If you weren't on the dining plan, would you do this?????

[michael's mom]

We will be going in April for 9 nights and DH and I have been going back and forth over the dining plan. We did it in '09 and by the end of our trip DS was so cranky and sick of restaurants that we thought we'd just wait until he was older to do that again. So, we planned on the QSDP because the idea of our meals already paid for is one we value. Then we thought...wait, maybe we should just pay OOP because we will have a car and may decide to go off property for a meal or two.

However, I definitely will be doing CP for breakfast (earliest ADR) and we're debating doing at least one other character meal for DS. Plus, DH and I want to go back to Teppan Edo because while we enjoyed our meal last year there, our table mates very rudely rushed the chef along and asked him to "skip the show" so they could get to illuminations! We didn't realize what they had done until it was too late and poor DS (and DH and I) had to watch over the shoulder of the other chef as he moved the onion train across the grill calling out "choo choo!" So there's 3 TS meals right there. I'm back to thinking I could easily just do some TS lunches to cool us off and just go back to the DDP! We always did dinner because for the most part, you got the biggest bang for your buck at dinner. Maybe I won't worry about that as much this year. Who knows. Thankfully I have several months before I have to decide

 

[Planogirl]

We have just two ADR's and I'm mulling over adding a third myself. CP is good IMO and you'd probably get a kick out of it. Besides it has the best character there as seen in my signature.

 

[Tiger926]

We aren't on the DP, as we use TIW card, and we do at least 1TS meal per day, and sometimes 2. So, I think it would depend upon your budget, and how you normally eat.

Happy eating, Tiger

 

[miprender]

We've never tried breakfast. We like taking a nice, cool, long break at a TS for lunch or dinner. We've had both at CP, and we LOVE it! Character interaction is awesome!!!! It is well worth the money.

Same here... we have only had lunch or dinner and it has been great. And though I love Chef Mickey's I find CP has better food.

 

[Mamu]

I have never done the dining plan and yes we make ADR for TS. We usually do one every other day.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the 8:05 Crystal Palace ADR before the park opens.

 

[Rotti955]

We enjoyed both Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace. Chef Mickey's was our favorite - great food, best service we had all week, and plenty of character interactions.

Great thing about all Character meals - they want your kids to see all of the characters. If you are near the end of your dinner and haven't seen a character, they will go them that character for you - most of the time they even ask to be sure you saw everyone.

We did the DDP last time we were there and felt it was too many meals, are sticking with the regular dining plan this year. Still want to have a few meals while we were there - but not 2 or 3 every day.

Great thing about the DDP though is you can do the signature restaurants, musical reviews, etc and don't have to worry about running out of meals because you have so many.

 

[TDC Nala]

The thing about not being on the dining plan is - you can choose as few or as many TS meals as you want. And, you can order whatever combination of courses you like if it's an a la carte restaurant - you don't have to choose an entree and dessert if that isn't the way you like to order. Lots of times the appetizers are better than the entrees, or a smaller portion would be preferable.

I do a lot of TS and don't use DDP, but I have Tables in Wonderland and I don't usually worry about how much I'm spending, at least not to the extent of wondering if I'd have gotten a better deal on a dining plan.

 

[Hallowishes]

i think the only real benefit of doing CP for breakfast is getting into the park early ... i had a truly magical time with that. however, i dont think the breakfast is all that terrific. CP and CM are about the same as far as variety of food is concerned. it really just depends if you want to meet mickey or winnie the pooh!
im not doing the DDP this trip either. i feel it took too much time away from the parks to travel to rest. at other hotels, ect. and i had to base alot of my plans for the day around where i wanted to get an ADR. the only thing that makes me nervous about this trip is i have no clue how much to budget for food coz im used to not having to worry about it (ive done the dining plan 5 times now...)

 

[Coconuts]

Would you plan 3 TS meals over a 7 day vacation?

We didn't want to do the dining plan because we don't want a TS meal every day. We have made plans to go to Ohana for dinner and Chef Mickey's for breakfast because they sounded fun for our boys (ages 7 and 4). However, the more I read on these boards, the more I keep second guessing myself!

