Book package with or w/o dinning?

[Molly K]

Would like some in put on the packages with dinning. Is it worth the extra money?

 

[Andrea]

we are thinking about not doing this, but i wanted to read what every one else though

 

[Punkin's Mom]

We're leaving on Thursday with the dining plan, so I'll let you know when we're back. But the feeling I have is that I'll be so glad not have to worry about how much every little thing is going to cost. If I want the steak, I'll get it - no worries! Especially with character meals being so expensive, one could justify the cost of the plan for a whole day. Also keep in mind that the kids meal plan costs much less, but those credits can be used by an adult. So you could pay cash for a much cheaper kids meal and use those credits later for a full price adult dinner.

 

[stahshee]

thats my debait. I did get AAA discount so now I can not get the dining plan!

 

[fran99999]

I have heard of people getting the dining plan with the AAA discount. Did U get room only? I know it was available with AAA discounted packages.

 

[daisyduck123]

We just got back last week from 8 days at POP.
We had the dining plan...definetely worth the money. If you make ADRs at nice restaurants for your table service meals...I don't see how anyone could disagree with me.

We "dined" our way through Disneyworld....literally.

 

[pedro2112]

thats my debait. I did get AAA discount so now I can not get the dining plan!

Yes you can, but you have to book through your AAA agent.

 

[jtdl]

I think it depends on your own eating habits. For us the dining plan would cost somewhere around $130. We only spend that much money for one day's worth of meals when we do a character meal. The other days we eat breakfast in the room and lunch and supper at counter service. If you want to do a sit down meal everyday, it would definitely be worth it to get the dining plan. Check the menus at allears.com and see if there are sit down restaurants you would want to eat at. On our last trip we went from Pop to Fort Wilderness via Disney buses to eat and it took us well over an hour each way - so travelling to other resorts to eat is an option that takes time!

 

[pepe of ohio]

I don't think its worth it. We never used it, I know what food has cost us from all our stays at WDW. We know where we want to eat and what we want to eat. I rather be dictated by my favorites than going through disneys list and trying to use up the dining chits. And they only give you a lunch snack? Alot of money I believe. Meals are huge at disney, wife and I share most meals except dinner, share sit down breakfasts and counter service lunch sometimes or picnic from our grocery stop and that leaves plenty of room for ice cream, cookies, pizza snacks on a whim. We spend, maybe 80.00 a day for the 2 of us and we're not cheap nor underweight. We have never booked a package either at WDW, I've booked room only, myself through CRO, we buy our own tickets upon arrival and have done this since 1977 over 30 some trips and some years 3 trips over 8 nights in one year. We see it all, and do it all and food has never been a problem for us.

 

[badger8789]

We used the dining plan for the first time this past January. We liked the option for several reasons. The first was that we could see the savings. At the end of the trip, we received a tally of all our expenses (table service, counter service, snacks). Held up against what we paid up front for the plan, we figured we saved about $350.00 by using the plan over buying the same food on our own.

The second reason was that we ate more food than we normally would have. Our party was myself, my husband and two children (ages 5 and 7). We were never hungry, something I would not have been able to say on those trips we made where pb&j was a mainstay.

The third, more unexpected, reason was that we really enjoyed our dining experience. We didn't worry about spending money or what each entree cost us. We ate at restaurants we probably would not have tried otherwise. It really added to the overall enjoyment of our trip.

We hope to return next year and have the dining plan on our list! We think it was worth the money and sure beat eating sandwiches for a week.

 

[pedro2112]

I don't think its worth it. We never used it, I know what food has cost us from all our stays at WDW. We know where we want to eat and what we want to eat. I rather be dictated by my favorites than going through disneys list and trying to use up the dining chits. And they only give you a lunch snack? Alot of money I believe. Meals are huge at disney, wife and I share most meals except dinner, share sit down breakfasts and counter service lunch sometimes or picnic from our grocery stop and that leaves plenty of room for ice cream, cookies, pizza snacks on a whim. We spend, maybe 80.00 a day for the 2 of us and we're not cheap nor underweight. We have never booked a package either at WDW, I've booked room only, myself through CRO, we buy our own tickets upon arrival and have done this since 1977 over 30 some trips and some years 3 trips over 8 nights in one year. We see it all, and do it all and food has never been a problem for us.

Pepe, the dining plan would cost you less than 80 bucks a day and you could have one sit down meal and one counter service meal per day, plus a snack. it sounds like it would be perfect for you and the wife. If you share some meals, you could use your extra credits for signature dining at some of the better restaurants. Practically every single restaurant on property is on the plan with the exception of some of the Downtown Disney Restaurants and Victoria and Albert's at GF.

Sounds like the dining plan was tailor made for you!

