Hi! Just back, and I got so much useful information here that helped our trip planning I figured I would pass along my thoughts on the dining plan in case it can help someone else (although I'm sure a lot of it has already been said). Eaters were me, dh, dd10 and ds7. Going in with an understanding of how the plan works will definitely help you maximize your value and minimize your time and oop costs. We always told servers up front that we were on the plan so that there wouldn't be any surprises, no one seemed put off by it and our service was always good. At places where we weren't sure what was covered, like at Sunshine Seasons for dessert, we made sure we understood the rules before we ordered. And it never hurts to ask--one ts restaurant wanted to charge us for ds' chocolate milk (they said only soft drinks were included), but when we told them it had been included everywhere else they changed their minds.
We seriously debated whether to get the plan for a few reasons, mainly because we would be paying full price for our dd10, but also because we are DVC members and were staying at a villa with a kitchen and we were worried about overindulging/weight gain. Well, we absolutely LOVED the dining plan and if it is within your budget and fits in your touring plans I would strongly recommend it to anyone. Why? It was wonderful not to have to make price-based decisions on where to go or what to order. It was great to be able to say "yes" to the kids about getting an ice cream or popcorn or whatever they wanted from the menu. We explained the plan to the kids, and they seemed to feel less nervous about ordering something that they might not like (it didn't feel as much to them like we were "paying" for it) and as a result they tried a lot of new things that they really liked (sometimes surprising themselves!) and got to try even more things through our meals. We tried a lot of new places, some of which we wouldn't have gone to if paying oop, so instead of something to jam into the day while cringing at the prices, dining became another enjoyable part of our vacation.
In terms of value, it seems like it would be very hard not to save money on the plan. The dining plan cost us just under $1,000 and our receipts total approximately $1550. So we "saved" $550 even though dd ordered off the childrens' menus at Spoodles and several counter service restaurants, we didn't necessarily eat at the most expensive restaurants and we didn't maximize our bills because at ts dd and I usually just had water to drink and we didn't always order all of our desserts. Although it may seem counterintuitive I think that we actually ate healthier on the dining plan because we were willing to do more expensive cs where it wasn't all burgers and fries, and often we could get fruit for desserts at cs (sometimes we got three fruits and one dessert so we could each have a bite without overdoing it). We also didn't try to maximize value by sharing meals or saving credits by paying for kids meals oop--with breakfast in the villa and one dinner cooked in we had enough credits for every lunch and dinner, and we all like different things so we were able to let everyone order what they wanted and we could share around. We have decent appetites and couldn't finish everything, but we weren't throwing away so much food that I felt uncomfortable with it. If you wanted to do breakfast and lunch on the plan sharing cs meals for these would probably work well. If we were just too full we gave away extra food, especially desserts at cs lunch--we would keep one or two for ourselves and give the others away. With all the walking, my weight gain fears did not materialize. I added up what I thought we would have spent if we didn't get the dining plan and I figure we would have spent somewhere around $900 but would not have been able to eat out nearly as often and would have had to drop some of the more expensive restaurants from our list, so for the extra $100 the dining plan made sense.
I am planning to do a separate restaurant review on the main restaurant forum, but here is where we ate if you have any questions about using the dining plan at these places specifically:
ts were Spoodles, Crystal Palace, Teppanyaki, Yachtsman Steakhouse (just me and dh), Sci Fi (lunch), Hollywood and Vine, Kona Cafe and San Angel Inn. Spoodles and Kona were probably our best values, each bill was over $160 (even with dd ordering off kids' menu at Spoodles and ds skipping dessert at Kona). Spoodles was the most relaxing meal, they really spread things out which was great since we weren't going to a park that night but might be a problem for people on a schedule. Spoodles was also the most flexible about the dining plan--they told us up front that "add ons" were free on the plan and let my husband order the dessert sampler for his dessert even though I had ordered something else (their creme brulee is amazing). Yachtsman Steakhouse was fabulous. Although you can't do a lobster add on, they will do a lobster tail dinner for you on the plan and let you pick your own side. Our bill for two people was $140, but we used four ts credits. We really liked the food at Kona and it was a fabulous value on the plan, but Kona and San Angel definitely move people in and out quickly (this worked out ok for us because we had plans both nights).
cs were Hurricane Hannah's (x3), Pinocchio's, Tangierine Cafe, Sunshine Seasons, Tusker House and Columbia Harbor House. Tangierine and Sunshine Seasons were the big tickets here, at $60 and $50 respectively, and we really enjoyed each. Kids dessert selections were limited at Sunshine Seasons, but ds was quite pleased with his "Worms in Dirt". Kids loved Hurricane Hannah's and the kids' meals were quite generous, which proved to be good in the middle of a heavy day of swimming.
