# to dining plan or not ...



## krmlaw (Mar 23, 2011)

i keep going back and forth. 

its 45.99 a person - ouch. price has skyrocketed in recent years. 

its me, dh and dbaby (2.5 then). 

what are your thoughts?


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## heathpack (Mar 23, 2011)

We have done the dining plan as part of the free dining promotion, and it was a lot of fun.  We tried tons of restaurants we would not have otherwise tried and tried more dishes than we would have otherwise ordered.  At that time in our lives, we needed to keep to a very strict budget and we would have never eaten at many table restaurants without the dining plan and we would have definately not ordered multicourse meals.

That said, we have since been back to the World several times and considered the dining plan but always rejected it because it is not a great value for us (unless its fee, lol)-- mainly because we'd never normally eat the amount of food included with the plan.  Our normal pattern would be to eat less food overall, and costing dining out according to our typical pattern, it is less expensive for us without the dining plan.

So I would advise against it, unless:
1. you want to psychologically influence yourself to eat with abandon (pay in advance and you will work to get your money's worth if you are anything like me)
2. you normally would eat the dining plan number and type of meals (you will save a small amount by getting the dining plan)

Otherwise, I'd say keep things simple, skip the dining plan and just eat what you want.

H


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## bnoble (Mar 23, 2011)

I've never, not once, spent as much just eating what, when and where I wanted as the appropriate dining plan would cost.  Usually, that's because I don't ever eat quite exactly the "right" number of sit-down meals---sometimes more, sometimes less.  In those cases, the dining plan (or the deluxe dining plan) would be an "upsell"---I'd end up getting more than I really wanted, and paying for it as well.

Even when I do eat the "right" number of meals, I tend to have a mix of more- and less-expensive meals that add up to only about what the dining plan costs over the course of the trip.  And, if I'm going to give up flexibility by pre-paying for something, I want it to offer a discount, not just "about the same".

Like the prior poster, I'd do it only if you get sticker shock, or you *know* you'll be eating a relatively expensive dinner each night.  Me, I'd rather be in the parks doing stuff than eating what is usually fairly mediocre food.


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## janej (Mar 23, 2011)

We did free dining twice and used the dinning plan for long weekend stays using DVC points.  We loved it.  But it would be a hard decision if we have to pay for it for a whole week.  How many days will you go to the park?  Do you plan to eat at full service restaurants often any way?  I would really watch out for free dinning offers if I decide on the dinning plan.   For our family of 4 (all adults by Disney standard), the cost of dinning plan alone was more than what we paid for the room.  That was why we did not use our DVC points or timeshare exchange for our last two Disney trips.


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## SuzanneSLO (Mar 23, 2011)

And even when it the dining plan is "free" it may not be a value.  My DH and I stayed at the BWV for cash in December.  we could book with "free" dining or use our AP to get a $150 per night discount off the room. At $46 per Disney adult per night, you would need 4 Disney adults in the room to make "free" dining a better deal than the cash discount on the room.

And that's assuming the dining plan makes financial sense to begin with which, as others have noted, may not based on the way your family likes to dine while at WDW.  -- Suzanne


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## rickandcindy23 (Mar 23, 2011)

Some people love it, but I am not one of them.  I am a true Disney fan, but not of their food and the high prices.  

House of Blues in Downtown Disney is on Restaurant.com.  It's good, but I wouldn't pay their regular prices, so the certificate is helpful.  

We love the restaurants near Disney, but we don't like many in Disney.  We eat at Smokey Bones, Garibaldi, and other various places we love. 

We will occasionally get a burger or sandwich in the parks, just to be able to stay there.  Rick and I share a double burger for less bun and fries.  We like Mexico's fast food Cantina, too.  

I think our daughter will want us to buy the Dining Plan for our trip in November with them.  We are okay with it, but really I see a lot of food going to waste.  Quantities are plenty, if you are a big eater, which I am not, and neither is Rick.  Getting appetizer or dessert is unnecessary for me (I am consistently on a diet), and I am sensitive to caffeine, so soda is not something I usually drink, unless it's decaf.  The parks don't generally have decaf.


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## krmlaw (Mar 23, 2011)

we like to eat dinner at a sit down every night, so maybe its for us? we've always had it when we stay OP previously. would love free, but have a RCI trade, so that wont happen. 

Staying at AK, have a car, so wondering if its worth it for drive time too. 

We will probably hit 3 parks, MK, Epcot and DHS, might hit AK for a few hours (not sure really). 

There for Saturday - next sunday, during wine and dine too, so could use snacks on those items.


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## heathpack (Mar 23, 2011)

krmlaw said:


> we like to eat dinner at a sit down every night, so maybe its for us? we've always had it when we stay OP previously. would love free, but have a RCI trade, so that wont happen.
> 
> Staying at AK, have a car, so wondering if its worth it for drive time too.
> 
> ...



