I don't think the dinner plan is good, suggestions?

[pixiedustholidays]

We love the dining plan, have been about 7 or 8 times since 2005 on DDP, but admittedly have not been there since the 2008 changes.

I am very cheap, and if I can save a buck I'll do it, which can be exhausting and time consuming (pre-DDP we used to go offsite for meals...etc).

What I *LOVE* about the dining plan is truly ordering what you feel like, and not what is lowest price. Now of course with 2008 gratuities there is a small difference in gratuity amount between the $17 pasta and the $32 steak ($2.70 difference with a 18% tip) but even counter service it's worth thinking about. If you were paying out of pocket at Cosmic Rays, would you order the Cheezeburger and fries for $6.09 or the Chicken and Rib platter for $13.99? With the DDP you can truly order what you feel like having and not worry about the price tag. This to me is well worth the price of the DDP and the "freedom" it brings is huge. It also seems completely different to pre-pay the DDP months in advance as part of the cost of the vacation, and then eat for "free" (ie not digging into your pocket for every meal) when you are there.

Just my opinion, but if you are someone who watches the price on everything, you might quite enjoy DDP.....

 

[septbaby]

I assume you are staying at a Disney resort thus you are considering the DP. Not sure the length of your stay.

Without having to buy food for your cooler, spend time or money on gas running to an off site restaurant or grocery store you could feed your family quite well each day. You would also have the treat of ordering off menus without making price based decisions and whatever you order is already paid for. Only you can decide if the $100 budget makes is affordable for your family. We were a family of 2A and a 6yo and absolutely loved the plan. I had some awesome meal experiences and meals and look forward to doing so again in 2008.

Keep in mind that many of the character meals will have higher prices during the month of June. The price of the Dining Plan will remain the same, so it'll be like getting a discount to pay with a DP credit. I think the additional cost is $3 for an Adult and $2 for a Child. For example I absolutely recommend Chef Mickey's as a character meal. However, in June it would cost about $90 for breakfast for your family. Now for an extra $6 your family would also get $12 in snacks that day ($3 avg snack price x4) and 4 Counter or Quick service meals. We actually paid OOP for this meal in August our cost was closer to $45-50 with tip for two adults (used a credit on a 2TS meal).

Keep in mind that if you return to Disney in 2yrs your 8yo will a Disney DP Adult ie. it will never get any cheaper for you to try the plan.

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

There are a number of ways to decide if the plan is a "good deal" for you...and no matter how you calculate it the only thing that matters is if YOU think it is a "good deal."

deal #1- no ddp, eat off site and pack in snacks/lunches...cheapest option financially, most time consuming and invloves a lot of driving from A to B.

deal #2- no ddp, eat mostly c/s- can be very cost effective if people are willing to share meals. Drink cups of water not soda, skip most desserts. Easily under $20 pp/day. Bring in snacks from home to supplement this plan. Breakfast in room will save $ too. No TS means no "wasted" time eating. But will you get sick of burgers and pizza?

deal #3- get basic ddp. No driving to meals unless you choose to. Can be time consuming to stop for ts daily. No need to eat fast food all week. No worry about the price of meals and no telling the kids no to dessert. Not cheap. Only a money saver if you want to eat overpriced Disney restaurant meals every day.

deal #4- pay oop, eat ts/cs or anything you want. This might be the same price for a lot of people as the DDP...depends on food choices, eating styles and how many courses ordered. It might be tempting to say no to higher price plates and desserts to save a few dollars. But if you never order dessert or pricey meals this can be cheaper than the ddp for some. Works great for a family that only eats 2-3 TS meals in a week and then c/s for most meals.

deal #5- get deluxe ddp, eat everything, worry about the cost and the scale later...vacations are meant to be fun and eating is fun! This one is unlikely to really save anyone money over how they would normally eat, but that is not the point...yum!!!

I went with #3, but that is just us...only you can decide what works for you. your family, your budget and your touring style. We have done all but #5 ...and If we ever get to go without the kids it will be deluxe all the way!!!

