Small childern, light eaters, dining plan

[mjkaferle5]

Has anyone gone with small children on the dining plan that are light eaters? My kids just don't eat a lot at one time. So I would hate to get all this food on the dining plan, and then they barely eat any of it.

Has anyone here ever got a doggy bag to go? The only problem with that is I would hate to be lugging around extra food in one of the parks.

Or do you just let me eat what they can, and then later when they are hungry pay out of pocket or I guess use their snack credit??

Anyone have any advice on this situation?
Thanks

 

[robinb]

Here's my opinion and my DD is a moderate eater. Sometimes she eats next to nothing and sometimes she eats a lot. I see that your last trip was your honeymoon and now you have 4 kids. You you might be surprised at how much your kids will eat since they will be walking much more than they normally would (even if you get a stroller for the middle kids).

The dining plan for kids is such a bargain at only $10 each. How much do you think you would spend on them if you paid cash for every meal ... even if they would share a meal or two? I think more than $30 per day for the 3 kids, especially if you have a few character meals or buffets thrown in. If you are concerned about wasting food, then just order 1-2 kids meals for your kids when you can. Sure, you may end up with extra credits at the end of the stay, but so what? You may even want to use those extras for a couple of breakfasts at the food court. Sharing some counter service meals is a good way to stretch your credits and get 3 meals a day out of them.

As for doggie bags ... yes, you can get doggie bags at most WDW restaurants. But (like you said) who wants to carry doggie bags around? Plus, when would you plan to eat them? There is a lot of food on the dining plan and my guess is that you would end up throwing out the food before you ate it.

So, my advise is that you go ahead and get the dining plan because it will save you money, but don't use 2A and 3C credits for every meal. Use the credits for meals the same as you would if you were paying with cash. There is no rule that says that you have to use all 5 credits at each and every meal.

 

[mjkaferle5]

Here's my opinion and my DD is a moderate eater. Sometimes she eats next to nothing and sometimes she eats a lot. I see that your last trip was your honeymoon and now you have 4 kids. You you might be surprised at how much your kids will eat since they will be walking much more than they normally would (even if you get a stroller for the middle kids).

The dining plan for kids is such a bargain at only $10 each. How much do you think you would spend on them if you paid cash for every meal ... even if they would share a meal or two? I think more than $30 per day for the 3 kids, especially if you have a few character meals or buffets thrown in. If you are concerned about wasting food, then just order 1-2 kids meals for your kids when you can. Sure, you may end up with extra credits at the end of the stay, but so what? You may even want to use those extras for a couple of breakfasts at the food court. Sharing some counter service meals is a good way to stretch your credits and get 3 meals a day out of them.

As for doggie bags ... yes, you can get doggie bags at most WDW restaurants. But (like you said) who wants to carry doggie bags around? Plus, when would you plan to eat them? There is a lot of food on the dining plan and my guess is that you would end up throwing out the food before you ate it.

So, my advise is that you go ahead and get the dining plan because it will save you money, but don't use 2A and 3C credits for every meal. Use the credits for meals the same as you would if you were paying with cash. There is no rule that says that you have to use all 5 credits at each and every meal.

Thanks Robin.

As for the CS meals, I know we can share and plan to do so. I wasn't sure about the TS credits. Can the kids share at a TS place? That would be nice if they could.

 

[robinb]

Thanks Robin.

As for the CS meals, I know we can share and plan to do so. I wasn't sure about the TS credits. Can the kids share at a TS place? That would be nice if they could.

Yes, they can share just as if you were paying cash for them. You cannot share at character meals, dinner shows or buffets no matter how you are paying for those meals.

 

[littleprissboutique]

How do you get the dinning plan for kids? Do you have to be a APH? How does it work?

TIA

 

[robinb]

How do you get the dinning plan for kids? Do you have to be a APH? How does it work?

TIA

You have to buy the package for everyone in your party, not just for the kids. Here is all the informmation you need (and then some!) about the Dining Plan: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=820709

 

[MumTo2Princesses]

anyone staying at resorts can get dining plan, from my understanding. (though i am not sure about DVC members)

also, if you purchase the dining plan it will be equal to the nights staying and must be purchased for everyone in the room. in other words you can't purchase just for the kids ($10 which is such a bargain!). hope that helps

 

[mjkaferle5]

Thanks Robinb for your help!!

 

[can'twait]

My DS is a picky eater, so we plan to pay cash for his TS meals or let him share a meal with his sister. This way we can save his credits for extra TS meals for the rest of us, like character meals where we will all have to pay.

 

[Captain Blue Sky]

I have to disagree on this one...

Both of my daughters are extremely picky eaters. My youngest, in particular, is PHENOMINALLY picky and usually ends up losing weight on vacations! It is something we have lived with since her birth.

Consequently, the dining plan is not worth the extra cost to our family, considering we have 2 children that won't eat almost everything at conventional meal times.

Take for instance dinner at Cindy's. A dinner for 4 will usually cost us around $120 IF everyone ordered their own dinner. But since both Princesses do not have an appetite at dinner my wife and I order our meals with a couple of selected side dishes we know they might nibble at (i.e., chicken strips, french fries, rolls & butter). Consequently, our totat bill for food & beverages is about $50. If we purchased the dining plan we would be actually spending more and getting far less value.

I go to WDW for the experience and not necessarily the dining (I don't know anyone who would say they go to WDW for the dining). So to maximize value and get more bang for the buck, you might want to consider this approach...