We stayed most recently at AKV, so this is a great example.  

Breakfast for 2 at Boma was $60 before tax and tip, Jiko $125 exclusive of alcohol and before tax and tip, and Saana $58 exclusive of alcohol and before tax and tip.  This would have consumed 50% of TS meals for a 1 week trip, so double that cost for a week's trip and you have about $500 in TS dining for a week.

Figure we'd eat QS one other meal per day and 1 in villa, add $20/day for two people QS, or $140/week.  And maybe we'd have 4 snacks during the course of the trip, add in another $20 total for the week.

Cost OOP about $660 and we get whatever we want.  Cost for DDP $644 and you get what Disney gives you.  You save a little money, but wind up getting two desserts and no appetizers with your meals.  If that's what you'd want anyway and its worth messing with the dining plan to save about $15 for a week's dining, go for it.  For us, we'd gladly pay an extra $15 and have the flexibility to order whatever we want.

H


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## rickandcindy23 (Mar 23, 2011)

We have Premier annual passes, so we get the Tables at Wonderland option, and $25 off of the cost to regular passholders.  So we save 20% off of sit-down meals.  I don't know if it's worth it or not.


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## Twinkstarr (Mar 23, 2011)

rickandcindy23 said:


> We have Premier annual passes, so we get the Tables at Wonderland option, and $25 off of the cost to regular passholders.  So we save 20% off of sit-down meals.  I don't know if it's worth it or not.



We've had the TIW card everytime we've gotten AP's. It works for us because we usually hit 1-2 signature places per trip and we usually eat one TS meal per day.

 Plus if you have a car and you drive to resort x to eat you get free valet parking. Just show your receipt when you leave. Also the restaurants at DVC Vero Beach take the TIW too.


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## Big Matt (Mar 23, 2011)

Just ask yourself if you want to spend $100 per day on food while on vacation knowing that some of it is counter service or a snack.

I personally like some of the Disney dining options, but the meal plan is a rip off unless you are willing to really plan ahead and work your schedule around your dining plans.  I know that I can't be so regimented that I stay on track.  Too many spontaneous moments that mess it up.  Plus, I always like to "eat in" a few times during my stay.


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## cindi (Mar 23, 2011)

I wouldn't do it with a 2 1/2 year old. 

They just don't sit long enough for you to get to enjoy eating at the places you would want to eat at on the dining plan.  At least for us, we would never eat at places like that and spend that kind of $$ if we had little kids along. 

In addition, when you have dining reservations, you waste a lot of attraction time getting to wherever you have your reservations at. 

For those of us who really only go to the parks for a couple of hours a day cuz we already "been there, done that" it isn't a problem.  For those who really want to see and ride everything, it is a problem.


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## blondietink (Mar 24, 2011)

We have only done the dining plan during the dree dining promotions, and only when stayng at a value or moderate resort.  There are 4 of us that all count as adults, so staying at a moderate during the promotion is the same price as 4 of us on the dining plan.  

We have an 11 night stay coming up ... 7 nights at BCV then 4 nights at SVV outside the park.  All have full kitchens in them.  We had ADR's for 3 character buffets, and we have the TIW card, but appaqrently our stay is during the holiday pricing and I have cancelled those buffets.  The breakfast at Akershus was listed as slightly over $40.00 per adult!   For breakfast! Plus tax and tip! Outrageous, if you ask me.  For the money I am saving by cancelling thos 3 ADR's, we are going to eat pretty well in our villa with a tank or two of gasoline left over.  

In MHO, Disney is really outpricing itself on their sit down meals.  We'll do some counter service, that we can split because they are so big, and some snacks, but otherwise, we will be eating in our villa. I still have a lunch ADR at LeCellier, but might cancel that one, too.  I know if you only have 2 adults in your party, the cost isn't so high, but it all adds up pretty darn fast, regardless.


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## elaine (Mar 25, 2011)

Unless you are going to have a babysitter, at 2.5 yrs old, your chances of an 1.5 hour sit-down dinner after a long day are pretty much zip. We did much better with sit-down lunches in the parks--and those tend to be cheaper, as well, but one or two and one or two dinners on non-park days were about it. I would not do DDP on a week-long RCI stay, esp. since you have a full kitchen. Elaine


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## krmlaw (Mar 25, 2011)

wow this has ben extremely helpful! keep it coming .. have to  make final decision in 1 week!


