Should I do the dining plan with two small kids?

[ppan77]

Just talked to a CM who was trying to convince me to do the new dining plan (one TS, one CS, snack a day) She said we would save 30% off. We are have planned one TS a day but who knows if we will keep them. We have a ds3 and dd9months. Just cant convince myself that we will be able to get our money's worth. I am so afraid bc of my little ones that our plans will change and we wont be able to eat everywhere we plan due to breaks/tired kids etc. Anyone else having these issues? Help me figure out what to do.

 

[Tricia1972]

You need to consider how you eat. You will save 30% if you order the most expensive item every time and always get dessert with each CS meal. If you don't, then you save less.

You can also save if you have a lot of character meal buffet/fixed price experiences planned. You will save the most with your DS.

I think the DDP can be worth it, even breaking even, if it causes you less stress. If it's going to cause more stress to pre-pay and then worry about making everything, then I wouldn't do it.

Just my .02 cents.

 

[ppan77]

Not sure what to do...we dont normally get dessert with our CS meals but sound yummy! We are planning a few character meals though ..take a look at what I have reserved so far.

Sun- CM
Mon- 50'S PT
Tues- CP AND KONA pm
Wed
Thurs-OHANA DINNER
Fri
Sat

 

[Keri]

Our kids were 3 and 4.5 last year when we went. We did the DDP and were so glad we did. The main reason it was good for us is my husband is, um, frugal. He would have had a heart attack paying the bill at every meal. Even counter service seems expensive when you add it all up. The other reason was so we could do character dining, including CRT, without feeling like we were spending so much. I *think* we came out ahead in the end. But I honestly didn't do the math -- the reduction in stress was enough, even if we might have spent a few dollars less. We're doing it again this year.

All that said, last year was a better deal because of apps & tip. Our lunch at Coral Reef alone cost more than the day on the DDP. But we're still doing it.

As far as schedules ... I don't know, we seem to be the odd ones, but we didn't go back to the hotel at all last time until evening, and our kids were fine. I'm hoping that will hold with the addition of DD2 who will be 7 months this time around. I'm figuring she'll nap in the stroller & the Ergo carrier and we'll be ok... I hope!

 

[mbanks21]

Every child 3-9 in your party only adds value to the DDP. My 3 yo daughter and I ate at Akershus last week and the bill would have been almost $70. With the DDP we paid $48 and still got another CS meal each and 2 snacks.

 

[jjohnson]

Your 1 dinner at chef mickeys will pay for 3 days of the DP for your children. I would definitely get it.

 

[Tricia1972]

DDP Cost - $545.82 (6 nights - 2 Adults, 1 Child, 1 Infant)

Chef Mickey Breakfast - $62.80
Chef Mickey Dinner - $47.90

50's PTC Lunch - $61.29
50's PTC Dinner - $69.83

Crystal Palace Breakfast - $52.15
Kona Dinner - $78.35

Ohana Dinner - $71.32

Assuming CM and 50's are both Dinners, and you're ordering the most expensive items on the menu - $351.50 OOP (This includes Tax)

If CM is breakfast and 50's is Dinner - $334.46


Even with the differences you can make the DDP work so you at least break even. Right now you can help close that almost $200 gap with another dinner and maximizing your CS options. The real question is what will be more relaxing for you. Will you relax having it prepaid? Will you worry that you're not breaking even and always work to get the most? Will that stress you? Is it possible that your 8 month old will shorten some dining experiences, or may you want to switch gears mid day and worry about making up credits? Will your husband faint when you get the bills I showed above?

When you break even on the plan it becomes a very personal question as far as what is most relaxing for your group.

Whatever you think will be more relaxing for you, is your best answer.

 

[tnd]

What we did to figure out if the dining plan was a good deal, we looked at the menus on www.allears.net and calculated how much we'd spend at each place we want to go. Then figure out how much the dining plan is. For us, because we currently have 3 signature restaurants and 3 character meals booked, plus other TS meals, it looks like the deluxe dining plan makes sense for us. We really don't like counter service food as a general rule, so we want to minimize that. We're also big eaters, and really enjoy nicer restaurants, so for us, food is a big part of vacation.

That said, I still haven't added the plan, because I think it's an awful lot of food and money upfront. But I think we will.

 

[DCDisney]

From your plans it sounds like the DDP would work well for you. You already have 5 meals planned and it sounds like you are staying 6 nights. Just in case one of your meals doesn't work out why not make a breakfast ADR for your last day. Then if you have credits you can use them and if you don't you could pay OOP or just cancel. We always make that last day breakfast ADR and even sometimes an extra lunch the day before. After the first few days I usually end up cancelling the lunch once I see that tings are going as planned.

 

[ppan77]

Thanks everyone for being so helpful. I am still considering the DDP but my DH really doesnt want the pressure of making all our ADR's. In the past we have usually cancelled one atleast due to a change in schedule. I will still be thinking about it. I need to do some of my own math on allears. We use a lot of CS due to the need of an instant meal with ds3 It defintely looks like a great situation with the character meals though!

 

[jrandtysmom]

I'm doing the DDP with my 2 DS's because there is no way I could feed them for $10/day each. It's a great deal for us I think.

 

[missycj96]

We did DDP before DD2 was born and when she was an infant. But the past few visits, we have stuck successfully with DDE instead. It gives us more flexibility because it is just hard to sit through a restaurant table service dinner with a little kid every night. And she has been afraid of the character meals, so we've only done a couple. In terms of money, its a good deal but I felt that the DDE ended up probably somewhere about the same and I didn't feel pressured to make and keep all the ADRs. As a note, if you are staying at POP or POFQ, you can also use the DDE card at the foodcourt, which I found to be a good bonus savings.

 

[weschmom]

I would do this: get the DDP, make your ADR's for the times that you THINK will probably work, then as your day goes on, if you see that you won't make your ressie (b/c of tired kids, etc), call/go to the restaurant and see if they can shift it. Since you're going in January, I'd bet the restaurants aren't packed and there would be some flexibility. I think it is definitely a savings.

We have a 6YO and 3YO, so I know what you're talking about. It's tough to know what kind of mood those little ones will be in. I am having a hard time getting ADR's for early Dec. and am nervous about a 4:15 ressie (nap time!).

Another option is to try and schedule as many BREAKFASTS as possible. My kids, I've found, are pretty much always happy and ready to go in the mornings. Schedule when you know they'll be OK and save your CS credits for later in the day. Plus that might make your DH happy b/c if you start off your day with a meal, then you're not rush-rushing to leave the park to get to one, etc.

Best of luck!