Never again will we use dining plan

[lisateaches]

We just got back and we had the free dining and it has its ups and downs. Ups- it's like all inclusive you don't worry about money for food while there, Character meals, trying different places you might not normally go to, and a few more. Downs- too much food and too many planned table dinners.
On the last day we realized we had 8 snacks left- we used them for milk for the little one but we did get two cupcakes at Starring Rolls and a Cinnamon roll at The Bakery- like we needed those. I'm afraid to weigh myself. I should have more self control.

 

[sjs314]

We purchased the deluxe dining plan for our upcoming trip. We have had it once before (free). This time we saved more money with the resort package pin code then we would on the free dining so we purchased it.

I like having my dining all paid for. Ideally, I wish there was a meal plan with 2 table service and 1 quick service meals because 3 table service meals a day is too much. We make it work by doing a few signature meals and using our snack credits for light meals on the days we have only 2 meals covered.

I am a planner so I always had meal reservations mapped out even before the days of the dining plan. I enjoy doing the character meals with the kids because then I am not running around the parks and waiting on long lines to see the characters. And the down time works for my kids.

I do see how the dining plan would not be for everyone, though.

We are doing the DXDP for the first time, never have used any of the DP before, but I do agree with you I wish there was a plan with 2TSand 1QS too.

We like to do a TS Breakfast and a TS Dinner and we like appitizers and dessets which you do get on the DxDP and when I tally up the cost, we actually come out ahead with the DxDP rather than paying OOP. We are paying for the DP using room discount . I have yet to work out our ADR's to see what 2 credit meals we might plan.
Worse case we might be using some of our TS as CS which I understand is allowed if on the DxDP.

Planning on using snack credits at F&W and as far as the refillable mug DH can drink his weight in coffee so those will come in handy too.

 

[Stubbzilla]

I got the room only discount along with a package. You just have to choose the room only discount when you get the price for the hotel, then you can add the package items and the room price does not go up.

I actually booked a package without the room discount in POR, then decided we wanted to switch our reservation to Poly. I called up and switched and just said I wanted the room-only special discount rate for it, and I got that, along with the DDP, tix, and all the package items.

Sorry you didn't like the DDP. I have the same concerns. We're doing almost all breakfast TS so we don't have to worry about being anywhere in the middle od the day. I made all our reservations, priced it out, then found that the DDP was a cheaper, so did it. I hope we are happy with it. I wouldn't do TS at all except we wanted all the character meals.

 

[sjs314]

Yes, but you always want to make sure you are getting the most for your money!

Actually I am looking forward to our meals being paid for ahead of time, we have always paid OOP, always done a good number of TS Breakfast and Dinner but this time I won't need to look at prices and not order the appitizer I want because it costs Xamount$ to keep the meal cost down. I always tended to order a cheaper entree since DH and DS's could eat a horse at most meals and we almost never ordered dessert. It is going to be a true joy to order what we want not looking at the prices and only have to pay the tip during the actual trip.

 

[Disneylover1971]

I'm not sure if I will use the DDP when I go alone in December---even if someone goes with me I'm not sure if it's worth it...I'm diabetic and not supposed to have desserts...and I don't eat that much at one time as it is.

 

[riomaggiore]

I found both the DDP and QSDP provided too much food and didn't match our eating habits which usually includes splitting most meals. Most days we were just overstuffed and still had too many credits left to burn through in the end.

The plans are very nice in that you don't have to worry about how much things cost or paying out of pocket for anything. You just sort of stop thinking about it and feel more free to order snacks and meals whenever and where ever.

The problem with QSDP is that the food choices can be a little limiting. Best options are generally at Epcot.

In my final calculations the difference between paying OOP and the DDP/QSDP was about 15-10% savings, but if we were paying OOP we would have never ordered so many desserts, snacks or entrees.

On the DDP we had didn't have a lot of problems getting seats at the restaurants we wanted booking 2-3 weeks out (only decided to go to WDW about 7 weeks before we left). We were pretty flexible with our dates during the week however.

 

[GailT]

We just got back and we had the free dining and it has its ups and downs. Ups- it's like all inclusive you don't worry about money for food while there, Character meals, trying different places you might not normally go to, and a few more. Downs- too much food and too many planned table dinners.
On the last day we realized we had 8 snacks left- we used them for milk for the little one but we did get two cupcakes at Starring Rolls and a Cinnamon roll at The Bakery- like we needed those. I'm afraid to weigh myself. I should have more self control.

