Help me decide - meal plan or not!

[Picabo]

I was all set to do the meal plan (about 8mos ago when I started planning). Now I'm wondering. We're going first week in Dec and have 2 toddlers (age 2 and 3 when we travel). We do plan to do several character meals and buffets and only a few "sit down" type meals that aren't buffet type. (Kona and maybe Teppanyaki place in Epcot) From what I've calculated, we will coem out very close (adult pricing) on the meal plan when I take into account the dessert,drinks, snacks, etc. I can see where it'd be a no-brainer if you planned non-buffets every day. But most of our sit downs will be buffets.

Anyhow, I'm just now thinking of maybe not doing the meal plan and just winging it. (Aside from booking our ADR's for the buffets/character meals)

Any thoughts??? I just don't know which way to go!! THANKS!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I'd go with the dinning plan in my opinion. I think it's definately cheaper.

 

[DISNEYNV]

We have used the DP twice now and are using it in May with two small children. I have to admit that it has more than worked out for us but we only do one or two buffets. DH is not a buffet fan and it is a real pain to do them with smaller kids. I rather have someone bring us our meals instead of one of us having to get up every few minutes to get more food for the kids who are on deserts before I get to even shovel in a few sites of dinner. Sit downs just work better for us. Also many of the buffets are two credit meals on the plan. Some resturants in Epct are only ONE credit. Le Cellier was our favorite meal last trip and was only one credit. If you do more counter service meals you might opt for the new CS meal plan. We also figured out that it is better to pay for a buffet instead of using meal credits since it is a set amount. Just my thoughts and what our family does.

 

[Matt71]

The DDP will not save you a lot of money by doing buffets, but you will save money. We eat mostly buffets and saved about $180 last year for 4 people over 7 days.

The convenience of the plan is worth something aswell. It's nice to not have to think about prices.

 

[Hootch]

which meal you eat at the buffet. Dinner costs about $9 more than breakfast at CP and about $7 more at CM.

The pros are that

* some people find it simplifies your life while in the parks
* some people lie to have everything pretty much paid off before going so they can relax and enjoy the vacation
* Usually if you eat a TS every day then it saves you some money

Cons - it requires a package which means the package must be paid off in advance and cancellation policies are more restrictive. If you're doing a package already, these are moot.

 

[ms*mountaineer]

It may work out cheaper for you because of the kids - the cost of the DDP for kids is cheaper than most character meals.

Here's what you need to do - make a list of the sit-down meals you are going to have. Then look up the menus online and write down the cost of the adult meal and the kids meal. If it's not a flat price (like Ohana) and the price will vary, depending on what you order - pick out something you might order. Add up what you would pay if you aren't on the dining plan. Then add up how much the DDP will cost you - just compare the two numbers.

When I did it - it came out about the same - so for us, getting the DDP was like getting CS meals and snacks free.

If it comes out cheaper OOP - just do it that way.

 

[Matt71]

FIgure out where you want to eat, take a look at their menu, then try doing something like this

We are saving about $322 with the DxDDP whic more than covers all of our tips. And that's just for 2 people.

 

[ShannonMB]

I am absolutely in love with the DP, mostly because I like to have it all taken care of before I get there. I'm sure I save a little $, too. It gives me "permission" to try all the places I want.

Good luck deciding. I personally don't think you can really go wrong if you're planning a sit-down meal each day, buffets or not.

Have fun!

 

[abc999]

You really need to calculate all the costs, including the snacks and if you are doing the Deluxe Plan or not. We did the Deluxe plan last time with 2 young kids (2.5 and 4.5) at the time and it was well worth it. The kid's portion of the dining plan really makes it worth while. I also like not having to worry about a budget while I am there.

 

[fnkyyellow]

We did the regular dining plan in September with 5 year old and almost 2 year old. We did save a bit of money, but there was alot of food. Desserts at every TS and CS meal we could have done without. I'm not sure that I would do it again. IMO the deluxe dining plan is too much food- Plus it takes a long time from the time you arrive for your ADR to the time you leave - usually 1.5 hours. There's no way my kids would have sat through 2 meals like that everyday.

 

[squirrel]

Most character meals are not 2TS credits. CRT is 2TS credits.

I think the character meals are great with young children. They get to eat quickly, no ordering and waiting! Your 2 yr old will eat for free. You don't have to wait in lines to meet the characters, they come to you.

If you prefer, you can do some of the character meals that are served family style. They will bring food to your table, ask for more if needed. Some of the family style ones are O'hana (breakfast) and Garden Grill (dinner). CRT is pre-plated but you can ask for more!

Check out the prices, but I think you will still save some money.

 

[JennSaint]

I was all set to do the meal plan (about 8mos ago when I started planning). Now I'm wondering. We're going first week in Dec and have 2 toddlers (age 2 and 3 when we travel). We do plan to do several character meals and buffets and only a few "sit down" type meals that aren't buffet type. (Kona and maybe Teppanyaki place in Epcot) From what I've calculated, we will coem out very close (adult pricing) on the meal plan when I take into account the dessert,drinks, snacks, etc. I can see where it'd be a no-brainer if you planned non-buffets every day. But most of our sit downs will be buffets.

Anyhow, I'm just now thinking of maybe not doing the meal plan and just winging it. (Aside from booking our ADR's for the buffets/character meals)

Any thoughts??? I just don't know which way to go!! THANKS!

When figuring your cost make sure you account for gratuity when on the dining plan. Your responsible for tips. Also will you always get a dessert at sit down meals?
When the dining plan included an appetizer and gratuity we loved it. Now we just don't think it's worth it for our family any more.

 

[Tricia1972]

Really the only way to tell if it'll be a good deal for you is if you sit down and look at the menus and what you would eat.

I have 11 TS Meals tentatively planned for our 9 night vacation in January 2010 and I can't make the DDP work for us - either form.

Crystal Palace Breakfast - $18.99/$10.99
Chef Mickey's Breakfast - $22.99/$12.99
1900 Park Fare Breakfast - $18.99/$10.99
Boma Dinner - $26.99/$12/99
Jiko Dinner (Adults Only) - $40
California Grill - $25.00/$13.00
Citricos - $34.00/$9.00
T-Rex Lunch - $15.00/$10.00
Tusker House - $19.99/$10.99
Biergarten Lunch - $19.99/$10.99
Beaches and Cream - $14.00/$9.00
Tax on all meals - $18.00/$14.00
Total Meal Cost - $264.34/$107.73
DDP Cost - $359.91/$98.91

Total "Credit" Cost - 13 Adult/11 Child (Not including T-Rex as that's OOP Anyway)
Total Credits Available in Plan - 9 Adult/9 Child

Figuring getting the best "Bang for our Buck" Meals on the DDP - we have $168.94 of Covered meals for our $359.91 plan. Add in snacks at $3 each and we're at $195.94. We would need to average $18.22 for our CS meals to break even.

That's where our deal breaker is. We rarely eat full CS meals, never touch those desserts (even when they're prepaid on the plan we feel that they're too much food and don't enjoy them). We graze and have more than enough food by sharing an order of fries between every 2-3 people.

But that is Just Us. The spreadsheet shared by a PP shows how the plan works for them, and that's great.

I am just sharing my spreadsheet example to show how it works both ways and it's individual for each family.