How much OOP did you spend on the dining plan?

[bamamom]

Those of you that have been and used the dining plan how much did you end up spending out of pocket? What normally did you end up paying for? I'm just trying to get an idea of how much "food" money to budget. I know we will be going to the candy store at DTD and then there is the food and wine festival that we plan on sampling one day for our lunch. Just try to get an idea. This is our first family trip and we are so excited and it's getting so close...

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

Hmm less than $30. $20 on mixed drinks in Japan. $5 for pop and fudge at the Boardwalk bakery and $4 for the Twinkie Tiramisu at Pop Century.

We had more than enough food from the dining plan.

 

[stschaefer]

Spent $23 on two mugs for our resort and $3.95 for a collector popcorn bucket for DD (that way would have sand bucket for later and a top to cover popcorn for rest of trip). Had plenty of food on the plan. 2 CS, 3 TS, and 6 snacks after morning checkout (went to Wolfgang puck Express, CRT, and bought a bunch of snacks on the way out).

 

[NY Disney fan]

Am leaving shortly and wondered about cash on the plan but after reading some responses, I think I won't be needing that much.

 

[Tissa]

I spent less than $10.00. Some of that was for breakfast but I soon wised up and started getting the adult breakfast or lunch cs and splitting it with my ds. You get so much food that after a few days you don't want to eat a whole cs meal. At POP I would get the cheesecakes for dessert and take it back to the room and we would eat it later for a snack. LOVED the cheesecake

 

[crelange]

We spent $23 on mugs, about $30 on adult beverages and $3 for Mcdonalds french fries.

That is it. Nothing extra on food.

Chris

 

[LoveWDW]

I spent less than $10.00. Some of that was for breakfast but I soon wised up and started getting the adult breakfast or lunch cs and splitting it with my ds. You get so much food that after a few days you don't want to eat a whole cs meal. At POP I would get the cheesecakes for dessert and take it back to the room and we would eat it later for a snack. LOVED the cheesecake

Somebody posted that the food they tried to carry back got mashed and was inedible. So I was thinking of taking some small tupperware containers to put desserts in so I could carry them back to the room and they wouldn't be crushed. What would you recommend?

This is an interesting thread. I'm glad it was posted. I wondered about extra costs and food, too.

 

[dismom9761]

$23 on mugs.$10 at Main Street Bakery for muffins.$ on McD fries.That is it.Food for the trip down and back.

 

[Manon]

About 25$ for drinks at 1900 Park Fare and at Sci-Fi Inn for the glowing ice cubes!!!

 

[ceecee]

Somebody posted that the food they tried to carry back got mashed and was inedible. So I was thinking of taking some small tupperware containers to put desserts in so I could carry them back to the room and they wouldn't be crushed. What would you recommend?

This is an interesting thread. I'm glad it was posted. I wondered about extra costs and food, too.

Carrying it from the food court to your room wouldn't be hard at all. If you mean from the parks you could try it. Seems like a lot of extra to carry around and it would still be in the heat most of the day. We got a chocolate cake at RFC last year and took it back to the room, they put it in a container for us and we probably only spent a few hours at AK that time so we didn't end up carrying it around. We no longer need a stroller so we limit we we carry.

 

[milmore104]

Carrying it from the food court to your room wouldn't be hard at all. If you mean from the parks you could try it. Seems like a lot of extra to carry around and it would still be in the heat most of the day. We got a chocolate cake at RFC last year and took it back to the room, they put it in a container for us and we probably only spent a few hours at AK that time so we didn't end up carrying it around. We no longer need a stroller so we limit we we carry.

I do this! I bring a couple tupperware containers w/ me to MK. I love the choc. cake there and they give you so much there's no way you could finish it. So I put it in a container and save it for the palne ride home or later that night. They don't have it everyday so I try to get 2 slics when they do so I can bring one home to my mother. I don't mind carrying it around w/ me as I am a chocoholic and I dream about this cake!!!

