Dining Plan

[chigold]

we are going to be staying at the Pop Century, August 5 - August 12.

the Dining Plan would cost us $819.00 for our seven day stay, for the 3 of us.

My question is, will we really eat $819.00 in food if we don't get the plan? I would think we could eat quite a bit cheaper than that.

We do want to go to Chef Mickey's, at the Contemporary, and Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge. So that would be the bulk of our costs.

Convince me, either to get the Dining Plan, or not getting the Plan and eating for much less.

 

[Amy&Dan]

If you think the only two full service restaurants you will want to do are Whispering Canyon and Chef Mickey's than you can go cheaper. However before you rule the DDP out, I would go to: www.allearsnet.com and check out other menus for full service as well as counter service. Do a rough plan of each of your seven days, what you think you would eat and then note the price, add tax and tip when applicable. Remember that DDP total includes tax, tip, a counter service meal and a full service meal as well as one snack. Bascially the DDP is really a great deal if you plan to eat much in the way of full service meals. Our trip last April we did about five full service meals in a 10 day trip, paid out of pocket. I added up those receipts when I got home and then price compared to what we would have spent had we done the DDP. It was about even and that was with eating full service only half the time. Next trip we did the DDP. However, if you are a group of light eaters, hate to make plans ahead of time (The popularity of the DDP has made it necessary to make ADR's as much as 180 days in advance of your trip to assure you have a reservation. The DDP is a plan for eating, not reservations, you do that yourself and if you don't and can't get into full service places that are booked, you will be wasting credits and or time trying to find an open table someplace. Don't do the DDP if you don't want to preplan and make those ADR's ahead of time) and prefer a quick counter service meal over a lengthier full service restaurant then by all means skip the DDP.

Good luck!

 

[Steph9072]

I thought the same when booking our trip. So I sat down and went through the menus of our ADR’s ( 1900 Park Fare, Disney Storybook, Coral Reef, Ohana, Chef Mickey, Concourse Steakhouse, Mama Melrose & Whispering Canyon) and priced what I would possible eat for the week w/o snacks then subtracted it from the cost of the DDP

Food total – snack w/o ddp $477.14
DDP X 7 Nights ($39x7=) -$273.00
Difference $204.14

Over $200 difference.


Check it out for yourself here is a link to the restaurants
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm

Also, here is a link with a List of participating restaurants
http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/packages07a.htm

I cannot tell you it is the best for everyone. However, for us we will save money. Especially with a pre-teen boy who is a bottomless pit.

HTH!

 

[AnninIowa]

We did the dining plan once; then next trip went without it. We came in about the same as if we'd had the plan (a little under actually) because we aren't big eaters. We only ate twice at table service places; the rest was counter service. We never ordered appetizers, desserts or drinks, either; we stuck to water and got snacks at the candy store or resort. We had a lot more fun not having to plan everything out as to where we were going to eat, and we felt a lot better not having so much food. However, if you are going to do a table service every day, then I do think it is worth it money wise.

 

[bicker]

It basically comes down to how many TS meals would you have eaten if you weren't on the Dining Plan. I calculated that if we would eat just one TS meal less (than we get on the Dining Plan), we'd save money by not being on the Dining Plan.

 

[auntie]

I haven't used the Dining Plan yet..and have had many trips to Disney. Going to the WL in May..and are trying it for the first time. I did as suggested...I looked at the menu's ..and prices and figured how much we'd spend eating where I already made ADR's. Frankly..it will probably be a good deal for us this time around. As I have at least one table service meal each day of our stay. We are 5 adult people. One is a 16 year old boy..who is 6'2" and can eat you out of house and home. While we wouldn't ordinarily eat desert and appetizer for every person when we go out for dinner at home..I figure it's vacation, and this will give us the opportunity to try things we might ordinarily not because we wouldn't want to waste the money. If it's already included..why not?... I think if it were just my husband and myself..well we probably would be fine either way..but with the three kids we are giving it a shot. When I checked the prices on the menus, and weighed that against what we'd pay if we ate and paid out pocket..the plan seems like a good deal. Almost any table service restaurant is going to be around $20.00 just for the entree..let alone an appetizer, desert or beverage. Add that to what we would spend on breakfast and a snack..and the plan seemed worth it to me. Of course, I' ll see next month. .and be able to report for sure!

