Should I keep DDP or just go with Free Dining? HELP leave 9/7

[ejsmomma]

We arrive Monday around lunch time staying until late morning Saturday.
5 nights = 15 meals and 10 snacks per person DDP
or 5 TS meals, 5 CS meals and 5 snacks per person Free Dining

We have ADRS for
Garden Grill (1TS per person) dinner
Coral Reef (1TS) lunch
Hollywood and Vine (1TS) lunch
Artist Point (2TS) dinner
Crystal Palace (1TS) lunch
Kona (1TS) dinner
Tusker House (1TS) breakfast
= 8 TS per person total.


We like to eat healthy and do small more frequent meals. Salad here, soup there, sandwich there, fruit here....
Would we be better off just going Free Dining instead of the Deluxe Dining Plan? and pay out of pocket for our big meal like Artist Point where we may just split an entree anyway?

HELP we leave soon. need to decide ASAP.

 

[Jeanieblue114]

I have been to Disney a lot and I don't think that I have ever completely finished a full meal WITH Dessert on my own, not even considering that the DP allows you to have a milkshake or smoothie with your meal. So, upfront I'm going to say go for the free and do not upgrade (please don't slam me, i'm being VERY realistic).
Read a few dining review trip reports and see the pics of food and how much there is and how full people are by day 3 and you will understand.

Go to the Allears.net menus and see what the prices are for the things that you would pick. More than likely your instinct is right. If you are sharing an entree at the Signature Restaurant and maybe not getting desserts or sharing desserts, it is certainly better to just pay cash and not use 2TS credits EACH for it.

If you are healthy eaters and enjoy having a nice snack instead of a BIG meal, you really don't want the Deluxe plan. The Deluxe plan also adds an appetizer to every TS and gives you more snack credits. Unless you are really big eaters and don't mind spending your entire vacation chasing dining reservations while feeling stuffed to the gills, I would really really just take the free basic plan.

On the deluxe, with your eating style, you will be throwing away a lot of food and a lot of money.
You might want to cancel the H&V lunch unless you are doing the F! package and just pick up counter-service to make up for the addition credit you are over.
But, I wouldn't worry about paying OOP though for an additional lunch somewhere, especially if you will share some things there and probably not get desserts.

The basic meal plan will be a LOT of food, believe me. TS meals even include smoothies as your drink and that can be a meal just by itself sometimes. You may find yourself splitting a lot of counter-service meals as well.

We are going on the dining plan next month because of the free added plan. We have an eating style like yours (plus I don't enjoy spending 2 hours per meal with travel time for dining multiple times a day), I am sort of dreading even having the basic dining plan.

OH, also keep in mind that your snack credits (5) that you would get on the basic plan are for more than just water and ice cream bars.
You can get full Dole Whip floats, Big Fruit bowls, Soup, Big as your head Ice Cream Cookie sandwich, Floats, Big Soft Pretzels or Filled Pretzels, Crepes, Smoothies, and a lot of other things.
If you haven't checked out the snack list stickey on this board, give it a look.
Believe me, you won't go hungry with the free basic plan!
And you won't go broke buying something OOP if you are sharing.

 

[RMAMom]

If you like to eat small meals and split entrées then the Deluxe DP is waaay to much food for you and a big waste of money.

I would go with the regular plan and pay oop for extra meals. You can go here http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining.htm and see the menus with pricing to figure out which meal would be cheapest oop.

Did you get a discount on your room? Is the discount greater than what you would pay for the dinning plan? When you get free dinning you pay full price (rack rate) for your room, if your paying full price for your room anyway then definitely add the free dinning. I hope that makes sense.