Now, I'm wondering if we should add Crystal Palace to our list. Part of me doesn't want to incur the extra cost of a breakfast or lunch buffet. But, on the other hand I'm thinking it would be cool to go inside MK early (if we did breakfast) and it would also be great to have the chance to meet the Winnie the Pooh characters without the long lines and heat.

So is the experience of CP worth it? I just can't make up my mind!!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

I think you'll be ok not getting the DDP and going with these 3 TS. If you plan on more TS, then it might pay for you to get DDP.

I would definetly do the early CP ressie. We did this last visit and LOVED walking up an empty Main St. Ohana is also now one of our must-do's, after finally trying it on our last trip. CM is also a keeper if you've never tried it; it's lots of fun, but the food isn't the best so we're taking a break from CM on our next trip(we've done it the last 3 times).

Have fun!

 

[michael's mom]

Same here... we have only had lunch or dinner and it has been great. And though I love Chef Mickey's I find CP has better food.

Agreed! We will probably always do CM because I love seeing Mickey and the Gang! But, after our experience at CP last year, that will be on my list forever!!! I thought the fresh food (eggs made to order) was awesome and something about Winnie makes me smile!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the 8:05 Crystal Palace ADR before the park opens.

There's nothing better!

i think the only real benefit of doing CP for breakfast is getting into the park early ... i had a truly magical time with that. however, i dont think the breakfast is all that terrific. CP and CM are about the same as far as variety of food is concerned. it really just depends if you want to meet mickey or winnie the pooh!
im not doing the DDP this trip either. i feel it took too much time away from the parks to travel to rest. at other hotels, ect. and i had to base alot of my plans for the day around where i wanted to get an ADR. the only thing that makes me nervous about this trip is i have no clue how much to budget for food coz im used to not having to worry about it (ive done the dining plan 5 times now...)

While I completely agree on the amazing benefit of the first thing ressie at CP because of that magical feeling of walking down Main Street w/o a massive crowd , I disagree about the food. We had 15 people in our party and at the end of the trip, everyone agreed that the meal (and the experience of course) was on the top of our list of favorites. I haven't done CM for breakfast in a while and wasn't hugely impressed with the dinner there. But, because I like this interaction with Mickey and Minnie, I think we're going to try CM's for breakfast this year.

I'm with you though. We're now debating whether the DDP will be more cost effective for us because we felt it took WAY too much time away from the parks for DS last year. I'm crunching numbers now and am having a terrible time figuring out a budget w/o dining plan.

Try going onto the menus here at the Dis (wdwinfo.com) and get an idea of what your family would eat at the resort and in the parks and get a ballpark idea. Then, I'd add about $30/day just in case you're off or the prices change.

 

[mfd25wife]

The thing about not being on the dining plan is - you can choose as few or as many TS meals as you want. And, you can order whatever combination of courses you like if it's an a la carte restaurant - you don't have to choose an entree and dessert if that isn't the way you like to order. Lots of times the appetizers are better than the entrees, or a smaller portion would be preferable.

I do a lot of TS and don't use DDP, but I have Tables in Wonderland and I don't usually worry about how much I'm spending, at least not to the extent of wondering if I'd have gotten a better deal on a dining plan.

So you prefer the TIW card? I've debated about trying it on the next visit. We've done the DDP, but there are times, when I think we could have eaten cheaper and still been happy, esp. DD & I, since we really like appetizers as meals at times. Plus, I am more of an appetizer person than a dessert person. I like them, but would be happy with one or two per week in WDW as opposed to 2x/day. DD is an adult, so it seems TIW might come out better for us than the DDP for 3-4 adults, depending on who all is with us.

 

[walkdmc]

I've been on the DxDP twice now and vowed, "never again" last time. It's too much food for us. We did a lot of character meals and signature meals and it was too much food and planning to have to make 2-3 TS meals every day. It was a great value for us, but now that the character meals are out of the way, I won't do it again. I think 1, maybe 2 TS meals/day is plenty.

 

[walkdmc]

I am also planning on getting the TIW card next visit. I like the idea of getting 20% off alcohol and letting my DS, 9, order from the adult menu.

 

[TDC Nala]

So you prefer the TIW card? I've debated about trying it on the next visit. We've done the DDP, but there are times, when I think we could have eaten cheaper and still been happy, esp. DD & I, since we really like appetizers as meals at times. Plus, I am more of an appetizer person than a dessert person. I like them, but would be happy with one or two per week in WDW as opposed to 2x/day. DD is an adult, so it seems TIW might come out better for us than the DDP for 3-4 adults, depending on who all is with us.

