Do you get the dining plan at the Fort?

[brobrosmom]

If staying at Fort Wilderness do you opt to get the table service dining plan, the quick service dining plan, or neither and just wing it?

I am considering doing a dining plan in January but not sure if it is worth it. It looks like the Fort doesn't have much in the way of counter service. I know we will bring things like snacks, sandwich meat, bread, and chips but I definitely don't want to cook.

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

[clkelley]

Nope, don't do the dining plan at the Fort.

I will NEVER pay for the dining plan. We did it for free in 2007, and it looks like we're going to go for the free dining plan in August of this year.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I have never used the Dining Plan either. The last time I considered it, it was going to be over $200 per day for our family of five. Add to that the fact that if you want to eat in any of the good restaurants, you have to plan way ahead, and it just has never made sense to me.

We eat most of our meals at the campsite, and eat an occasional meal at one of the restaurants on property, and we do not spend anywhere near $200 a day on food.

The Dining Plan is a gigantic rip-off, if you ask me.

And, you can't get free dining with a campsite.

TCD

 

[NLPRacing]

We've done it a couple of times before, but I don't feel it was worth it. We didn't do it on our last trip, nor will we probably ever do it again. What I have noticed is that Disney has really jacked up the prices of the table service restaurants to give you a perceived value with the DDP, but in reality, you could eat a lot cheaper at your own camping site or at an off site restaurant.

 

[dtum]

Don't do dining plan...seems like you spend your whole time just eating. We do our meals at trailer or off-site. Used to go to TE for breakfast several times during trip (loved it!), but I've heard they jacked the price up and cut the food quantity and quality down so we're skipping that this time and opting for breakfast off-site on the weekend free days.

 

[CampingBandit]

Having done the DP during last year's trip, I wouldn't do it again. Not worth the hassle if you ask me. Perhaps if I were staying in a resort with a foodcourt and the counterservice plan were a free package, perhaps then. But I would not bother with the TS DP again, didn't like having to make ressies and stick to a specific itinerary.

 

[BrightScouter]

It has never made sense to us, even when staying in a resort, let alone the fort. We try to share meals to cut costs. And if I tried to eat an appetizer, entree, desert, snack, and counter service meal each day, I would be gaining 10 lbs a week while there. Not to mention I would feel too full to get on a single ride!

 

[lorac4disney]

I'm not doing the dining plan, but we are staying in the cabin. I can't justify the expense when I know I will get sick of eating out (and of blowing all of that money).

Since I also don't want to spend all of my time cooking either and are driving, I'm cooking everything up before we leave and freezing it to take with us.

 

[FIREKYMMIE]

In the last 2 yrs i have been 3 times.... the first trip i paid for the meal plan for 5 people.. but we hit every charator dinner breakfast and high end meal we could find ... it was the kids first time going..... we got our moneys worth

last sept we got the free dining which i liked. who doesn't like free food????.. all 3 of these trips i am mentioning where resort stays...

last dec hubby and i went we ate mostly at counter service and two sit downs we enjoyed it so much more then having all those reservations....

this june we are going to stay in a cabin with 6 of us.... I am buying all kinds of food they can cook and make themselves and when the kids get hungry they can go back eat and then run off again.. we are going to eat out about 3 times this trip and i am going to give the kids 10 a day each and whether they spend it on food or soveniors is totally up to them....

i won't pay for the plan again but if it is free i am on it ..... hope this helps

 

[BradyBz12]

DH and I did it in 2006 & 2007 - before they stopped including the appetizer and gratuity. The first year it was great, because it gave us an opportunity to try restaurants we never would have afforded without it. We definitely got our money's worth and then some, with average TS dinners alone running between $100-$200!

The last year we did it we started to feel like we were scheduling everything around dining, and forcing ourselves to eat way too much food (camper fridge was full of desserts!)

When they dropped the app/tip, we dropped the dining plan.

During our 3 weeks in December, we budgeted to eat a few nice meals out, and usually do breakfast at the camper (cereal, eggs, toast, precooked bacon...). We typically did one meal a day "out" - more likely than not at one of the nicer CS locations ...or the Kona Sushi Bar.

I also packed easy grillables for lunch (if we were hanging out at the camper for a while and heading into the parks later in the day) and plenty of snacks.

We figured that, over the 3 weeks, we averaged $40/day out of pocket for meals "out," - minus that one big, snazzy meal at the Cal. Grille (soup to nuts and a bottle of wine).

And the best part was that we didn't spend a whole lot of time killing ourselves trying to work around ADRs.

Unless it changes again (to be a much better value like it used to be) we won't likely do the DDP again.

