Disney dining plan question....

[alaina1085]

Ok so the regular dining plan I have read is only 1 quick service, 1 table and then snack. So say we use our quick service for lunch then the table service for dinner. What about breakfast?? You would have to pay out of pocket am I right? Im thinking we may have to go with the deluxe plan because it does include all 3 meals plus 2 snacks.

I guess im just posting because most ppl rave about the regular dining plan, but it only includes 2 meals...

Help a sista out....lol.

 

[rlovew]

You can use your snack credits to get some items at breakfast.

Rebecca

 

[Dizzy over Disney]

Believe it or not (I sure didn't the first time we went) it is MORE than enough food. We bought stuff for breakfast in our room (poptarts, cereal and got milk from the resort, Fiber One bars, granola bars, oatmeal).. and when we left after 7 days, we had to take snacks home with us because we had not used them.

I love to eat. I wanted to be able to eat what I wanted and when during our trip. I never thought it would be enough and I was shocked how much the basic dining plan was!

Think about it.

Have a great trip!

 

[karapp75]

You can also use your counter service for bfast at your resort. I find that if we eat a nice size breakfast then we eat an early dinner and a snack that is plenty. The heat makes me less hungry. Also if you're not that hungry for bfast you could order 1 bkfast and split it and then use the other person in your group's counter service for lunch and split that meal as well. Or yes, you could pay for the Deluxe and get 3 meals.

 

[mrzrich]

Its actually a lot of food. Normally we share a snack such as a big preztzel so we have lots of extra snack credits that we use for pastries or yogurt in the morning.

Also breakfast CS meal at the food courts are big and they come with 2 drinks, leaving room for more splitting.

Depending on our arrival time, our first nights meals are banked for later days on the trip.

Do you normally eat desert at lunch? Or every diner for that matter.

I think you'll find you have plenty of credits, and even if you have to supplement a snack here or there OOP, it won't come to the price of the deluxe plan.

I can't imagine eating all the food on the deluxe plan, especially if you are going during the hot months.

However if you lean towards signature restaurants, then you should go for the deluxe.

 

[SassyNShae]

I do not remember where I read it but is it true that you can use left over snack credits to purchase other things like the big lollipops? Does anyone else know what else they can be used for?

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Trust me, it is more than enough food. We have gone home the past 2 years without using all of our food credits. We will always use our TS credits, as we schedule 1 per day, but the CS and snacks don't always get used up. You can share meals, and snacks so it is just plenty.

 

[pooch]

that you really don't need 3 full meals each day, or at least we never do. We either:
split a CS for breakfast and then another for lunch,
use snack credits for breakfast,
eat leftover dessert for breakfast! (its vacation! )
eat a very late breakfast or an early lunch and then dinner (only 2 meals that day)

3 meals a day then running around in the Florida heat makes us sick. I like sharing. You aren't so full and, if it truly wasn't enough, you can always get more! We waste very little food this way.

 

[pickles]

This debate happens a lot..things to take in acount, if you have not been to disney much, you won't want to sit around eating full meals. If you are familiar with disney and enjoy eating then the deluxe may be for you.
We have gotten both and I like the deluxe because I could get anything I wanted anytime I wanted. I ate Boma's for breakfast everyday. I had fresh drinks whenever I wanted without lugging stuff to the resort with me(and coming in on an airplane this was handy) I enjoyed the hoopdedoo,
I also decided I would manage the plan and not have the plan manage me. I ate however much I felt like eating at whatever place I was at. I didnt always get an appetizer and a dessert. I liked that everything was paid for and if memory serves correctly doesn't the delx also include tip or something?
I had stuff left over and was able to bring home goodies to family who could't go. I also enjoyed the mugs that came with the plan. I only used them once a day or so, but it was nice to get a drink at the end of the day and head back to my room. BTW it was me and my son age 11 on that plan.
If you are renting 2 rooms or doing a split stay(which we were doing a split stay) we were able to stretch that last day on deluxe out , so we got full use everyday

 

[inkedupmomma]

Honestly we did the dxdp but only because there were so many signature restaurants we wanted to go to, and we like the apps. looking back, i would not do it again (not that we've eve gone on our trip yet). in 2005 we did the reg dp and had plenty of food and paid for breakfast oop since it was the cheapest meal. like many said, you don't even have to do that. Had i known about the dis then i'm sure i would have known to use snack credits for breakfast and save some money ;/ so listen to these disers, they know their stuff!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We tend to eat breakfast in our room in between getting ready to hit the parks. We don't like to take time to sit down and eat. I generally get up first and shower and have a bite, then when the kids get up, I give them a Nutri-grain bar or cereal while my husband showers and gets ready to go. That way we're not waiting around. I generally bring Nutri-grain bars, cereal, pop-tarts and milk (we drive and bring a cooler with a gallon of milk).

