Do you do the Dining Plan

[mommyceratops]

So we are staying at OKW in Dec. We have a one BR so we will have a kitchen.

But doing our budget to go. If we do 3 character meals (they are my DS fave) it makes sense to do the Dining Plan...BUT I just think with the kitchen we will eat breakfast in the room?!

What you think? Do you DP??

TIA!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We eat at a nice sit down or premium restaurant about once a day on trips, but the DDP doesn't seem worth it to us. We hardly ever use the snacks, and the only counter service places we eat are in AK, so it doesn't seem worth it to us. We have APs and the DDE card, so the 20% off at our favorite places comes out a bit better for us. We too always have breakfast in the villa, and often our light meal as well. We just prefer to make our own rather than eat fast food or counter service.

 

[phorsenuf]

My DH and I just got back from 5 nights and we did the dining plan. We loved it! It was pre-paid (hate getting that food bill!) and we ate at restaurants we may not have normally gone too and we ate well since we could order whatever we wanted! Many times I'll see an appetizer I want, but others don't (we'll usually split them) so being able to get whatever I wanted was cool. We only used our snack credits one time in the park so with the rest of them I got 8 rice kripsie treats and brought them home to the kids.
To us it was very worth it and I'm sure we'll continue to use it if nothing else but for convenience.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I do think it would make more sense for just a couple alone.

 

[pickles]

2 adults and 3 kids..we used the ddp and LOVED it. No surprises at bill time.

The other thing that I have heard is they are now allowing some of the snakcs to include some of the basics like bread and peanut butter..so check the little grocery stores there to see what may be available. that would work great for breakfast.

 

[dsneygirl]

We have in the past and are planning on it for our Oct and Dec trip. I love that it's pre paid and taken care of before the vacation even starts. We'll have breakfast and maybe a few snacks on our villa but I don't plan on cooking on vacation

 

[sleepydog25]

Don't do it and don't foresee a time when we will. It simply doesn't match our eating habits. We often do 2-3 TS that are worth 2 credits. We often order an appetizer for each of us, a salad for each of us, entrees, and desserts, and wine. We would wind up paying OOP anyway. And we only eat the occasional CS, preferring to take sandwiches or go back to the room shortly after lunch when it gets hot and crowded in the parks. On the pro side, I can see where it helps the majority of folks eating at WDW, and certainly it allows families to try places they might not otherwise. On the con side, I'm seeing an increasing number posts on a few forums where there has been a marked downturn in service, increased wait times for those with ADRs, and a near death knell for those who prefer to be spontaneous with their dining plans once arriving at WDW.

 

[n2mm]

We did it on our last trip and found it a good value for us. We ate breakfast in our room (studio) and used the DDP for most other meals. We had extra credits because we had not used them all and shared with others not on the plan. The hardest part to us was using the snack credits. After our 12 night stay we found we had not used enough of our snack credits, so spend 2 days trying to use them up. Fortunatly they changed the snack requirement while there, so it was pretty easy to find things to buy. Each of our TS meals exceeded the $37.99 per day cost of the plan, so counter and snack credits were pretty much free for us.

 

[tjl1388]

I think it all comes down to your eating habit and park "attack" scheme. If you want to try some new sit down restaraunts, go for it. If you plan on being in the room around your meal times, probably not a good deal.

We use it because we feel that being able to sit down, relax and enjoy the company and atmosphere around us is well worth it at least once a day.

We usually have one day the is an all out assault on the MK(open till they kick us out), that days sit down can go towards a 2 meal credit character meal. As far as snack go, we are like everyone else and always have extra, but you ALWAYS need snack for the trip home.

Evaluate YOUR needs and the way you do your trips and have fun with it.

 

[abner1776]

Keep in mind that the DD includes one table service and one counter service per day. For most people this is lunch and dinner, which means that b-fast is on your own. DVC really works well because you can use the kitchen to cook b-fast and save a few $$$ and then enjoy your lunch and dinner with the DD.

My only suggestion is to go very light on b-fast cause with the DD plan you get more food than you plus the 10th Mountain Division could ever consume !!! Disney should change the name to the Disney Feed Bag Dining Plan !!!

 

[keishashadow]

I was so psyched when DVC started offering the plan .

There so much food, we stretch it out over the last day & are still stuffed. Got to try lots of new restaurants we normally wouldn't eat @ if paying OOP. So glad LeCellier dropped to 1 TS.

We don't eat breakfast (always up & out the door commando-style I'm afraid), so we're ready for a CS lunch around 11:00/11:30 p.m.

 

[BWVNUT]

We don't eat breakfast (always up & out the door commando-style I'm afraid), so we're ready for a CS lunch around 11:00/11:30 p.m.

This is what I was planning on doing - it sounds like you've done it before. . . and it worked out fine? I was afraid my kids would be starving - I actually thought maybe we could do a snack around 9:30 and then CS around 11/11:30 as you said. . .

 

[keishashadow]

Yes, we used it when the plan 1st came out in Feb of '05 before we bought into DVC.

We tend to share appetizers & desserts & several times I ate the child's meal so DS could have a larger portion.

