Just back - What we encountered

[MommyPoppins]

We ate at:

Chef Mickey's
Kona Cafe'
Chef's (france)
The Grand Floridian Cafe
Alfredo's

We shared 4 of our 5 credits at Chef's and the GFC with no problems.

Alfredo's does not have appetizers for the kids, OR desserts. Just a kids meal and drink.

I think this will be our last time doing the dining plan. We left with a TON of left over credits. Didn't make half our ADR's. We just didn't want to be running to dinner every night. It worked great for us last year, but this year it was a waste. If they ever offer free dining again, we'll pass and just take our AP discount. Maybe just DH and I will try the DDP if it's ever free again.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We'll be trying DDP for the first time next week and I have a feeling we're going to leave feeling the same way. TS meals never mattered to us before and I hate having to waste several hours per day either trying to get to the designated restaurant or waiting for service there. I think it will be fun to try some different places...but not something I'd want to do everytime.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We had the opposite exp by way of credits- we didn't have enough table service but too many counter services! We are not counter serviec people (note: no children in our party, just 6 adults!). We ended up with 4 extra counter service credits on our last day AFTER we ate breakfast and lunch using them. So, we went to Earl of Sandwich and got 4 sandwiches and 4 bags of chips to take on the plane.

We could have used quite a few more table service meal credits.

For us, it worked out great because we eat at least 1 ts each day regardless and it paid for those but we did end up with leftover counter and snack credits in the end. We had 3 parties of 2 adults and we all had lots left. We also hit the Goofy candy shop on our last day and loaded up on snacks.

We won't do the dining plan again because it's not a good value for us unless it's free and we stay at a value resort, which is unlikely. I do think it's a great value for people who pay rack or nearly rack and buy park tickets. We completely sold the dining plan on my in laws, who traveled with us. =)

 

[disneymoss]

We will be at the World 11/18-11/25 on DDP for our first ever trip. I had lots of help from a good friend who is a Disney frequent, going at least 3 times per year. We chose DDP because we wanted more of the Character Meals for our DS9 and me of course!!! I planned all my days and ADR's together so we wouldn't be running all over the place. DS and I planned everything out carefully so we could get to eat in every place we wanted to. I think we will probably have alot of Snack Credits left over but I've read on here somewhere that you can go to the MarketPlace and spend all of the credits before you leave on stuff for your ride home. Which I think is just what we will be doing because I'd hate to leave any credits behind because I've already paid for them.

 

[kribit]

Quite the opposite here. We had no credits when we left, but we're not going during free dining next year (still intend on getting the dining plan). That's a whole different topic though.

We ate at:

Sci Fi for lunch (great)
Chef Mickeys for lunch (mediocre)
Mexico at 3:00pm (great)
Little Einsteins (great)
Sit down breakfast 3 times at Boatwrights
Counter service
All our snacks (mostly water)

 

[magsmom]

I was really bummed over the kids options at Alfredos, so much so that we walked out. This was our last lunch and found a much better alternative with Japan.

We had way too many CS and ended up forfeting a couple, but this was over our 9 day portion of our 2 week trip.

 

[ElizabethB]

We forfeited at least 15 CS meals when we left. It didn't seem like a big deal because we ate where we wanted and when we wanted. We paid OOP as necessary and didn't find that DDP put a restraint on our fun.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We had 1 counter and 4 snacks effectively left at the end, which we used for water for the trip home and we got a sandwich for the road with the meal credit also.

This was after we ate one signiture meal and used counters to fill in for the day we didn't eat at a TS.

So it's a ton of food. More than enough.

 

[lomillerin]

Edit

 

[Judge Fudge]

2 Adults here who used every stinking last one of their credits.

YUM.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I am at disneyquest at the moment, just started my 5 day trip after completing my 10 day one. I had no credits at all and think I will have none after this one. I am happy with it so far and am booked for a 21 day holiday with free dining next year!!

 

[ReggieB]

Trying the DDP in October for the first time. We will be using up all the TS credits, without any problem. I actually like having all my reservations taken care of, we found it too frustrating to be spontaneous with dining choices, just because we had to wait a long time for a table, not a pretty sight with a bouncy kid!