We do sometimes eat a TS breakfast and then have a snack in the early afternoon and an early CS dinner -- and another nighttime snack!

I think you'll find the regular DDP is plenty of food! And if you have to supplement for breakfast, it's really the cheapest meal of the day to pay for OOP.

 

[World Bouncer]

We are doing the deluxe plan for the first time in September...

But as a previous poster said... we have been to the parks many times so taking all the extra time for the nicer sit down restaurants is no big deal for us.

The deluxe plan can be a very good deal! With the basic plan we always spend additional funds OOP, but you just have to weigh the opportunity cost for you and your family. Sometimes a bit of OOP is better, and sometimes it is not. I like the whole idea of not having to worry and have it all there at our fingertips, but it did require a bit more planning on our part and took away from our freedom to roam a bit.

Just some things to think about....

Also, if you goto the Restaurant Threads, there is a whole section dedicated just to the Disney Dining Plan where you will find lots of great information!
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=116


Have a great trip!

 

[bluejasmine]

Having done DDP 3 times I can say it is enough..BUT.. my family usually will go get something from resorts food court like bagel, donut, or breakfast sandwhich and POOP and its minimal.. I cant imagine eatting three TS meals a day to be honest it would take away from our park time..

 

[selina4disney]

It is a lot of food even if it doesn't sound like it. I never ate all I ordered on the TS and usually ended up giving my boys most of what I ordered on the CS meal. We decided to try our trip in October with no dining plan and for once not be a slave to ADR's to see what it feels like. I am looking forward to it. If I want a Dole Whip for lunch that's what I'm getting. No more getting a bunch of food I don't want or need.

 

[lovndisney]

I was just looking at the plans. We have not been to Disney since 2000 and I don't remember the meal options back then. I am trying to get a handle on what to do. I was thinking of the smaller plan with just the 2 quick service meals. In all the other times we have gone we always eat breakfast in the rooms. We also bring a cooler or opt to get the fridge. That saves a bundle right there. My only question is, can you use one meal credit towards a sit down dinner and just pay the difference. I would like to at least do one dinner.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this over to our dining plan board for you. You'll get lots of great answers and advice from the folks over there.

Karen

 

[mickeymousemom]

Oh my. The regular DDP is more than ENOUGH, I assure you. We've done it 3 times(paid for it twice). Dh and I are BIG eaters and every year we swore we wouldn't pay for the DP the next year because it was TOO MUCH FOOD. We would be so stuffed from one meal(whether it be a CS or TS) that we were often miserable and never ready when it was time for the next meal. I understand that its changed since last year, but here are a few suggestions:

1. Use snack credits for a light breakfast. Believe me when I say that your next two meals WILL be satisfying.
2. Eat a late breakfast and make it a bigger one(using your CS credits). If your TS ressie is late...use a snack credit to tide you over.
3. Share a breakfast with someone else, then share a lunch. You'll still get plenty of food, 3 meals, and not over use your CS credits.

Also, don't use your TS meals for breakfasts unless there is a specific character meal you want to attend(we usually pay OOP for these). You'll get the best deal by using those credits for dinners.

I'm sure there are other tips, but I just wanted to give you ours. We have decided against the DP this year so it will be interesting to see how we fare. Another thing for us is that it seemed we were always running around to get to a TS meal. It just wasn't possible for us to ALWAYS be in the area of our dining ressie, so we felt as though we wasted at least two hours of fun time getting places, waiting, eating, etc. We've been tempted to add on the DP several times this year because we did like it so much...but. We'll try it this year without and see how we do.

Have fun....you may need to be rolled out of the parks!