Disney Dining Plan--Facts and Figures (Discussion)

[MagicalEars]

Alot of people, including myself, have been asking if the Disney Dining Plan is worth it. Well after doing some number crunching I've come to the conclusion that it's not. I've come up with a few examples comparing eating with the dining plan and eating without. First, however, lets look at some general disadvantages the plan has.

1. You are restricted to 1 sit-down meal, 1 counter service and 1 snack per evening of your stay. So if your stay is for 6 nights/7 days, you'll only have the dining plan for 6 of those days.

2. Any children (ages 3-9) are restricted to eating from the children's menu when available. So your child is stuck eating mac & cheese, chicken nuggets and PB&J throughout most of their stay. Here is an example of how this can be a big problem....

You're having a wondeful day at Animal Kingdom when hunger starts to kick in. You all decide to stop at Pizzafari for some pizza. However when you get there you notice that they have a childrens menu. Now if you're using the Dining Plan the adults and older children get to enjoy pizza while the little ones are stuck with either PB&J or a Cheese Quesadilla. I'm sure that's going to go over real well.

3. The dining plan can really interupt your flow. Say you are touring the Magic Kingdom and have already used your counter service meal for breakfast at the resort. Now it is getting late and you want a quick meal so you can continue riding the rides you've missed or you need to get back to the resort for a certain event. Now since you have already used you counter service you are pretty much stuck taking the time having a sit-down meal. Of course you could have a counter service meal anyway, but you've just wasted one of your sit-down meals and the money that you already paid for it.

Now for some examples comparing eating with, and without, the dining plan. These examples are based off a family of 3 (2 adults and 1 child) for a 6 night/ 7 day stay. The total expense of adding the dining plan for this family would be $521.85. If you divide this by 6 nights, you'll come up with $86.98 per night.

Example #1. Eating two sit-down meals and one snack.

You start your morning with a sit-down breakfast at your resort. In this example it's Boatwrights at Riverside. The bill is a follows:

2 Banana Stuffed French Toast @ $7.99 each
1 Boatwrights Breakfast @ $6.99 each
2 milks @ $1.99 each
1 OJ @ $1.99 each
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill = $28.94
Tip= $2.80
Bill Total= $31.74

You then spend the day at MGM and want to have an early diner at Sci-Fi Diner. The bill is as follows:

1 Reuben @ $11.99 each
2 All American Burgers $10.99 each
3 Sodas @ $2.19 each
2 Big Bangs @ $4.49 each
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill = $34.04
Tip = $3.40
Bill Total = $37.44

You end the day with some ice cream at Hollywood Scoops.

3 Single Cones @ $2.59 each
----------------------------
Total = $7.77


Your grand total for the day is $76.95 which is less than the $86.98 that the plan allows. Also consider that everyone got what they wanted and got to have two sit-down meals. Another bonus is adding the themes of both resturants.


Example #2. A day at Epcot.

You round up the troops and head out for a day at Epcot. You start with breakfast at the Electric Umbrella. The bill:

3 Cereal and Fruit combos @ $4.29 each
3 Chocolate Milks @ $1.99 each
----------------------------------------
Bill Total = $18.84

You have dinner and fun at Biergarten in Germany. The Bill:

2 Adult Buffets @ $20.99 each
1 Child buffet @ $8.99 each.
Drinks (including a beer) @ $10.00
-------------------------------------------
Bill = $60.97
Tip = $6
Total = $66.97

You need a little something to snack on during the fireworks, so you stop at Norway for a quick bite. The Bill:

1 Waffle with toppings @ $2.49 each
1 Cinnamon Roll @ $2.79 each
1 Kringla @ $3.29 each
3 Cokes @ $1.99 each
-------------------------------------------
Bill Total = $14.54

Now the grand total may seem expensive at first, $100.35, untill you consider how you would have faired with the dining plan. The snack could not have been done under the dining plan. You could have gotten the waffle, bun and Kringla however you would had to pay for drinks. Thats $5.97. Also at Biergarten you would have to pay for the beer which is another $4.50, bringing you extra total to $10.47 plus the $86.98 which brings you to $97.45. A savings of $2.90, nothing to write home about, huh?

Example #3. Character breakfast and a leg!

You start the day at Chef Mickey's. Anyone will tell you that this is the way to start your day. The Bill:

2 Adults @ $17.99 each
1 Child @ $9.99 each
---------------------------------
Total = $45.97

After such a big breakfast you hold out till dinner. You've heard all about Disney's famous turkey legs, and after seeing teh size of them, you realize they will make a fine dinner. The Bill:

3 Gobblers @ $5.19 each
3 Sodas @ $1.99 each
----------------------------
Total= $21.54

While waiting for Spectromagic and Wishes, you opt for some wonderfull ice cream at Main Street Ice Cream Parlor. The Bill:

3 Floats @ $3.59 each
----------------------
Total = $10.77

This brings the grand total to $78.28, which again is lower the the dining plan.


Overall you'll notice that the dining plan will either save you little or actually cost you more. Now don't forget that these are just examples. You really should judge the plan based on how your family eats. Also don't forget the restrictions mentioned above in regards to using the dining plan. As for me, I enjoy the freedom of choosing what and where I eat. If I want two sit-down meals I can, if I want light counter service all day, I can. Also don't forget that alot of the time the portions are huge and family members can share. The is especially true for the little ones.

