# Disney Dining Plan, is it worth the price for lunch hour?



## rickandcindy23 (May 4, 2008)

We did this once and couldn't get reservations, which was very disappointing.  Now our daughter and son-in-law (and grandbaby) are going with us in September, and they are looking forward to the DDP!  If they do it, we have to do it too because we are all staying together at Boardwalk Villas.  

The problem I am having-- reservations are impossible to get for dinner at the most popular places.  We couldn't even get Le Cellier for lunch hour!  We happen to be going at the same time that Disney is offering free dining, which is mid-September.  

Our daughter was able to get Coral Reef, Tony's and the other restaurants she wanted to try for the lunch hour, but she just couldn't get the dinner reservations. 

So this comes to my questions:

Is it worth it to even do the DDP, if you cannot get into the restaurants you really want for dinner hour?  The restaurants seem less expensive at lunch.

Would the Disney Dining Experience be a good alternative?  How much is that and who can buy it?

Which restaurants do you think are the best?  

Thanks for your answers in advance.


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## djs (May 4, 2008)

Unfortunately, I can't answer your question, but have you tried going to disboards?  They have an entire section that covers the ddp.


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## bobcat (May 5, 2008)

djs said:


> Unfortunately, I can't answer your question, but have you tried going to disboards?  They have an entire section that covers the ddp.



Cindy, We are going in August. Traded in. I took the dining plan. However, I put in our requests at the 6 month max. I beleive that is how far you can go.   I had no trouble . However, for lunch I did not reserve any thing. We did not know where we would be in the parks. Just wing it now. I researched on line the places to eat. Some take two nights for one, like the shows.  We did the steak house in Epcot, two shows and one top resraurant. That is 7 nights. I was told by Disney the meals are big. We are not big eaters.  The lady who helped me was very nice. She went over my lunch list and If something she thought was better, told me about it. She had eaten at several places at Disney.  I hear Wolfgang Puck was good. The Earl of Sandwick. I spent a long time going over the restaurants on the list on line.  Good luck. Sorry I can not answer more.  I was also told the main problem is people waited too long to make dinner plans and were out of luck.


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## bobcat (May 5, 2008)

bobcat said:


> Cindy, We are going in August. Traded in. I took the dining plan. However, I put in our requests at the 6 month max. I beleive that is how far you can go.   I had no trouble . However, for lunch I did not reserve any thing. We did not know where we would be in the parks. Just wing it now. I researched on line the places to eat. Some take two nights for one, like the shows.  We did the steak house in Epcot, two shows and one top resraurant. That is 7 nights. I was told by Disney the meals are big. We are not big eaters.  The lady who helped me was very nice. She went over my lunch list and If something she thought was better, told me about it. She had eaten at several places at Disney.  I hear Wolfgang Puck was good. The Earl of Sandwick. I spent a long time going over the restaurants on the list on line.  Good luck. Sorry I can not answer more.  I was also told the main problem is people waited too long to make dinner plans and were out of luck.



Also, I thing we paid around 540 for the lunch, 1 snack and 7 dinners. I was told we would save at least 40 per cent over pay ing without the plan.  They give you a menu and you can pick from it. They keep track of what you eat.


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## FLYNZ4 (May 5, 2008)

Our DVC trips are generally 12 nights.   We book meals for every lunch and dinner at the 180 day point.   We will cancel on-site for those we feel like skipping.

We have never used the DDP.   We prefer the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card instead.    With that we can do more TS meals... but eat smaller portions at each one.    DDE gives a 20% discount and costs $65/year.   It is only available to FL residents and AP holders.

We might get the DDP (or DDDP) for a 6 day portion of our trip over New Years.  The DDE card has a few black-out dates.

/Jim


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## Twinkstarr (May 5, 2008)

rickandcindy23 said:


> We did this once and couldn't get reservations, which was very disappointing.  Now our daughter and son-in-law (and grandbaby) are going with us in September, and they are looking forward to the DDP!  If they do it, we have to do it too because we are all staying together at Boardwalk Villas.
> 
> The problem I am having-- reservations are impossible to get for dinner at the most popular places.  We couldn't even get Le Cellier for lunch hour!  We happen to be going at the same time that Disney is offering free dining, which is mid-September.
> 
> ...



Cindy, September is when WDW does their "free dining" for cash reservations. Pay rack rate and buy a park ticket and get the dining plan free. Parks are nice but restaurants are packed. I think the dates are 9/6-9/26 or in that area. 

