DDP with small kids? Help settle debate

[Allboysandme]

Hi! This is my first time posting even though I've been lurking for weeks and getting great tips. We booked a seven day vacation in June and added the DDP. Now, I'm not so sure it's a good idea. We have three boys that will be almost 7, 3.5, and 17 months at the time. They get really antsy in TS restaurants now so we usually just eat at home. I don't really see them magically liking TS meals at disney. But, I am sure the character meals would keep them interested. Buffets may not be so bad if they're quick. Are they? Dh wants to do one TS meal a day and we would have to in order to get the value out of the plan. I think one TS meal a day is just too much for three small kids. So, my question is, is it better to have CS with small kids or will the CS lines and heat in June make it worth the TS meals?

Also, it looks like we would only break even on the DDP. DH wants to do it anyway so we won't have to pay OOP. I'm not sure how everyone is coming up with such great savings. What am I missing? Here are our potential ADRs that we based the price on:

Ohana's (BF)
Chef Mickey's (D)
Crystal Palace (L)
Cape May's Clambake (D)
Mama Melrose's (D)
Yak & Yeti (L)
Marakesh at Epcot (D)

We will probably eat at the resort (CS) for breakfast because the snack credits or granola bars wouldn't work for my kids. They like a big, hot breakfast. We didn't want to do TS breakfast since they won't wake up early enough with the time change. We want to be able to get to the park in time for rope drop.

Thanks for the help!

 

[brokenlola]

I think you need more buffets if you don't think your kids will do well at long sit down meals. My 2 yo does horrible at restaurants, but we still wanted to do the DDP for everyone else, so we planned 5 of our 7 meals as character buffets.

Also, I think by eating so many lunches you are not taking full advantage of the DDP price break.

 

[summermac]

One of the reasons why you're only breaking even is b/c you're doing so many lunches. Also buffets aren't a great "value" for the adults but are big time for the kids. One more thing to add though - the entire month of June is going to be subject to a holiday surcharge (it was posted yesterday) so character meals are going to increase $2 during that time. That will save you a bit there, not much, but some.

If it were me, I'd consider doing a few more dinners, even earlyish ones, like 4:30 to get more value. Also, keep in mind that DDP is tax inclusive so you'll pay tax on top of your price if OOP. And another way to get more "value" is to consider using CS to share meals with DH - some CS places have pretty large portions (Flame Tree BBQ is one that comes to mind) and then you have an extra CS to use for breakfast at your resort or something.

 

[dismagiclover]

My kids are a bit older than yours, but I can relate to not going to sit down places. My kids have always done really well at the character meals and other places that offer entertainment (like the Whispering Canyon Cafe or Sci-Fi.) The daily break is actually nice. They always have coloring pages and the servers do a good job of getting you in and out quickly (some say too quickly.) It looks like you made good choices that have activities to keep the kids occupied. You'll have a great time and everyone will get a break from the heat of the parks.

 

[ofhs93]

If your DH is insisting on one TS a day then the case is closed....if he is flexible then I highly recommend the QSDP. We were on it a few weeks ago with our 2 little guys. It worked out very well for us. We still did 2 character meals (to have those experiences) and paid OOP for those. If you do your meals outside of the PEAK times then the crowds are not an issue. With 3 little ones I would imagine that lunch at 11:45 and dinner at 5:30-6 would not be out of the question with long touring days. If you can eat at those times you'll find that the crowds are not such an issue. Being on DDP can really start to get expensive because of the tips....all of those meals add up. We also think that lunch is a good time for a TS type meal because it gives you a nice break. But on DDP you might feel like your not getting a good value by having lunch ADRs....that's another reason we liked the QSDP.

 

[Allboysandme]

Oops...Chef Mickey's is actually dinner, not lunch. Yak & Yeti seems to be the same price whether it is lunch or dinner. It looks like it is about $20 cheaper for Crystal Palace's lunch.

I like the idea of sharing lunch CS meals and saving them for breakfast CS. Dh never wants to share, but I am such a light eater, esp. when it's hot outside, that he might go for it.