Honestly, they give you so much food that @ near the end of the trip, my DS & DH were asking if they "had" to order appet & dessert (of course, it's paid for - sillies!).

Since they've changed the "snack" portion of the program, it's been reported that you may now order any snack up to $3.99; french fries, pizza, ice cream sodas, etc.

Can't wait for June trip!

This is what I was planning on doing - it sounds like you've done it before. . . and it worked out fine? I was afraid my kids would be starving - I actually thought maybe we could do a snack around 9:30 and then CS around 11/11:30 as you said. . .

 

[Inkmahm]

We laugh when we're at WDW and see all the families with the trays just FULL of food. At Tusker House, you can spot the DD plan families a mile away. The meals alone are huge and more than enough, but those families have added the large desserts to their tray because they are "free."

We don't do DD and I'm not sure we ever will. I just don't need the encouragement to eat THAT much food.

 

[abk96]

It makes me laugh when some people pretend that they don't eat or eat like a bird. Trays can get very full when you're getting meals for yourself and your children all together. That's usually me.

We used the DP twice already and it was great. We very rarely eat breakfast when on vacation too so we would wait until 11 and get our CS lunch. The desserts you get for CS are just the right size and sometimes you can get a wrapped cookie for later. The TS credits are worth every penny you spend on the DP. This last trip we kept track of our TS meals and with 4 out of 6 TS meals we paid for the DP. That means we were eating pretty much for free for 2 TS, 6 CS, and 6 snacks a day per person. That's incredible.

We are going home for the first time in Sept. and are purchasing the DP again. Especially because we have a family of 5 and the kids are under 10.

We only had bad service at 1 place for both of our trips. And I think it was just the servers attitude that needed adjusting. Hopefully after the talk I had with the manager he got that adjustment.

 

[lbrutledge]

So when you order an app. an entree and a dessert at lunch, and then again at dinner, do you actually eat all of that? I just can't imagine eating that much. And yet I am always preaching to my sons that there are starving people all over the world, so not to waste food, so I wouldn't want to just throw a bunch of food away. I don't know if I will being the DDP just for that reason alone-it just seems like to much food.

 

[BWVNUT]

Yes, we used it when the plan 1st came out in Feb of '05 before we bought into DVC.

We tend to share appetizers & desserts & several times I ate the child's meal so DS could have a larger portion.

Honestly, they give you so much food that @ near the end of the trip, my DS & DH were asking if they "had" to order appet & dessert (of course, it's paid for - sillies!).

Since they've changed the "snack" portion of the program, it's been reported that you may now order any snack up to $3.99; french fries, pizza, ice cream sodas, etc.

Can't wait for June trip!

Your family sounds like mine! While I was doing my ADRs and trying to research menus, etc. for CS meals depending on which park we'd be in on which day, I was looking at child meals and thinking the very same thing - that I'd prob end up eating child meals so my kids could eat more. Some of the child meals don't seem too substantial - (i.e. I noticed quite a few pb&js). Our 13 yo DS of course is on adult plan so that's no worry - but our 6yo DD eats more than he or I do sometimes - so I figure we'll prob be doing a combo - her and I sharing, etc.

We just bought into DVC around the same time you did. You bought at both places at the same time? We bought two small Boardwalk and one bigger Boardwalk - I'm starting to think we should have done one small one atWL instead of one of the Boardwalks - maybe some day. . . or we'll just stay there some time. . . before we take another plunge. . .

I notice someone else said with desserts you could get a packaged cookie or something to go - that sounds like a great idea as well. . .

Thanks for your help!!

 

[rinkwide]

So when you order an app. an entree and a dessert at lunch, and then again at dinner, do you actually eat all of that? ...it just seems like too much food.

Ever notice some of the waistlines at Walt Disney World?

 

[dsneygirl]

So when you order an app. an entree and a dessert at lunch, and then again at dinner, do you actually eat all of that? I just can't imagine eating that much. And yet I am always preaching to my sons that there are starving people all over the world, so not to waste food, so I wouldn't want to just throw a bunch of food away. I don't know if I will being the DDP just for that reason alone-it just seems like to much food.

At lunch it's usually more of a side item than an appetizer so a burger and then fries would be your side for example. Like someone else posted a lot of CS desserts are things like pre packaged cookies that you can take with you for a snack later on.

We also took our dessert to go from TS restaurants a few times. Obviously this doesn't work for every kid of dessert but it was fun to eat cheesecake while watching Spectro Magic.

Another thing DH and I did a couple times was split a CS breakfast at our resort food court for example Breakfast sandwich, side hash browns and juice and I think some places you could get a piece of fruit as your dessert and then we would split a lunch.

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

We used the DP in August when it was free before we bought DVC. WE will be using it again in October and I will be using it when I am at POP next weekend. We also get up early and out to the parks, I always have granola bars, cereal bars something light for the kids. Then we do our CS for lunch around 11-11:30 then a table service around 6PM or vice versa. WE LOVE the fact that there will be NO bill, the snack credits willl be great for us during the food and wine festival and its nice when the kids want a snack we just say SURE. Eating at restaurants we weould not normally go to such at Le Cellier is a bonus also