them while watching TV. We had leftovers for 2 days after we got home. DH said he has never eaten so good in his life, LOL. We ended up with 4 unused snack credits because we spent our last day at Downtown Disney, where we got lunch to go.

www.allearsnet.com has the menus and prices for all of the restaurants. I've been looking at those to see if we should get the dining plan. I know we'll save money based on the amount of food we're getting versus ordering all that without the plan. But we don't usually order appetizers, we often split a dessert, sometimes we eat in the room etc., so I'm not so sure we'll ACTUALLY save money.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

Does anyone have a link for this? I saw the info before but now I can't find it. Thanks!

mousesavers has a section where Mary lists which restaurants will potentially give you the biggest bang for your buck.

 

[teacher31]

If the OP said that she was on a budget, is the dining plan really the best bet? I calculated our family trip with and without the DP. For our family of 5 for 9 days it added about $1800 or so. When I compared that to it without, going without the dp was a hands down winner. No way have we spent that much in the past on dining on a trip. We've kept the receipts from our last vacation for about 9 days as well and it was around 1000. Yes, we did have some cheap meals. Do that at home too. We were also able to splurge and enjoy several meals that were treats because we did eat pizza one night. I seriously question if a DP is the right way to go if you are really on a budget. I'd rather have an inexpensive meal or two and then enjoy a treat. Paying 37 for my ten year old who eats like a bird also is absurd. Counter service for her would be about 9 and then dinner is not going to be 25. I thought it was fiscially irresponsible for my family.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

Right, if you really need to stick to a smaller budget or have picky eaters then it may not be the best bet. But if you want to budget AND splurge (does that make sense?) then it's a good deal.

Like I said in my post, last time we went to WDW we spent under $200 for a week (6 days) of meals for 2 adults and 2 kids. We didn't have extra money for the dining plan since we had to buy the season tickets and get my van A/C fixed, so I got some cheap food vouchers and we brought a bunch of food with us.

This time, we used the dining plan - 4 days cost $360, PLUS we had to buy 1 day tickets since we are season ticket holders. BUT - we got back way more than that in food, plus we didn't have to share meals if we didn't want to, DH & I got to eat more than the usual cheeseburgers and fries all week. And we still have the 1 day tickets we can use on a blockout day, or trade in for new season passes.

So - if you have a few extra dollars and want to enjoy sit down table-service meals eating foods you normally can't afford to buy, give your kids a great experience with new foods and character dining, then it's worth it.

Yes, we are "really on a budget", and I am a bigger tightwad than anyone I know, but we decided it would be more enjoyable for us to do this, and do without other things so that we could stick to our budget. Our 4 and 6 year olds really enjoyed the nicer food too, plus the desserts. We can't wait to do it again.

 

[crisi]

So - if you have a few extra dollars and want to enjoy sit down table-service meals eating foods you normally can't afford to buy, give your kids a great experience with new foods and character dining, then it's worth it.

Even then, you can do table service meals cheaper than the dining plan if you use strategies like sharing and/or sticking to a single course. The dining plan is really a "value add" for both Disney and the Guest. For Disney, it sells sit down, onsite trapped dining to a bunch of people who would have eaten counterservice or have gone offsite. For the guests, it allows you to plan a budget and know (with ADRs) that you will eat well on that budget.

 

[Nancyg56]

Yes, we are "really on a budget", and I am a bigger tightwad than anyone I know, but we decided it would be more enjoyable for us to do this, and do without other things so that we could stick to our budget. Our 4 and 6 year olds really enjoyed the nicer food too, plus the desserts. We can't wait to do it again.

This is the reason that we chose to add the dining plan onto our package. We enjoy good food. I know that we will sit, relax and enjoy a good meal every day. We are not a family that can "eat and run", but like to have time to regroup. The DP was a convenient way to maintain a food budget, and enjoy the same meals that we would have chosen, and also schedule a time that our family will all relax together.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

Even then, you can do table service meals cheaper than the dining plan if you use strategies like sharing and/or sticking to a single course.

True, but like I stated earlier, DH & I didn't want to share. And when we go out we usually order an appetizer, but not always dessert. On the DP, we packed up leftover food to go back to the room, whether it was our entree or dessert, so no food ever got wasted either. Tightwad that I am, I cannot order food and then simply have the waiter throw out what I can't eat. Cheesecake for breakfast is quite the tasty treat, LOL.