Solo Vegetarian - DDP a good idea?

[watank]

Hi All,

I'm thinking about a solo trip to WDW in Dec, trying to decide whether I should get one of the dining plans... On the one hand, having things prepaid for sounds good (especially the deluxe plan) but I'm not sure if I'll use of all the meals/snacks - pretty much wanting to see all the Christmas decorations and do some of the tours/activities, but otherwise playing it by ear.

Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated!

-Ken

 

[firsttimer2007]

You would have to schedule your meals on the DDP since ADR's are hard to come by.
On one of the threads on this board someone did the DlxDDP solo. They seemed to have lots of fun. So I guess it depends...do you want to be tied to reservations or not?

I will try to find that thread and post it for you.

 

[Laura]

Hi All,

I'm thinking about a solo trip to WDW in Dec, trying to decide whether I should get one of the dining plans... On the one hand, having things prepaid for sounds good (especially the deluxe plan) but I'm not sure if I'll use of all the meals/snacks - pretty much wanting to see all the Christmas decorations and do some of the tours/activities, but otherwise playing it by ear.

Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated!

-Ken

For a vegetarian, the DDP is really not cost effective. I would look at the prices of the vegetarian meals and compare what you would pay out of pocket to what the plan would cost you. The DxDDP is especially a lot of food, but even if you do many signature restaurants, vegetarian meals aren't that expensive. Many times, 2TS vegetarian dinners are cheaper than some 1TS meat-based dinners. So the plan is not a good deal, IMO.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Ok, just personal opinion here. I would go with the plan, and here is why...

I'm a vegan and I went in Sept. and had an AWFUL time finding food for me to eat (not to mention my vegetarian daughter...every child menu was full of chicken nuggets and burgers!). I digress...

In any case, the reason I say to go with the dining plan is b/c the ONLY place I didn't have trouble finding decent food was at the ADR's. The sitdown restaurants are VERY accommodating (unlike counter service, imo) and will make you food to order. BUT, you might just save money making one reservation a day at a sitdown and trying to wing it the rest of the day. I had the hardest time at AK and DHS. It was a chore just to get a salad with no cheese at DHS, and that was the only thing at counter service that I could eat. AK I had to get a pretzel (which I normally don't eat) and some not-so-good fruit at the small stand near the safari entrance b/c there was just nothing else to eat except at Tusker house (we had an ADR the previous day there, but not the second day we went)

You will have a few more options b/c as a vegetarian you can eat pizza/cheese, etc. so hopefully it won't be so difficult!

BTW, the foods I did have were amazing. Boma and Tusker house had a lot of options for vegetarians/vegans. Rainforest Cafe at DTD made me a special meal also!

 

[budbeerlady]

I would make the ADRS but NOt do the dining plan.

I am a vegetarian, most of my meals are $$ less than Dhs meat based meals.

For a normal day take a place you want to eat and do the math. An ideal day for me is Coral Reef and one of my more expensive days. (tofu dish $16.99, coke $2.19 and choc wave $7.99 . Total $27.17.) Then add Tangerine Cafe for $8.99. You are at $36.12 plus you have a snack option to use. So that day you are coming out ahead maybe $2 or 3. Plus you still need to tip on top of the everything. (You do both ways but its made the dinnig plan less of a deal.)

Then for my HS day I would eat at Sci-Fi $22.17 total for tofu, sundae and a coke. The Rosies for a CS lunch. Veggie burger $6.39, coke $2.09 and fudge cake $3.59. I am only at $34.24 plus a snack of a cookies and cream ice cream bar for $2.39. So that day is only $36.63 total.

 

[watank]

Wow, think I need to do some more research - didn't know about the different kinds of reservations (DDP vs ADR, from the sounds of it?)

Although, I'm thinking that if I'm not saving much money, I'll skip the dining plan and just eat where my meanderings take me (starting the restaurant list now )

Boss just approved my days off, time to start making plans!

-Ken

 

[budbeerlady]

Wow, think I need to do some more research - didn't know about the different kinds of reservations (DDP vs ADR, from the sounds of it?)

Although, I'm thinking that if I'm not saving much money, I'll skip the dining plan and just eat where my meanderings take me (starting the restaurant list now )

Boss just approved my days off, time to start making plans!

-Ken

The reservations are called ADRs those you call into Disney Dining to make. DDP is the disney dining plan. You can make (and are recommended) ADRS with or without the DDp.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think it's a good choice to NOT do the dining plan. I've looked at menus and prices and crunched numbers for months, but it just wouldn't make sense for my family to do it. So many snacks there aren't vegetarian (Mickey head rice krispie bars, zebra domes, and so on) and the others my family can't eat (OK, I can, but hubby and son can't b/c of things related to corn syrup), so it's down to fruit for snacks. And that's not really the BEST use of the plan. We don't drink sodas and would be bringing in organic juice boxes for DS, so that's only coffee for beverages (we'd just get water with meals and bring our own bottled waters).

Then I see places like Brown Derby, which cost TWO dining plan credits, but the one vegetarian dish is only something like $17 (going by the last time I checked menus at wdwinfo). NOT worth it.

And so on and so forth. I think if you're going with a varied family group and the total cost can work out to a bargain then it can be worth it, but even with my family of 3 it doesn't. So especially for a solo trip, since you're not offsetting your non-bargain with someone else who might get a bargain, it just makes no sense.


But definitely make reservations/ADRs even if you aren't on the plan!

 

[watank]

ok, reservations made for 12/1-12/5!
Spent most of last night looking over the quote and waffling, but ended up not getting the dining plan - figure I'll get an idea of my eating habits this time around and get the plan next time if it makes sense to do so.

Now I need to start making the list of restaurants and activities I want to make reservations for...

-Ken

 

[glesgalass]

I reccommend Tommorrowland Terrace Noodle bar, it's CS, but the vegetarian Noodle Bowl was delicious (and I'm not a big Tofu eater), and the Spring Rolls - I'm sure you have a different name for them - were also vegetarian, and delicious.

 

[NOLA_Tink]

I've done solo days at the parks & I've never really had problems finding a last minute table-for-1. If you're looking to save money, then the DDP really isn't the best option for vegetarians b/c the veggie-friendly menu items usually cost a lot less then the meaty ones. I prefer vegetarian options, and I've found that I wouldn't get my money's worth on the DDP at most TS restaurants. However, if you want to do a lot of buffets and pre-pay, then it could be a good idea for you.

 

[watank]

Thanks for all the suggestions- writing down all the mentioned restaurants for the trip

I'm thinking of making ADRs for one or two character/signature dining meals but otherwise wandering and taking my chances walking up.