How many times have your heard?

[chip007]

... the Dining Plan is just too much food.

I don't understand that.

Putting aside the fact that you don't have to eat everything on the plate, the signature restaurants are two credits. So even on the deluxe plan, that's a breakfast and a nice dinner each day. What am I missing?

 

[mickeystoontown]

We were on the Disney Dining Plan in 2006 and in 2007. I thought the food was great everywhere we ate. We did order the appetizer, entree and dessert.

I am one of those kind of people that doesn't feel like you have to clean your plate. If I am full, I am full and I am not going to eat another bite. My husband, however, was raised that you must clean your plate. My husband says that's why I weight 105 pounds and he's 195 pounds. But, seriously, if you are full, just stop eating.

I know that the 2008 Dining Plan has changed and you can no longer get an appetizer with your meal (unless you pay out of pocket). I don't think we'll really miss the appetizers other than the fact that we liked trying new foods.

I see exactly where you are coming from.

 

[Tricia1972]

For us it was too much food. We are not representative of everybody, and really are only representative of ourselves. However since you asked....

Our day typically was:

Breakfast in room

CS Lunch. 5 Adult Meals, 5 Desserts, 1 Child's meal with dessert. The portions are large and we easily could have split our meals in half and still felt full. Sure you don't need to eat it all, but if you figure paying for 3 Adult meals, which is about what we ate, we start to lose savings on the DDP.

Rest at Resort - Naps and maybe a light snack for the kids and for ourselves (cheese & crackers or similar) All but two of us have hypoglycemia and need to eat throughout the day for our blood sugar.

TS Dinner. 5 Appetizers, 5 Adult Meals, 5 Desserts, 1 Child's meal with dessert. Again the portions are large. Sure again, we could just eat the equivalent of one or two appetizers, but if you figure paying OOP and NOT buying those appetizers, again DDP starts to lose value. We can also eat half of our plates and throw away the rest for the entrees, but if we'd ordered and paid for just 3 Entrees and split, then again the DDP loses value. Dessert - same thing. We were so full from appetizers and the meal itself, we'd take a bite or two. We generally ordered the same dessert, so if we'd ordered and paid OOP for one dessert....

We also had 6 snacks to use throughout the day - every day. We may use one or two for waters, one for popcorn, but the rest of the time we still felt full from our larger meals that we didn't want to eat anything else.

I took a look at what we actually ate/wanted to eat of our meals. I went through the menus and found that we can still eat well and save without the DDP.

Our days will look like this in March

Breakfast - In Room

CS Lunch - 5 Sandwiches, 1 or 2 Fries, 5 Beverages, 0 Desserts, 0 Child's meal - they'll share with us.

TS Dinner - 1 Appetizer, 5 Entrees, 1 Child's meal, 0 Desserts

Snack - In park after Dinner - something sweet and indulgent to make up for our 'virtuous' skipping of dessert at supper. We'll probably get one or two snacks and share. Or all get one if we're feeling wild and crazy. We can also get whatever we want and not worry if it's included in the DDP or not.

Yes we still eat three meals, and I am sure we'll still have plenty to eat, but much less than we would on the DDP.

With this new way of eating, we'll save over $450 for our group in an 8 day/7night trip.

It works for us, but not for everyone - and that's cool. I'm glad that there are options for everyone.

 

[61disneyfan]

We just came back from a 5 day trip on the Deluxe Plan, and I can see how some people would say that it's too much food.

We ate at Signature restaurants almost every night, and therefore didn't eat a sit down breakfast - we used that credit for the signature dinner.

We thought that most of the food was fantastic - especially at The Flying Fish. (We actually cancelled Fantasmic/Dinner plans at The Brown Derby to back and eat at the TFF a 2nd time!)

Some of the lunches and one dinner (San Angel Inn) were just average, but even so, with an appetizer, entree, and dessert at every meal, there were times when we were stuffed - especially early in the trip. We learned as we went along to not eat all of the appetizers, and in some cases not eat all of the entrees as well, so that we would have enough room to at least try the desserts without feeling overly stuffed.

We had lunches at the 50's Prime Time Cafe, Les Chefs de France, and Tutto Italia, and The Rose & Crown. And each time when we were done we agreed that if we were paying OOP, we would never had each gotten an appetizer AND dessert.

We did the Deluxe Plan because we knew we would be having dinner at Signature restaurants, and I still think the decision was a good one. Part of the fun of the trip for us was great food and wine. But if you're into doing the parks commando-style, then it could end up being too much food.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

... the Dining Plan is just too much food.

