Disney Dining for 2 people.

[BackIn33]

We are going back and forth on whether or not the Disney Dining plan makes sense. Here are a few stipulations that we're tossing around.

What do you recommend, DIS-verse?

1. Party of 2 adults for 10 days, with a room via DVC (with annual passes)
2. Should we consider the Tables in Wonderland option instead?
3. Our list of "must hit" restaurants has about 7 venues that are all 2 meal-point values. (We are planning to have nice dinners and quick lunches/late breakfasts. Our main meals will be dinner.)
4. Is the list of participating venues too limiting?
5. We're thinking Deluxe Dining make more sense but then thats 30 meals per person for the entire trip, which is way too many. (the Regular plan doesnt have enough table-service credits, however.)
6. We are going to be there during the Int'l Food and Wine Festival- are dining plan points of any help there? If we plan to eat at F&W a few times, should we just skip the dining plan?

And lastly (and perhaps most importantly):
7. Can we buy a plan for just ONE person (as we're in the same room) and share the credits between the two of us?

THANKS!

 

[Swissdog2010]

My wife and I got to WDW by ourselves every May for our Anniversery. Also DVC members. We use the tables in wonderland. With 20% off and a ten day trip i find it pays for itself by the time we are done, and then we are ahead when we go back with our DS in Oct. The only resturant we use that doesn't accept is Teppen Edo. And the master planner (DW) has no problems selecting resturants that do. The dining plan is just too much food for us to comtemplate using it.

 

[Faldred]

1) Congratulations, have fun!

2) You should certainly consider TiW as a viable option; the question there becomes will you save enough above the cost of the TiW card (in the full year that it's valid for) to make it worthwhile.

3) Yummy!

4) Not particularly. While there are TiW restaurants that aren't on DDP, there are still more than enough DDP choices out there if you plan far enough in advance.

5) That's 30 meal credits, not necessarily 30 meals. Note that you've already spoken for 14 of those credits with the 7 "must do" meals.

6) My understanding is that DDP snack credits are extremely useful at the F&WF, an an exceptionally good value as many of the OOP prices are much higher than the rule-of-thumb 4 snack.

7) No. But if you went basic DDP, you'd have 10 TS and 10 QS per person, which would cover many of your meals. But you'd lose the appetizer on the TS meals.

 

[Pakey]

We are DVC members with grown children so my husband and I often go just the two of us.

The TIW card is how we do it. We do not like the dining plan because a) we don't eat desserts, b) our favorite restaurants are not on the plan and c) it's too much food for us. Also, the TIW card gives you a discount on your alcoholic beverages and for us, that can be significant.

I do think that for 2 adults who enjoy upscale dining, the DDP limits you to certain restaurants and the best ones are excluded. V&A, Bistro de Paris, Shulas, Il Mulino and bluezoo are all better than the WDW signatures and certainly provide a more adult dining experience. Citricos is the only WDW restaurant that I would put in the same category as far as food presentation and quality, service and overal atmosphere.

While the DDP snack credits will be good during F&W, we find that we just don't eat that much at the F&W, especially if we are going to do dinner every night.

Everyone in the room must be on the same dining plan. Also, your KTTW card will let the servers know how many people are on the plan and you cannot buy more meals than the number of people registered on that room's plan.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Just to add since you said 10 DAYS....you actually get credits based on nights on your reservation.

 

[prncssmel]

This is the same issue I am having - 2 people, 10 days/9 nights with AP, during F&W.

I have been considering the TIW card, but it seems like a lot to spend when this will be the only trip this year. We are upgrading our DL APs to Premier for the trip and won't be back to WDW again before they expire.

We plan to dine mainly at Signature (I can only think of one single TS credit we would be using).

A few notes about us:

We order dessert on vacation. It is my time to splurge.

We order alcoholic beverages, probably 2 per person at dinner. Again, time to splurge.

Apart from a nice dinner, we would rather snack than have a meal.

So, my questions:

Is TIW worth it when using only for one trip?

If we upgraded to Deluxe for more credits, is is that unfathomable amount of food?

Are Food & Wine snack credits really worth it?

 

[sharonabe]

This is the same issue I am having - 2 people, 10 days/9 nights with AP, during F&W.

I have been considering the TIW card, but it seems like a lot to spend when this will be the only trip this year. We are upgrading our DL APs to Premier for the trip and won't be back to WDW again before they expire.

We plan to dine mainly at Signature (I can only think of one single TS credit we would be using).

A few notes about us:

We order dessert on vacation. It is my time to splurge.

We order alcoholic beverages, probably 2 per person at dinner. Again, time to splurge.

Apart from a nice dinner, we would rather snack than have a meal.

So, my questions:

Is TIW worth it when using only for one trip?

If we upgraded to Deluxe for more credits, is is that unfathomable amount of food?

Are Food & Wine snack credits really worth it?

I think the TIW card is best for your situation (and probably OP's as well) The card is only $75. With 2 drinks per person at a meal, you'll have that money back with just two signature meals, so everything else will be a pure 20% savings.

The DxDDP would provide you with 2 snacks a day, but you'd be spending over $1500 for your meals and that would NOT include your alcoholic beverages. Could you get $1500 worth of food? Of course, you COULD, but it doesn't sound like you really want to eat that many meals.

The only way you'll know for sure is to look at the menus and "order" what you WANT to eat regardless of price and then add it all up. Don't forget your 6.5% tax.

 

[Bete]

Do you want dessert, appetizers, and/or alcoholic drinks? From that point it will probably be best to decide between the TIW card or a regular or deluxe dining plan.

If you really don't want dessert the dining plans begin to lose their value very fast. If you like to drink the TIW card starts looking good. And as another post stated the TIW card can be used at restaurants that are not included in these two dining plans. If you are satisfied with the signature restaurants on the dining plans than having other choices with the TIW card may not matter to you.

It really sounds to me that maybe you should compromise and take the regular dining plan and spend OOP for more 2 TS restaurants and appetizers and so forth. Just make sure you use your dining plan credits wisely. Use your credits for the most expensive TS signature meals and pay OOP for the less expensive signature meals. View the menus that are available and you can decide what is best, here. You can always order an appetizer and pay OOP, too if you are on the regular plan. The same holds true of drinks. I think compromising will give you the best of both worlds.

As a side note: My hubby is vegan and often we will pay OOP for his meal at signature dining plan credit restaurants and save the DP credits for myself ordering more expensive meals. The credits are pooled; so, you can do it this way. If one in your party is a light eater, this could work for you as well.

If you want to immerse yourself into the F and W Festival the snack credits on the DP makes it a great deal.

You really have to do the math. If you are doing multiple trips in the same year the TIW card gets to be more attractive.

Because, you can't really customize a dining plan to suit your exact needs/wants it can get very tough justifying which one to do.

If you have the money to splurge then the deluxe plan can still be good, too. You can utilize your credits for QS places on the deluxe plan, it's just not the same value as using them for TS restaurants and you need to do the math to see if it's still worth it in that case. You can expand your dining experience and enjoy more signature restaurant places on the deluxe plan or do some 1 credit TS restaurants, as well.

I go back to my original comment; you really need to decide how you want to eat and drink at Disney.

It will work out whatever way you do it. Whatever way you choose will give you more value than paying everything OOP.