 

[beroh2253]

The first time we went with then DS8 and DD7 (now over 12 years ago) when DD7 got hungry we had to just stop at that spot and get something to eat, the only TS we did back then was Chef Mickeys so back then the DDP wouldn't have worked out for us. We were more into park rides then eating, now these days went last June DS21 and DD20 we were more into eating so we did do the DDP this time and worked out pretty good. Doing the regular and Delux DDP does take alot of time away from Park time.

 

[Faldred]

Personally, I'm going DxDP precisely because I don't want to deal with CS with three small kids. Especially considering that they will want lunch at "peak" times (say, right around noon) -- dinner may not be quite as bad, as that is more like 6:00, which is still on the early side for park-goers.

Imagine this: get in line at a crowded CS location to order, in line again to pay. Someone has to grab a table (easier said than done) as well as one or two high chairs or booster seats. Once all that's done, you still have to allow the kids time to eat at their own pace, while other people are stalking around, waiting to see when you'll be done.

Or... you make an ADR, show up at the appropriate time and get seated within a reasonable amount of time. The restaurant already knows your booster/high chair needs, and you take your time to actually enjoy your meal without fighting through lines or over tables.

Of course, the picture I paint is a bit on the "extreme" side, but if you're looking at it from a time and aggravation standpoint, I don't see CS saving us enough time to deal with the aggravation, on the whole. Plus I like the idea of having a built-in "break" in the middle of the day for the kids, so we don't risk as much over-stimulation.

 

[dawnball]

Personally, I'm going DxDP precisely because I don't want to deal with CS with three small kids. Especially considering that they will want lunch at "peak" times (say, right around noon) -- dinner may not be quite as bad, as that is more like 6:00, which is still on the early side for park-goers.

Imagine this: get in line at a crowded CS location to order, in line again to pay. Someone has to grab a table (easier said than done) as well as one or two high chairs or booster seats. Once all that's done, you still have to allow the kids time to eat at their own pace, while other people are stalking around, waiting to see when you'll be done.

Or... you make an ADR, show up at the appropriate time and get seated within a reasonable amount of time. The restaurant already knows your booster/high chair needs, and you take your time to actually enjoy your meal without fighting through lines or over tables.

Of course, the picture I paint is a bit on the "extreme" side, but if you're looking at it from a time and aggravation standpoint, I don't see CS saving us enough time to deal with the aggravation, on the whole. Plus I like the idea of having a built-in "break" in the middle of the day for the kids, so we don't risk as much over-stimulation.

And see, I find that it's the reverse.

With a CS - I don't have to know in advance when people will be hungry. I don't have to care if everyone wants the same food. I don't have to trek across the park to the TS restaurant everyone agreed on months ago. I don't have to arrive 15 minutes before my ADR and get everyone to sit and wait nicely until our table is ready. And then wait again to order, and then wait again to get our entrees (hopefully without filling up on milk/water). And then wait again for dessert/the check/the check to come back/etc.

Someone is hungry and I say "Do you want mac and cheese that's here, or do you want to walk and wait for pizza, or do you want to have a snack and then decide?"

We do tend to take an afternoon break though, and I think that skews my point of view. A CS lunch from 11:30-12:00 and then an afternoon break (1 hr round trip travel time, 3 hours of pool/nap/repack fanny packs/etc) means that we can be back at the parks around 4, or for the parade. Having lunch last from 11:30-1:30 (typical of a TS IME) means that we get back to the parks around 5:30 and spend the first hour eating, and my child is usually done for the day around 8 (and some nights at 7).


I think this is largely a matter of personal taste, since I'm not a big fan of sit-down restaurants in my daily life either.

 

[septbaby]

Hi! We have three boys that will be almost 7, 3.5, and 17 months at So, my question is, is it better to have CS with small kids or will the CS lines and heat in June make it worth the TS meals?