 

[pepperderr]

So if I decide to get the DDP, do I pay the tip out of pocket? How does that work? Is there any other OOP expenses if I get the DDP? If I get the room that I want (Pop 70s), everyone is saying it will be pretty close to the food court at so that will be good. Do they give you a special card and every time you buy something from the DDP you give them your card? I am still up in the air about it. I am not so sure we will be able to get many character meals so if we don't, it is probably not a good deal for us. The only one I am interested in getting is Chef Mickey's or someone else said there is another character meal that is breakfast buffet. I am going to re-check the prices again for the DDP and the menu's of what WE would actually eat and see what I come up with. Thanks again for all the info. This is what I am looking for!

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Pepperderr...
The quick "How To use the DDP"...
Book your sit down dinners at least 3-4 months before your trip by calling 1-407-WDW-DINE
There are complete menus at www.allearsnet.com in the dining section.

You check into the hotel and your room key is also your park admission pass and your dining plan card...all in one! (Don't lose it )

Fast food meals (called Counter Service or C/S) You grab the allowed meal items

Breakfast is 1 milk/coffee/water AND 1 juice AND 1 brerakfast meal and when you get to the register you tell them you are using your meal plan

Lunch and dinner are 1 drink, 1 meal and 1 dessert (of course per person.)

For Sit down meals Called TS or Table Service (the ones that you made those reservations for) You will choose 1 meal, 1 non-alcoholic/non glow light drink and 1 dessert per person. They give you a bill showing the cost and You tell them you are using the meal plan and give them your room card.

This is the sticky part...You do have to pay the tip this year...so you can charge it to your room if you left a credit card linked to your room key or you can pay cash or you can pay it on a credit card.

The hard part here is that if you have 6 or more people (including infants) they will automatically charge you an 18% tip. Some people have been charged tips automatically that they did not ask to be charged (ex- party of 4 had an automatic tip added to their room charge without wanting it added.) I would flip out if that happened. I can't think of a great way to avoid it, but I would deal with it after the fact.

Good luck, have a great trip!
Sheli

 

[pepperderr]

I am looking again at the price they are charging for the DDP and at the menus. They are charging 87.50 per day which is about 22 dollars per person (which isn't a bad price for most) for meals each day if we eat for the whole 8 days there. I wasn't expecting to eat there the first day because we will get in late. We will be eating near Sea World for one day too, even though we are staying at the Pop that day. If I count it as only 7 days, it comes out to 100 dollars per day or 25 dollars per person. I just don't see my 4yo eating 20 to 25 dollars worth of food EVERY day. I think DH could but wouldn't necessarily want to and neither would I. I think my 8yo could, but only if he is allowed to eat off of the adult menu which would mean he would have left overs to eat the next day or it would be wasted. I know the character meals cost a lot, but I only plan to go to 1 buffet for breakfast if we can get in. Even counting a character meal, I think we could eat what we like for 600dollars total if not less. If we don't use the DDP, can my 8yo eat off the adult menus or still not? A lot of times the 4yo will order something but then have leftovers because he will share with DH and myself or his brother. His favorite words are "can I try it?" It is suprising that he likes so many different food yet he can't gain weight! My older son is more of a vegaterian. He likes only a few kinds of chicken, veggies/salad or pasta. He just about refuses to eat any other meats. That is another reason why a breakfast buffet is one of our favorites. We all love breakfast even for dinner. I thnk I just talked myself into not getting the DDP and hoping for the best!