Over at the DIS boards, there are people who have been waiting for this for a year. When the window opens up for ADR's(advance dining reservations) those people will make them then hoping free dining is offered. Don't be afraid to call back every so often, because ADR's get changed. Don't know how applicable this advice is during free dining.

We use the DDE, since we get the AP's. Learned my ADR's lesson when I waited until September to book for our Thanksgiving trip. Try some of the DTD restaurants. We did Puck's sitdown place and it wasn't that great. Puck's Express is much better. We also like House of Blues and Raglan Road.
But then you put yourself at the mercy of the DTD buses.


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## rickandcindy23 (May 5, 2008)

So does each person have to pay for the DDE card?  Or can one person pay for it and everyone in party uses it for the discount.  We always have annual passes.

The LeCellier was the biggest disappointment because we love that restaurant.  Our daughter called at 5 months because we received our trade into a two-bedroom Boardwalk Villas.  I would rather wait and do the DDP another time, but our daughter is insistent that it will be just fine.   I think Rick needs to talk to her, because no one needs desserts and expensive beverages with dinner (Rick and I always drink water at restaurants).  If we used the DDE and kept our reservations as they are, perhaps we would save money without the desserts and beverages, especially.


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## Twinkstarr (May 5, 2008)

rickandcindy23 said:


> So does each person have to pay for the DDE card?  Or can one person pay for it and everyone in party uses it for the discount.  We always have annual passes.
> 
> The LeCellier was the biggest disappointment because we love that restaurant.  Our daughter called at 5 months because we received our trade into a two-bedroom Boardwalk Villas.  I would rather wait and do the DDP another time, but our daughter is insistent that it will be just fine.   I think Rick needs to talk to her, because no one needs desserts and expensive beverages with dinner (Rick and I always drink water at restaurants).  If we used the DDE and kept our reservations as they are, perhaps we would save money without the desserts and beverages, especially.



Just one person needs to get the DDE. You get 20% on alcoholic beverages too. It covers up to 10 people on one bill. The card holder has to be present(or spouse) to use it. I might be wrong on this(as the card is in my name but DH pays). Don't know if you or Rick got the card, and you let your daughter use it for a night out while you babysit.


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## ciscogizmo1 (May 5, 2008)

I think it is worth it if you like sitdown type meals.  They can be time consuming so, if you are thinking at the all the rides you can go then it probably isn't for you.  We like the sitdown as it gives our kids a chance to unwind and relax.  Otherwise it is too much on the go.  You can check out menus here:

http://allearsnet.com/din/dining.htm

There are tons of restuarants that have good food.  I'm a foody so, I think the food is good but not excellant.  I like all the theming the restaurants have.  Also, some of the popular places tend to book quickly like Le Cellier which I think is totally overrated.   I think, alot of people like Le Cellier for the value as it is only one table credit.   There are so many other excellant restaurant choices.  Also, don't rule out the resort restaurants.  We ate at Artist Pointe in Wilderness Lodge and it was an excellant meal.  I'd rate it as one of the top places we have eaten at in WDW.

However, if you get an annual pass I think a DDE card is a no brainer.  Good luck and have fun!


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## Twinkstarr (May 5, 2008)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> I think it is worth it if you like sitdown type meals.  They can be time consuming so, if you are thinking at the all the rides you can go then it probably isn't for you.  We like the sitdown as it gives our kids a chance to unwind and relax.  Otherwise it is too much on the go.  You can check out menus here:
> 
> http://allearsnet.com/din/dining.htm
> 
> ...



We did Le Cellier last May for lunch. It was okay, I thought the vaunted cheese soup kind of gross. 

We really enjoyed the Flying Fish in January for an adults only meal. Absolutely great food and great service(didn't mind if we took 2 hrs for dinner).


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## bobcat (May 5, 2008)

rickandcindy23 said:


> So does each person have to pay for the DDE card?  Or can one person pay for it and everyone in party uses it for the discount.  We always have annual passes.
> 
> The LeCellier was the biggest disappointment because we love that restaurant.  Our daughter called at 5 months because we received our trade into a two-bedroom Boardwalk Villas.  I would rather wait and do the DDP another time, but our daughter is insistent that it will be just fine.   I think Rick needs to talk to her, because no one needs desserts and expensive beverages with dinner (Rick and I always drink water at restaurants).  If we used the DDE and kept our reservations as they are, perhaps we would save money without the desserts and beverages, especially.