Also, it looks like we would only break even on the DDP. DH wants to do it anyway so we won't have to pay OOP. I'm not sure how everyone is coming up with such great savings. What am I missing? Here are our potential ADRs that we based the price on:

Ohana's (BF)
Chef Mickey's (D)
Crystal Palace (L)
Cape May's Clambake (D)
Mama Melrose's (D)
Yak & Yeti (L)
Marakesh at Epcot (D)

Thanks for the help!

Great TS meals for you crew:
DHS - Play n Dine at Hollywood and Vine, dancing and singing encouraged with the PHD characters; lunch or breakfast

Epcot - Coral Reef the Aquarium is cool and calming; Garden Grill another dinner character option

MK - Crystal Palace or The Plaza (more like a CS meal, but sit down waitress service)

Resorts: Chef Mickey's Dinner or Bfast, Cape May Bfast, 1900 Park Fare bfast (ice cream machine is working for bfast)

Disney TS dining isn't like at home, I side with DH. Go with the plan.

By the way you will do better than breakeven. The kids are $12.99 per day and all of those character meals cost at least that much, usually more. That means the CS meal and snack are free for them on those days. That alone will save you $15 on those days. You also don't pay taxes, so you save 6.5% on every meal on the DP.

 

[allyphoe]

My DD loved TS character meals. So much that she'd eat 2-3 bites of food, and was hungry an hour later. Plus she is the Girl Who Eats Mac-n-Cheese Four Meals Per Day for vacation, so she likes the CS meals.

CS = more eating. Character meals = expensive entertainment. We felt that one trip with DDP paying for the expensive entertainment was well worth it, but now stick to CS.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My suggestion, since you're not going until June, start "training" your kids now to eat at restaurants. My kids were younger than yours on our last 2 trips and we ate at Le Cellier, Coral Reef, 1900 Park Fare, Liberty Tree Tavern, Crystal Palace, Ohana, Chef Mickey's and several others. We had no problems since our kids were used to eating out. We will be going in November with a total of 7 kids - ages 9, 9, 8, 5, 5, 4, 2 and we will be doing one TS a day and will be limiting buffets since the 4 y/o is terrified of anything in a costume.

 

[summermac]

Actually I think kids are only $10.99 per day on the plan.

 

[catne]

You would get more "bang for your buck" using the table service at dinner, and going to menu restaurants instead of buffets; but kids will be entertained at character buffet, and even picky eaters will find something to eat so sometimes it's better to just "break even" and to go for the buffets with little kids. I would still go for the dinnertime table service, anyway, if you're planning on taking a hotel break in the afternoon it's somewhat easier to schedule. That way you can eat lunch wherever & whenever, take your rest/nap/swim break then go to your table service restaurant & finish with your evening parade or whatever you're doing in the evening.

One thing about most Disney restaurants is they are used to serving families with kids...and the Dis restaurants are full of families with kids so it's not like your kids possibly squirming & chatting it up at the table is going to stick out or anything! Not to say your kids shouldn't behave or anything, just saying if they're a little rowdy won't surprise anyone at Disney.

And the typical table service meal is served very quickly even at the menu/waiter restaurants. Most of the places have crayons to keep the kids busy too...or you can buy a pack of those party gift-bags coloring books (the mini ones that fit in a purse )

 

[brymolmom]

I've been going with my 2 kids since they were very young and not the best at patience. I must admit - 7 or 8 days with a TS every day got to be too much for all of us. Sometimes they were tired or very hungry, sometimes they were just antsy, sometimes the food took longer than we would like to arrive, for the character meals - sometimes they were 'over' stimulated and could barely eat anything. Anyway - while we did LIKE it overall, we said that the next time we would do 1 or 2 two credit meals so that we didn't end up with a TS every single day.

So that's an idea if you really want to do most, but not necessarily all of your meals. Choose one or two 2 credit options - then you have a bunch of sit-downs, but not one every day.

Maybe it's better for kids who are used to eating out a lot. We don't do it a lot at home. Not because the kids aren't well behaved, they generally are (although older now), but because it saves money and is easier with our hectic schedules to do it at home.

