Meal Plan or No?

[johnston_amy79]

My fiance and I are going to be visiting Disney not this September but September of 2008 for our honeymoon. I have been there plenty of times before but I have never gotten the meal plan. I guess what I am asking is...is it worth it? Do you really have to make all your reservations way ahead of time. I do want to visit some nice restaurants but I also want to enjoy the parks. We are going to be there for 9 days. Also what are some restaurants that you all would suggests? Thank you for your time
Amy

 

[KKB]

I figured I could easily feed a family of 5 for less than $140/day.
But not a LOT less, without a LOT of effort!

This is our first FAMILY trip to WDW, and first w/ DDP. Here's why I did it..
1-I am a foodie. I WANT to eat TS everyday. This trip has become as much about the food as the parks!
2-DDP is a terrific value, IMO. For us, it opens choices up (others find it confining). I do not mind researching menus/restaurants and making ADRs early. (YES, you DO need to make them as early as possible...). I LOVE that I can eat WHERE I want to (with few exceptions, and some preplanning...), WHAT I want with not regard to price (again...with few exceptions) and I get a wide variety of food. (especially if I taste everyone elses... )
3-Not an issue for you, but I really do not have to tell my kids "NO" like I normally would...YES you may have a smoothie (some places), YES you may have an appetizer, YES you may choose any meal you like YES you may have dessert...at lunch AND dinner! (AND you may have a Mickey bar, or create your own Rice Krispie Mickey!!!!)
4-I just did the math...we are staying at POP, and got a TERRIFIC rate. For 2 rooms & DDP it is running us about $500pp for a week...that is FAR cheaper than a Disney cruise! (though comparable to cheaper lines). And it does include room, entertainment & MUCH food, so the value was clear.

I chose restaurants after reading these threads religiously, and searching the menus at allearsnet.com. My kids had a character meal on DCL, and said one was enough. We are NOT big buffet people, so only Boma for the unique experience. I chose my restaurants based on general positive reviews on the threads, and menus that looked wonderful to me.

We chose:
O'hana (unique, good food, experience... this is family style)
Boma (unique great food in AKL...DS7 is an animal freak!)
Le Chef de France (spent time in France..LOVE French food)
Kona (great reviews, menu looks terrific)
Le Cellier (the IT place...great reviews, menu looks great)
Coral Reef (seafood for Mom; experience for kids...DH & I are going to DTD...)
W. Pucks Cafe (DH & I date at DTD...best reviews there, menu looks great; always had good experiences at his restaurants)
Narcoosees (Mom & I for lobster, scallops...YUM)

Now, we have not been yet, but thought I'd take you through MY thought process.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[IcePrincess467]

Well I am in the planning stages of my next trip with DH. Although it is not until August 2008 I am a somewhat of an "over-planner" Anyways, I decided that DH & I will be doing the DDP because of some of the restuarant prices. I have Le Cellier(about $50/pp), Grand Floridan Cafe($50/pp), Chef de France($50/pp), Cinderella's Royal Table($40/pp) Total just those 4 places and its $190/pp!! I would never eat at these places unless on the DDP! I can't wait and am very much looking foward to those 2 weeks just to be able to go crazy!!

 

[MouseDaddy]

Chances are that if you are going in September you can get free dining plan (as you could this and then last few Septembers) so in that case, absolutely yes go for it.

 

[johnston_amy79]

Thank you all for your advice. I thought no one would answer my post, but you guy proved me wrong. If there is anything else I should know let me know. My e-mail is johnston_amy79@yahoo.com if that is easier.
Thank you again!
Amy

 

[rrkman]

My opinion is that if you are planning to take time out to eat at nicer sit-down restaurants, the plan is worth it. If you are the burger/sandwich type, probably not. Also, there has been talk about changes to the pricing of the plan as well as no longer including tipping (I know that these were only rumors and am not sure if it has been proved or disproved yet)....so, if either of these 2 do happen for 2008, you will have to take that into account. If they remove tipping, that could increase (unless you decide to not tip) more than you realize...if you have a $50 meal, the $10 tip is currently included but that might be out of your pocket next year.

 

[jw50]

Amy, I strongly recommend that you edit out your e-mail address or at least change it to something like name at yahoo dot com.

This is a public board and there are spambots that search public boards for the sole purpose of harvesting e-mail addresses.

Posting an e-mail address on a public board or website is just asking to get alot of spam at that e-mail address. But at least if you spell it out the bots will not recognize it as an e-mail address.