Honestly if you are tempted by the dining plan to save money, look else where. You can find all sorts of tricks and tips to save money while eating in the park. For example, buy a large 32oz souvenir mug and share instead of seperate drinks. Opt for simple yet filling things like the turkey legs. Best advice, look over the menus before you go. You'll see how much to spend and what looks good to eat.

[Vikki]

Well done :) That must have taken quite some work!

I have a question, you said if you were on a 6 night, 7 day package you would have the plan for the 6 days, which is fine. However, if you still had some of your meals left, could you use them on that 7th day?

[Keith]

Perhaps I'm wrong, I'm not really upto speed on any restrictions on the dining plan...

...but don't you just get allocated the snacks/counter service/sit downs on your card and you can use them however you want? ie. if you want 2 sit down meals on one day, you can do it! if on another day you want just 2 counter services you can do that too!

I don't see why everyone feels it's restrictive unless it works in a different way to how I think it does! :)

Secondly, you've taken the example of some low cost places to eat and had burgers at sci fi diner for example. If you chose adult meals at say le-cellier you can run to $70 odd dollars for just one adult meal!

Then, ok a child has to order from the childs menu, but there's nothing to say you can't share around ;-) I'd swap some chicken nuggets for some adult "stuff" :lol:

I'll really have to check up on the conditions to see if you're right on the flexibility issues.

I do agree it needs careful thought.... especially with AP discounts on the rooms versus full price rooms for the dining plan! It makes more sense at the value end than the deluxe.

I still think it's more complex than you have there though ;-)

[miraclemoments]

Of course if the dining plan is free..... :D :D

[Iona]

Does it not also include tax?

[miraclemoments]

And gratuity...

[abacobaby]

To the original poster: I think you misunderstood something very important about the dining plan. Yes, you do get one snack, one CS meal, and one TS meal per day that you are at DW, but... you don't need to use each of these on each day. If you want to have 3 CS meals in one day and 2 TS meals the next day, you are more than welcome to. All the CS meals, all the snacks, and all the TS credits are pooled together.

So, lets say you are there for 10 nights. You would have 10 CS meals, 10 snacks, and 10 TS meals available per person. How you use them is up to you. I have read of people who have 15 snacks left the day they are leaving and they get 15 snacks (water, chips etc.) to carry home or for the plane ride. Does this make sense to you?

Also, the plan is good until midnight on the day you check out of your hotel. In our case, we are arriving on Sunday, the 6th and will be using one TS that night (leaving us 1 CS and 1 snack that we didn't use for that day since it is our check in day and that is when your dining plan starts) Now fast forward to Wednesday, the 16th (9 full days usage of the dining plan later) - on Wednesday, if we used up our 9 full days of snacks, TS meals and CS meals, we still have 1 CS meal and 1 snack per person left on the 16th. Now remember, if you still have some CS meals/TS meals/ or snacks left on the 16th (check out day), you can use all of them on the 16th - they are good until midnight. If you look at it this way, I don't see what the problem would be?

In a sense I agree with you about children only being able to choose from the children's menu, BUT...the dining plan is not for everyone. Every parent knows their own children well enough to know if they eat different things than nuggets etc. Don't forget, some children are picky and will be glad to eat something they know well.

The dining plan is not for everyone. Each individual needs to look at all the details of the dining plan and then decide for themselves and see if it is worth it for them.

In our case (two adults, one toddler - no charge for her) it is very worth it because my husband would love to order steak or lobster every night if he could and I would love to order an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert every night withought having to worry about what the cost of the meal is. Since we also have a toddler we will be doing a lot of character meals, which become costly if you do a few of them during your trip.

If you are someone who just snacks here and there and is basically at DW for the rides/attractions, the meal plan will not save you any money, I agree. If part of the DW experience is to enjoy big meals every day/night at DW, you might want to look further into the dining plan.

I hope I was able to clear up some things for you.

[abacobaby]

Yes, it does actually include tax and gratuity. The OP needs to do a little bit more research on this subject.

[Keith]

Of course if the dining plan is free..... :D :D

true ;-) makes it a bit different too... but I must admit, I'll consider it "normally" as well. I'd have to work out the AP benefits v the dining but I've REALLY liked planning all the meals knowing they're already paid for! It's been much more fun than I'd expected

[MagicalEars]

Now I'm going strickly by what is stated on the disney site....

including our legendary Disney Character Dining. For each night on your package, you enjoy:
1 table-service meal including appetizer, entree, dessert, and nonalcoholic beverage and gratuity charge
1 counter-service meal including entree, dessert and nonalcoholic beverage at select counter-service locations
1 snack, such as a frozen ice cream bar, box of popcorn, 20 oz bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Dasani water or a medium fountain soft drink at select snack cart locations
As an added benefit, you may exchange 2 table-service meals for either 1 Signature Dining Experience at one of our finest restaurants, such as the acclaimed California Grill or for 1 Disney Dinner Show, such as Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.
Children ages 3-9 must order from the Children's Menu if available.It doesn't state that you can pool the meals. Now if you can, that is a little better. Still, by doing so, you will end up with only counter service meals. See where I'm going with this. Again, it's all in how you intend to eat.

