Jiko and dining plan question

[PinkEars]

Right now i am on the dining plan with one TS and one CS. I am over on TS by one maybe two that we are planning and are paying out of pocket for. Also wanted to do Jiko after reading so many great reviews. So im wondering if we should just drop the dining plan or still keep it and pay out of pocket for a couple TS? The deluxe is around $500 more so its definatly not worth it and i cant use up all those credits. We need to pay it off by aug 18th so need to finalize everything shortly

Also wondering about the filet with macaroni and cheese...is that steak big enough for 2 to share? Were not huge eaters and by the time we eat bread just wondered if it would be enough or so darn good we will eat it all?

 

[daleswife]

If you really want to try it, Id keep your dining plan and plan to pay oop for a table service. Thats what I would do. Id like to try Jiko too!!

 

[toontoy]

I would suggest paying for one person out of pocket and the other on the dining plan. I did this when we ate at Brown Derby last year. It worked quite well and was less expensive than paying for one of our other meals. Its kinda strange but the signature restaraunts are not that much more than the regular ones.

I haven't tried Jiko yet but most siganture res are great , you just have to decide if its worth it.

On a side note I would not suggest the Brown derby, for the 2nd year in a row we had poor service and not stellar food.

Hope this helps

 

[jblrn2b]

I can't tell you what plan is best for you but when we ate at jiko last week our bill for 4 came out to about $250 w only one glass of wine. We had the deluxe dp because it works for us - so we had apps and entrees and desserts. I would use a ts credit - it is 2 credits. Or spilt everything. If you had appetizers and desserts you could split a filet but it is a small piece of meat so it would depend on whos sharing. It wouldnt work for my boys.

 

[LimoFam5]

I would keep the dining plan but do the Math........add up the cost of the other places you are planing on dining at and pay the cheaper ones out of pocket.
We always go over what is given to us to use on the dining plan so we always end up paying for one or two out of pocket, we try to make those either a breakfast or lunch as those are the less expensive ones.

 

[1971DBday]

We loved it!!! It will be worth it and I agree with toontoy if you can split some meals and only use TS points for one person. They were even flexible at Jiko's for this option.

As for the amount of food - I am not a big portion eater. We started with the cheese platter appetizer (oh my GOD!), then we all ended up getting the filet with the mac and cheese. We all finished, but boy did I pay for it later! If I over eat I get sick....but it was worth every bite. I could not stop. I read lots of reviews and decided to trust the chef with their options. The only modification was the hickory wine sauce on the side because I am not a BBQ fan - again it was fantastic.

Enjoy the dining options WDW has to offer.
(Please note look at wine prices before ordering! I was in a rush because my DD4 wasn't feeling good. I ordered without checking and ended up choosing a $28 GLASS of wine. I still haven't lived that down with my DH.)

 

[Jetta8300]

I have not yet been to WDW but I asked the same question a few months ago on the dis boards. I was planning on doing the regular dining plan, but everyone's advice suggested that I go through and look at the menu's and do the math. Boy was it worth it! I would have spent about the exact same amount on the dining plan, and not doing any of the signatures I wanted.

I suggest adding it up yourself. For us, it was $450 for the dining plan for 5 days (for 2 people). That means we have to spend almost $100 a day on food for 2 people to get our money's worth, and not even getting any appetizers or signature dinners with this.

Not doing the dining plan we figure that we will spend about $500 OOP, with 3 signature dinners, and 2 regular TS dinners. (Including apps and desserts with most meals!) and counter service lunches.

Add it up, you may be surprised that it's cheaper to pay OOP if you want to do signatures on the regular DDP! We are also going to Jiko now, very excited!!!

 

[Quacktatty]

If you aren't big eaters, drop the dining plan.