5 months out is to late to make reservations I was told upfront by Disney. . At the 180 day mark people are calling in . Maybe next time. I am sure you will have a great time.  As I posted before, DDP  plan we have will be too much food some days. We can eat light. What  I was told desserts are included in the meal. Drinks are not. Also the tip is extra. Enjoy.


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## barndweller (May 5, 2008)

Since you are going in Sept. during "free dining" when zillions of people have booked at the value resorts (ie: cheapest rooms available) and get to sign up for the dining plan as a "free" extra, you are out of luck for the most popular restaurants. Those folks have booked up everything 180 days in advance that will get them lobster or steak. That is not neccessarily a bad thing. They are only looking for champagne on a beer budget. Those restaurants are going to be crowded, service lackluster & the menus have been ruined by the DDP. Look at going to the places that the families don't think are maximizing their dollar. Skip the highly overrated Le Cellier and Character interaction locales. 

We loved Artist Point. Few free diners book it because they have to use 2 credits. The dining at the resorts rather than the parks is always better. Fewer people book them because they don't want to take the time to leave the parks for a meal. Try Animal Kingdom Lodge or the dining choices at Boardwalk, Beachclub or Downtown Disney. Stear clear of anyplace at the Magic Kingdom or resorts on the monorail line. 

Personally, I feel the DDP has greatly degraded the dining experience at WDW. What used to be a major part of the reason to go has now become a mass produced, generic feedlot experience for the most part. The food is just not that great anymore and the service & atmosphere is mediocre at best.


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## Seth Nock (May 6, 2008)

It is typically an advantage to use the Disney Dining plan if you have children between the age of 3-9, as the children's plan is a very good value.  It is also very easy to use the dining plan, if you are not always together, as your children can just sign for the snacks, etc.


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## cruisin (May 8, 2008)

Cindy, we will probably have an extra reservation for Le cellier, our dates are Aug31-sept 12. Are you there during this time. We exchanged into beach club and a Grand villa at OKW.    Sean


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## WelcomeHome (May 30, 2008)

*There's a secret!*

As long as you are pepared to make your lunch &/or dinner reservations 6 months in advance when you access to the reservation system begins, you can get into ANY restaurant and ANY time you want. I do it all the time and never has a problem including at Le Cellier!

You simply have to be a good planner and beat the rest of the crowd to the punch for the best restaurants at the best times. At 6 months out, EVERYTHING is AVAILABLE! (Keep in mind that Le Cellier is EXTREMELY popular and is BOOKED SOLID after just a few days short of 180 days reservation availability - the rest of the restaurants have extremely good availability between 150 to 180 days out).

Best wishes,
Dave


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## rickandcindy23 (May 30, 2008)

WelcomeHome said:


> As long as you are pepared to make your lunch &/or dinner reservations 6 months in advance when you access to the reservation system begins, you can get into ANY restaurant and ANY time you want. I do it all the time and never has a problem including at Le Cellier!
> 
> You simply have to be a good planner and beat the rest of the crowd to the punch for the best restaurants at the best times. At 6 months out, EVERYTHING is AVAILABLE! (Keep in mind that Le Cellier is EXTREMELY popular and is BOOKED SOLID after just a few days short of 180 days reservation availability - the rest of the restaurants have extremely good availability between 150 to 180 days out).
> 
> ...



Our daughter made reservations within 5 months, and we couldn't get LeCellier, so it must be the hardest to get and the quickest to book.

We happen to have our trip planned during Disney's free dining, but we are at Boardwalk Villas and won't be doing the free dining, we will be paying for ours because it was an exchange.  I think the value of the Disney Dining is lacking.  I thought the food was just okay, and I don't know if those snack credits are as valuable as they used to be.   We could get caramel apples, smoothies, and ice cream cookie sandwiches at the Sleepy Hollow 18 months ago.  I think they took those out of the plan.  I am not sure, and wonder what you all know about the snack credits and how they can be used?


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## cindi (Jun 21, 2008)

I did call at almost exactly 180 days out for our end of Sept trip and I got the very last spot at Le Cellier! And it is late, like around 8:45 if I remember right.

Frankly, I am considering canceling it. If I do, I will let you know first and we can coordinate. 

They dropped my favorite item from the menu, which is the Filet with the barbeque sauce flavor.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 26, 2008)

FYI...on the Disboards, there is a big thread with people who have existing ADR's that want to exchange ADR's with others during the free dining.