Post edited

[miraclemoments]

However since it's described as being "per night" I would assume you have to use everything by that 6th night. Also I would assume that you have to use 1 sit-down, 1 counter service and 1 snack per day or it's lost. So if you don't use your snack one day I doubt you could carry it over.

No, I don't believe they are lost...I believe they *do* carry over to the next day, otherwise, how would you be able to exchange two sit downs for a "special dining experience"? Seems there are a fair bit of assumptions being made in the original post, perhaps more research is needed? Or at the very least, confirmation on the way the system works...

I do agree...there are certain situations in which the dining plan will work out to your benefit and when it won't...but I *do* believe there are instances where it can be quite worth it.

[Keith]

Not sure. However since it's described as being "per night" I would assume you have to use everything by that 6th night. Also I would assume that you have to use 1 sit-down, 1 counter service and 1 snack per day or it's lost. So if you don't use your snack one day I doubt you could carry it over.


ok having checked up....

you have to use them all by midnight on your checkout or you'd lose them
you CAN carry over *anything and everything* and use them whenever you like :)

so it's perfectly flexible in that way!

[miraclemoments]

Thanks for the clarification Keith! :ears:

[MagicalEars]

Yes, it does actually include tax and gratuity. The OP needs to do a little bit more research on this subject.

If you look at my post you'll see that I included gratuity at 10%. I could not calculate tax seeing as how I'm not sure on the tax laws. Another thing is that tax and gratuity are all going to be based on what you ordered and how the service was. I surely won't tip much to a rude waiter.

Also I still don't see the flexability of being able to pool your meals. If you use two sit down meals on one day, then that leaves you one less for the rest of your stay. How is that not restrictive?

As I've said in several places, you have to judge based on how, where and what you plan to eat. Now everyone eats differently, but I thought that my examples are pretty typical. Sure you can save much more if you want to order very expensive "adult" things, but honestly how many of us usally do.

I did my reasearch, spent all night looking over the menus. As I've stated, it's all relative and an example. I believe a good one.

[Keith]

If you look at my post you'll see that I included gratuity at 10%. I could not calculate tax seeing as how I'm not sure on the tax laws. Another thing is that tax and gratuity are all going to be based on what you ordered and how the service was. I surely won't tip much to a rude waiter.


Sure but it's 15-20% as a recommendation so 10% would be considered under-tipping for a good meal :/ (we could talk about that one all day, I don't like the tipping system at all, BUT the beauty of the dining plan is that I don't have to think about it!)


Also I still don't see the flexability of being able to pool your meals. If you use two sit down meals on one day, then that leaves you one less for the rest of your stay. How is that not restrictive?


Well it's taking care of exactly one of the points you made? you said it was restrictive because you couldn't have all counter meals one day (you can) or you'd be forced to have a sit down meal when you didn't want one (you won't)


As I've said in several places, you have to judge based on how, where and what you plan to eat. Now everyone eats differently, but I thought that my examples are pretty typical. Sure you can save much more if you want to order very expensive "adult" things, but honestly how many of us usally do.


Honestly? Anyone who goes to le cellier (very very popular restaurant) or to many of the nicer restaurants around epcot.


I did my reasearch, spent all night looking over the menus. As I've stated, it's all relative and an example. I believe a good one.

Sure and you're right, it'll be different for everyone... but some of the problems mentioned don't turn out to be problems, so it was worth clarifying I think for the benefit of those who find this thread later ;-)

As to whether it's a good idea or not, you're right, it's worth thinking about how you eat and it doesn't look as if it'd be a great thing for your family given that particular set of options.

thanks for posting! It'll give people a lot to think about and evaluate :)

[triciacarole]

I do think it depends on your family and the type of meals they like to eat. My family are picky eaters and would not like fine dining restaurants we also would feel restricted to stay on-site for our meals instead of eating at Chilis or Bennigans - now if we managed to get the free dining offer if it is available next year thats another story :wink: . I think it is a case of the individual families and their own preferences :) .

[Mickeymac]

For the benefit of others calculating their percentages, the tax at the WDW restaurants is 6.5%, and the current going tip is 15-20%. From what I am told, the wait staff is tipped 15-18%, unless you bring it up to management that the service was lower than expected, at which point they can modify the tip.

You are given 1 Table Service, 1 Counter Service, and 1 Snack per person *per night* of your stay, and includes tax and gratuity. How you choose to split that up is up to you. It is good for the length of stay, so good from check-in until midnight of the day you check out of that plan.

You are right, it is worth thinking about, however, given the cost of most character meals, and the cost of dining overall, it's been a great added value for many, many Guests over the entire length of their trip, either in ease of use, money saved, or increased dining options.

Remember, you don't have to book it if you don't want it. ;)

[MagicalEars]

As far as saying that you can't have more than one sit-down meal a day, I was under that assumption at the time of the original post. This was the info provided on the Disney site. Now if you go there, you'll see why I could assume such. However looking it over again, I found the link to the pdf file that explains it better. http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw/images2003/languagespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/MYWDining.pdf

However, I still believe what I said to be true. Eventually you will be forced (for lack of a better term) to have certain meals. If you use 4 by the second day, you will then have to start planing your meals a little more.

