Dining Plan = Too Much Food!

[Sammie]

We had the DDP last year and loved it. We take our camper and stay at FW. After trial and error we figured out how to use the plan to our best advantage. When we ordered app and desert, we tried to order what would hold up to being put in the fridge and eaten for breakfast! I'm sure the die hard breakfast food people are cringing! We did not use all the snack credits but we just hadn't figured out how to maximize our use of those, but we will next year! We have two adult sized teenage boys and wow was this worth the money to us. This plan probably isn't for everyone but it sure gives you options. We almost felt like it was an all inclusive vacation because we never had to drive anywhere and the only time we used our money was for souveniers. Can't wait til next year's trip.

We found the best use of snack credits especially if you have a place to store food, is to get your breakfast for your room in your snacks. We got fruit juice, fruit, bagels, danish and muffins. We also got bottled water for snacks. Also many places will let you get danish, muffins and bagels instead of a dessert.

Also we got a few large bags of chips for the snacks while watching late TV, etc. or for the drive home.

 

[AnninIowa]

We had the dining plan for our first WDW trip last October; we will not be on it for our upcoming trip in February after I made a pro/con list:

PROS
1. Everything paid for in advance
2. Great deal when you consider what you would pay out of pocket
3. One nice, sit-down meal every day at places we normally wouldn't go to

CONS
1. We were so pre-occupied with trying to spend the credits - every day revolved around "where are we using our snack and CS credits? or "we have to spend 3 more snack credits before we leave!"
2. Having to plan a two-hour chunk of time every single day for TS - sometimes two!
3. Way too much food! I ordered salads for my appetizers, but yet I could never eat more than half an entree. At home I have a banana for breakfast, a small lunch such as a sandwich or snack item, and an entree and dessert for dinner. Even when we eat out, if we order an appetizer, that is our dinner!
5. Too full to enjoy a spontaneous treat such as a funnel cake at World Showcase or geleto at Beach Club.
6. Using the plan at snack counters was a pain - it was easier to pay with cash for a bottle of water or ice cream bar.
7. I'm not in to trying lots of new restaurants; I have my list of where I want to eat (2 sit-downs) and that is enough for me.
8. We'll be spending 2 days off Disney property at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, so we'd either lose those days of the plan or be struggling to use them later.

Again, it was nice for our first trip as we got to eat all over the place; and being pre-paid was great....but, for us, even though we'll probably spend as much out of pocket as on the plan, if will be less stress to pay out of pocket.

However, to each their own!

 

[jojoandhb]

We're going to use the plan for our first trip. My fiance is an eater. He's 165 pounds, but he loves food. Part of a vacation for him is eating, and Disney has great restaurants. I'm looking forward to Citrico's, Victoria and Alberts, and the character dining for our daughter. We're going to get the premium plan because he doesn't like the idea of a counter meal.
I think the plan sounds great, and it takes some worry out because everything is prepaid. I don't think it sounds like too much food. Of course my fiance orders two entrees, soup, salad, and dessert. He just won a contest by eating a 32 ounce steak and two sides in under 15 minutes. I can't imagine what too much food would be for him

 

[Lizzybear]

It's too much food for me too, which is why i'm glad we're getting it for free! We won't be having 3 courses each at every TS though, i'd rather just have what I can eat rather than picking at things and then leaving them. Also i'd rather not be tempted to eat wayy more than I can manage just cos it's there. I think i'd feel the same even if I paid for the plan (which I might have done since it would still have saved us money)

 

[debbie655]

If at each TS you get the most expensive appetizer, the largest entree and the most elaborate dessert, then yes you are going to be sick of it.

I can only speak for my family but we did not try to do this. It was myself, husband and 12 y/o (now 13 y/o). Husband and I split lunch almost everyday except at Earl of Sandwich. Yes at CSR one day we split the Ribeye Steak, but one day we split a cheeseburger and another day we went to Earl of sandwich. We never took desserts at lunchtime either, only for my 13 year old. Our other CS would be used for breakfast of which hubby ate most of and I would get a bagel and coffee using my snack credit or sometimes pay OOP, or sometimes nothing at all. At dinner, we would order what we liked and would normally rather than the most expensive or largest entree. Sometimes this would be the most expensive and sometimes it would not. Example, Concourse Steakhouse, I ordered the onion soup, filet mignon, and dessert to go because I couldn't eat it. That was only our first night on the dining plan. On our last night, we ate in Spoodles where I ordered the Garlic shrimp app, Fettucine Alfredo (which I left over half of) and the white chocolate orange cake. It was the first night out of four that I was able to eat dessert and that is because I left most of my entree. I guess every family is different but for our family it was a LOT of food. If I ever do the dining plan again, I will probably use TS every other night, or do a few Signature dining experiences with CS in between.

 

[MinnieMousse]

We had the dining plan for our first WDW trip last October; we will not be on it for our upcoming trip in February after I made a pro/con list:

PROS
1. Everything paid for in advance
2. Great deal when you consider what you would pay out of pocket
3. One nice, sit-down meal every day at places we normally wouldn't go to

CONS
1. We were so pre-occupied with trying to spend the credits - every day revolved around "where are we using our snack and CS credits? or "we have to spend 3 more snack credits before we leave!"
2. Having to plan a two-hour chunk of time every single day for TS - sometimes two!
3. Way too much food! I ordered salads for my appetizers, but yet I could never eat more than half an entree. At home I have a banana for breakfast, a small lunch such as a sandwich or snack item, and an entree and dessert for dinner. Even when we eat out, if we order an appetizer, that is our dinner!
5. Too full to enjoy a spontaneous treat such as a funnel cake at World Showcase or geleto at Beach Club.
6. Using the plan at snack counters was a pain - it was easier to pay with cash for a bottle of water or ice cream bar.
7. I'm not in to trying lots of new restaurants; I have my list of where I want to eat (2 sit-downs) and that is enough for me.
8. We'll be spending 2 days off Disney property at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, so we'd either lose those days of the plan or be struggling to use them later.

Again, it was nice for our first trip as we got to eat all over the place; and being pre-paid was great....but, for us, even though we'll probably spend as much out of pocket as on the plan, if will be less stress to pay out of pocket.

However, to each their own!

From everything I'm seeing here, I think that the DDP would be too much for us. I am looking forward to snacking spontaneously in the parks rather than sceduling every meal and possibly missing out on some of the fun. Also, I'm hoping that this way I don't overeat TOO much, although I'm told that this is inevitable. So far we have sceduled one character breakfast (at CM's, I am sooooooo excited), and one other TS meal for each day we'll be there. I figure that this will be pleanty especially if we want to grab a snack or just stop by a CS for a salad or sandwich.
What I am really bummed about is that we cannot get a Fantasmic package, they are already booked up! We managed to get into BD for 4:10, and then I guess we'll just get in line with everybody else...