Just returned, 6 nights with MYW dining - long post

[luvsgrumpy]

We just got back last week, had a great time even with the large crowds. Just wanted to share a couple of quick thoughts on the Dining Plan. The biggest thing was the amount of food we had to eat, there was so much!! We really had to grab a lot of snacks and have more counter service meals than we really needed or wanted. The kids meals were very good for the kids. Once, my 8 year old was able to order the adult cheesburger instead of the kids meal because he was really hungry. All of the adults (including my DS11) left food on our plates. If we didn't have the plan, we would not have ordered nearly the amount we did. We almost never do appetizers or desserts unless we get one or two and all five of us share. It was very nice to be able to order anything we wanted without regard for the cost since it was all paid for. Our lobster tail lunch at Coral Reef is the one big example of this, nice treat for my DH and I. Our only "problem" came during that meal since it is worth 2 credits per person instead of one. The problem was solved but it took a little while and work on the CM's parts. Basically, we had two rooms, my mom, stepdad and one of our kids and the other was me, DH and 2 kids. Not sure how it usually works but anyway, after the week, we had the exact amount of Table Service credits left if you combined our points BUT the computers weren't able to transfer any points from one card to the other. We had 9 credits on one and 5 on the other and needed to use all 14. Just keep this in mind if you are a large group/family, we never really thought this could ever be a problem but to make it easier, we would pay more attention in the future to do what we needed to do to keep the number of points even. Also if that meal wasn't our last table service, we would have had plenty of credits left and no problem either. Lastly, our DS11 had the adult plan and was not able to eat everything even with his big appetite. He did like the fact that he didn't have to stick with the kid's meals and could order what he wanted.

I would say alot depends on your personal budget and how much you value the ease of the plan, as well as your feelings about having to have a number of PS's to be sure to get into the table service restaurants of your choice. (a couple of the restaurants we ate at were not accepting walkins at all) We got much more value out of the plan than we paid for it but had much more food than we needed and sometimes wanted. We had PS's for all of our TS ahead of time and felt very comfortable with that plan, it forced us to break up our days and relax a little.

Sorry this got so long,

 

[danny1649]

Thank you for a good informational post.

 

[Tissa]

Thanks for the report. I'll be using the dining plan in June and like to hear how everyone else did.

 

[jenr812]

THanks for the report! I can't wait to write one myself

 

[Minniespal]

Excellent report ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[Cookie Princess]

So...would you order the dining plan again on your next trip or not? I am on the fence with this decision. It sounds like any money we save would be spent on buying bigger pants when we get home.

 

[vicb]

So...would you order the dining plan again on your next trip or not? I am on the fence with this decision. It sounds like any money we save would be spent on buying bigger pants when we get home.

I'm curious too!

 

[we3disneygo]

me too????

 

[amwhitaker]

(a couple of the restaurants we ate at were not accepting walkins at all)

Which restaurants were these?

 

[princessknb]

Thanks for the report! As we're not trying the maximize the plan, I think I love the idea of everything being paid for already.

 

[luvsgrumpy]

So...would you order the dining plan again on your next trip or not? I am on the fence with this decision. It sounds like any money we save would be spent on buying bigger pants when we get home.

Yes, I would get the dining plan again unless I was really watching our budget. Meaning, we planned for and saved for years for this trip and didn't mind a little splurge and were happy to eat foods that were not "cheap" and we wouldn't have ordered if paying cash on the spot. I am too frugal for that. If we vacationed often, to save a little money, I probably wouldn't get it again. If your family eats at many character meals, they can be fairly pricy and will help eat up the cost of the plan. Don't forget, tax and tip are included! As for the bigger pants, we spent so much time walking that it really wasn't an issue. (got more exercise in the parks than I do at home)

One change from the way we used the plan, I might try to eat more breakfasts and lunches rather than using the table service meals for dinner so often.

The crowded restaurants were Sci-Fi in MGM and Rose and Crown in Epcot. Rose and Crown might have been letting some in but not until much later from what I heard them telling some walkups.