Each time I had credits left over I brough home things like candy and chocholate covered apples, this time I am going CSTB plan I have dont both plans before and I like this one so much better, I just wont be eating at the 2 TS places every night and thats ok, I rent a car so we will also go out to eat

 

[DISDANCEMOM]

I'm not sure if I will use the DDP when I go alone in December---even if someone goes with me I'm not sure if it's worth it...I'm diabetic and not supposed to have desserts...and I don't eat that much at one time as it is.

Just a note...most (if not all) TS menues have a sugar free dessert option. I went in Sept '10 with my diabetic sister and the DDP worked really well for us. We had cereal etc in the hotel room before we left for the day and then would have a QS lunch and then a TS dinner. The best thing was that my sister was eating regularly scheduled meals and therefore was not getting blood sugar "ups and downs" and actually felt the best that she has ever felt on vacation.

We absolutely love the DDP (especially when it is free) My kids are mini foodies and love to try the different TS restaurants especially in the resorts. I do agree with some of the previous posters that some of the kids menues are a little bland (it doesn't effect us anymore as my girls are both 10+) but if you do a little research on the menues you can find a few really nice kids menues. The Maya Grill is one I can think of right off the top of my head that had a pretty good kids menu (when my dd and neice were on the kids menu in Sept they had chicken parm and salmon on the menu)

Everyone just needs to remember that everyone has a different "style" of touring Disney and not every option will appeal to every guest. Don't bad mouth an option, just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it is not a favourite of someone else. Please give your honest opinion as to help others that are trying to make a decision but be open to other opinions...okay...getting off my soap box now...LOL

 

[Elmo888]

Two tips for DDP...

OP mentioned having soda at lunch and dinner. You can always request bottled water at counter service meals. This was always handy to have later. And we never had soda at table service meals. You don't have to have soda! (We usually just had ice water, but you could also request juice or something.)

Also, at counter service, you can request fruit as your dessert. We did this every time since we usually had a better dessert at the table service meals. As a bonus, the fruit is usually packaged so you can take it with you to snack on later or have at another meal.

We have liked the DDP in the past, but because of changes to the DDP and differences in our family (if you are doing TS meals, DDP is great if you have multiple children between 3-9!), we are going to skip it next time!

 

[nooneshome]

on our first trip DW got us the super duper dining plan and it was a big waste of money and time. The whole trip revolved around eating. Never again. We did do the counter service free dining and enjoyed it a lot. We ate whenever we wanted and paid OOP for our only one TS meal. We had a blast with all the snack credits. We fed 5 people on a 4 person plan and still had plenty credits leftover.

 

[trswanner]

Just learning so forgive me if this is wrong. I go to Disney about 2 times a year but never had the dining option. We like the freedom of picking whatever we want whenever we want. This time I am thinking about the quick service with the table service and 1 snack. I don't understand why people say the dining option limits them. I thought you could eat anywhere at anytime. Is that correct or am I missing something? thanks

 

[carebee21]

Just learning so forgive me if this is wrong. I go to Disney about 2 times a year but never had the dining option. We like the freedom of picking whatever we want whenever we want. This time I am thinking about the quick service with the table service and 1 snack. I don't understand why people say the dining option limits them. I thought you could eat anywhere at anytime. Is that correct or am I missing something? thanks

Some people think it's limiting because you need to make reservations for your table service meal, up to 6 months ahead of time. So, no matter what you plan on doing that day, you're tied into being at a specific place, at a specific time. And if you're not hungry then or don't feel like eating that type of food that day, it's pretty hard, if not impossible during certain times, to get a reservation somewhere else for that day.

 

[rubato]

Some of the restaurants, especially in DTD and at the Swan and Dolphin, are not on the plan.

What I meant by limiting is that I can't order things like the cheese soup or clam chowder as my meal. If I do, I have to pay extra and then, what am I supposed to do with my TS credit because I can't eat the soup, and an entree and a dessert. I am limited because I would like to go to any restaurant I want, and order anything off the menu and not have to think about the best way to use my credits. I also don't like that all the CS places seem to have either good entrees or good desserts, but not both. Anytime we found a good entree place, they had those gross chocolate cakes and carrot cakes as the only dessert options. We did quickly learn to get yogurt at these places, but that's not easily transported, so we had to eat it. Lessons learned.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

The dining plan isn't for anyone. I think that there are many people who does the dining plan that really shouldn't be on it at all. It doesn't suit them. If you want the flexibility of just eating certain things off the menu and/or skip meals, you may not want the DDP.