I don't understand that.

Putting aside the fact that you don't have to eat everything on the plate, the signature restaurants are two credits. So even on the deluxe plan, that's a breakfast and a nice dinner each day. What am I missing?

I don't understand it either. We have been on the regular dining plan 3 times and have loved it. Great food, great value! There were 12 people in our group last time and I didn't hear one person say, "gosh, that was just too much food."

 

[tigger536]

Yeah me either. On our next trip we are doing deluxe ddp and still paying for a few things out of pocket...

 

[CampbellScot]

The DDP CAN be too much food for people who are not accustomed to ordering an appetizer a piece AND a dessert a piece on top of an entree.

My husband and I share a lot of stuff...that's just how we like it.

We felt positively stuffed last summer after lunch or dinner at TS places. I have massive issues with WASTING food. It kills me. My husband has issues with paying beforehand for appetizers I don't order...so I order them...and we both pick at them...and I feel badly b/c I can't finish my meal...or my husband over eats...

The DDP was a great deal considering the cost of food at Disney. Which is why we do it...with the changes this year it seems to be a marginal savings at best...on the PLUS side...my husband and I can get an appetizer to share if we want one...but we don't have to and it wasn't paid for in advance...the desserts still might be overkill...but it's vacation!!

The deluxe dining plan is a better deal than the basic...but we would NEVER be able to eat at three table service places a day. We just cannot eat that much.

anyhow...that's one neurotic girl's take on the DDP being too much food!!

 

[tigger536]

I think it has a lot to do with choosing signature places like others have said. That way its only two meals a day. Portions (in my opinion anyway) are smaller at the signature restaurants also. Its finer food. I couldn't eat 3 TS a day eitther, no way! I also like deluxe because the appetizer is included. I'm not a huge dessert person, so I will eat the appy but pick at the dessert.

 

[carrie6466]

We are also going on the DxDDP and most days have ADR's for Breakfast and Dinner. We are arriving early our first day(10am) and leaving late on our last (10PM) so we also need 2 meals a day on those days as opposed to one. We have a couple of 2TS meals at night and when all is said and done, I think we are eating lunch one day. I don't see how 2 meals a day and snacks is going to be too much food, but we'll see how it works out

 

[tigger536]

We are also going on the DxDDP and most days have ADR's for Breakfast and Dinner. We are arriving early our first day(10am) and leaving late on our last (10PM) so we also need 2 meals a day on those days as opposed to one. We have a couple of 2TS meals at night and when all is said and done, I think we are eating lunch one day. I don't see how 2 meals a day and snacks is going to be too much food, but we'll see how it works out

Same here too! We are arriving early and departing late as well! I love it that DDP credits are good til midnight on checkout day!

 

[Melissa_E]

The DDP CAN be too much food for people who are not accustomed to ordering an appetizer a piece AND a dessert a piece on top of an entree.

My husband and I share a lot of stuff...that's just how we like it.

We felt positively stuffed last summer after lunch or dinner at TS places. I have massive issues with WASTING food. It kills me. My husband has issues with paying beforehand for appetizers I don't order...so I order them...and we both pick at them...and I feel badly b/c I can't finish my meal...or my husband over eats...

The DDP was a great deal considering the cost of food at Disney. Which is why we do it...with the changes this year it seems to be a marginal savings at best...on the PLUS side...my husband and I can get an appetizer to share if we want one...but we don't have to and it wasn't paid for in advance...the desserts still might be overkill...but it's vacation!!

The deluxe dining plan is a better deal than the basic...but we would NEVER be able to eat at three table service places a day. We just cannot eat that much.

anyhow...that's one neurotic girl's take on the DDP being too much food!!

I agree with this too. It also helped that our DD4 would help us eat both the appetizer and dessert even though we got her her own meal.

 

[TDC Nala]

... the Dining Plan is just too much food.

I don't understand that.

Putting aside the fact that you don't have to eat everything on the plate, the signature restaurants are two credits. So even on the deluxe plan, that's a breakfast and a nice dinner each day. What am I missing?

Not everyone does the signature restaurants. Not everybody WANTS to.

 

[mickey2000]

You mean .................(only for fun !)

Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream Beach Club

 

[acourtwdw]

Has anyone ever tried to get the dessert to go at TS? We have done the DDP twice and I never thought of it until now. There is a lot of times that I don't want a dessert right after dinner but would love to have it later. We did it a couple of times with CS when they had cookies.

