Disney Dining Plan or not??

[41694love]

Maybe someone who is a Veteran can evaluate this for me. I have been to Disney a few times. Last time, my kids were smaller, obviously, than this time. We just would eat at a Pecos Bill type place and spend about $30 for a family of five to eat lunch and then a little more at dinner time. We never ate fancy. Always just burgers, wraps, stuff just to get us fed and onto the next attraction. This is the first time I am considering the DD Plan and want to know how it works. It is myself, my husband and our four children (11, 9, 5 and 2 (all will be one year older when we go). Please give your tips and thoughts

 

[asmit4]

So you have mom, dad, 12, 10, 6 and 3 going to DW.

The 12 and 10yo will be seen as adults for the purchase of tickets and the Disney dining plan (DDP). The 6 and 3 yo will be seen as kids.

Adults on the DDP currently are 37.99 per day and that includes taxes. The kids are 9.99 per day and that also includes taxes. For your family to dine using the DDP you will have to pay 171.94.

That 171.94 will buy you 1 Table Service restaurant (TS), 1 Counter service (CS) and 1 snack per person. The kids (6 and 3) will need to order from the kids menu when one is available, but I have a feeling that the 10 and 12 yo won't be able to eat their entire adult meal, leaving plenty to share.

If Pecos bills runs 30 for you- that would be your CS. Check out www.wdwinfo.com under dining for menus and exact pricing to determine what value the DDP might be for you. Something that you will get that you don't now, would be a TS restaurant. Perhaps you could all head to a steakhouse, or a character buffet or even Cinderellas castle for breakfast...all things you perhaps don't budget for or spend $$ on currently.

I realize that 172 bucks per day for food seems like alot, but it's a splurge that only you can decide on. You and your family would be able to experience more of what DW has to offer- things you haven't experienced before.

How much do you think you spend per day on the 2 meals you purchase and 4snacks? Do you even come close to 100 bucks? I think it all depends on the style of vacation you want. Some people just want donuts in the room, and 2 CS meals each day. If that's what you prefer, the DDP won't be of value to you.

Also, think about how much your kids will eat next year. The 2yo will be eating more, same with the 10yo and 12yo...figure on what they might actually want/eat at that time.

 

[VAN]

Don't forget you will have gratuity added to your table meals ... that will had a few more dollars to the equation.

Another thing to factor in is your touring style. Having ADR's will require that you plan around those events and be at certain places at certain times. This will cut into the spontaneity for your family.

If you are there for a short period of time, that might not be good. If you are there for a longer, leisurely visit - this wouldn't be that big a deal.

So, in the long run, only you can decide whether the money and/or structure is suitable for you and your family.

 

[mom3girls2007]

If your 12 and 10 year old kids are happier eating off the kids menu than adult meals, than you will not save on the DDP. The cost for them goes from $10 per day to $37 per day! You can do much better paying OOP. My kids are 11 and spent the entire week except for 1 or 2 meals eating off the kids menu (we did not do DDP). If your "disney adult" kids prefer adult meals, or you like to do a lot of character buffets, you may save money on the dining plan if you plan to do 1 TS a day. Don't forget the cost of tips.

I'd suggest really looking at the menus of the different restaurants and figuring out what your kids would eat there -- adult or kid meals to determine if it is worth it. We liked not doing DDP as we don't order desserts with dinner and liked having the flexibility of just doing counter service if we didn't have time for a sit down dinner that day! Oh, and we definately saved money by not doing it -- we never spent as much as the $162 a day the DDP would have cost us, even on the days we did TS meals.

 

[mavdav]

We have done both, but as "VAN" already suggested, you really have to look at your touring style. Do you all like to hit it all and go hard all day? what do your kids like to do? We really enjoy doing the DDP, but of course we do it in Sept when its 'free', but we tour differently too. We enjoy sitting down for a meal and taking a break. Its fun to try different restaurants. We have also done the DDP where we paid for it and it was a lot of fun for us, but my DH and I really enjoy eating food and trying different things we wouldn't have normally done. That being said, we just got back from a week without doing the DDP and we do it a bit more economically. We share meals, my kids share meals and we pack a lot of snacks to eat inbetween meals. We don't do many sit down meals, more counter service. And we drink a lot of water! (no charge).

We always make ADR but we also change up the ressie the day of. Its harder to get into some places, but if we decide the kids need a nap or we want to stay longer somewhere, we will cancel and change up our ressies, the day of.

If you want to eat leisurely and don't mind the schedule and get a value for your food, the DDP is the way to go. We always enjoy ordering one of the priciest items on the menu. And you have to look at what kind of eater you and your family are. DH and I will eat anything, so its fun for us.

Tough decision, but I hope all the replies help!

 

[catne]

I'd be surprised if $30 would feed a family of 5 at any counter service in the park...I do suggest you go to the menues and add up the actual cost these days (and remember to add tax, too.)

We really enjoyed the DDP on our May 2008 trip. Besides having it paid for ahead of time (which makes the trip less stressful) we liked being able to do table service meals without worrying about the cost of each item every time.

 

[noahdove]

I am doing the dining plan when we go in August..The 8 year old will eat way more than me and the 14 year old will eat equal or more than me, especially at breakfast. When I was there 3 years ago, we didn't do the ddp, and breakfast cost me a little more than $10..and that because I only ate a bagel...not the best fuel to run on for the day. We had ice cream everyday for "lunch" plus all the snacks I took with us..for dinner we usually ate at the resort food court, and to be honest with you, I am so looking forward to the ddp...I won't have to worry if I should run out of "food'" money..again, I say, it depends on the family. Oh, yes, every night when we would return from the parks, my granddaughter would get either fries or a very large brownie...I figure on the ddp, we would save the dessert and eat it later Good luck on your decision..and have an awesome magical trip