 

[ShellyMouse]

personally, we wouldn't go without the dining plan!

each person gets 1 sit down (includes character meals), 1 counter sevice, and 1 snack per day. actually it's per night on reservation. we stayed 4 nights/5 days, so we each got 4 of the above.
you can use them anyway you want....all in the first 2 days, or spred them out. your reciept will tell you how many you have left each time you use your card.

heres what we did.....
monday(MK), b- ate before arriving, lunch - used a counter service, d- had a character meal

tues(AK)., b - character meal, lunch - counter service, d - character meal

wed(EPCOT)., b - got donuts at ASMo caf.(OOP), lunch - counter service, d - character meal

thurs(mgm & DTD)., b - donuts (OOP), lunch - counter service, d - OOP~fultons

fri(MK)., we just ate on the fly OOP, and used up any remaining snacks.

the counter service meals .....at most places you get an app, entree, drink and dessert!

imo....its so worth it, and it includes your tips for wait staff too.

have a great time

 

[Kimmumum]

For our family of 4 the dining plan is more money than we normally spend. We usually do one character meal and the rest is more little "snacks" throughout the day (we either get snacks, share meals or eat light meals). We do not like eating big meals (we don't want to spend time waiting for them and it is usually too hot to eat big). I can't even tell you how many tubs of grapes we eat. Unfortunately, grapes is not considered one of the snacks either. For our family it is just too much food and too much money.

 

[amylevan]

Being the engineer that I am, I set up a spreadsheet calculating how much each meal would cost us based on what we normally would choose at which restaurants I wanted ADR's at. It essentially came out the same price, so I preferred to keep our money in an account until we leave, and instead get room discounts without the packages.

Plus this way I don't have to feel guilty that I'm "wasting" a dining credit if I decide that I'm not hungry and all I want is a turkey leg or a salad or whatever.

 

[ksumn1]

For our trip in June we're doing the dining plan. We don't usually do breakfast but after getting input from DH and the kids about what meals they wanted to do, looking at menus online and comparing prices, the dining plan saves us money. My DH has a big appetite so he probably couln't share with anyone by DD (2). I also like lnowing that all our meals are paid for with the exception of one CS on check out day since we don't eat breakfast. It's actually saving over $300 by my calculations. Now, if DD's end up sharing meals, it may not save us that much $ but since I have a set budget, I can know that expense is taken care of and budgeted for. And most of the meals we had planned on before deciding on the plan were in the higher priced range, so for us it makes sense.

 

[walkena]

We will stick with our usual plan of paying for meals as we go. We enjoy the flexibility of eating when and where we want and would rather not have the hassle of keeping track of the DDP. We would probably break out even with the DDP (or maybe we would spend a little less) but I prefer the flexibility of being able to grab meals at any restaurant without feeling obliged to only eat within the DDP. We will also occassionally utlize room service for breakfast or dinner - sometimes it is great to have the convenience to call up for food (especially when we have had a busy day at the parks).

I guess it is whatever works for you.

 

[zookeeper]

We went last Sept. with the free dining offer so for us the choice was a no-brainer. We all agreed that we would pay for the dining plan next time. For us it was worth it just because it was one less thing to worry about budgeting for ahead of time and one less thing to think about while we were there. Can you eat for less than the cost of the dining plan?...The answer is obviously yes. You can eat more cheaply, but it's not really a fair comparison when you consider the meals you would be getting on the plan. For us, the TS meals, especially the character meals, were part of our whole experience. It really depends on what you're trying to get out of your meals. My vote is definitely for the dining plan.

 

[beckmrk04]

We are going withthe dining plan in May and I know we will save money. My husband and I eat at table service restaurants quite often, and after looking back at what we spent on food on our previous trips, it was a no brainer. Sometimes we would spend 100/day on food just for two of us. And that's not including appetizers or desserts, which we wouldn't order because they were so expensive! Now, with the dining plan, it will be about 38 each per day, and we can eat virtually anywhere. And I like the idea of having it all paid for ahead of time and not worrying about prices and credit card bills while I am looking at the menu on vacation.

 

[mommyceratops]

We did the dining plan. (Just got back 2 weeks ago) it was worth it. IMO... we did a character meal everyday, ate the counter for lunch or breakfast and it was worth it.

My only advise is don't save anything. Use your snacks even if you use them up your first day. We tried to use one per person everyday and paid for the rest. The last day we had 11 snacks left!

I also liked being able to order what I wanted and not worry about the price.

 

[Tiggerfan14]

We used the dining plan for the first time this past January. We liked the option for several reasons. The first was that we could see the savings. At the end of the trip, we received a tally of all our expenses (table service, counter service, snacks). Held up against what we paid up front for the plan, we figured we saved about $350.00 by using the plan over buying the same food on our own.

The second reason was that we ate more food than we normally would have. Our party was myself, my husband and two children (ages 5 and 7). We were never hungry, something I would not have been able to say on those trips we made where pb&j was a mainstay.

The third, more unexpected, reason was that we really enjoyed our dining experience. We didn't worry about spending money or what each entree cost us. We ate at restaurants we probably would not have tried otherwise. It really added to the overall enjoyment of our trip.

We hope to return next year and have the dining plan on our list! We think it was worth the money and sure beat eating sandwiches for a week.

How were you able to get a tally of your meals. I usually try to write on the receipt they give you that says 0 dollars but sometimes with the CS it was hard. Can i request that at check in. sorry Thanks