Annette

 

[fall08CP]

Has anyone ever tried to get the dessert to go at TS? We have done the DDP twice and I never thought of it until now. There is a lot of times that I don't want a dessert right after dinner but would love to have it later. We did it a couple of times with CS when they had cookies.

Annette

We did that one of our three nights and it wasn't a problem (WCC cheesecake, made a great late night snack!).

We found it to be too much food. We're not used to eating dessert or snacks throughout the day so it was just too much. Also, we normally order cheap meals when we pay OOP, but on the dining plan we could order anything we wanted. We went to nicer places that has larger portions than we were used to. We also share meals a lot, so it was different having everyone order their own meal.

 

[bumbershoot]

"If I am full, I am full and I am not going to eat another bite. My husband, however, was raised that you must clean your plate. My husband says that's why I weight 105 pounds and he's 195 pounds."

Kidding aside, that's a very valid reason for differing weights between people. My friends who are naturally on the thinner side can sit at a huge delicious buffet, and without a problem at all stop eating when they are getting full. While me, and a couple of my other friends who are a bit heavier, could just eat and eat and eat, and then talk about how utterly sick we feel b/c we're so full.


All I have is book learning and going through the menus online to try to figure out what we will want to eat, so I can figure out if the dining plan is right for us. And frankly, we just do NOT eat that much. I haven't been to WDW yet, but I'm using our trips to DLR as a guide, and we just don't eat 3 or even 2 full meals a day.

Since we're more of the type with the mindset "if we paid for it we have to eat it", sitting us down at a meal where we KNOW that we paid for a drink, entree, and dessert will cause us to order and try to eat all of those things.

Even if the costs were to come out the same (daily cost of dining plan = foods we would normally order each day), my husband is pushing hard that we just buy Disney giftcards ahead of time to prepay for meals, rather than get the dining plan, because if he knows he's allowed to get two desserts a day, by gum he's going to get them. And he's worked too long at Weight Watchers to ruin a year's worth of loss (he's a slow weight loser, about .2 lb per week) for that.

So I can absolutely understand why people would say it's too much food.

 

[samefay]

If you follow your plan things should go well. The first day we got there the car rental company made us late. (Slow people!) We had to keep pushing our lunch reservations back. So we had lunch at WPC at 2pm and then had Narcoossee's at 6. We were so looking forward to Narcoossee's but we were full so we ordered 1 appetizer, both of us adults ordered the lobster, and then we shared 1 dessert.
The rest of the time we were fine. The only other thing is by running to the next meal and trying to keep each reservation, we kind of always were in a hurry.
(I didn't mind to much though, we love Disney restaurants.)

We usually had a character breakfast and a signature dinner.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Add me to the confused group.

When we used the plan a few years ago, we ordered what we knew we'd eat, not what we were entitled to.

We skipped plenty of appetizers and desserts. Sometimes the entrees and drinks were more than enough for us.

We'll be using the deluxe plan in September and during our Christmas. Once again I plan to order based on what we want, not what we can get.


It helps not to be concerned about maxing out the plan.

 

[Tricia1972]

Add me to the confused group.

When we used the plan a few years ago, we ordered what we knew we'd eat, not what we were entitled to.

We skipped plenty of appetizers and desserts. Sometimes the entrees and drinks were more than enough for us.

We'll be using the deluxe plan in September and during our Christmas. Once again I plan to order based on what we want, not what we can get.


It helps not to be concerned about maxing out the plan.

When we figured ordering what we'll eat - not what we're entitled to, what we want is less than what the plan entitles us to. Figuring the prices for what we want (the three women in our group are not big red meat eaters), we pay much less OOP than we do paying for the DDP. That's why I feel that the DDP is too much food. In order to break even on it (for us) we'd need to order more than what we want or we'd waste money.

It sounds like you too are wise and just order what you want, which isn't necessarily all that the plan entitles you to. However if you're just getting entrees and beverages at your meals it'd be harder to break even on the plan. The exception to this would be buffets/family style, which are a fixed price regardless of what you eat.

We plan to prepay for our meals by getting gift cards or pre paid credit cards to pay for our meals.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I don't understand it either, but.......

The ddp works for us. It works really well for us. We always have at least one ts meal per day, sometimes two. We don't order the dessert if we don't want it, and we don't seem to waste food. We didn't order anything we wouldn't normally get, and we split some cs meals, maybe that makes the difference, maybe not.

It doesn't work for everyone.