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## lobsterlover (Mar 25, 2011)

I too hummed and hawed. This is my first trip back to Disney since being a little kid and I'm taking the grand parents so I want it to be special.
I have a 13 yr old who would kill my wallet with snacks alone and I have a 4 yr old who doesn't eat. We are going to go on the regular plan.
I've planned our week so whatever park we're at, we have an early dinner reservation in that park. On our "day off" I booked a signature restaurant off property so as not to be stressed to get somewhere off property after a day at the parks. We will be one day without a table service dinner but we'll probably have 5 kids meals left from the little guy!
I really just went to the menus and thought, what would I order? When I found myself saying I'd order that cause that other thing is too pricey, or we won't go to that character dinner cause it's a lot of money....I deceided to go for the plan. It's not very special if you're continuously worried about cost and like I said, I want this to be special. So, I booked the most expensive dinners, character meals and buffets!!
I hope my theory works out and if it doesn't I'll know better for next time.
When my little one was 2 he was usually asleep during dinner which was great. It depends on your kids. When he was awake he was "usually" fine with toys and crayons. We had to tag team the odd dinner...so what ..and still do sometimes LOL.
Let me know how it goes.
Off to Grand Cayman in 2 sleeps!


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## Jasmine658 (Mar 26, 2011)

*3 ideas*

When traveling in Paris and around Europe with a toddler, what my husband and I did was get the late reservations for dinner when my son was out for the night sleeping in stroller, and that worked fine. My son was predictable as to what time he was out for the evening, always was, still is. We would feed him first, have him sleep in stroller, then park him next to us at a nice dinner say at 8:30 or 9pm. This could work so you could have nice dinner at a Signature restaurant perhaps.

Another option is get the Deluxe Dining Plan & get in-room dining service. That way, your 2 1/2 yr old can freely run around, while you enjoy a meal at your own pace. AllEars.com has the in-room dining menus, kind of limited, but it's an option. In-room dining requires 2 credits, but if have deluxe, it's already paid for so don't have to worry about it.

Option 3, which we did the last few times. Husband would watch kids who were often already asleep after exhausting day in parks, I would go down, have dinner at bar at Sanaa @ Kidani, then he would go down next, as I watched kids in room. We also did this when at DL at VGC, after they suffered through a meal at Napa Rose the 1st night there. After that we did the bar dining by ourselves in shifts - Blackberry or iPad kept us busy reading, or we would chat with other folks at bar. This last trip though, now that kids are older, we did drag them to California Grill, the Wave, and a few others - brought lots of crayons, paper, etc. Think the buffet type places are good for little kids - BOMA was fun, food was really good. I asked, but there are no take-out options from the Disney sit-down restaurants.

We just returned from Kidani Village, and we felt that there were too few good counter service options in the theme parks. We purchased the standard dining plan. But the counter services were a challenge for us and only liked a few counter services: Yorkshire County Fish Shop in Epcot - fish & beer, no vegetable or salad available & Flame Tree BBQ in AK. Shocked we couldn't get pizza at Epcot in the Italy area - only sit-down meal service options, so ended up buying pizza from window at BWV not included in meal plan. We tried the mexican El Pirata Y el Perico in MK - was pretty awful. Didn't try Cosmic Ray's near the Teacups area and had intended to try, and that's the only other one at MK recommended. We used up all our table services, had lots of counter services remaining (as so few good counter services available), and had like 19 snacks left end of trip as we just can't eat that much popcorn, haagen daz ice cream bars, etc. We tried but couldn't and would have gained like 20lbs if had. The meal plans include dessert with both lunch and dinner, and that was too much sweets for us. We had plenty of snacks left over like carrot sticks and grapes from the meals and that was all we needed.

Sunshine food court in Epcot - everything subpar - 7 people all with different stuff, all pretty bad. Plus it was too chaotic all the different windows there to try to get all your meal plan items together for an entire group - not worth the effort. Mara at AK Jambo had good breakfast, though. Think the resorts all have pretty good counter services for breakfast.

The snack credits on the dining plan will cover a counter service for something like soup, etc, and that can substitute for lunch. I used a snack credit at Sunshine Seasons Food court for a Campbell's Soup Minestrone for one lunch - I had my husband try the soup and he said it tasted like Campbells. Read that the Boulangerie at Epcot in France has good options for snacks that can subsitute for lunch but we didn't get there this last time as had planned.

I would recommend just get Deluxe DP or TIW card, or pay out of pocket for meals. Don't think the standard or counter service plans are a good deal. Do some character breakfasts or lunches and some in-room dining meals, and occasionally dine late with toddler asleep in stroller at some Signature restaurants. The problem with the counter service only plan is you may end up feeling kind of sick after eating that kind of food exclusively for days on end - I would. Besides the counter service meals are inexpensive anyway, so just pay out of pocket for them, not buy a meal plan for them. It appears there's a lot of profit to be made in the food plans - it's a huge part of the travel budget. When adding up my receipts, I don't think we saved a penny buying the meal plan really, plus it encouraged bad eating habits - desserts with every meal, etc. It's just a matter of if you like the all-inclusive feel of the Dining Plan, as opposed to shelling out cash & credit cards for each meal.