 

[Tiger926]

I am looking again at the price they are charging for the DDP and at the menus. They are charging 87.50 per day which is about 22 dollars per person (which isn't a bad price for most) for meals each day if we eat for the whole 8 days there. I wasn't expecting to eat there the first day because we will get in late. We will be eating near Sea World for one day too, even though we are staying at the Pop that day. If I count it as only 7 days, it comes out to 100 dollars per day or 25 dollars per person. I just don't see my 4yo eating 20 to 25 dollars worth of food EVERY day. I think DH could but wouldn't necessarily want to and neither would I. I think my 8yo could, but only if he is allowed to eat off of the adult menu which would mean he would have left overs to eat the next day or it would be wasted. I know the character meals cost a lot, but I only plan to go to 1 buffet for breakfast if we can get in. Even counting a character meal, I think we could eat what we like for 600dollars total if not less. If we don't use the DDP, can my 8yo eat off the adult menus or still not? A lot of times the 4yo will order something but then have leftovers because he will share with DH and myself or his brother. His favorite words are "can I try it?" It is suprising that he likes so many different food yet he can't gain weight! My older son is more of a vegaterian. He likes only a few kinds of chicken, veggies/salad or pasta. He just about refuses to eat any other meats. That is another reason why a breakfast buffet is one of our favorites. We all love breakfast even for dinner. I thnk I just talked myself into not getting the DDP and hoping for the best!

1 - Children's DP is $9.95/day (3-9 yrs old). This includes 1 counter service meal of approx. $4-$6 for kids, 1 snack under $4.00 and 1 table service meal $7.50-$12.00 approx. This all adds up to more than $9.95 per day (don't forget to include a bit for tips), so the children's DP is a great deal.

2 - Kids may not eat off of the adult menu, unless there is no children's menu. This is only applicable at a few counter service restaurants.

3 - You can spread your points out over the length of your stay up until midnight of the night you check out.

Basically, you need to look at the cost for each adult and each child separately, and then do a daily total to compare to what you would order out of pocket from the restaurants that you wish to eat at. You can't do an average per day amount by just dividing by the days as the children's plan is much cheaper than the adult plan.

You need to look at what you would order from those menus, how much time your children can sit in restaurants, daily schedules, etc., as well as eating habits to accurately see if the DP is worth it for your family. It sounds like you are just using the worth to be financial, whereas for many, it is the convenience of the plan, for others it's being able to eat what they want as they can't otherwise afford eating in TS restaurants, and for others, it's just easier with kids or health issues to know that they will be eating at least 1 sit down meal per day. Value or worth, is different for each family. For us, we are doing the Deluxe Plan, as this is how we eat anyway - 3 sit down meals per day, we don't eat any fast food at all, nor do we drink pop or junk food. The Deluxe is perfect for us!

Good luck in your decision - as a WDW veteran, I can assure you it doesn't need to be this hard - LOL! I think you are overthinking and overanalyzing a bit, so step back, and give it a few days, and then re-visit the menus again with a daily food budget in mind.

Happy eating, Tiger

 

[sherabby]

Good point about the snacks! That is why I wanted to get an opinion from others that have used it in the past. I haven't, so I don't know exactally how it works even after looking at the website. Thanks.

We took home lots of Divies snacks for my son with our leftover snack credits. He has allergies and was in heaven with those treats!

 

[sherabby]

check out allears.net

I work in Dormont and live in Canonsburg! Hello neighbor!

 

[pepperderr]

I didn't know that the kids dinner plan is 10 dollars a day. I am sure I am over analyzing things but this is our first trip and I am not sure what I am getting into or what to expect. When we decided to go, I figured I buy tickets with a park hopper option, find a hotel and eat a snack or lunch at the park and dinner somewhere else. I come to a group like this and find out you have to make ADR's, figure out how to get to them, decide on a dinner plan or not, use fast passes, decide to rent a stroller or not and all kinds of other things I wasn't expecting. It is just a lot of money to us and I want to get all my money's worth out of it that I can. It is kinda fun for me to plan it as long as everyone here doesn't get tired of all my questions. I feel like I think my DH is all the time, I can't decide what to do! He is in afghanistan so I am making all the decisions myself but even if he was here, it would still be all up to me. LOL

 

[pepperderr]

Do you just not eat a snack every day because you get desert with your meals? If it was up to my kids, they'd want 5 snacks a day and skip the meals!

