What exactly is the Disney Dining Plan???

[jennyf2]

Hello!

I've tried googling it & looking on the boards, but no luck. Could someone explain how it works.

TIA


Jenny

 

[bradk]

eh.. really?

well, it's an addon for a package (or a la carte if you're staying DVC), you pay $X per adult per night and $Y per child per night. length of ticket doesn't matter, it's based on the number of nights of your reservation.

you get the equivalent of 1 Table Service (full service) credit, 1 Counter Service (or quick service) and 1 Snack (most anything under $4) per person per night. All credits are available upon check-in and any unused credits expire at 11:59:59 PM on day of checkout.

a TS meal consists of appetizer, entree and dessert. CS consists of Entree, Side and Dessert.

Signature Restaurants and Dinner Shows are 2 TS credits each.

there's a bit more, but that's all i'm willing to share right now.

 

[Bob P]

I guess you didn't check right here on the "Disney Dining Plan" board....

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1305783

 

[CleveRocks]

Hello!

I've tried googling it & looking on the boards, but no luck. Could someone explain how it works.

TIA


Jenny

The DDP costs $38.99 for adults and $10.99 for kids 3-9, PER NIGHT. You get charged by the number of nights you are staying in your room, regardless of your check-in and check-out times. But from here on, I'll refer to them as "days," it just sounds more natural.

For each day, you get one table-service meal, one counter-service meal, and one snack. You get these in the form of credits. You get a total number of credits for your stay (in other words, you don't have to use them in a certain amount each day -- you could all hog out and eat everything all in one day if you really wanted to!), and these credits are "stored" on your room key card, which many people also use as park tickets and room charge card.

Everyone in your room must be on the dining plan, or no one in your room can be on the dining plan. You must do it for your entire length of stay in that room. Everyone in your party must also purchase at least a one-day admission to the parks.

Generally speaking, it's a good deal for people who will eat at least one table-service meal a day. It's a bad move for families like mine -- we eat mostly counter-service, eating maybe one or two table-service meals per 7-day trip, so we'd be paying more for the DDP than we would be paying out-of-pocket for our food.

For more info, check out this link:
http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/packages07a.htm

There is also a DDP forum on DISboards, so be sure to check that out, too!

 

[Buzz2001]

A sure fire way to gain 15 lbs.

 

[bradk]

well, unless you're british anyway.. then you lose about 15 pounds.. nightly.. per adult.

 

[brightspark]

well, unless you're british anyway.. then you lose about 15 pounds.. nightly.. per adult.

Bradk, have you done the dining plan, is this what you found happened? dh and I keep looking at it and then deciding that it isn't worth it unless you eat regularly at the more expensive end of the market. We haven't done it because we don't eat big meals and rarely at the expensive restaurants, so it wouldn't be worth it.

If you want to be able to eat at the more expensive end of the restaurant scale regularly at a set price then I believe you can get a bargin... depends how much you expect to spend on food during your time there.

 

[kapoof]

it is worth it, but it is ALOT of food. appetizer, main dish and dessert is really too much, for lunch and dinner but for a vacation treat its fun. we just loosen our pants and walk around a bit more.

 

[indigoxtreme]

We feel it is really worth it. We have used it 3 times and will do so again. As far as weight gain, we all lost about 5 to 10 lbs in weight as we walked off the food. We only ordered what we wanted. App and meal etc and we only got a desert if we could eat it. But we came out well on the plan. We never ate the most expensive meals and we really did not eat at the high end restaurants. Look at allearsnet.com at the menus and prices. You can see that by the time you eat a CS meal and a TS meal and a snack, add tip and tax, you would have spent more than 38.99 a day. The DDP includes all taxes and tips of 18%. We always left a little more on the TS meals for tip when the service was great. Which was 99.9% of the time. Our normal tip at home is 20 to 25%.

Hope you enjoy it

 

[dlpcarden]

The other posts have explained what the dining plan is. I just wanted to say that during our last trip my DH, DS(8) and myself got the dining plan and we were extremely satisfied. We will get the dining plan during our next trip.

 

[Luvin*Livvy]

Sorry for "butting in" LOL

Would it be worth it for a 2 year old?

Let me say she eats A LOT..and when we go out to dinner she gets her own meal and FINISHES IT, or has VERY LITTLE left over...b/c she isn't a "snacker", so she eats her meals, and hardly anything in between.....and stays THIN...go figure!

So would it be worth it for us to get her a "childrens" DDP????

AND does she "qualify" for it, since she isn't on our reservation per se', since she isn't 3???

Thanks!

 

[BubblPopElectrc]

A sure fire way to gain 15 lbs.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

IMO, it's entirely to much food (unless, of course.. it's free). I personally don't get appetizers, desserts, and drinks with meals, so it's not a good deal for me. I don't want that much food. Just thinking about it makes me sick.

 

[aubriee]

Sorry for "butting in" LOL

Would it be worth it for a 2 year old?

Let me say she eats A LOT..and when we go out to dinner she gets her own meal and FINISHES IT, or has VERY LITTLE left over...b/c she isn't a "snacker", so she eats her meals, and hardly anything in between.....and stays THIN...go figure!

So would it be worth it for us to get her a "childrens" DDP????

AND does she "qualify" for it, since she isn't on our reservation per se', since she isn't 3???

Thanks!

No need to! Children under three eat free. At buffets she would have her own plate and you could choose what you want for her off the buffet (you would need to buy her a drink though). At other TS you could ask for a plate for her and then feed her off your plates (with each of you having a appetizer, entree, and dessert--she'd still have plenty, but again would need to buy her a drink). If you did decide to list her on the ressie as a three y/o, then you'd also have to buy her a park ticket and she'd be stuck eating only off the children's menu. If she's that good of an eater she may not want chicken fingers and boiled chicken with sugar free jello and applesauce all week. If there is a time she doesn't like what you guys are eating then you can always purchase her a child's entree and then share your appetizer and dessert with her. Also WDW would have her in their system and would age her as a year older on subsequent trips.

 

[Katiebell]

Just one -- very minor -- correction, and only because a lot of people had confusion about this...

CS consists of Entree, Side and Dessert.

A CS meal is an entree, dessert, and beverage OR a combo meal, dessert, and beverage. Sides are not included in CS meals unless it is listed on the menu that they are a single price as a combo with the entree (like burger and fries, soup and a sandwich, or pizza and salad). Otherwise, sides have to be paid for OOP or with a snack credit if appropriate.