Note also the ADR's are much easier to make by computer than by phone - I was able to use my iPad for the ADR's when no luck on phone, but for popular restaurants or small restaurants, you must book months in advance - California Grill, Cinderella's Castle, etc.


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## ciscogizmo1 (Apr 3, 2011)

We've done the dining plan twice and for us it worked great.  We also have kids too ;-)   But my kids aren't wild so they are very happy in restaurants.  So, I guess, it would depend on the temperment of your kids.   However, when did the dining plan it included the appetizer and tip.  Now, I don't think those things are included so you need to add those to your cost.   For our family appetizers are important.  My kids are now 13 and 10 years old so, appetizers was a way we got them to try new things.  Believe it or not my 10 year old loves sushi.   So, we use it as a food learning experience.

Anyways, we welcome the sitdown dinner once a day.   We are usually going from 6 am until 10 pm at night so, a 2 hour break isn't going to kill us.   I remember when our youngest was 13 months old when we went and she slept through all the dinners in a stroller.  

Have you looked at the menus on allears net to see if it would be a good value for you?  

Some of the things we'd do on our trip for a family of 4.  Use 2 counter services for breakfast and share among the 4 of us.  Then, we'd do the same for lunch.   We also had a snack every day.   Otherwise, I just found by the 5th day you are so sick of eating.  We just made sure we ate but not over ate.   We would also do a couple of signature restaurants so, that freed up 2 nights of eating back in the room.   I would order groceries to make 2 easy meals like spaghetti and tacos.   This allowed us to enjoy the pool around dinner time.

Now, we use TiW card because we buy annual tickets.  I found the no expiration option on regular tickets are so expensive that it doesn't make it worth it.  We usually go for 10 plus nights too so, eating out every day gets old.


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## metsoskil (Apr 4, 2011)

If your question is based on the ability to save money, the simple answer is, "no."

The DDP is rarely a good value unless:
1.  You always order the most expensive thing on the menu.
2.  You always order dessert at every meal.
3.  You don't enjoy appitizers.
4.  You eat only at non-signature restaurants
5.  You use every one of your snack, QS, and TS credits on something you would have bought anyway.

If any of the above doesn't apply to you, you are probably wasting money.  

Many cite the convinience factor as a reason to buy DDP.  I would argue that the same could be done by putting the amount the DDP would cost you on a Disney Gift Card, use the gift card for meals, and then use the money you have left over at the end to buy some cool pins, souveneers, or to put towards your next trip. 

The real Disney magic is taking your money and making you feel good about it.  The DDP is one more way that they do this.  It makes you feel like your meals are free when you don't have to pay at the restaurant.  Don't be fooled.  It's rarely cheaper.


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## 6scoops (Apr 5, 2011)

*Dining Plan*

I have always used the dining plan.   I used to think it was a great deal.  I believe I was suckered in when it actually was a good value.  It was much cheaper and included tip and appetizer.  Disney keeps raising the price and taking away the value.  One thing for sure is, it was always way too much food for adults anyway.  I am at Jambo House, as I type this and once again did decide to purchase the dining plan.  I thought since I'm only paying for one adult and two kids it would be worth it.  I was completely wrong, I will never get the dining plan again.  My kids had really bad meals all week long.   The sit down meals and the counter service meals are the exact same for kids everywhere.  (Chicken nuggets, pizza and hamburgers)   Most annoying was,  We were not free to get what we wanted and I feel like I gained 10lbs trying to eat all the food I was forced to get on the dining plan.  Last night I had 6 counter service and 3 snacks expiring that I could not use.   Next time I will look into a discount card like Tables in Wonderland. 

On a final note.... I overheard the server at 50's Prime Time Cafe ask the table next to us, if they were on the dining plan, they replied "no",  The server laughed and said, "Then you can get what ever you want!"


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## tlwmkw (Apr 5, 2011)

Unless you are a very big eater then don't do the dining plan.  If you add up the cost per day it is quite high compared to other options plus we prefer to eat breakfast in our villa and go to off-Disney restaurants too.  We have some friends who just took their four children to Disney- they all got the dining plan (wasn't during a free dining period either) and they were happy with it.  I don't dare calculate how much they spent but they are big eaters and enjoyed it very much and were bragging about the 'great value' so it's all in the eye of the beholder.  

tlwmkw


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## krmlaw (Apr 5, 2011)

i think im actually going to plan where and what we are planning on eating, write down the cost, adding tip, etc, and see what it comes out to. 

whats the tax rate down there on food?


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## metsoskil (Apr 5, 2011)

I believe it's 6%.