 

[AFL]

I decided the DDP was definitely worth it for our trip in Sept. I'm traveling with my 17 year old son, my 35 year old male cousin and my husband, who all can eat a lot. Plus there will be my almost 16 year old son and myself who don't eat as much.

My husband and I were in WDW in Dec. We ate lunch each day at a table service restaurant with our bills coming to about $75 each day for the 2 of us. (That alone would have made the DDP worth the price.) Then we had breakfast, and a small meal/large snack later in the day, as well. We weren't able to get the DDP, though.

For our up coming trip, I got the boys to make a list of table service restaurants they were interested in. Then I sat down and did an itinerary that included all the table service meals we have allotted. My way of thinking is the snacks and quick meals are all mostly a bonus.

I phoned and booked our reservations yesterday. I asked if it was possible for me to switch a appetizer instead of a entre if I wasn't as hungry and was told that most of the restaurants will allow it, as they hate to waste food. (I'm not concerned about loosing money on the cost difference - I'm pretty sure my cousin will be ordering steaks to off set my savings.)

I think, if I had younger kids, daughters, maybe, picky eaters or if it was just me the DDP would not be worth the expense.

 

[pepperderr]

I just checked out the menu's for TS meals that we would need to make reservations for. The only thing I can come up with that we would all like would be a breakfast buffet. A lot of the stuff on the menu's at WDW just doesn't appeal to me and I know they won't appeal to my kids. I would eat some of it if it was on my plate but it wouldn't be my first choice. I guess we are used to eating cheap athough we don't eat at Mcdonalds, we are used to Denny's, IHOP and Friendly's type resturants or Olive Garden and Applebees. So since we won't be eating TS or having more than one character meal, I don't think it will be woth it. We will have our own van and plan to take the kids to Cici's since they have never been there and then eat at IHOP, then we will probably order delivery to the room from Giordinos. There might not even be that big of a difference between what we spend and the DDP cost but at least I know we would like what we get. If we got the DDP and could eat just breakfasts and CS meals we would be happ I want to still make reservations to eat somewhere at EPCOT and the italian place is about the only one I can come up with and it still doesn't look all that good to me.

 

[pepperderr]

I just checked out the menu's for TS meals that we would need to make reservations for. The only thing I can come up with that we would all like would be a breakfast buffet. A lot of the stuff on the menu's at WDW just doesn't appeal to me and I know they won't appeal to my kids. I would eat some of it if it was on my plate but it wouldn't be my first choice. I guess we are used to eating cheap athough we don't eat at Mcdonalds, we are used to Denny's, IHOP and Friendly's type resturants or Olive Garden and Applebees. So since we won't be eating TS or having more than one character meal, I don't think it will be woth it. We will have our own van and plan to take the kids to Cici's since they have never been there and then eat at IHOP, then we will probably order delivery to the room from Giordinos. There might not even be that big of a difference between what we spend and the DDP cost but at least I know we would like what we get. If we got the DDP and could eat just breakfasts and CS meals we would be happy I want to still make reservations to eat somewhere at EPCOT and the italian place is about the only one I can come up with and it still doesn't look all that good to me.

What is Pasta e Fagioli? If I don't get the DDP, can my son eat off of the adult menu? I am talking about CS meals. How would they know we are not just getting 2 for my DH instead? One CS place has burgers and hot dogs on the menu but only chicken nuggets or PB & J on the kids menu.

 

[Tiger926]

I didn't know that the kids dinner plan is 10 dollars a day. I am sure I am over analyzing things but this is our first trip and I am not sure what I am getting into or what to expect. When we decided to go, I figured I buy tickets with a park hopper option, find a hotel and eat a snack or lunch at the park and dinner somewhere else. I come to a group like this and find out you have to make ADR's, figure out how to get to them, decide on a dinner plan or not, use fast passes, decide to rent a stroller or not and all kinds of other things I wasn't expecting. It is just a lot of money to us and I want to get all my money's worth out of it that I can. It is kinda fun for me to plan it as long as everyone here doesn't get tired of all my questions. I feel like I think my DH is all the time, I can't decide what to do! He is in afghanistan so I am making all the decisions myself but even if he was here, it would still be all up to me. LOL

I totally understand how overwhelming this must be for you, so ask as many questions as you need to. I think you do need to step away for a bit though as planning too much at one time sometimes does cause more harm than good - been there, done that, LOL!