Also looking at the pdf I find it more restrictive as far as snacks are concerned. You'll see that you only have a choice of 6 things. A few of which I don't consider a snack. A single serve bag of Lays.... :lol:

Like I said, I still find more freedom in dining on my own. You mention that you like the idea of it all being paid for in advance. I would have to disagree. For one how would you get the plan credited if something was wrong with your meal? I would assume it's much easier to have them give you money or issue you a credit than somehow adjust your dining plan. I also think it's less stressful not to have to keep track of how many sit down or counter service I've used. Much easier to have a budget (mine is usually $100/day) and stick with that.

All a matter of opinion. Just like we both don't like the tipping system. As for me I would never tip more than 15%.

[MagicalEars]

For the benefit of others calculating their percentages, the tax at the WDW restaurants is 6.5%, and the current going tip is 15-20%. From what I am told, the wait staff is tipped 15-18%, unless you bring it up to management that the service was lower than expected, at which point they can modify the tip.

Is the tip included in the bill? If it is, well then that's wrong of them to do so. I've never noticed. However if it is, you can bet I'll be more judgemental of the waiter next time. He better earn that 15-18%.

Now tax is tacked on to every meal? Or only under certain conditions?

[Keith]

As far as saying that you can't have more than one sit-down meal a day, I was under that assumption at the time of the original post. This was the info provided on the Disney site. Now if you go there, you'll see why I could assume such. However looking it over again, I found the link to the pdf file that explains it better. http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw/images2003/languagespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/MYWDining.pdf


sure but for the avoidance of doubt, the assumption was wrong ;-) so we need to strike that problem from the mix


However, I still believe what I said to be true. Eventually you will be forced (for lack of a better term) to have certain meals. If you use 4 by the second day, you will then have to start planing your meals a little more.


You're not forced to have any meal at all though. If you use 4 table service "tokens" by the second day having had 2 sit down meals a day then sure ok you've got 2 days without a table service token sure... but that's surely no different from you with your $100 budget having "over spent" on one day ;-)


Also looking at the pdf I find it more restrictive as far as snacks are concerned. You'll see that you only have a choice of 6 things. A few of which I don't consider a snack. A single serve bag of Lays.... :lol:


sure but it's yah know, a snack ;-) We often grab a piece of fruit or a bottle of water on our way out to the park for example (and I often grab a packet of lays if I feel like it ;-). Perfect for that.


Like I said, I still find more freedom in dining on my own. You mention that you like the idea of it all being paid for in advance. I would have to disagree. For one how would you get the plan credited if something was wrong with your meal? I would assume it's much easier to have them give you money or issue you a credit than somehow adjust your dining plan.


I've read about them simply not taking off a meal credit when the service was so poor... I suspect it's no more awkward than any other credit :shrug:


I also think it's less stressful not to have to keep track of how many sit down or counter service I've used. Much easier to have a budget (mine is usually $100/day) and stick with that.

Well every time you get a receipt, the number of remaining snacks/counter/sit down are shown on there, so it's really pretty easy.

Like you say, individual preference! I'd find $100 a day pretty restrictive if I spend $77 on a single adults le cellier meal ;-) I'd have to persuade the rest of the group to live on lays crisps and water :lol: (and even then at disney prices, they wouldn't be getting many!)


All a matter of opinion. Just like we both don't like the tipping system. As for me I would never tip more than 15%.

Well no argument on the tipping system... but I still count that as a dining plan advantage! Not having to think about it is a benefit in my book :)

[MagicalEars]

You're not forced to have any meal at all though. If you use 4 table service "tokens" by the second day having had 2 sit down meals a day then sure ok you've got 2 days without a table service token sure... but that's surely no different from you with your $100 budget having "over spent" on one day ;-)

I only over spent by 35 cents that one day...so :tongue: :rotfl:

Like you say, individual preference! I'd find $100 a day pretty restrictive if I spend $77 on a single adults le cellier meal ;-) I'd have to persuade the rest of the group to live on lays crisps and water :lol: (and even then at disney prices, they wouldn't be getting many!)

Now see, that's where you could save money. As for me..... give me biergratan! Besides, make them share the chips and water...."1oz for your....3 chips for you". What's a little sacrafice.


Well no argument on the tipping system... but I still count that as a dining plan advantage! Not having to think about it is a benefit in my book :)
Scrooge McDuck has nothing on me. "Well you started at 15%, but you forgot to mention the special of the day, minus 5 %. You failed to give us prompt refills, minus another 5%. You remind me of my brother-in-law....I hate my brother-in-law, minus 5%." :whistle:

[triciacarole]

I You remind me of my brother-in-law....I hate my brother-in-law, minus 5%." :whistle:

We must be related :D

[MagicalEars]

I just hope my wife doesn't see I wrote that. :whistle:

[triciacarole]

Oh dear don't let her see:rotfl: :rotfl:

[abacobaby]

OP - you mentioned something about the negativity of having the credits pooled - eventually you would have no choice but to use CS credits etc. Actually, most people who are paying (or getting it for free for that matter) for the dining plan, plan all of their sit down TS meals in advance and book them 90 days before their arrival date. For instance, I already know which parks I am doing on what days and I know the exact times and places I am eating at for our TS credits. I also know some of the CS meals we will be having. Actually, looking at my plan, I see that I have allocated all of my CS meals also, so the only thing I have to really "worry" about are my snacks. Nowadays with DW being so busy, the free dining plan times, and the dining plan in general being offered and more people taking advantage of it, it is much harder to get into TS restaurants by just calling that day or going there when you want to eat. Some places don't even take walkins anymore if they are too busy that time.