 

[dsnymomof4]

If you're asking whether or not you can go to Disney for 7 days and spend less than $819 on food - the answer is yes. Our family of 6 has gone for 7 days and spent less than $500 on food - including 2 character meals. We used to not eat that many table service meals and if we did, we certainly did not order appetizers and desserts. But ever since we got the free dining last year, we are hooked on the dining plan. Now we enjoy planning out our meals and being able to order anything we want. And with it being prepaid, we don't have to worry about how much everything costs! Could we spend less than what the dining plan costs and still have a great time? Sure. But, having the dining plan adds to our enjoyment of our vacation.

 

[KKB]

for a family of 5...but I don't think A LOT cheaper, and I realized that then it would be by choosing least expensive items/sharing/eating kids meals, and really no TS meals. (check out those CS meal prices...it's not McDs prices at home!)

Then I thought...we do enjoy TS at home once a week w/ the family. Do I really want to work that hard so save so little? Actually, my mom was the one who thought it would be a great idea! (go figure...this one who eats late breakfast/early dinner/splits meals w/ Dad to cut food costs...but says she budgets $100/day for meals when they vaca!)

The luxury of dailys TS, of being able to eat pretty much WHAT we want, WHERE we want was worth the extra we will spend. Plus the gal who loves a good deal knows that what we will order will surpass the actuall DDP cost. (though I am NOT one of those who subscribes to the idea of gorging on this plan...more that I like to try a bit of everything...) Being there a week, it will be good for us to STOP & SIT everyday, rather than go...go...go....
Plus, DH & I are planning on a night together at DTD, and Mom & I are gonna splurge at Narcoosees....the kids can sure eat CS a couple nights!

We ARE planning on sharing meals w/ CS credits...to cover the 2TS required for Narcoosees, maybe breakfasts if not in the room (and frankly we like sharing some!)

I ramble....let's just sum up by saying that I know we COULD eat for a bit less with a LOT of effort...the luxury/convenience of the plan for slightly more is worth it. Plus my kids will not know what to do when I tell them they can have dessert EVERY DAY for lunch & dinner!!!!!! (nor will I limit their dining choices to the cheapest ones on the menu...and a beverage ONLY if it is included in the kids meal.... Only on vacation!

 

[mickeystoontown]

For years and years, we went to WDW and didn't purchase the dining plan. We would stick to mostly counter service meals and just a couple of table service meal per our 10 day trips. The counter service meals were good but, honestly, we really got tired of eating counter service food.

Before purchasing the plan, I went to www.allearsnet.com and looked at all the menus. I chose a counter service for lunch every day and a table service for dinner every day. Instead of choosing restaurants according to our limited budget, I chose restaurants simply for their food. The only reason I looked at the prices was to make a tally of how much a typical meal would cost if we weren't on the dining plan.

After doing the research, we decided to purchase the dining plan. Boy oh boy am I glad we did! We paid just a little over $800.00 for the dining plan. I saved my receipts and at the end of the vacation I tallied all of them up. We ate over $1,400.00 worth of food! Well worth the money we paid for the dining plan.

With the dining plan, we were able to see the Hoop Dee Doo Review, eat a counter service meal at lunch, a table service meal every night (except night of arrival) and have a snack at mid-day. Also with the dining plan, you can order anything you want from the menu. We tried things we normally wouldn't have tried and restaurants we normally wouldn't have booked ADRs for. Don't forget that your tax and tip are also included in the dining plan.

We loved the dining plan so much that I purchased it again for 2007. We can't wait to eat all the good food!

Lisa

 

[Laura]

We didn't do it, and we actually saved money. We spent less on our food than we would have on the DDP. But we don't tour and eat the same way others do. DH and I usually share the appetizer and dessert, and I dislike bogging my schedule down with an ADR a day.

Not worth it to us. Now, free DDP is another animal. I could do that, but I don't want to visit WDW during that time.