 

[sarahk0204]

We stay in the cabins, and we have done/are doing the regular dining plan (1 TS, 1 CS, 1 snack) for our family of 4 - 2 adults and girl/boy twins age 5. We eat breakfast in the cabin, go to a park, and do usually a TS lunch in the park (sometimes CS lunch in a park). Then we head back to the cabin for a break (we go in the summer when it is HOT ). We grill out for dinner at least once, or we have gone to TE or the BBQ on the DP. Having a real kitchen in the cabin means that we don't use any credits for breakfast, and the meal credits come out even. Of course, we spend a fair amount of time in the parks. If you are planning a Fort centered vacation, boating over to the WL is going to get pretty old. I can't imagine doing the QSDP at the Fort because there are no CS offerings. Although I did notice that there are some snacks at the Meadow food counter. We can get our Mickey bars poolside!

 

[gatripletmom00]

With so many "no's" for the DDP, I dont know what to do!
We are staying for 5 days in a cabin in July, but we are planning on being gone for so much of the day. Is it worth it to come back and cook meal and then head back out to see more of the park?
Kris

 

[brobrosmom]

It's kinda funny how the dining plan makes you feel you are missing the boat if you don't do it! All my friends keep telling me just to do it because it's easier but I have spent a TON of time worrying about the stupid dining plan.

I think we will just wing it: eat at the camper, sometimes do quick service at the parks, and maybe on character meal for the boys.

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[BradyBz12]

I did notice that there are some snacks at the Meadow food counter. We can get our Mickey bars poolside!

In '07 you could also use your snack credits on pretty much any food item under $4 at the trading posts too. Not all the CMs knew how to ring them in though, and we had to ask before they starting ringing.

 

[iluvstitch]

Long-time lurker here, popping out to offer advice. I've done the free dining plan and it was great! Although I did feel like I never stopped eating... And I had so many unused meals that I stuffed all of my eating into the last 2 days. I definitely was slower going through the parks that week.

But IMHO, paying for it just might not be worth it. Browse through the menus of the places you'd think about eating and ask yourself, if you would normally spend $40 per person/per day on food? How often do you sit down and eat an appetizer, entree and dessert in one sitting. And sometimes, just to make you feel like you're getting your money's worth, you end up buying the most expensive thing on the menu in each category and they're not always the best thing or what you really want. Although admittedly it can be really fun to just order whatever the heck you want without worrying about costs. But I'd be stressing over whether or not we'd gotten our money's worth that day.

Also ask yourself if you really want to have a scheduled time to eat every day? That really cuts back on flexibility. If you answered yes to all of these then the dining plan is for you. If not, maybe you'd be better off choosing 1 or 2 sit down restaurants that you really want to do, ordering what you really want and doing the rest counter service.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Long-time lurker here, popping out to offer advice. I've done the free dining plan and it was great! Although I did feel like I never stopped eating... And I had so many unused meals that I stuffed all of my eating into the last 2 days. I definitely was slower going through the parks that week.

But IMHO, paying for it just might not be worth it. Browse through the menus of the places you'd think about eating and ask yourself, if you would normally spend $40 per person/per day on food? How often do you sit down and eat an appetizer, entree and dessert in one sitting. And sometimes, just to make you feel like you're getting your money's worth, you end up buying the most expensive thing on the menu in each category and they're not always the best thing or what you really want. Although admittedly it can be really fun to just order whatever the heck you want without worrying about costs. But I'd be stressing over whether or not we'd gotten our money's worth that day.

Also ask yourself if you really want to have a scheduled time to eat every day? That really cuts back on flexibility. If you answered yes to all of these then the dining plan is for you. If not, maybe you'd be better off choosing 1 or 2 sit down restaurants that you really want to do, ordering what you really want and doing the rest counter service.

I would agree with all of this.
We've done the dining plan when it was free and there's no way I'd pay for it then- I'm not going to pay for it now that appetizer and gratuity isn't included! It's not worth it unless everyone you're paying for are big big eaters. If we could do the dining plan for specific people in the party- I'd do it- but children who are not big eaters (especially if you have to pay for them as adult price) it really makes it not worth it.

When we did the free dining plan it was nice not to have to worry about cost of food the entire trip (but we were in a resort- not at FW where we could make our own food!) but that's the only benefit and not really a benefit if you're paying a lot for it instead of free. Other than that we did feel like we were eating all the time, it was way more scheduled than I would like always rushing to ADR's (that had to be planned months in advance btw), and we STILL ended up with so many CS and snack credits that we couldn't get them all in so we used them up on the last day to get rice krispy mickey bars and chocolate milks. Filled up our soft sided cooler and took that as a carryon on the flight. It was kind heavy. LOL

The only way we'd do it again is if it was free- and since we're probably always going to stay at a site at FW (to save on cost for our family of 5) we can't get the free dining anyway so that point is moot for us. We're looking forward to saving a ton of money by cooking breakfast and most dinners at our site, we'll have CS for lunch while at the parks and a few TS for a few dinners during our trip (one of which will be Hoop de doo Revue). We won't be spending our vacation rushing around trying to make it to ADR's on time and stuffing ourselves to get our money's worth. LOL

 

[Skyw]

We have never gotten DDP. In all honestly, it is because the food is not worth the money on property. And I hate to make those kinds of plans ahead of time. Especially when I have a 5 year old. Plus the time it takes you to get the meal. We usually only spend the 5-6 hours at the park. So we would have to go back to the park to eat. It is faster to hop in our car and go to the crab shack or Mac Grill just up the road. And I like the food better. When I first started going to Disney the food was "wow". Now it is like really good wedding or cruise food.

