Just curious....

[adriawest]

How many of you do the Disney dining plan (or even the quick service plan) while staying at the Fort? We've always stayed at the resorts, so it was never an option not to do the meal plan. Do you mostly eat out, or cook in?

 

[tiggerdad]

Almost all food at camper. With exception of Trails End of course. Crockpot meals are easiest.

 

[2goofycampers]

In the parks we pick up lunch there. Otherwise we cook or get Trail's End buffet once and to go chicken.

 

[bama_ed]

We too eat almost every meal at the camper. I mean, I have my kitchen and fridge with me at the Fort so why don't I make use of them?

We even packed picnic lunches into the theme parks and stashed them in a rented locker. For the most part the food is <meh> at Table Service restaurants and Counter Service can be offensive (hello Pecos Bill) although naturally there are a few exceptions. The prices you pay (even through the Dining Plan) reflect a captive audience who will eat darn near anything. What you are paying for is setting/ambiance.

The way I budget WDW trips I plan for campsite cost, tickets, Table Service, and special events. I don't budget for groceries or meals we eat at the camper because I'd be buying groceries when I was eating if I were at home, right? So I budget INCREMENTAL costs for a WDW trip.

If you do the Quick Dining Plan, the choices at the Fort are VERY limited over a stay of several days. For days you aren't in parks (see opinion above) if you're hanging around the Fort you very soon start having to head to the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, or other offsite location to find a food court.

Finally, eating most meals at the camper means I can eat WHEN I want (not hungry yet), eat WHAT I want (healthy apple or bag of chips), choose the quality of what I eat (hamburger or steak), or change plans at the last minute and go out to eat (even off property).

Okay - Rant [On]/[OFF]

Bama Ed

PS - unless your names are Joy and Robert then you eat out every day when staying at the Fort and your big, beautiful RV is essentially only a rolling coffee pot for the morning brew.

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

We stayed at the Fort for 2 nights over Easter last year, Sat-Mon, and used the DDP.

I thought I had sworn off the DDP forever now that my pickey eater is 3 and has to be included in the dining plan...until I realized the cost of 2 TS meals on Easter Sunday! When I added the cost for brunch at Chef Mickey and dinner at Cape May Cafe (prices are increased for the holiday) we were only spending $38.09 for 10 QS meals, 10 snacks, and 5 mugs. Can't beat that!

I will say that being at the Fort presented some challenges. We used some form of the DDP at least 5 times at different resorts and the for us, the Fort was the worst for getting CS meals and refilling mugs. We ended up boating the the Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary for food and snacks. We only filled our mugs at other resorts. Going to the pool or store was out of the way and we didn't have a golf cart to zip all over the resort.

 

[PaHunter]

Last year we had our nephew who was 12 with us, and a picky eater. We did not do the dining plan and had most of our meals in the trailer. We also knew he would not be able to run from rope drop to close most of the time. We made reservation for HDDR out of pocket and he ate a quarter of a chicken breast. Most expensive meal I ever bought for a kid.
This year it will be the DW and I, we have gone with the DDP as we may run from rope drop to close and it will allow us to stay in the park and not lose time traveling back and forth. I am a photography nut and will take a ton of pictures while we are there, especially at night. So for us this time it seems like it will be worth it. We will find out, follow along on our journey and we will post about it for sure.

 

[adriawest]

Thank you all for your input. Our main concern was what to do for lunch without a major counter service place. (We've ran into this problem at the Poly with Captain Cook's-and had to constantly go to the Grand for lunch). We're usually not in the parks mid day, so it's something to consider...random question...what do you do to secure your easy-up tents if you've booked a premium site? It looks as though we'll be short on places to stake it? TIA.

 

[PaHunter]

Thank you all for your input. Our main concern was what to do for lunch without a major counter service place. (We've ran into this problem at the Poly with Captain Cook's-and had to constantly go to the Grand for lunch). We're usually not in the parks mid day, so it's something to consider...random question...what do you do to secure your easy-up tents if you've booked a premium site? It looks as though we'll be short on places to stake it? TIA.

I carry 1,000 feet of parachute cord, so I can tie down to a tree, trailer, etc if need be where I can't stake it in.

 

[North of Mouse]

PS - unless your names are Joy and Robert then you eat out every day when staying at the Fort and your big, beautiful RV is essentially only a rolling coffee pot for the morning brew.