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## GadgetRick (Jun 26, 2008)

This is my only complaint with the DDP. It's a great deal, however, it's next to impossible to get into anywhere. The problem is, you HAVE to book so far in advance. Heck, I don't know what I'm eating this evening much less 6 months from now!

Another problem is, it seems, since the DDP, all of the places (basically) have the same food--except the better places. Seems like there's just a slight twist (based on the theme of the establishment) but it's pretty much the same stuff. It can get boring if you're there too long.

However, you get a lot of food so you won't be hungry. 

If you can plan in advance, it's a great deal. However, I don't think I'm using it the next time we go down.


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## banzai (Jul 20, 2008)

*Disney dinning plan*

We're going to Orlando (WDW) on July 26 for a week and have started to consider the dinning plan.  Except I can't find anything yet about how much the plan is or how to upgrade to it.  We've already purchased our disney tickets through Undercovertourist.com.  

Does anyone know how much the plan is per person per day and if we can upgrade our tickets once we get there?

Thanks.


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## calgarygary (Jul 20, 2008)

banzai said:


> We're going to Orlando (WDW) on July 26 for a week and have started to consider the dinning plan.  Except I can't find anything yet about how much the plan is or how to upgrade to it.  We've already purchased our disney tickets through Undercovertourist.com.
> 
> Does anyone know how much the plan is per person per day and if we can upgrade our tickets once we get there?
> 
> Thanks.



If you were planning for next year, I would possibly consider it but at this late date - do not do it.  You will not get your preference for table service restaurants and you will likely not get your choice of dining time in what is left over.  If you have already made your reservations (adr in disneyspeak) than maybe you could consider it.


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## calgarygary (Jul 20, 2008)

banzai said:


> We're going to Orlando (WDW) on July 26 for a week and have started to consider the dinning plan.  Except I can't find anything yet about how much the plan is or how to upgrade to it.  We've already purchased our disney tickets through Undercovertourist.com.
> 
> Does anyone know how much the plan is per person per day and if we can upgrade our tickets once we get there?
> 
> Thanks.



If you were planning for next year, I would possibly consider it but at this late date - do not do it.  You will not get your preference for table service restaurants and you will likely not get your choice of dining time in what is left over.  If you have already made your reservations (adr in disneyspeak) than maybe you could consider it.

I should have read your entire post, the disney dining plan requires that you stay onsite and purchase at least 1 day's tickets for each person before you can add the dining plan.


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## Lisa P (Jul 21, 2008)

banzai said:


> I can't find anything yet about how much the plan is or how to upgrade to it.


There are a couple options for the Disney Dining Plans.  The basic DDP is $37.99/adult and $9.99/child per night.  It includes taxes on your meals (w/beverage & dessert) but not gratuities, no alcohol, no appetizers.  1 Table Service, 1 Counter Service and 1 Snack per day.  Need to get it for all people staying in your room, for the full length of stay.  If you're paying for the room, it requires an additional park admission ticket purchase per person, from Disney, as well (at least one day's admission), in order to make your "package" eligible to purchase DDP.  If you've got an II exchange, it does not require this additional ticket purchase, as far as I know.  

The Deluxe DDP is $69.99/adult and $19.99/child per night.  3 meals and 2 snacks per day, appetizers included, plus one refillable beverage mug per person, to be used at your resort.

The Wine & Dine Plan can be added for one bottle of wine per night from a list, for an extra $39.99 per night.

All of these options have restrictions, higher value and lesser value options.  DVC Member Services has told me that they do want advance notice of 3 business days before check-in, when adding DDP to an II Exchange Confirmation.



banzai said:


> We've already purchased our disney tickets through Undercovertourist.com.  Does anyone know how much the plan is per person per day and if we can upgrade our tickets once we get there?



Upgrading tickets is a separate matter from the DDP.  You may upgrade your passes at any Guest Services desk, at the TTC or at the parks.  If you do it after the pass has been used to enter the parks, you'll get the full retail value of your pass applied to the upgraded tickets.  If you do it with new, unused, discounted tickets, only the discounted purchase price is applied to your upgraded purchase, effectively eliminating your discount.  Hope that makes sense.  If you will need a park pass purchase from Disney so you can upgrade a "room only" paid reservation to a DDP Package, and if you want to do this with your UT prepaid tickets, I don't know if they'd permit you to visit the parks on your arrival day, prior to check-in, upgrade the tickets while inside, then go to check-in and show them that you have passes which have only been used that day.  They may say you have to actually buy the one-day tix at check-in.  A phone call to the resort may tell you the answer to that.