 

[Redbudlover]

I haven't used the dining plan before - but have been hearing what folks on this thread say too - that they have all the food they can possibly eat.

Personally we are planning on paying cash for our dinner at Brown Derby - but that is because it is only my DH and I going alone and we are going to eat at signature restaurants every night we are not eating at the F&WF or attending the Party of the Senses. We have plenty of time in the parks, so don't need to eat there as well. We love eating at the signature restaurants (ADRs at Citicos, Narcoosees, Boma, and Brown Derby) and plan to utilize the free dining to enable us to do so more often than if we were paying for everything ourselves. We also plan on spending money for drinks or wine at dinner.

the food and Wine Festival can get expensive. The last time DH and I went we spent almost $75 over the course of the evening. We are budgeting that much for this trip as well. But one of the reasons for that price is that we buy one of the wines or beer with each little plate we buy. You could cut the cost in half if you carry a soft drink around and just sample the food. We like sampling the wine too - and that is where our cost comes in.

Redbudlover.

 

[Tissa]

Somebody posted that the food they tried to carry back got mashed and was inedible. So I was thinking of taking some small tupperware containers to put desserts in so I could carry them back to the room and they wouldn't be crushed. What would you recommend?

This is an interesting thread. I'm glad it was posted. I wondered about extra costs and food, too.

Taking it from the food court wasn't a problem because they come in a container so I grab that and a couple of forks for later. Those small disposable glad containers would work if you were taking them from the park. I hadn't thought of that. I hate to waste food.

 

[Cindy B]

$25 or less. It was for one child CRT breakfast, and one childs meal at Le Cellier.

 

[indigoxtreme]

Just returned ourselves from 8 nights and we spent less than 15.00. We brought back deserts to the room. We brought our own water and used a soft side cooler each day. It stayed cold with one ice bucket full of ice in the cooler all day. Someone suggested using the glad containers and that is what I used I simply placed the item in the top of the cooler. My cooler held 6 bottles of normal size water and still had room for a sippy cup of milk. We had a stroller with us so we placed it in the bottom of the stroller.

 

[SparklieSunShine]

I have the dining plan for my trip at the end of next month. I am planning on keeping a close account of exactly how much extra money we spend on food and where we spend it.

I'll be more than happy to post that here. I also plan on posting the breakdown of how much our meals would have cost and what we saved on that thread.

I thought a lot about if I should buy the plan or not and I am think it will be well worth it.

I am loving the idea that the only money I have to bring with me will be for suveneirs. yipee!

 

[LoveWDW]

I have the dining plan for my trip at the end of next month. I am planning on keeping a close account of exactly how much extra money we spend on food and where we spend it.

I'll be more than happy to post that here. I also plan on posting the breakdown of how much our meals would have cost and what we saved on that thread.

I thought a lot about if I should buy the plan or not and I am think it will be well worth it.

I am loving the idea that the only money I have to bring with me will be for suveneirs. yipee!

I am looking forward to reading your report.

 

[SparklieSunShine]

I look forward to telling you. I can't wait to go. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas.

 

[samsmom05]

We are actually planning to spend quite a bit OOP for our dining to be free The fish eaters want to go to Fultons. Since it is not part of the plan that will be good bill. Since this is our first trip and DD is 8 we are character dining out. So one of the breakfasts will be OOP as well. That is what is planned. Who knows at this point what will be unplanned. If it were not for the dining plan (free or not) we would not be able to eat where we are planning in the first place.

 

[dyna]

DH and I had maybe 25.00 OOP for bottled water bought a water or 2 a day that was it for us.

We got our diet coke with our meals drank water between meals as it was extremely hot that week we was there and we needed the water. Had we not been buyin water it would have been soda and the water was so much better for us.

Had or DD been with us still would have only bought bottled water in the parks there was plenty of food on the free dining didn't need no other food.