Is it worth it?

[Dandy8]

I haven't been to Disney World for an all out vacation since 1991 so I'm new to the Dining Plan. I would like to take my family (DH, DS6, DD8)some time in 2009. Is the dining plan really worth it?

I'm thinking it might be for us since my kids can't go without food every 3 hours...but I'm open to hearing your thoughts.

 

[patsal]

Based on your family demographics I'd say it may be worth it for you. WIth two children and not having been since 1991 you might be looking at eating at some character meals, sounds like the sncaks would be used up by your family as well if the kids are eating something about every three hours. A CS meal will be included withthe basic plan as well. If you mean that your kids do full blown meals every three hours you might consider the DXDDP since you can have up to three TS meals per day with it.

 

[Krmrr]

Looking at your cruises, you might think of the Deluxe plan as an all inclusive cruise. There are enough interesting character meals that you can do two a day (depending on how long your trip is). Your kids are the perfect ages to take advantage of the plan. A Kid's character breakfast is a minimum of $11.00; a lunch is $12 and dinner is $13. For the adults you only need to average about $20 per meal, to break even. Very easy to do at Disney.

The questions you must answer are:

Willing to put in the time? (though I've found that at lunchtime it can take as long at a CS as at a TS). An advantage is going to breakfast in the parks gives you a head start.

Can you plan out your trip? You must have ADRs for your own protection. Sure some people report always getting a table by just walking up; and some one wins EVERY bingo game (neither one is me.) Don't try for breakfast at the MK, lunch in the AK, and Dinner in Epcot. I have annual passes but rarely HOP from park to park. I dislike the travel time. If you go at a hot, busy time be sure to plan some "rest-time" for you and the kids, this might be done over a leisurely late lunch in an AC TS spot. I find the Coral Sea to be a excellent place for a long lunch. You can get lost in watching the fish.

Hope this helps,

Have a Magical time

 

[catne]

We had the regular DDP this May, basically 2 adults, to almost-adults (19 yr olds.) We ate poptarts, etc in room for breakfast, did counter service for lunches (either in parks or back at hotel before our afternoon sleep/pool breaks) and had ADR's for all dinners, including 3 character meals (19 yr old like characters too ) The one snack per day got used every day (and usually another OOP. Don't waste your snack credits on bottled water--every single Disney food location will give you a glass of ice water for free if you ask.)

We saved at least $10 per day...while that's not a huge savings, money is money! (I did compare OOP prices to what we actually got, and we watched the receipts each day.) But we found it really convenient, too...having ADR's helped to organize our days, and also gave us a guaranteed built-in "family down-time" in air conditioning which was very nice on those very hot Florida days. With the ages of your kids, it also is a great way to get in character photos/autographs without wasting park time in long hot lines. And we really enjoyed the Disney buffets which allowed for different tastes & different appetites (several are Character experiences)

 

[Dandy8]

Thanks for all of the quick responses!

I think the deluxe might be too much. I don't think I want to take the time to do 3 TS meals a day. I think 1 TS meal a day is fine and the CS meals are more the kid's speed anyway. They are so skinny yet bottomless pits!!!

I think I read that you can do this but I'll ask again......for the magic your way plus dining, can we eat 2 counter service meals in 1 day and then do 2 TS meals on another day. Or if we don't use all of our snacks (which I highly doubt!), can we have multiple snacks in 1 day? Or do you have to use 1 TS, 1CS, 1 snack per day?

I would probably do 1 character meal. Can you suggest which is the best? My daughter is outgrowing the princesses at this point so it can be a mixture of characters. Gosh, I just had a flashback...I remembered when I was 8 eating a character breakfast at the Contemporary....boy that was long ago.

 

[Dandy8]

Don't try for breakfast at the MK, lunch in the AK, and Dinner in Epcot.

Why not?

 

[ParkPrincess]

I think I read that you can do this but I'll ask again......for the magic your way plus dining, can we eat 2 counter service meals in 1 day and then do 2 TS meals on another day. Or if we don't use all of our snacks (which I highly doubt!), can we have multiple snacks in 1 day? Or do you have to use 1 TS, 1CS, 1 snack per day?

I would probably do 1 character meal. Can you suggest which is the best? My daughter is outgrowing the princesses at this point so it can be a mixture of characters. Gosh, I just had a flashback...I remembered when I was 8 eating a character breakfast at the Contemporary....boy that was long ago.

Absolutely! You can use your credits however you'd like.

I'm not a big snacker, so my DH and DD use my snack credits. Anytime you use them, get your drinks in a bottle. You can take it back to your room for later.

For character meals (excluding princesses), Garden Grill in Epcot is fun. Liberty Tree Tavern and Crystal Palace are good at Magic Kingdom.

 

[patsal]

Why not?

I think what is meant by that is don't try to have an ADR for the same day in three different parks or your whole day will consist of running form ADR to ADR with very little if any enjoyment of those parks.

 

[Dandy8]

I think what is meant by that is don't try to have an ADR for the same day in three different parks or your whole day will consist of running form ADR to ADR with very little if any enjoyment of those parks.

Yes, I realized that after I posted.....thank you for the clarification.

 

[kelleigh1]

I think I read that you can do this but I'll ask again......for the magic your way plus dining, can we eat 2 counter service meals in 1 day and then do 2 TS meals on another day. Or if we don't use all of our snacks (which I highly doubt!), can we have multiple snacks in 1 day? Or do you have to use 1 TS, 1CS, 1 snack per day?

You can absolutely do this. They basically give you a bank of meals and you can use them any way you want during the trip. Every time you get a receipt back, it will give you an update of what you should have left out of your "bank".

Hubby and I used the DP back in November (the old plan) and we were so glad that we did. We felt that it was well worth it for us. We had done Disney before without the plan and because of budget constraints, we felt like we spent a lot of time worrying about rationing our day and our eating because we didn't want to go over budget. With the DDP, we never had to worry about that. It was much more relaxing and allowed us to try more things that we hadn't gotten a chance to try before.

 

[skier_pete]

Is the DDP worth it?
If you want to eat at Table Service restauarnts, this is an unqualified yes.

Based on an 8-day trip we have upcoming, the dining plan would cost the three of us (2 A & 1 C) $687.86. I calculated the approximate cost of all the food we will get on the plan - and came up with $860.42 - a savings of 20 %. And we aren't even using the credits very efficiently (not going to many of the expensive 1 credit restaurants).

And you most certainly can use your credits however you want. You just need to use them all before the end of the day you check out of your hotel. (# TS, CS and Snack Credits = # people per room x # nights in room)

SkierPete