Hey, I'm on vacation!!! I only cook in the Smokies If we're there (at Disney) at the same time, come by our 'rolling coffee pot' in the morning for a 'cupa' of our good ole Community Dark Roast!!

Adriawest, we don't get the DPP - doesn't fit the way we eat - much better for us to pay oop, and eat when and where we want! Sometimes we just like to snack for a meal - it's vacation, after all - time to eat healthy when we're home!!

 

[bama_ed]

 

[peg110]

I can tell you that the last time we were at the Fort (Nov/Dec 2014) we had the DDP for me, DW, DD9, DD17 (with her BF20). We had days at the Fort, a day at Downtown Disney, A day at Sea World, several days at the parks, etc... So the Plan allowed for a TS, QS, and a Snack for each person per day. We planned TS's throughout our trip and were able to use them all because some of the TS's were 2 TS each (CRT for example). We ate at the Fort Snack bar on occasion for Lunch and we did a couple of Trail End dinners..... We explored other resorts such as Chef Mickey's. Snacks you can use all up before you leave even if you get snacks to go (Pretzels, cookies, etc...) We did end up not using 3 Quick Serves. Supposedly you can convert them into 2 snacks each (or something like that), but we weren't able to.

It was nice not having to worry about what you were ordering. I even ordered stuff that I would not order normally. All the meals (TS and QS) come with deserts which we would rarely order on our own. Plus they all come with a drink and my DW and I often share one. My point is, is that it's tough to get the "VALUE" out of the DDP. You certainly won't go hungry, but for most, you will save $$ by paying OOP. That may not always be the case. Only you know your eating habits/desires.

Also as Ed has said, much of the QS is <Meh> and even some of the TS can be as well. In fact my DW commented that much of the QS, while branded slightly different (to fit the theme of the QS Restaurant), is pretty much the same. Burger, chicken, salad or some variation of it.

We are planning another trip this November (2016) and the DW likes the DDP because it's convenient and you know you will be eating (our TT Fridge is not huge but we do eat meal in the camper such as breakfast and while on the road traveling), but doing the math, the DDP is still slightly more then buying OOP. This is assuming we each got our desert and beverage and bought most expensive items (but our kids are not likely to do that either).

Lastly, DDP comes with the refillable mugs. I drink a lot of coffee, so I got lots of use of my mug at the fort and even other resorts. I don't really drink a lot of soda, nor do I want to. The kids drank a lot of soda and cocoa at the fort but not really anywhere else.

So in my mind if it's about convenience, then go for it, if it's about budget, avoid it.

 

[KristinU]

The dining plan, in whatever form, has always been too inflexible for us or left us ordering way differently than we would otherwise (trying to maximize the benefit). The only plan we ever did that made sense for us was WAY back when they did Food and Fun where you just had a credit amount to spend per day...but that's in the distant past.

Even the counter service one was just too much food for us, plus we do like to do a sit down a couple of times a trip, so that was additional anyway. With the RV it is a no-brainer to do the majority of meals at our site, it provides nice down-time as well. And most of our breakfasts are grab-and-go, so it isn't a big production. And like I said, we do like to do a sit down here and there as well as a counter service here and there.

And just FYI, since you mentioned not doing the dining plan wasn't an option staying at the other resorts, you don't have to include it if you don't want to.

 

[Clifton Tesh]

Thank you all for your input. Our main concern was what to do for lunch without a major counter service place. (We've ran into this problem at the Poly with Captain Cook's-and had to constantly go to the Grand for lunch). We're usually not in the parks mid day, so it's something to consider...random question...what do you do to secure your easy-up tents if you've booked a premium site? It looks as though we'll be short on places to stake it? TIA.

Get some ankle weights or sandbags to lay on the legs. I prefer ankle weights because they are more durable and last a lot longer. Plus they take up less space and can be wrapped or velcro'd around the legs.

 

[bama_ed]

Get some ankle weights or sandbags to lay on the legs. I prefer ankle weights because they are more durable and last a lot longer. Plus they take up less space and can be wrapped or velcro'd around the legs.

This is a good suggestion. If the weather looks doubtful I just take the nylon cover off the EZup and leave the frame out. Anything that might get blown or wet is stored away.

Bama Ed

PS - I use empty gallon milk jugs filled with water and tied with string to the upper frame when my awning has to be up and I try to use it in less than desirable conditions. But the ankle weights is a good idea too.