Not sure how many of the CS ones we will use though. I think we only use CS maybe twice per trip. It'll be good to have though with DS6, if he doesn't want whats at the restaurants we can always pick him something up at the resort. I think it should still be a bargain. I was always a naysayer about this plan, but having gone into it, I really think it will save us a bit of cash...that will be spent elsewhere I am sure.

 

[LeesyUD]

We went during free dining last year and only had 1 CS leftover each and that is only bc we were planning on using it for dinner before we left on our last day but I got sick and we didn't have time to get something. We are going back in December and I think we will use every last one. We have 1 TS planned almost every day of our 9 day trip and we will use our CS for breakfast or lunch and snacks credits we will probably use for drinks mainly. I love not having to worry about how much money I am spending or about running out of money on the trip. Before last year I did pretty much all CS meals or ate off property. The DDP actually helped me realize what a great experience it is to eat a sit down meal on Disney property!

 

[n2mm]

2 Adults here who used every stinking last one of their credits.

YUM.

Us Too!

 

[ont/ohana]

We agree with you. Love having ADR's from home in advance. This lets us relax and enjoy ourselves during a busy vacation. We had lots of snack credits left, but we were there Nov05 and fruit was not included on snack then (or so we were told). Love all restuarants at WDW!!

 

[pigletforever]

We leave in 13 days and I was just going over our meals. I have booked more TS than we have credits for so one will be OOP. If I know my family we will have extra CS meals when we leave. I have heard different things - can extra CS be turned in to Snack credits? Seems like i read a thread that some had success doing that but I can't find the thread now.

 

[PeterPansMum]

Pigletforever: You may want to think about sharing at TS. We did a couple of times and still had enough food. Between the CS and the snacks you may be all set without paying OOP for stuff.


We ate at Alfredo's for lunch and they gave our kids a dessert. It was a chocolate mousse. I was unimpressed with the meal and service and won't be returning there.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Here is where I went to

Planet Hollywood ok but will not go again
Sci Fi cafe didn't like the sauce on the steak and thought the onion rings where a bit greasy so will not do it again. Didn't help when the waiter asked if SIR was enjoying her meal!!
Le Cellier was wonderful
Jiko was good ate at the counter
Concourse was good and as with Le Cellier let me have the smoothie
saturday was at Victoria & Alberts OOP and had the wine paring which was a mistake as I was some what smashed at the end of the meal
California grill is another resteraunt I must go to again
Crystal palace was ok but put me off the buffets so I went to ALfreados instead of Garden grill.

the rest I will put down when I get back from holiday on tuesday but at the end of a 10 package and a 5 day package I will have used up all my credits and am extremely happy that next years holiday wll have the plan on it.

 

[okapi]

I think this will be our last time doing the dining plan. We left with a TON of left over credits. Didn't make half our ADR's. We just didn't want to be running to dinner every night. It worked great for us last year, but this year it was a waste. If they ever offer free dining again, we'll pass and just take our AP discount. Maybe just DH and I will try the DDP if it's ever free again.

It sounds like you are an AP holder. Hoping you can help explain this to us.
As an AP how do you get the DDPlan? What do you mean taking the AP discount instead? It's just the 2 of us (adult-like). I've seen other AP people mentioning their use of the DDPlan, not the DDE, but don't understand how they are being purchased.
TIA for explaining!

 

[MommyPoppins]

It sounds like you are an AP holder. Hoping you can help explain this to us.
As an AP how do you get the DDPlan? What do you mean taking the AP discount instead? It's just the 2 of us (adult-like). I've seen other AP people mentioning their use of the DDPlan, not the DDE, but don't understand how they are being purchased.
TIA for explaining!

We just purchased a package as if we weren't AP holders. You only have to buy a one day base ticket per person to make a package complete and add on dining. We did it during free dining, so it was worth it to pay rack rate and buy those extra tickets(which we'll use next year to upgrade to APs again). We just tuck those tickets away for future use and use our AP's for admission. We did it last year too. HTH

Edited: If you get a MYW package you don't get to use your AP discount on a room. Thats what I meant by next time we'll just take our discount.