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## logan115 (Apr 5, 2011)

krmlaw said:


> i think im actually going to plan where and what we are planning on eating, write down the cost, adding tip, etc, and see what it comes out to.
> 
> whats the tax rate down there on food?



That's about the only way to really figure out if it makes sense or not.  I crunched the numbers last year before our trip and the difference between paying cash or using the plan wasn't big enough to justify being limited to what/where/when we chose to eat.

Chris


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## chriskre (Apr 5, 2011)

I'm not sure if it's available for exchangers but DVC allows the dining plan for just a few nights.  Then you could always bring the leftover credit food back to your fridge and have it for breakfast or lunch the following days when you no longer have the dining plan.  

You can walk away from the counter service restaurants with lots of fruit, drinks, sandwiches and salads that should stay fresh for a few days.  You don't have to eat it all at once.


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## lisa1001 (Apr 8, 2011)

chriskre said:


> I'm not sure if it's available for exchangers but DVC allows the dining plan for just a few nights.



I called Member services and asked about this.

We are DVC members, but are going in August on an RCI exchange and were told that we hade to get the dining plan for the duration of our stay.

The cm went on to say that the only way a DVC member staying on points can only book for a portion of their stay is if they do a split stay.  Is this part really true?  I thought they were making the dining plan available to members for only a portion of their stay.


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## luvsvacation22 (Apr 8, 2011)

krmlaw said:


> i think im actually going to plan where and what we are planning on eating, write down the cost, adding tip, etc, and see what it comes out to.
> 
> whats the tax rate down there on food?



I added a program then decided maybe it is not meant for this board, so I am deleting it.


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## eal (Apr 8, 2011)

WOW!  Really cool!


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## SuzanneSLO (Apr 11, 2011)

lisa1001 said:


> I called Member services and asked about this.
> 
> We are DVC members, but are going in August on an RCI exchange and were told that we hade to get the dining plan for the duration of our stay.
> 
> The cm went on to say that the only way a DVC member staying on points can only book for a portion of their stay is if they do a split stay.  Is this part really true?  I thought they were making the dining plan available to members for only a portion of their stay.



I haven't done this but my understanding is that DVC members booking on points can "segment" their reservation, even if it would otherwise be for a continuous stay in the same accomodation, to allow the dining plan to be booked for only aportion of the stay.

There have been some downsides reported, such as needing new keys every time you switch from plan to no plan and vice-versa.  Some have reported losing reservations when it was segmented, so DVC members attempting to do this should verify the CM knows what they are doing before attempting to segment. Some have raved about the cost saving and have enjoyed every other day on the plan.  -- Suzanne


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## krmlaw (Apr 12, 2011)

we decided to skip DDP ... lets see how it works! this is our 1st time on property not having it. 

we still have time to change our mind again ... but we like to eat off property too. and am thinking with the 2 year old we might be eating more in the condo.


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## tomandrobin (Apr 12, 2011)

krmlaw said:


> we decided to skip DDP ... lets see how it works! this is our 1st time on property not having it.
> 
> we still have time to change our mind again ... but we like to eat off property too. and am thinking with the 2 year old we might be eating more in the condo.



The dining plan with kids is a steal....esp if you hit the character buffet circuit.


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## tomandrobin (Apr 12, 2011)

SuzanneSLO said:


> I haven't done this but my understanding is that DVC members booking on points can "segment" their reservation, even if it would otherwise be for a continuous stay in the same accomodation, to allow the dining plan to be booked for only aportion of the stay.
> 
> There have been some downsides reported, such as needing new keys every time you switch from plan to no plan and vice-versa.  Some have reported losing reservations when it was segmented, so DVC members attempting to do this should verify the CM knows what they are doing before attempting to segment. Some have raved about the cost saving and have enjoyed every other day on the plan.  -- Suzanne



You are correct....You can segment the reservation to add the DDP to only part of your stay. You have to change keys, etc.


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## metsoskil (Apr 13, 2011)

The only consideration I have given the Dining Plan is to add either the QSDP or DxDP to only the first day of our resservation (by segmenting as discussed by PPs).  This could save you money if you were planning on buying the refillable mugs anyway, as they are included in both plans.

For us, this is the only way the plans would make economic sense.


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## krmlaw (Apr 13, 2011)

tomandrobin said:


> The dining plan with kids is a steal....esp if you hit the character buffet circuit.



ok give me the low down on this idea ...


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## tomandrobin (Apr 13, 2011)

krmlaw said:


> ok give me the low down on this idea ...



The DDP is for one Table Service, Quick Service and snack per day. If you go to a lot of Character dinners, the dinner alone cover the DDP cost for the day, and you still have the snack and quick service.....Bargain. If my kids were 4-10 years old, we would be hitting a lot of character dining locations. 