It sounds like the DP just might not be for you (based on your last response that you can't find much food that you would enjoy on Disney menus) as it sounds like you know exactly what types of foods you and your family enjoy eating. If this is what will work best for you, then that is what you should do, but you do need to plan for travel time, as well as being tired after leaving the parks and not wanting to go back = less park time.

There are lots of things to consider - you know your family's eating habits best, so if you are confident that you have studied the menus to your satisfaction and don't see much that you like, then you should just plan to leave the parks and eat off-site. Maybe you can schedule one special meal at Epcot - what kind of food do you like? Epcot has very good restaurants: Italian, Canadian, Moroccan and Japanese are all good!

Incidentally, your son can eat off of the adult menu if you aren't on the DP, but he will pay that adult price for the food, whether it''s CS or TS. Pasta fagioli is Italian soup (beans, pasta & veggies) - it's yummy, but I'm Italian and it's my fav!

Happy eating to you and your family, Tiger

 

[septbaby]

Eating off the DP might be the right choice for your family.

Based on some of your comments, I have taken a stab at a TS ADR plan for your family's 7 night stay if you did the Dining Plan(these are not in any particular order). Take a look at the menus for these and see it they'd fit.

1. Trail's End Buffet at the Fort Wilderness Campground for dinner followed by a sing along wit Chip and Dale around the campfire. Maybe you stay to see the free Disney feature film being shown that night under the stars.

2. Garden Grill at Epcot - Character Meal in a rotating restaurant (Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale) This is family style, so served, but its all you care to eat ie. you can get seconds, thirds, etc.

3. Liberty Tree Tavern
Lunch isn't a character meal, Dinner is a character meal, based your last post seems there is enough basic foods to please your family. Dinner has been described as kind of a Thanksgiving meal.

4. Tony's Town Square
Take a look at the lunch menu

5. Coral Reef
Just a great experience eating with the "fishies". Our 5yo ate his whole pizza there. He and I both got the make your own kids sundae for dessert. If you and hubby can find something on the menu(chicken, pork chop or steak). It is a really neat experience, we loved it.

6. Chef Mickey's Breakfast Buffet
Since like us you like breakfast foods this one is outstanding with the variety including endless made to order pancakes. The characters and noisy napkin waving were just a hoot. Be sure to have the digital camera ready here!

7. Hollywood & Vine Fantasmic Package
This is an All American type buffet, a step up from (Hometown Buffet, Golden Corral), but those are very good comparisons. The Fantasmic Package will get you early entry for reserved show seating without standing in line for an hour or so. We ate here and did the package. We liked our dinner and appreciated the show passes for seating.

As for Cici's maybe find one to stop at on the way down since you'll arrive late. They are often near malls/off the interstate so hopefully...

Kind of off topic: earlier you mentioned the stroller choice. You're driving down, just throw it in the car! If you find you need one for both rent a second one on the day you need it. Remember once you pay its good at any park all day. We got one at AK then picked up another later when we hopped to MK for EMH. Great use of $10 that day.