Now as for the reservations, I'm a little mixed. I think that people should just be able to stop in, but that's difficult to do so. You may not be able to just walk into a restaurant and be seated when there's so many others have taken all th spots with reservations.

So even if you don't like eating DDP, you will need reservations in order to eat at sit-down restaurants.

Personally, DDP works well with my family. Not DxDDP, but DDP. I have a couple of boys that are 11 and 12 (13 when we visit in Sept.) They are avid athletes and hitting growth spurts. They eat literally every 10 minutes! We easily spend over $450 a month in food and we have to re-stock every month!

Therefore, eating on the DDP wouldn't put extra pounds on us because we eat early and often. DDP is good only because of evening EMH, because after we leave the restaurant at around 6:30-7 PM, we walk until 10-2 AM! That means that by the time we head to the hotel, that food is all but digested and worked off.

In reality, when we go to WDW, we LOSE weight because of our eating and exercise patterns.

 

[Magic2000]

I also usually don't get the dining plan for my family. My DD (now 15) still prefers to eat off of the kids menu, and its not as good of a deal for us.

On our trip to Disney two years ago, we tried the deluxe dining plan for the first week, and the regular dining plan for the second week. Although I did like having all of our food paid for in advance, I think I still rather pay OOP. And my DD did order off of the kids menu many times - and we broke even or were just a little ahead on the cost. But I didn't get the plans to try to come out ahead or to eat at restaurants we don't normally eat at. I just wanted to try having everything paid for in advance. (But you still have to have tip money)

When we go to Disney, our dining experiences are part of the whole Disney vacation. We have had some really great meals! We LOVE most of the signature dining places. My DD LOVES Yachtsman Steakhouse! She will usually get either the child's chicken noodle soup or the lobster bisque, the child's grilled chicken, and the creme brulee! She and I both think they have the BEST creme brulee! We also like Calif Grill, Jiko, Narcoose's, Chefs de France, Sanaa, Yak & Yeti, etc.

I've always told my kids they could order whatever they wanted, but eat what you order. I don't like to waste food.

We don't ever feel "tied down" to ADRs, and we never leave a line to have to go eat. We usually either skip breakfast or eat something quick in the room. I make our lunch ADRs between 11:30 and 12:30. That's about the time we eat at home, and I know we'll be hungry around that time when in Disney. The kids are ready to take a break - and again, we enjoy our meals. When it gets close to the time, we start making our way over to the restaurant. We'll grab us some fastpasses along the way, maybe even do a little shopping in one of the giftshops. After we eat, we may be able to grab some more fastpasses, then we'll usually head back to the hotel for a swim/break. When we come back to the park, its usually to just take it easy and enjoy (and of course, use those fastpasses we got from earlier!!!). Again, we'll head over to the restaurant, taking our time and maybe even get to do a few rides along the way! We're not usually in a rush to hurry and ride all the rides.

On rare occasions, we may change our mind about an ADR we made. If that happens, we simply cancel the ADR and do whatever. That doesn't happen too often though, lol - we're creatures of habit and we like taking breaks for meals!

Although I don't really think the dining plan is the greatest thing, I'd be willing to try it again. The dining plan is similar to how we usually eat - we DO usually get an appetizer, entree, and dessert. But not always. Sometimes we share appetizers and/or desserts. So paying OOP allows us the option to "order whatever we want" - whether its an appetizer, entree and dessert, or just an appetizer and entree, or just an appetizer.

This is what works best for my family!

 

[jpkkld]

I'm always amused to read "The DDP doesn't work because I don't like plan my day around food". Um, we're human. We have to eat many times a day, no matter where we choose to eat!

That said, the DDP works for us for 2 main reasons:
1 - We won't pay for park hoppers, so we DO know where we'll be on each day. It won't be an EMH park, and I will use touringplans.com to help me figure out where to go each day. So, rain or shine, hot or cold, we do know where we'll be. So then it's just a matter of planning our route to put us somewhere in the vicinity of our restaurant around the correct time. Maybe not so easy for a 1st-timer. But also not hard to do if you know how to read a map!

2 - With a young child, our days are fairly structured. So we DO know what time we'll be eating. All our ADRs are for dinners (except a princess breakfast) and all are between 6 and 7. We're maximizing the plan without changing our normal lifestyle.

