Offsite and pricey Disney meals...

[CattailGal]

As I'm looking at my Disney dining reservations, I can't help but wonder if I'd be paying less to stay onsite with the dining plan. We are a family of four, and the meals are so expensive! I'm sure the dining plan has limitations, but the cost of these restaurants is sometimes $200/meal for the four of us! Biergarten, Akershus, CRT, BOG, CP, Tusker House... I"m debating canceling CRT (although we've only eaten there once). We do eat breakfast in the townhouse, which does save money. The special meals are part of the Disney "magic", but they are pricey!

In recent years we prefer to stay offsite for the extra room and washer/dryer (less clothes to bring). When we stayed onsite, we never tried the dining plan.

We have had bad luck with crowds trying to get counter service, so when we plan long park days I often get lunch and dinner reservations.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

If you arent doing 2 credit meals like CRT a family of 4 can eat cheaper paying OOP.

We are a family of 5 and we ate at a ton of places. Even expensive places like Cape May seafood buffet and for the 5 of us our bill was only $200. SO if you are going to 1 credit meals there shouldn't be ANY meal that costs you $200.

But if you don't get the dining plan free you will pay $58 a day per person for the plan.

You can eat 2 CS meals and 1 TS meal a day for less than $58. We do it all the time.

The dining plan doesn't really ever save you any money unless you have a bunch of young kids (9 and under) and plan on doing a bunch of pricey character buffets. Then it might save you a few bucks.

But the dining plan is more for convenience of having the meals pre-paid.

At most Disney places, unless you are ordering Steak, adults can eat for $20 or less at TS places and $12 or less at CS places. Paying OOP would give you 3 meals a day instead of just 2.

 

[CattailGal]

We love staying offsite, but try to book lots of character/special meals. That just makes it expensive, I guess...

 

[targetmom]

We stayed off-site and went to a couple of dinner show. Both of my kids like the Arabian Nights, Medieval Times, and Pirates Dinner Adventure.

 

[Tink575]

We stayed off-site and went to a couple of dinner show. Both of my kids like the Arabian Nights, Medieval Times, and Pirates Dinner Adventure.

The dinner shows are nice, we love Capones. You can pick up a book with coupons at Walgreens and some restaurants, we never go to a dinner show without a coupon.