Of course, if you are the type of person to just go with the flow, then the meal plan is not really for you, in that sense. It would definitely be a waste of money to pay for the dining plan and then you are not able to use some of your credits because you could not get a seating for that restaurant. Does this make any sense to you?

Hope this has cleared some things up for you....

[Alannakait]

Perhaps I'm wrong, I'm not really upto speed on any restrictions on the dining plan...

...but don't you just get allocated the snacks/counter service/sit downs on your card and you can use them however you want? ie. if you want 2 sit down meals on one day, you can do it! if on another day you want just 2 counter services you can do that too!

I don't see why everyone feels it's restrictive unless it works in a different way to how I think it does! :)

Secondly, you've taken the example of some low cost places to eat and had burgers at sci fi diner for example. If you chose adult meals at say le-cellier you can run to $70 odd dollars for just one adult meal!


You are absolutely correct Keith. We used the dining plan last month and it was fabulous. We saved about $500 using the dining plan. You get to use your meals anyway and anytime you want.

We ate at 3 character buffets(which took care of the kids eating just kids food, they could eat whatever they wanted, Spoodles which had steak on the kids meals and was gobbled up very quickly, Alfredo's which had Italian chicken nuggets and pasta on the menu, and CRT breakfast which was pre-plated so there was no problems here as well.

For CS some places we went to said the kids could choose anything they wanted. Other places said only the kids meals. My kids aren't fussy and they had no problem picking nuggets or mac n cheese. It's only lunch and they'll have dinner and a snack to look forward to right.

I hope this helps the OP. We will be using the dining plan again if we go back next year. It was well worth the money.:wiggle:

[Johnie]

I will be using the dining plan free next week. I'm a willing guinea pig :)
I DO think the dining plan is a good deal for people staying at a value or even a moderate resort. Not so sure about paying rack rate at the deluxes to get the benifit of adding the dining plan though :shrug:

You can pool the credits anyway you want which is a nice perk. The gratuity and tax are essentially free to you so I have no idea why you would want to take it away from the server. I daresay your probably going to get better service BECAUSE of the dining plan. I know we received much better service when we used the vouchers in the past because the tip is guaranteed.

You can also share meals if you need to. I know for me and my daughter that 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desserts would be WAY too much food. But, we have plenty of food if we share one of the TS credits and perhaps pay for another drink and appetizer.

You have to do your homework a bit to maximize the value but it is nice for a lot of people to have this already paid for and not worry about it.

[tajainaz]

And an entirely different set of circumstances occurs for the solo traveler! Even with the free dining, is it worth the difference between rack and discounted rates to pay rack rate? Again, it depends on one's preferences and discounts available!

For a solo traveler, free dining at a value resort may be beneficial, depending on one's eating habits and the discounts available. Moderate and deluxe resorts probably not, unless the plan was to pay rack rate or close to it and free dining could be considered an added benefit.

If paying for the dining plan, the only time it seems beneficial to me (as a solo traveler) is if the guest enjoys meals as part of the WDW experience and likes to prepay meals when possible. :shrug:

[Keith]

I agree that when you add in the possible discounts on rooms, it starts to make more sense at the value end and less sense at the deluxe end of things.

It's also marginal as a solo visitor.

For a 10night stay in september @ a value, you'd look at saving $250, $25 a night on a value resort with an AP discount over rack rate. Add in say $70 for a 1day park ticket to qualify for the free dining (although you can use that 1day ticket at a future date, but for the moment lets assume it's lost money).

So, that's $320 for 10*snacks, 10*counter service meals, 10*sit down meals.

Now I know personally, for the restaurants I eat in, and I'd make SURE I ate in ;-), I know that I'd save money with the dining plan but better is when you consider a couple.

Same $250 lost on the room over AP rate, now 2*$70 for the park tickets. $390
BUT 20 snacks, 20 counter service, 20 table service.

With the restaurants we like.... le cellier (we plan on doing that twice), nine dragons (it's got a lot better now!), concourse steakhouse etc.... we can easily get to $50 a head. Do that 20 times and ;-)

So yeah sure, it depends where you eat, how you like to eat etc. but for us I think it's a great deal whilst free and it'll be a TEMPTING deal even when we have to pay for it with AP discounts seeming less than previous years :/

[GraciesMom]

:wacko: My head is spinning from reading this thread:blush: My husband did some numbers on the dining plan and reached the cunclusion it was not for us. How or why, I don't know:unsure:

[susieh]

My main reason for never wanting to use the dining plan is that our trip to Orlando doesn't just revolve around WDW. We also spend days at Sea World, Discovery Cove, Cape Kennedy, IOA, US and doing nothing in particular.

On the 'nothing in particular' days we are based at OKW so we can still eat on Disney sites but for the other days we'd be wasting money.

When we travel to Orlando (every 2-3 yrs) we stay for 2-3 weeks and I believe the dining plan forces you to pay for every night of your stay. So it would make for a very restrictive holiday.

[triciacarole]

My main reason for never wanting to use the dining plan is that our trip to Orlando doesn't just revolve around WDW. We also spend days at Sea World, Discovery Cove, Cape Kennedy, IOA, US and doing nothing in particular.