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## californiagirl (Jul 26, 2008)

When in Sept are you going?  My daughter and I went last Sept.  We left the day after Labor day and stayed a week.  Our experience with crowds was very different than others.  When trying to book ADRs I was very frustrated, there were limited reservations available.  The first night we just showed up at the restaurant we wanted to eat at.  The place was TOTALLY empty!!  Their reservation book was completely full, showing no availability.  We were seated after about 5 minutes.  We did this nearly every night.  Only one night did the restaurant fill up.  We asked our servers and they shook their heads and said that sometimes people make multiple reservations for the same night and then decide that evening which restaurant to eat at.


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 26, 2008)

californiagirl said:


> When in Sept are you going?  My daughter and I went last Sept.  We left the day after Labor day and stayed a week.  Our experience with crowds was very different than others.  When trying to book ADRs I was very frustrated, there were limited reservations available.  The first night we just showed up at the restaurant we wanted to eat at.  The place was TOTALLY empty!!  Their reservation book was completely full, showing no availability.  We were seated after about 5 minutes.  We did this nearly every night.  Only one night did the restaurant fill up.  We asked our servers and they shook their heads and said that sometimes people make multiple reservations for the same night and then decide that evening which restaurant to eat at.



Wouldn't be surprised, the free dining people have a system. They have threads over at the DIS boards(main part) on how to book a room pre-announcement, how to have the reservation changed when free dining is announced(AAA TA's are very good at doing this from what I read). With the early reservation, they are on the phone 180 days.


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## iluvwdw (Jul 31, 2008)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Our daughter made reservations within 5 months, and we couldn't get LeCellier, so it must be the hardest to get and the quickest to book.
> 
> We happen to have our trip planned during Disney's free dining, but we are at Boardwalk Villas and won't be doing the free dining, we will be paying for ours because it was an exchange.  I think the value of the Disney Dining is lacking.  I thought the food was just okay, and I don't know if those snack credits are as valuable as they used to be.   We could get caramel apples, smoothies, and ice cream cookie sandwiches at the Sleepy Hollow 18 months ago.  I think they took those out of the plan.  I am not sure, and wonder what you all know about the snack credits and how they can be used?



You would be surprised at all the things you can use your snack credits on!  YES, you can still get caramel apples and ice cream cookie sandwiches!  Check out this AMAZING DIS thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1683477


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## luv2vacation (Jul 31, 2008)

Okay, I have 2 questions.

1.  I understand that you have to get DDP for length of stay, does that INCLUDE day you arrive and day you leave or just the days in between?  For instance, I'm going from Thursday- Monday in January.  Would I just buy for Fr, Sa, & Su?

2.  If I have a 10-yo with me (she will JUST have turned 10), do I have to buy the adult plan?  It's not even that I would mind paying it if she ate it, but she rarely even eats a kid's meal, so it would definitely be a waste for her.  I don't mind paying for a kid's plan, but how would they know?


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 31, 2008)

luv2vacation said:


> Okay, I have 2 questions.
> 
> 1.  I understand that you have to get DDP for length of stay, does that INCLUDE day you arrive and day you leave or just the days in between?  For instance, I'm going from Thursday- Monday in January.  Would I just buy for Fr, Sa, & Su?
> 
> 2.  If I have a 10-yo with me (she will JUST have turned 10), do I have to buy the adult plan?  It's not even that I would mind paying it if she ate it, but she rarely even eats a kid's meal, so it would definitely be a waste for her.  I don't mind paying for a kid's plan, but how would they know?



We've never used the DDP, but your daughter is now an adult in Disney's eye.  So you would have to buy the adult plan unless you fibbed about her age.


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## FLYNZ4 (Jul 31, 2008)

luv2vacation said:


> Okay, I have 2 questions.
> 
> 1.  I understand that you have to get DDP for length of stay, does that INCLUDE day you arrive and day you leave or just the days in between?  For instance, I'm going from Thursday- Monday in January.  Would I just buy for Fr, Sa, & Su?
> 
> 2.  If I have a 10-yo with me (she will JUST have turned 10), do I have to buy the adult plan?  It's not even that I would mind paying it if she ate it, but she rarely even eats a kid's meal, so it would definitely be a waste for her.  I don't mind paying for a kid's plan, but how would they know?



You buy it for the number of nights you are staying.   You can use the plan on either end day... up till midnight.

Hence... if you went for 7 nights... you would pay for 7 nights and could use the plan's elements anytime during the 8 days.


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