Well, that's pretty long winded, but I hope its helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for reading.
We seriously debated whether to get the plan for a few reasons, mainly because we would be paying full price for our dd10, but also because we are DVC members and were staying at a villa with a kitchen and we were worried about overindulging/weight gain. Well, we absolutely LOVED the dining plan and if it is within your budget and fits in your touring plans I would strongly recommend it to anyone. Why? It was wonderful not to have to make price-based decisions on where to go or what to order. It was great to be able to say "yes" to the kids about getting an ice cream or popcorn or whatever they wanted from the menu. We explained the plan to the kids, and they seemed to feel less nervous about ordering something that they might not like (it didn't feel as much to them like we were "paying" for it) and as a result they tried a lot of new things that they really liked (sometimes surprising themselves!) and got to try even more things through our meals. We tried a lot of new places, some of which we wouldn't have gone to if paying oop, so instead of something to jam into the day while cringing at the prices, dining became another enjoyable part of our vacation.
In terms of value, it seems like it would be very hard not to save money on the plan. The dining plan cost us just under $1,000 and our receipts total approximately $1550. So we "saved" $550 even though dd ordered off the childrens' menus at Spoodles and several counter service restaurants, we didn't necessarily eat at the most expensive restaurants and we didn't maximize our bills because at ts dd and I usually just had water to drink and we didn't always order all of our desserts. Although it may seem counterintuitive I think that we actually ate healthier on the dining plan because we were willing to do more expensive cs where it wasn't all burgers and fries, and often we could get fruit for desserts at cs (sometimes we got three fruits and one dessert so we could each have a bite without overdoing it). We also didn't try to maximize value by sharing meals or saving credits by paying for kids meals oop--with breakfast in the villa and one dinner cooked in we had enough credits for every lunch and dinner, and we all like different things so we were able to let everyone order what they wanted and we could share around. We have decent appetites and couldn't finish everything, but we weren't throwing away so much food that I felt uncomfortable with it. If you wanted to do breakfast and lunch on the plan sharing cs meals for these would probably work well. If we were just too full we gave away extra food, especially desserts at cs lunch--we would keep one or two for ourselves and give the others away. With all the walking, my weight gain fears did not materialize. I added up what I thought we would have spent if we didn't get the dining plan and I figure we would have spent somewhere around $900 but would not have been able to eat out nearly as often and would have had to drop some of the more expensive restaurants from our list, so for the extra $100 the dining plan made sense.
I am planning to do a separate restaurant review on the main restaurant forum, but here is where we ate if you have any questions about using the dining plan at these places specifically:
ts were Spoodles, Crystal Palace, Teppanyaki, Yachtsman Steakhouse (just me and dh), Sci Fi (lunch), Hollywood and Vine, Kona Cafe and San Angel Inn. Spoodles and Kona were probably our best values, each bill was over $160 (even with dd ordering off kids' menu at Spoodles and ds skipping dessert at Kona). Spoodles was the most relaxing meal, they really spread things out which was great since we weren't going to a park that night but might be a problem for people on a schedule. Spoodles was also the most flexible about the dining plan--they told us up front that "add ons" were free on the plan and let my husband order the dessert sampler for his dessert even though I had ordered something else (their creme brulee is amazing). Yachtsman Steakhouse was fabulous. Although you can't do a lobster add on, they will do a lobster tail dinner for you on the plan and let you pick your own side. Our bill for two people was $140, but we used four ts credits. We really liked the food at Kona and it was a fabulous value on the plan, but Kona and San Angel definitely move people in and out quickly (this worked out ok for us because we had plans both nights).
cs were Hurricane Hannah's (x3), Pinocchio's, Tangierine Cafe, Sunshine Seasons, Tusker House and Columbia Harbor House. Tangierine and Sunshine Seasons were the big tickets here, at $60 and $50 respectively, and we really enjoyed each. Kids dessert selections were limited at Sunshine Seasons, but ds was quite pleased with his "Worms in Dirt". Kids loved Hurricane Hannah's and the kids' meals were quite generous, which proved to be good in the middle of a heavy day of swimming.
Well, that's pretty long winded, but I hope its helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for reading.
Don't get me wrong...we eat out WAY too much...we just don't go to fancy restaurants.
Wish I could be her LOL...
She'll just take the shrimp and leave the rest to be honest... Neither child eats steak... they will eat hamburger's however 