On the 'nothing in particular' days we are based at OKW so we can still eat on Disney sites but for the other days we'd be wasting money.

When we travel to Orlando (every 2-3 yrs) we stay for 2-3 weeks and I believe the dining plan forces you to pay for every night of your stay. So it would make for a very restrictive holiday.

:iagree:Its a pity you can't buy it for part of you holiday, say one week :)

[Vikki]

:wacko: My head is spinning from reading this thread:blush:

:iagree: :rotfl:

I know what you mean about doing things out of WDW though. The way I see it, is we'll be doing Sea World next time we go, so we'll have breakfast in the food court, possibly dinner in the food court (using 2 of our counter services), and take the snack to have during the day. Or have dinner on I-Drive somewhere and pair the table service up with another one to dine at a signature restaurant. We will definately do this when we go to Discovery Cove, since a meal is included there.

I think what I like about it is we will not have to think about paying for meals whilst we are there, as we will have already paid for it. And since we're going for 3 weeks, that really helps :) Also, having the tax and tip included is a massive benefit as far as I'm concerned, as we always forget about the tax when we are mentally adding up bills :D

I am definately lookinging forward to reading more about what people who have actually used it think though, as it still seems to be in its infancy right now.

[Keith]

:iagree:Its a pity you can't buy it for part of you holiday, say one week :)

You can book your holiday in two parts if you like and do it that way

[triciacarole]

You can book your holiday in two parts if you like and do it that way

I may do this, I know there is a free dining offer on at the moment, is this a regular thing? I am hoping it will be available next August, if I have booked my accommodation is it easy to switch to this offer?

[luvalab]

I personally think that the dining plan is great. :thumbs: But like the CM told me when I made our ADR some of the meals you might be better off paying for and saving the plan for a more $$ meal. We will be eating better (not that I need it :wiggle: ) this trip then we ever have. I totaled up the cost at some of the places we will be eating at, and if it would not have been for the plan, we wouldn't be able to eat at these places.
So to each their own. And I would get it again. :eat:
Thanks Disney for giving us the chance to try new restaurants that would other wise be out of the budget.:ohyes:

[Johnie]

I may do this, I know there is a free dining offer on at the moment, is this a regular thing? I am hoping it will be available next August, if I have booked my accommodation is it easy to switch to this offer?


This is the first time they've offered free dining. I doubt seriously they will offer it again. But they might....you never can tell with Disney :shrug:

[Cinderella]

First to answer some questions

Tipping - no the % is not automatically added if you are NOT on the dining plan. It is included in the dining plan to make it inclusive as Disney intended it to be. I don't think most people would want to worry about the cost of the plan and then figure out the tax and the gratuities to see if it would be worth it to them. So the $35 (for 2005) per adult per night includes the tax and gratuity

The reason they offered one sit down, one counter service and one snack is because after many many surveys about the dining habits of people going to Disney and the complaints on the Silver Plan from the last few years, is that people wanted flexibility.

The old Silver plan would include meals on your first day of arrival and the last day you checked out. Many people didn't want that because they were either arriving late or leaving early and wouldn't be using the meal options on those days so they were booking a room only at the beginning and the end with the package in between. This was confusing to some people, required 3 deposits with different cancellation policies and you had to check out and check in for each reservation.

Soooooo... to simplify things and meet the requests from many people they changed it to the new plan where it gives you the dining plan for the amount of NIGHTS instead of days and is flexible enough that you can use it as you wish

Most people don't eat more then one sitdown meal a day unless they are doing a character breakfast and a dinner somewhere then most only eat something light for lunch. Then you have the choice to pay out of pocket for the meals you do not wish to use the dining plan for

We normally just have something small for breakfast and sometimes just get fruit or cereal for the kids and we skip breakfast, have a counter service lunch as we are usually in the theme park and don't want to take time out for a long lunch and then we have a nice dinner somewhere so this plan works great for us

Like all things this isn't for everyone but if you normally eat one sit down meal a day, that is not burgers or just a salad, then it may be worth it. It also helps with budgeting as you know what your vacation will cost you ahead of time for your room, 95% of your meals and your park tickets

As to the kids meals there are many many resturants that offer other things then the normal mac and cheese, etc. A lot of restaurants are starting to offer salads for appetizers, steak and grilled chicken for dinner.

The dining plan does require you to plan your meals a little more so that you are sure to utilize to its fullest. Some people don't like to plan that much and again it may not be worth it to them.

For people that would like 3 meals a day included along with many other things such as tours, etc then you should look into the Premim plan but it will be quite a bit more
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/tickets/packageDetail?id=PackageDetailMYWPrem05Page

[Cinderella]

Here is a list of places that offer other then "norm" kids food
This list does not include buffets or all you can eat places as those places have the same food for everyone with mac and cheese, etc available on request

Brown Derby
Grilled Chicken Breast - Served with roasted red potatoes, fresh vegetables and a beverage

Mama Melrose
Mini Chicken Parmesan over spaghetti rigati with tomato sauce

Sci Fi
Meteor - grilled chicken breast served with roasted red potatoes, green beans

Coral Reef
Grilled Chicken Breast
Grilled Mahi
The above two entrees are served with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Le Cellier
6 ounce Steak
Grilled Chicken