However, I do think if you have a bunch of kids DDP is a deal. 10.99 for a kid is a great daily price!!!!!!

 

[Shan-man]

I'll throw in my 2¢. If you are like us, and it sounds like you might be, you are at Disney to take a vacation from normal activities like cooking. Also, for us, the dining is a BIG part of our vacation experience, so we always plan out 1, maybe 2 (sometimes 3!), ADRs a day anyhow so the DDP wouldn't impact our spontaneity (we don't have any! LOL). I think it is reasonably priced, too. Now, we haven't done the DDP, but not because of any of the reasons stated, but simply because we would have problems using all the counter service credits. The only CS we enjoy is the Fish n' Chips at UK and Flametree BBQ at AK (and Earl, but I don't think he's on the plan). You can still satisfy the grilling-requirement of staying in a cabin, just dine at a signature restaurant a time or two (two TS credits). So, my advice is if you're like us, but would have no problem using the CS, I'd look seriously at doing the DDP.

 

[CampingBandit]

With so many "no's" for the DDP, I dont know what to do!
We are staying for 5 days in a cabin in July, but we are planning on being gone for so much of the day. Is it worth it to come back and cook meal and then head back out to see more of the park?
Kris

IF I were staying in a cabin, and the counter service dining plan were free, I'd do it, there are plenty of places to get decent CS meals at the various resorts and parks. I've seen complaints about the prices/ quality but I think it's typical fast food, in some cases even better with healthier choices available, and DW isn't any more expensive than going to our local zoo, amusement park or ML ball game....

I wouldn't pay for or do the Table Service Dining Plan, especially if I have kids in the 10-12 range. They are considered "adults" and you pay for and they order off of the adult menu, with almost no exceptions (only the upscale resturants requiring 2 dining credits will alter their pre-set menus for picky eaters). So if you have a picky 10 yo, the TS DP is not for you, trust me.

Pros of the TS plan - you get to try fancier sit-down restaurants you might not ordinarily try, seeing some resorts you may not have been to before. This was nice. And you don't have to worry about price. Too much food, you are too full to eat the dessert included (is this a con? ) Buffets are winners all around, and if you want to do character meals at 2 credits each, you can use up your TS credits with fewer daily ressies to schedule; plenty of places to redeem snack credits, we had no trouble using ours and they were the first to get used up; no need to buy the refillable mug, as meals include your drinks. I did both (we were in a suite at AllStar with a fridge) and I never got my money's worth on the mug. Since you will be in a cabin, you can buy beverages from wallyworld to save money and skip the mug all together.

Cons: if you have to pay for it; Tips and appetizers no longer included; 10 year olds are considered adults; you have to make ADRs (pretty far in advance during peak times) and then plan your day, setting a daily itinerary, based on that day's TS ressie - so this planning and scheduling can be cumbersome and you may find you don't like being comitted to this schedule, once at DW- I know I was. The problem with winging it, especially during peak times, is your wait time if you just walk in, could be up to 2 hours (as I witnessed walk-ins quoted these times during spring break last year) and then your meal itself can last 2 hours, so 4 hours shot! I made my ressies months in advance, and was glad I did, but in many cases my first choices were either booked up for the times I wanted or the restaurants I wanted to try weren't even in the DP....; Well, I'm sure I could think of more of both the Pros and Cons...that's just the main ones that come to mind.

 

[craiggers]

We like the dining plan, but experience all the concerns that have been expressed here. We like paying up front and not having to worry about being overbudget on food 2/3rds through the trip! This June, we are going for 9 days. I have an annual pass, so I was able to join "Tables in Wonderland." I think it cost me about $70 for a year, but it gives me 20% off at most of the restaurants where we like to eat for up to 10 people. The 20% includes the fancy drinks and alcholic drinks, which are not covered by the dining plan. We can also get 30% off of select seats at the Hoop Dee Doo dinner show. (It counts as 2 full service table meals on the dining plan.) There are 8 of us going, so we are going to go that route this summer and check out the difference. We have been going to Disney yearly for 35 years and are now Vacation Club members. Eating at our favorite restaurants and simply enjoying the resort where we are staying is a big part of the experience for us. We are not slaves to the parks anymore. We like to eat at the nice ones that can be costly. The kids all have their favorites too. I think dining at disney is almost a "philosophical" thing for every family!

If you have access to an annual pass, that could be another option for you.