DDP  - Children 

$11.99 non-peak
$12.99 peak

*Peak Seasons: 2/17/11 - 2/26/11, 3/11/11 - 4/30/11, 6/3/11 - 8/13/11,12/23/11 - 12/31/11 

Hollywood and Vine Character Lunch - $14.99
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Princess Storybook Character Dining - $25.99
Crystal Palace Character Dinner Buffet - $17.99
Chef Mickeys Dinner Buffet - $17.03
1900 Park Fare Dinner Buffet - $17.99
Garden Grill Dinner - $16.99

I did not include the breakfast and lunch buffets on the is list, except H&V. They are cheaper then dinner, but still not bad.


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## MichaelColey (Apr 14, 2011)

krmlaw said:


> we decided to skip DDP ... lets see how it works! this is our 1st time on property not having it.


On our first four trips to Disney, we got the free dining plan and stayed at "value resorts". (Now, value resorts only get the QSDP with "free dining".) On our last several trips, we've stayed at timeshares and gone without the dining plan. We eat some in our rooms (always breakfast and often dinner), pack some lunches (some lunches), eat some counter service (some lunches), and eat some off site (some dinners). For us, it's less than half the cost of the dining plan.

We haven't done any table service meals OOP. We look at them, and just can't justify the costs. Counter service is fine (about $10 for adults and $5 for kids), but I just can't see spending $40-$50 for each adult (after taxes and tips) for most table service meals, or the high weekly cost (about $850 for our family) for the dining plan.

The one exception for us will be the Food & Wine festival (if we get into BCV or BWV). We'll buy the dining plan then.  The snack credits for food samples is awesome, and we'll get our fill of our favorite table service meals restaurants then.


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## lobsterlover (Apr 16, 2011)

*krmlaw: back yet?*

Just wondering how you made out. We're going in a month so I curious what you chose to do.
Thanks!


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## lobsterlover (May 29, 2011)

Just got back and would never, ever, ever, get the dining plan again!
Who new there would be a heat wave and we had to clear out of the parks by 3 or so as not to die of heat. So there goes those 5:30 in park res'es. Being tied down to our res. location just did not work most nights. We needed to be flexable due to naps, heat, etc. The food was so bad. We had 2 good dinners the whole week. Very disappointing. I would have rather driven off site.
Live and learn.
One good thing, the rental car was pure bliss. Used it every day and when we didn't, we encountered a one hour tour just to what with the car would be 9 minutes. Not to mention during lightening the boats stop.


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## bogey21 (May 29, 2011)

tomandrobin said:


> The dining plan with kids is a steal....esp if you hit the character buffet circuit.



My Daughter told me the same thing.  It was she, her Husband and two kids.  Maybe the fact that they were staying on site made it desirable.

George


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## joyzilli (May 31, 2011)

> The one exception for us will be the Food & Wine festival (if we get into BCV or BWV). We'll buy the dining plan then. The snack credits for food samples is awesome, and we'll get our fill of our favorite table service meals restaurants then.



Is it one food sample per snack credit?  Do you really come out ahead getting the dining plan for food and wine.  We've go often for F&W and never purchased the plan.


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## tomandrobin (May 31, 2011)

lobsterlover said:


> Just got back and would never, ever, ever, get the dining plan again!
> Who new there would be a heat wave and we had to clear out of the parks by 3 or so as not to die of heat. So there goes those 5:30 in park res'es. Being tied down to our res. location just did not work most nights. We needed to be flexable due to naps, heat, etc. The food was so bad. We had 2 good dinners the whole week. Very disappointing. I would have rather driven off site.
> Live and learn.
> One good thing, the rental car was pure bliss. Used it every day and when we didn't, we encountered a one hour tour just to what with the car would be 9 minutes. Not to mention during lightening the boats stop.



Late May is always hot. 

Between not handling the heat and nap time plans, there seems to be some bad planning in play here too.


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## tomandrobin (May 31, 2011)

joyzilli said:


> Is it one food sample per snack credit?  Do you really come out ahead getting the dining plan for food and wine.  We've go often for F&W and never purchased the plan.



After sampling around the world showcase, there is no way we can go eat a nice TS meal. With the DDP, you get 1 snack a day, per person. We'll stop at six or more displays per day, so 1 snack credit does not go too far.


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## tomandrobin (May 31, 2011)

bogey21 said:


> My Daughter told me the same thing.  It was she, her Husband and two kids.  Maybe the fact that they were staying on site made it desirable.
> 
> George



You can not get the dining plan staying off-site. 

But, the character dining with children, makes the DDP work.