 

[bolo]

I just checked out the menu's for TS meals that we would need to make reservations for. The only thing I can come up with that we would all like would be a breakfast buffet. A lot of the stuff on the menu's at WDW just doesn't appeal to me and I know they won't appeal to my kids. I would eat some of it if it was on my plate but it wouldn't be my first choice. I guess we are used to eating cheap athough we don't eat at Mcdonalds, we are used to Denny's, IHOP and Friendly's type resturants or Olive Garden and Applebees. So since we won't be eating TS or having more than one character meal, I don't think it will be woth it. We will have our own van and plan to take the kids to Cici's since they have never been there and then eat at IHOP, then we will probably order delivery to the room from Giordinos. There might not even be that big of a difference between what we spend and the DDP cost but at least I know we would like what we get. If we got the DDP and could eat just breakfasts and CS meals we would be happy I want to still make reservations to eat somewhere at EPCOT and the italian place is about the only one I can come up with and it still doesn't look all that good to me.

not sure if you've had a chance to look thru the CS menus yet, but there are quite a few places that have a wide variety. you might want to check...pecos bills (MK), cosmic rays (MK), sunshine seasons (EP), earl of sandwich (DTD), and wolfgang puck express (DTD).

and there's always "eating your way around the world" at Epcot...try a little of this and that to share at each country's CS.

and btw...whispering canyon looks like it has a very good breakfast and is pretty inexpensive for disney fair. i've heard it is very good!

whatever you do..have a blast!!

 

[pepperderr]

Yeah, if we could just use all our credits for cs and snacks we would do fine with the dinner plan . It is just the daily TS meal that I can't find much to choose from for 7 days. I think I am going to do what the OP said and step away from the computer . I'll get a few things done around the house today and I have a few appointments. Then I will look at it all again.

There is so much good and bad to each thing. I would LOVE to be able to find food I know we would eat on the DDP just so we could eat at the parks or resort and not have to go offsite. I know we are going to need a break in the middle of the day anyway. If we don't, I'd be very suprised! Does it take much longer to drive to MK or any of the parks ourselves from Pop than it does to take the bus? We are going to have to order and sit and wait for our food and our check weather we do it on site or off. I plan to order delivery from that pizza place too. They have sandwichs and pasta I think we will like along with the pizza. The kids can go to the pool while we wait on it. I think if we prepare ourselves ahead of time that we are going to have to waste time in line and are going to have to take time to drive off site, we will be fine. I think what I am afraid of is the unexpected. Like I said, this planning has been fun but there is a lot more to it than I expected! I am so glad I found this group though. I am sure I would be lost at WDW and miss out on a lot more if I wasn't here to get all these ideas and advice.

I considered renting a stroller, even a double, since my son is 8 but has asthma so I am afraid he will need to sit a bit more. He said he refuses to sit in one but I think when we get there he will change his mind. What I am going to do is take my stroller, hope he will fit in it if needed, and also take the umbrella stroller. If the oldest one needs it, he can use the big stroller and the 4yo can be in the umbrella stroller. If we don't need the umbrella stroller, we can hang it on the big stroller and the 4yo can stay in the big stroller. As someone pointed out before, it will be NICE to have them both in a stroller when we are trying to get out of the crowds after the park closes! I am off to get my day started! Thanks.

 

[Praying Colonel]

In answer to your question:

Does it take much longer to drive to MK or any of the parks ourselves from Pop than it does to take the bus?

The general rule our family follows is that it's usually quicker for us to drive to the parks than to take the bus. Our exception to that rule is MK, because the bus will drop you right at the MK entrance.

 

[momof3girls6712]

On the DxDDp (70 adult, 20 a kid) you can use your 3 credits a day for cs and/or ts service and you get 2 snacks a day plus refillable resort mugs. We went with this plan for our family of 5. We prefer ts service which I read you do not, but even using cs meals I would suggest it. Food at Disney even at the basic level is expensive. We paid oop last trip (5 days, 4 nights) and ended up spending about 800 dollars for crappy food. We had 3 ts meals, but mostly ordered pizza and ate cs. As for CiCi's, I think they have the worst pizza. That is just my opinion but it feels like you are eating cheap food. My DD6 won't even eat there.

Another thought, you tend to be hungrier at Disney than at home. I think it is the combo of walking and smelling all the yunnies all day. So be sure to think about that. My DD6 normally eats a third of everything at home (even if its a pb & j sandwich) but at Disney wants to snack and eat all day.