Alfredos
Spaghetti Al Pomodoro con polpette di carne - with Alfredo's tomato sauce and meatballs
Penne alla Panna e Formaggio - penne pasta with cream and parmigiano cheese
Penne with Meat Sauce - penne pasta tossed with our homemade meat sauce
Italian Chicken Nuggets- baked tender chicken nuggets with roasted potatoes and a tomato and parmesan cheese dip

Akershus
Grilled Chicken Breast served with corn and boiled potatoes
Cheese Ravioli served with pepperoni pizza sauce
Meatballs and Pasta served with Tomato Sauce
Viking Turkey and Cheese Roll Up Turkey and Cheese rolled up in Lefse, served with grapes

Marrakesh
Vegetable Couscous - rolled semolina steamed and served with seasonal vegetables

Rose and Crown
Cottage Pie - seasoned ground beef with mashed potatoes and melted cheese $5.99
Grilled Chicken - with mashed potatoes and peas
They also have a kids steak that isn't on the menu but you can ask for it

Tempura Kiku
Shichi-Go-San shrimp with fresh vegetables, dipped in a light batter and fried
served with steamed rice, child dessert
Donald's Favorite chicken with fresh vegetables dipped in a light batter and fried and steamed rice

Teppanyaki -
Chicken or shrimp with grilled fresh vegetables, steamed rice and child dessert $11.99
Donald's Favorite - Grilled Chicken breast with mixed vegetables and steamed rice $6.99

Cinderella Castle dinner
Prime Rib of Beef with mashed potatoes

Plaza Resturant
Grilled Chicken Sticks with rice, grapes and BBQ sauce
Junior Chef Salad with ranch dressing
Mickey's Turkey Sandwich with grapes

Jiko
Grilled Chicken Strips with red skin mashed potatoes
Broiled Whitefish with red skin mash
Grilled Filet of Beef with red skin mashed potatoes

Flying Fish
Grilled Steak with French fries
Buttermilk Fried Flying Fish and Chips
Grilled Chicken Breast with roasted potatoes and fresh veggies

Spoodles
Grilled Chicken Breast with Mashed Potatoes and seasonal vegetable
Grilled Beef Strip with Mashed Potatoes and seasonal vegetable

Shutters
Iago's Grilled Chicken Breast - with mashed potatoes and vegetables
Simba's Pride Prime Rib - 5 ounce prime rib with mashed potatoes and vegetables

California Grill
Grilled Chicken Breast - with mashed potatoes and asparagus
Grilled Beef Tournedos - with mashed potatoes and asparagus

Maya Grill
Grilled Chicken Parmesan - served with pasta
Fried Ravioli - served with marinara sauce and French fries
Beef Tenderloin Tips - served with French fries and corn
Fried Shrimp - served with French fries and raspberry dipping sauce
Catch of the Day - served with mashed potatoes and corn

Citricos
Chicken Noodle Soup
Grilled Filet of Beef
Grilled Chicken Breast Skewers
Crispy Fish - with tartar sauce

Narcoossees
Grilled Fish with mashed potatoes and broccolini
Filet Medallion with mashed potatoes and broccolini

Artist Point
Grilled Chicken Breast with mashed pototoes and fresh vegetables
Baked Salmon with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables

Whispering Canyon
Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with yukon gold mashed potatoes
Chicken Wrap with fruit

Yachtsman Steakhouse
Black Angus Prime Rib - 6 ounces
Oak Grilled Chicken Breast - with smashed potatoes

[Vikki]

Just as a matter of interest, I occasionally order of the kids menu, would I be able to do this if I was paying for the adult dining plan?

[Cinderella]

Just as a matter of interest, I occasionally order of the kids menu, would I be able to do this if I was paying for the adult dining plan?

You could but it wouldn't make sense as you still will be charged the regular table service / counter service option on the meal plan as an adult. If you want to order off the kids menu I would pay out of pocket

[Vikki]

Good point....didn't think of that, duh!

[miraclemoments]

Wow. Thanks Cinderella :D That is some seriously valuable information all in one place :wink:

[susieh]

You can book your holiday in two parts if you like and do it that way

But wouldn't that force us to do all the Disney stuff in that one week rather than spread it across the 2/3? If we can do it the way you suggest then that is probably a good idea.

And I'm sure it has been answered (many times) elsewhere, but can you buy the dining plan if you are staying on points?

[Johnie]

No, you cannot get the dining plan if staying on points.

[heatherb819]

We're trying the dining plan out for free next month and we're doing several character dinings because my daughter is almost 3. I'll let you know if it's worth it. I must admit that planning in advance has been a little stressful but now that I've got all of out dining reservations out of the way, I think it will actually make out trip better because then when we get there we won't be trying to decide where we're going to eat all of the time. Last year it seemed like that was always a tough decision because everything looks good and what we wanted to go to was booked up.

[Vikki]

I think it will actually make out trip better because then when we get there we won't be trying to decide where we're going to eat all of the time. Last year it seemed like that was always a tough decision because everything looks good and what we wanted to go to was booked up.