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## rickandcindy23 (May 31, 2011)

lobsterlover said:


> Just got back and would never, ever, ever, get the dining plan again!
> Who new there would be a heat wave and we had to clear out of the parks by 3 or so as not to die of heat. So there goes those 5:30 in park res'es. Being tied down to our res. location just did not work most nights. We needed to be flexable due to naps, heat, etc. The food was so bad. We had 2 good dinners the whole week. Very disappointing. I would have rather driven off site.
> Live and learn.
> One good thing, the rental car was pure bliss. Used it every day and when we didn't, we encountered a one hour tour just to what with the car would be 9 minutes. Not to mention during lightening the boats stop.



You paid for the DDP and didn't use it?   I am not a huge fan of the food myself, and I don't get the allure of the DDP.  We have dining reservations for November's trip for 14 straight days, but we aren't doing the DDP.  The Tables in Wonderland 20% discount we get with our annual passes is going to work for us.  

I am not able to eat carbs and sugar, so the DDP would just be too tempting with the desserts.  I am also not a soda pop fan and love to just brew tea myself and enjoy it during the grandkids' naptimes.  The tea at Coral Seas restaurant in Epcot was instant.  Yuck! 

So if we end up somewhere other than the Disney restaurants, I will be okay with it.  I am looking forward to eating at Rainforest Cafe, which is not on the DDP, and I don't think we get a discount there with TIW.  We are also using Restaurant.com for House of Blues.


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## MichaelColey (May 31, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> The one exception for us will be the Food & Wine festival (if we get into BCV or BWV). We'll buy the dining plan then. The snack credits for food samples is awesome, and we'll get our fill of our favorite table service meals restaurants then.


 


joyzilli said:


> Is it one food sample per snack credit? Do you really come out ahead getting the dining plan for food and wine. We've go often for F&W and never purchased the plan.


I'm sure it doesn't make that much of a difference (five of us would only get 35 snack credits in a week), but it's a good excuse and we'll get more benefit from the DDP then than we would at any other time.

I usually use snack credits as a replacement for a counter service meal on Epcot days.  My wife and kids prefer to have regular meals, so they use counter service credits and let me use most of the snack credits.  (We use other snack credits for cupcakes, ice cream, shakes, funnel cakes, etc.)


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## tomandrobin (May 31, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> I'm sure it doesn't make that much of a difference (five of us would only get 35 snack credits in a week), but it's a good excuse and we'll get more benefit from the DDP then than we would at any other time.
> 
> I usually use snack credits as a replacement for a counter service meal on Epcot days.  My wife and kids prefer to have regular meals, so they use counter service credits and let me use most of the snack credits.  (We use other snack credits for cupcakes, ice cream, shakes, funnel cakes, etc.)



The Quick Service plan might do well for the F&W festival.


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## MichaelColey (May 31, 2011)

Hmmm, that's a thought (especially since you get twice as many snack credits), but for an extra $10/adult/day, I really like getting to do a TS instead of a CS.  I think I might be more tempted by the Deluxe Dining Plan (but that's QUITE A BIT more expensive).


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## tomandrobin (May 31, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> Hmmm, that's a thought (especially since you get twice as many snack credits), but for an extra $10/adult/day, I really like getting to do a TS instead of a CS.  I think I might be more tempted by the Deluxe Dining Plan (but that's QUITE A BIT more expensive).



The DDDP works well with split stays. DVC members can do partial dining plans, so it makes it easier to spread out those credits. 

With the QS you get the refillable mug too.


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## cindi (May 31, 2011)

rickandcindy23 said:


> So if we end up somewhere other than the Disney restaurants, I will be okay with it.  I am looking forward to eating at Rainforest Cafe, which is not on the DDP, and I don't think we get a discount there with TIW.  We are also using Restaurant.com for House of Blues.



I am pretty sure you get a discount at Rainforest with your annual passes.


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## glypnirsgirl (Jun 1, 2011)

tomandrobin said:


> The DDDP works well with split stays. DVC members can do partial dining plans, so it makes it easier to spread out those credits.
> 
> With the QS you get the refillable mug too.



What do you mean that DVC members can do partial dining plans? 

elaine


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## MichaelColey (Jun 1, 2011)

For DVC members, they can book multiple back-to-back reservations and add the dining plan to just one (or some) of those reservations.  For instance, if they're planning on staying a week, they might do something like this:

1 night reservation - with the QS dining plan (to get refillable mugs)
2 night reservation - with no dining plan
1 night reservation - with the DxDDP (using the 3 TS credits over two days)
3 night reservation - with no dining plan

For the DVC points required, there's absolutely no difference between doing that and doing a single 7 night reservation.

For those of us who exchange in, we don't have that luxury.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 1, 2011)

glypnirsgirl said:


> What do you mean that DVC members can do partial dining plans?
> 
> elaine



Pretty much what MC described. When you call MS, you tell them that you want to break the reservation up. Tell them that you want to add the Dining plan for "x" number of days. A new/inexperienced MS rep might not understand, so call back until you get one that knows what to do.