I absolutely prefer the TIW card, but I'm a single person so I am not purchasing meals for a family. On the other had it would take a family less time to make the TIW membership worth the price than it takes me. And if you like appetizers and skip desserts, it may be worth it.

 

[walkdmc]

I like the idea of the TIW card because there are so many great places to eat desserts, aside from the restaurants. I'd like to stop by the confectionary and have a cupcake, or ice cream cone from the Parlor. I'd be willing to pay a little more for the TIW if it also offered some discount on QS and snack items.

 

[sharadoc]

Our rule is generally 3 TS for a week vacation - 1 breakfast, 1 lunch and 1 dinner. On our last trip, we did Trail's End and Crystal Palace. Had planned to do Sci-Fi, but changed our plans around so we cancelled it.

We have no desire to do the dining plan, so this fits into our budget and our schedule perfectly.

 

[TaraBara]

If you do decide to do the 3 character meals, I actually recommend that you do the basic dining plan. Each day that you do a character meal, the cost of that one meal would more than pay for the cost of the meal plan for each of the kids for a full day.

Breakdown:
Ohana dinner..31 each adult, 15 each child plus tax=98ish
CP breakfast...21 adult, 12 child plus tax =67ish
CM breakfast..27 adult, 14 child plus tax=88ish
total for just those 3 meals is $253-ish

Dining plan for 6 nights (7 days) is
42 each adult x 2adults x 6 nights = 503
12 each child x 2 kids x 6 = 144

total for 6 QS meals, 6 TS meals, 6 snacks for each person is $647
you are already paying $253 for 2 breakfasts and 1 dinner.

For $394 more, you will have 6 QS meals, 3 TS credits and 6 snacks more for each of you.
Can you eat for the rest of the trip for everyone for under that?

I'm not a huge fan of the dining plan, but with 2 kids and plans to do a few character meals, it usually works out to your advantage.

You do not have to worry about the time with the 3 other TS meals. The kids might enjoy going to a meal at a Place like Sci-Fi, or even using 2 credits for something like Mickey's backyard bar b q, and that could use up the credits, give the kids a lot of fun and give you a lot of value.

Mickey's BBQ is $51 per adult and $21 per child plus tax OOP. That's another $155-ish right there and uses 2 credits. The Hoop Dee Doo would be even more cost and use 2 credits also. Both are at Ft. Wilderness and are a quick boat ride from the MK.

Also, when we had the dining plan, we actually felt like we wanted more freedom and time and we used some of the credits for Wolfgang puck express at DTD and got delicious meals (valued around 25 bucks..plus a lot of options for kids) and saved some time and weren't commited to anything. They will make anything from the menu in 'kid size' if you request it...says so right on the menu.

We never had any problems using the extra TS credits for some delicious Quick service meals when we had leftover credits.

Just something to think about when doing the budget...this might work out to be better for you.

Yes, the DDP "seems" like it would be best for us if we go to CM, CP, and Ohana's, but it just won't work for our family. Our kids will most likely share meals for CS, we will be bringing in our own water for drinks, and we wouldn't want a dessert with every meal. In all honesty, we might just end up spending the same amount of money as the DDP costs, but we tend to prefer CS most of the time. We just aren't a TS meal kind of family. Although if just my husband and I were going, I think I would definitely convince him to go with the DDP. Thanks for all your thoughts though!

 

[MrsLS]

We get the deluxe plan and have never planned 3 TS meals any day of our 8 night trips. We always only do 2 TS a day. We would do that whether on the plan or not, but since it works out for us to get the plan, this is why we get it. either way I would still have 2 TS meals a day, I don't like counter service.

 

[TDC Nala]

The breakdown is good for sheer numbers but the OP has taken into account that they probably don't WANT the extra TS or all those CS meals and snacks. Even if it's cheaper to get DDP for those three meals plus the CS and snacks, does it make users feel obligated to get food they don't really want, or to be planning meals that they're now committed to just to use up the credits? Everyone looking at DDP has to take that into account for themselves as well as the numbers.