The picky eater NON foodies do free dining!

[Caleb's Mom]

Okay, just a warning that you've never read a dining report like this one before! If you're a tried and true California Grill, Spoodles, Le Cellier diner this report is most certainly not for you, move on please.

The Cast:

DH - 39 - VERY picky eater, Will NOT eat 'big' meat like steak, roast, chops, chicken breast......................... Roni pizza and McD's cheeseburgers are okay.

DS - 4 - Also a picky eater with a texture aversion (I.E. recently hurled all over the diner table because a spag noodle didn't feel right on his tongue. I know, TMI!)

Myself - 36 - Odd one of the bunch as I'll eat almost anything.

Booked this trip long before free dining was even an option. Booked a discounted room thru AAA with no dining. Well, the free dining thing became available and I did the math. In order to get 'free' dining I'd be throwing away $208 in AAA room discounts to go rack rate with free food. So, 'free' dining would cost me $208. Even WE, the dining family from h*ll could manage to sock away $208 in grub during the course of an 8 nite stay. 8 nites @ 3 guests = 24 snacks, counter service and sit down options.

When we left for our trek home yesterday we had 19, yes 19, sit down dining options and 2 counter service options left!!!!!!!!!!!! GASP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We used our last 2 snacks about an hour before our vacation was over so those were all gone.

Just added up the receipts and came up with a total of $430.66 in food & snacks. Less the $208 in room discounts we gave up to go to free dining we still managed to come out $222.66 ahead so I was satisfied.

We only did 2 sit down meals. Donald's Breakfastasaurus and the Sci-Fi Diner. I'd never do Donald's again. Felt too much like they just slapped the place together to offer a breakfast buffet at AK - (we did Chef Mickey's last year, now that's the real thing). Also, the characters came in very quick succession. Donald's stay was so brief I could have held my breath and not passed out for lack of air! No spinning napkin song like Chef Mickeys and they did not open the parking lot of the park until after 7:50 a.m. for our 8 a.m. breakfast ADR so we didn't get to the restaurant until 8:20. Sci-Fi was just fun with the cars and glowing ice cube drinks (not in plan, paid extra). Food not great but good - atmosphere more than made up for the lack of gourmet-ness here. Also, not husband thinks Disney magic should just fall from the sky and be spontaneous, not planned, so dining reservations are not in his vacation. He hates being locked in to a certain restaurant at a certain park or resort at a certain time 90 days in advance. So sit downs are not the thing for him. I'm an obsessive planner and this kills me. I did manage to sneak in these 2 ADR's for the trip.

Hold your laughter - DH threw a total of 9 cheeesburger meals down his pie hole in 9 days - that's a cheeseburger a day. Just say yuck with me now. Needless to say dining diversity is not a need for him. Says he's waiting for Purina to make People Chow so he can just pour a bowl 3 times a day and fill his daily food requirement.

Used the fruit cup option for dessert many times as fruit is one of the few things my son will eat.

We used up the snacks no problem - mostly on popcorn, mickey ice cream bars, bottled water and diet cokes. The pretzels did not count as a snack so we paid cash for a 2 or 3 of those but the frozen cokes at Epcot did count as a snack.

I know this was very long. Thanks to those who held on with me. I will happily answer any and all QQQQQQQQs you may have.

 

[Kaycee]

Thanks for giving a non-foodies perspective of the dining plan. We are also a family of non-foodies, and I don't see us using the dining plan unless the free dining offer is available for one of our visits and the savings would outweigh whatever room discount we have. In your situation we would've done the plan also - and probably with very similar results. Although I think even non-foodies like us might squeeze out a few more table service meals than you did!

 

[oogieboogie]

19 TS left???? Oh, the horrors of it all!!!!!!

Thanks for the review. It's too bad you didn't get a chance to try out the wonderful sit-downs that Disney has to offer. My DH is a real picky eater too - he doesn't eat cheese, no chocolate, no vegetables other than green beans, no seafood, no strange things, pretty much meat and potatoes, but he loves the sit-downs at WDW and there's always something he could find to eat, even at Marrakesh Restaurant or Kimonos - the sushi bar at the Swan.

Hey... you had a great time and that's what's important, right!