Please explain DP

[DeeCee735]

I have seen dining plan topics but never really paid attention. Since I am now planning a trip for my family and a couple of friends for next year, I am becoming more interested in the DP. Can someone please explain how it works to me? Also, we drive down so we may be arriving very late on check in day and leaving very early on check out day. How is the dining plan effected by this, if at all? And if so, is it still worth using it? TIA

 

[DebbieB]

You must buy it for all nights of your stay and for every person in your room. See this link for more info. DVC members are not required to buy the package with tickets.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1305783

 

[mikeandkarla]

$39 day for adults 10 & up. $11 day for kids 3-9, they must order from a kids menu if available. Each night of hotle stay each person in your party recieves: 1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal, and 1 snack. You will definitely get enough to eat even though there is not 3 meals a day. Each table service comes with appetizer, main course, dessert, and drink. Each counter service comes with main course, dessert, and drink. It is really the way to go if you are going with kids. The character meals are the best deal because your kids can see the characters while eating so you don't have to look for them in the parks.

 

[Caskbill]

As mentioned, you must purchase the dining plan for each day of your stay and for each person. You cannot purchase it for only selected days, nor can you purchase it for only some of your party.

If you are arriving late and leaving early, you basically will be purchasing the dining plan for one day that you won't be using it. If you're 2 adults and 2 children, that's about $100 of dining paid for and not used.

Note: The DP does not cover alcoholic beverages.

If you have an AP, you might consider the DDE card instead which gives you a 20% discount on your meals, including on alcoholic beverages.

 

[jekjones1558]

Regarding your late arrival, early departure: the "wasted" day could actually be a real bonus, allowing you to book a dinner at one of the premier restaurants which require 2 credits instead of one. The extra counter service meals might be used for a takeout sandwich from Earl of Sandwich and eaten on your return trip. And the snack credits are easy to spend on items under $4 for a quick breakfast item or beverage or those addicting Mickey bars.
Good luck on your planning. Have a great trip!

 

[#1minnie]

If you are arriving late and leaving early, you basically will be purchasing the dining plan for one day that you won't be using it. If you're 2 adults and 2 children, that's about $100 of dining paid for and not used.

.

It's not necessarily a waste. As someone else posted you could use those credits for one of the restaurants that take two credits. They can also be used for breakfasts, which is what we did. We didn't use our first night's dining plan, but we did use it as a table service for a character meal breakfast.

I highly recommend the DP. I actually kept track of the true cost of the meals we ate, and it was about double what we spent on the DP. We're going back at Thanksgiving this year, and we'll be using the DP again.

 

[DeeCee735]

Regarding your late arrival, early departure: the "wasted" day could actually be a real bonus, allowing you to book a dinner at one of the premier restaurants which require 2 credits instead of one. The extra counter service meals might be used for a takeout sandwich from Earl of Sandwich and eaten on your return trip. And the snack credits are easy to spend on items under $4 for a quick breakfast item or beverage or those addicting Mickey bars.
Good luck on your planning. Have a great trip!

Thank you for the link and the responses. I haven't yet had time to go thru the brochure that I was able to download, and have another quick question. I get that on my late arrival day, I can use that TS credit toward a 2 credit dining experience meal (I like this alot), but I don't get the extra counter service meals/snacks that will be left over from my late arrival/early departure. Can I use them as suggested above the day after I arrive , and use the departure day credits the day before I leave? Or are they assigned to each day of your trip only? In DVC terms, can I bank the unused counter service/snacks to the other days of my trip? TIA

 

[jekjones1558]

The credits are not assigned to any given day. Each room has credits assigned at check-in and they expire at midnight on check-out day. So you can use whichever credits you wish on any day. The dining plan has made getting ADRs at Disney restaurants more difficult, especially really popular ones like Le Cellier. So if you decide to go for it, you might want to make some reservations well in advance (even 180 days out, if you can). It is a lot of food but does give you a chance to splurge on some places and/or menu items that you might not otherwise try.