Do I need a dinning plan??

[LHARPSTER]

Hi everyone! My family is planning a trip in September and Im stuck on what to do with a meal plan. We will be staying at Fort and will be able to make a big breakfest and with the art of slow cookers I can make dinner. We have been told to head back to the "room" in the afternoons to avoid the heaviest crowds and the heat. With this in mind I'm thinking I don't need a plan at all but Im looking for what other think too. Im sure we will eat at the parks but not make it a daily thing.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lmf]

We stayed at the Fort last year and planned to breakfast at cabins and return for dinner but thanks to a free dining pin we got the quick service dining plan for our vacation end of July/Aug. We LOVED it. It was so convenient to use. We still ate breakfast at the cabin and cooked two dinners there on a non-park day and another when it rained continuously. With a little advance research you can find plenty of places to eat without ever having to have a burger or pizza unless you want to. My sons are teenagers (17 and 15)and the meals were even big enough to fill them. We are planning on going the same time this year and are hoping for free dining but will pay for it oop if we don't get it. The convenience of knowing you have it and don't have to go back to the cabin to finish preparing a meal is (for us) well worth it.

 

[LJSquishy]

If you want to have breakfast and lunch or dinner in your room, there is no point in getting a dining plan. If you want breakfast in your room and plan to eat lunch and dinner out, including eating desserts at both lunch and dinner, you could possibly benefit from a dining plan but in many cases they don't end up saving you any money.

We had free dining a few weeks ago and while it was fun, I would never pay for it because you will lose money if you don't eat dessert twice a day plus your snack, etc. and on the dining plan you have to mostly order the most expensive entrees to make it worth your while.

Using the dining plans is NOT any easier than paying out of pocket. In fact, it takes more work because you have to keep track of credits.

 

[LHARPSTER]

Thanks for your ideas. How do you get the free dining? I see that September booking get free dining but it for certain restorts. Is the camping at fort included in that? How do I find out?

Thanks

 

[summermac]

Camping at fort isn't part of the free dining promotion. The cabins might be though. I can't remember.

 

[lmf]

I don't know if the cabins are included in the newest free dining offer because those aren't the dates we are interested in. You have to decide for yourself what will work best for your family regardless. As I said previously for us it was great. And keeping track of the credits isn't that difficult. The remaining credits are listed on your receipt. While I'm sure we may have lost a few dollars on some meals, we more than made up for them on others. If it works for yhour family then go for it. If not then find what works best and more than anything enjoy the time with your family.