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## lobsterlover (Jun 3, 2011)

tomandrobin said:


> Late May is always hot.
> 
> Between not handling the heat and nap time plans, there seems to be some bad planning in play here too.



I am a landscaper and handle the heat fine. It was 5' hotter than normal and that 5' would have made all the difference. The last day it was breezier and slightly cooler and everyone perked up.
The naps were for my parents who were falling apart at the seams. Swollen arthritic joint flair ups etc.
It was hard to plan not having been to Disney since I was a kid and not knowing what to expect.
I think I would rather have gone to Red Lobster or Olive Garden instead of the $35 overcooked steak and  greasy veg meal I had. Although it was the dining plan. We had no less than 8 desserts in our fridge when we checked out. It was a lot of wasted food all week as we're not used to the American sized portions.


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## glypnirsgirl (Jun 3, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> For DVC members, they can book multiple back-to-back reservations and add the dining plan to just one (or some) of those reservations.  For instance, if they're planning on staying a week, they might do something like this:
> 
> 1 night reservation - with the QS dining plan (to get refillable mugs)
> 2 night reservation - with no dining plan
> ...



Cool! I had heard of people doing this on mouseowners, but DVC used to not be so accomodating and sometimes they ended up in a different room. With wasting a day moving, really was not worth it, but this is a great idea with the assurance that you don't have to move.

elaine


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## glypnirsgirl (Jun 3, 2011)

tomandrobin said:


> Pretty much what MC described. When you call MS, you tell them that you want to break the reservation up. Tell them that you want to add the Dining plan for "x" number of days. A new/inexperienced MS rep might not understand, so call back until you get one that knows what to do.



Great info!


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## glypnirsgirl (Jun 3, 2011)

lobsterlover said:


> I am a landscaper and handle the heat fine. It was 5' hotter than normal and that 5' would have made all the difference. The last day it was breezier and slightly cooler and everyone perked up.
> The naps were for my parents who were falling apart at the seams. Swollen arthritic joint flair ups etc.
> It was hard to plan not having been to Disney since I was a kid and not knowing what to expect.
> I think I would rather have gone to Red Lobster or Olive Garden instead of the $35 overcooked steak and  greasy veg meal I had. Although it was the dining plan. We had no less than 8 desserts in our fridge when we checked out. It was a lot of wasted food all week as we're not used to the American sized portions.



I understand what you mean. June is always hot, also. But I am from Texas and I know hot. It felt hotter in WDW than it does at home. Some of it is the reflected heat from all of that asphalt and concrete. Some of it is the humidity. Some of it is having so many people in one place. Add to that the first week in June is when all the new trainees start working and we had the worst trip ever to WDW. 

I love October. It is cool enough to not be miserable. And warm enough to still enjoy the pools. I really liked it before food and wine because it was also slow. Now, not so much. 

I find the restaurants extremely variable. I love some of them: Brown Derby and Raglan Road are my two favorites. I love Artist Point and Jiko. I love Kona Cafe at the Polynesian (macadamia encrusted MahiMahi - oh my!). And I used to love Marrakesh, but now that we have a Moroccan restaurant within 20 minutes of our house, it is not as appealing. 

Rose and Crown is okay and it cannot be beat for viewing Illuminations. 
I was unimpressed with the food at Oktoberfest, but I really enjoyed the ambiance. Olivia's is convenient when we are staying at Old Key West, but there is not much else to recommend it. I think that the St. Angel Inn is one of the most romantic restaurants anywhere, but the food does not live up to the surroundings. 

And then there are the restaurants that I really dislike: Artist's Palette at Saratoga Springs is number one: food is awful, service is awful, and there is no ambiance. Mama Melrose, too bland. Tony's, too bland. (Who wants Italian food that is not as good as ChefBoyardee ravioli?) I used to love Askershus, before the princesses, now it is a real turn-off.  

I really prefer eating in except for a dinner out every other night or so - sometimes less. That is why the idea of the segmented reservation is so intriguing. 

elaine


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## jmpellet (Jun 8, 2011)

I have done the DDP several times during free dining periods and we love it BUT you are definitely tied to those ressies.  Now that we are exchanging in and purchasing the plan we are going with the QSDP as to not tie us to any one park.  We are doing the Disney YES program which gives pretty discounted park hopper tickets so we want the freedom to move about between parks.  My kids are getting older (7,9,10) so more commando style touring is easier.  We have also eaten at most all of the restaurants (except for the signatures) so we feel as though we have experienced most of what they have to offer.  Plus the DDP is not as desirable now that you have to pay the tips.


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