 

[Poohbug]

All I can say is that nothing ruins a meal at LeCellier like three crabby, whinning kids.

That being said we will try the QSD on our next trip. We usually get FD and this was before they changed the dining plan so we were not out any money-but it was not a nice experience for us or the other people at the restaurant. We will wait until the kids are older until we do the regular dining plan again.

I will also say that my kids are usually well behaved but I think the fact that we were at WDW and going alot can change things.

 

[wdw71]

We took a 4 yr old and 18 month old last April and it was a wonderful overall experience with the exception of our TS meals. The TS meals were the absolute most stressful part of our whole trip. The 18 month old did not have the attention span to sit for a full TS meal. We are going back in May of this year and will be going all CS with the excepetion of Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace.

 

[Madzac]

Our last trip the kids were 4 and 15 months and I too worried about it a lot. DS at that point did NOT sit well at restaurants and I worried we made a mistake. However, both of them loved the character meals so much, they were a highlight of the trip. They were mesmorized by the characters! And being able to see the characters here meant we didnt have to go crazy standing in long lines for autographs. I really appreciated that!!! There were a couple meals that were harder... mama melrose for one... no entertainment! But as was said, disney is used to children and we made it work. I liked having one meal a day where the kids could have more choice and not just eat fast food.

This trip we decided to do DDP again with our kids who will be 7,4 and 18 months. We chose TS with characters or entertainment for the most part so it will be more than just a restaurant meal (Biergarten, CRT, 1900 PF, RFC(will be OOP), Sci Fi Diner, Cape May, Ohanas breakfast, LTT- no enterainment, but my kids love the food and requested it). We like the DDP in that we have most of it paid in advance and the meals are part of the fun expereince of being at disney. We figure when they are older, then we can do Le Cellier and Coral Reef and some of the more upscale expereinces.

Breakfasts may not be the best use of DDP dollars but they do work well for us. We try to be at rope drop every other day, and on opposite mornings do a brunch character meal. The kids eat well and enjoy the characters and are fresher than they are at a dinner. Plus those days we dont have to get going quite as fast.

Good luck deciding what to do.

 

[5boyz]

I forget the name of the restaurant in Wilderness Lodge but the kids can be free and they use their out door voices, they have wooden horsey sticks and the kids have a race around there. It was fun....I did not like what I ordered but the rest of the family had good meals.

 

[ofhs93]

And see, I find that it's the reverse.

With a CS - I don't have to know in advance when people will be hungry. I don't have to care if everyone wants the same food. I don't have to trek across the park to the TS restaurant everyone agreed on months ago. I don't have to arrive 15 minutes before my ADR and get everyone to sit and wait nicely until our table is ready. And then wait again to order, and then wait again to get our entrees (hopefully without filling up on milk/water). And then wait again for dessert/the check/the check to come back/etc.

Someone is hungry and I say "Do you want mac and cheese that's here, or do you want to walk and wait for pizza, or do you want to have a snack and then decide?"

We do tend to take an afternoon break though, and I think that skews my point of view. A CS lunch from 11:30-12:00 and then an afternoon break (1 hr round trip travel time, 3 hours of pool/nap/repack fanny packs/etc) means that we can be back at the parks around 4, or for the parade. Having lunch last from 11:30-1:30 (typical of a TS IME) means that we get back to the parks around 5:30 and spend the first hour eating, and my child is usually done for the day around 8 (and some nights at 7).


I think this is largely a matter of personal taste, since I'm not a big fan of sit-down restaurants in my daily life either.

This is EXACTLY the way we work as well....if I had to take my 2 little ones to *2* TS meals a day I think I would either pull my hair out or have a mutiny on my hands...thats a MINIMUM of 3.5 to 4 hours of park time PER day taken away. We eat our CS lunches (or TS lunches for that matter) at 11:30-11:45.....if you get there BEFORE 12 then you don't have the crowds...simple. If you are getting into the parks at rope drop then most people are ready for lunch by that time. We eat lunch till say 12:30 or so and then maybe one or 2 more rides and it is time for the afternoon break.