Our days will typically go something like this:
6 to 7 Wake up (it'll get later as the week goes on), eat breakfast in our room
8:30 to 10 Be at a park gate
Tour until 10:30, then grab an early lunch at a counter (eating before 11 means no lines)
Tour until 1 or so, then go back to room for a break and a snack
4 to 5 Return to parks and use some of the FP's we gathered in the am
6 or 7 Relaxing dinner in an air-conditioned, comfortable restaurant
Tour until 9-ish, when we're all beat!

Every. Single. Day. (except AK, where we go later and don't take a break)

So, for us, and people like us, the DDP really works well. We really aren't interested in doing the line-ride just to eat.

And when I do my cost comparison, I leave out every single dessert. We might get 2 while we're there - that is, 2 different days, and all 3 of us will split one dessert. We still come out ahead (though I'll admit, not 20% ahead!).

As for soda with every meal, many TS places will give you a milkshake or after-dinner coffee instead of soda. If I take a milkshake as my drink, I'll always take fruit as dessert.

You've got to do what works for you!

 

[photobob]

The reasons the OP made are reasons that I haven't done the DDP but still consider giving it a try sometime! I'm toying with it now for our upcoming trip. I know the pros and cons inside and out. A big reason we have done the DDP in the past is that we are DVC members so free DDP isn't available to members staying on points. Being DVC members who drive we bring a great deal of food with us and have a full kitchen at our disposal. If we do decide to do the DDP it would be considered a splurge.

 

[skeettafic]

I found this post really helpful. We're just starting to plan our first WDW trip for 2012 and I think dining is one of the most confusing parts. Like a couple of other posters mentioned, with younger children, I think the ADRs will actually benefit us. My kids tend to eat early (11:30ish for lunch and 5ish for dinner) so trying to get in a line right at those times is going to be crazy. If we have it planned out, then we know that they're going to be eating at their optimal time and hopefully kept happy.

Now we just have to decide between the regular and deluxe plans

 

[CountyMounty]

Our upcoming trip (10 days away woooohooooo) will be the first time on the DDP. The decision was pretty easy as it was on the free dining promotion, doing the math it worked out quite a bit ahead of the room discount deal. After doing a lot of research about the plan and thinking of our previous trips I am pretty sure I would never do the DDP unless it is free. As PP's have said sometimes we prefer to eat appetizers as meals and like to have a little more flexibility on our choices off the menu and eat far more CS meals than TS. We will likely eat more on this trip then we normally do, we will do TS every day and do several character meals whereas we normally only do 1 or 2. We normally do not eat dessert but will this time just because cant see passing it up when it is free . While I am sure if you priced out all that we eat on this upcoming trip we wouldl be saving money on the DDP even IF we were paying for it I think that if we compared what we normally eat to the price of the DDP it would be cheaper to just pay out of pocket for it.

 

[sjs314]

We are doing the DXDP for the first time, never have used any of the DP before, but I do agree with you I wish there was a plan with 2TSand 1QS too.

We like to do a TS Breakfast and a TS Dinner and we like appitizers and dessets which you do get on the DxDP and when I tally up the cost, we actually come out ahead with the DxDP rather than paying OOP. We are paying for the DP using room discount . I have yet to work out our ADR's to see what 2 credit meals we might plan.
Worse case we might be using some of our TS as CS which I understand is allowed if on the DxDP.

Planning on using snack credits at F&W and as far as the refillable mug DH can drink his weight in coffee so those will come in handy too.

After reading many post I do see where the various DP out there are not for everyone. Especially the DxDP which we are trying this trip, since much time is taken up on TS meals,but no longer touring the parks commando style since we are now retired, our priorities have changed and where we eat is just as important as where we stay and what we do in the parks.

This will be our first time ever trying any of the DP we have always prefered to pay OOP.
I am truely looking forward to using the DxDP this trip, I am looking forward to not having to worry about the prices on the menues and only worry about the tips when I am actually on our trip.

One thing I know we have always done to shave $ off the cost of food while at Disney was to try to eat early dinner many times which it was still technically lunchtime prices a family of four can save $40 easy at each sitting.

Skipping Appitizers and/or dessert to save $ again on the total cost of the meal

I know I am going to enjoy the freedom to order what I want not what I decide to order to save a few $ on the meal.