It probably makes it better becauase it's free as well :whistle: :lol:

[psdjmem]

We are tying the dining plan this year because it is free!! Having 5 kids meals get expensive!! We normally do two or three character meals but none of the nicer more expensive resturants like LeCellier. I plan to keep a track of what the meals costs so that in the future we can compare purchasing the dining plan or going with two or three meals we will pay for and getting a discount on our room. This year we had a AAA discount room but when free dining was opened up we changed our dates paid the rack rate and still are saving tons of money plus we went into value season prices for the resort. Honeslty I dont think we can eat all these meals! We have our ADR for the sit downs and know what parks we will be in for counter service and if we have snack vouchers at the end of the stay I guess we will just sit and eat 4 or 5 mickey bars on our last day :lol: for us it might be worth it to pay for the dining plan next time we go!

[JuniorMickey]

If you have leftovers get bottles of soda for the trip home

[pmdc819rg]

So your spending an extra 10 or 20 dollars. Your at Disney World for crying out loud its all expensive anyway,( to someone in public saftey). I dont care to pay a litle extra for convenience. My meals are all set up w/ the exception of snacks, yeah I may have to go to the other end of the park to get an Aloha dinner meal, but its for the kids and worth it to me.

[JuniorMickey]

I was considering the dining plan for my 8 night trip in May but I think I've decided against it for one simple reason. In Nov./Dec. I felt overplanned. I know that with the dining plan I would have to plan all of my meals. I don't want to do that.

[PaulaK]

That's how I feel JM. If it was free, that's a whole different story, but I wouldn't pay for it. I hate having more than one ADR a day booked. Last trip it felt like whenever we got anywhere, we had to head back to Disney to eat. This time, we've made all our ADR's we really want to do to beat the dining plan crowd and if we don't fancy going, we'll just call and cancel. If i'd paid, i'd feel like I had to go back there to eat all the time. :shrug:

[Whitequeen]

I feel the same, Paula.
If it was free, I'd do it, but I can change my mind or get caught up doing something else very easily in WDW. It would be too restrictive for us.:shrug:

[Keith]

I've made, or rather Mmac's made, an ADR every day for the september trip to make sure that we have *somewhere* nice to eat but I don't feel it will restrict us. If we don't feel like eating a full meal that night, we'll cancel the adr and have a smaller meal somewhere else. In other words, we'll do exactly what we would do without the dining plan :shrug:

It'll work out because some restaurants which we'll DEFINITELY be going to will take 2 points anyway, such as Yachtsmans steakhouse.

I think the days of making at least one ADR a day are with us now because of the dining plan, whether youre on it or not I think it'll need planning out.

I guess I'll reserve judgement on whether I'd actually pay for it until after I've tried it in september... my feeling is if I had to pay rack rate *AND* pay for the dining plan, it would hardly ever (if ever at all) be worth it over AP rates :( but I do love the idea it's all paid for WITH tip in advance... if it ever happens that I could tack it onto AP rates I probably would do it.

[Mickeymac]

I think the days of making at least one ADR a day are with us now because of the dining plan, whether youre on it or not I think it'll need planning out.


I'm seeing the same thing too. October, even after the dining plan promotion, is still extremely busy for the restaurants, and I'm starting to have difficulty with some of the restaurants into November, too. You may not have plans to use the dining plan, but there are so many who do, and must eat on property, that it's becoming a bit stiff to just show up at a restaurant and expect a table.

This is what happened to us in July, before the free Disney Dining promotion:

Day in Epcot, decided to take the boys out to dinner that night. Called Disney Dining, was on hold for 20 minutes before I got a CM who told me the ONLY available table for our party of six was a Morocco at 7:30 that night.

Check-in at GF, decided to try to switch our Narcoosee's reservation to that night. On hold for over 40 minutes before I hung up and walked down to the front desk. All three restaurants (DH wouldn't go to the Cafe for some reason) were sold out for that night, even for GF guests. We ate at Gasparillas with the birds. :hehe:

Next night, Brown Derby. Arrived 10 minutes early for our ADR, was seated 42 minutes after we arrived. Includes long line to check in for ADR, and the remainder of the time listening to DH complain about the seating system, and families get turned away because they were sold out. The only restaurant taking walk-ups that night was 50's Prime Time, after 9PM (it was EMH night)

I came home thinking 'man, the restaurants are packed, with or without the dining plan!' and started to think. There are something like 35,000 rooms on property, and if each room has an average of 2 people in them (trying to average out families and unsold rooms, I don't know what the exacts statistics are) that's 70,000 people that have to eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Since the new Magic Your Way ticketing system, EMH hours, etc, all the resorts are doing much better than they have been in years, so all these Guests are staying on property. Since the new Magical Express, fewer people are renting cars and going off property. Hence, the restaurants (with combined seating much much less than 70,000) are packed. I don't think it's a matter of dining plan/no dining plan - you have to go prepared, or be prepared to be very flexible with your dining options.

and through this all, we can't seem to get a boys themed character meal out of it. LOL!

[Vikki]

Just as a matter of interest, can you call Disney dining free from an on site resort room?

[Mickeymac]

Absolutely. Actually, you can call them free from ANY house phone on property. I believe it's *55 on the keypad. If you're calling from a CM station, they can dial it for you. Be prepared - you might be on hold for a while, however.

I've called from the gift shop at Dinosaur, from Sir Mickey's, etc.

A quick way, is to simply stop by a restaurant and ask to book from there - they have the dining grid on property at their stations. If there's a line for their restaurant, I woudn't interrupt them, but if it's between shifts and there's no one there, feel free to ask. I have not done this since last summer, however, so don't know if they no longer do it.

You can also stop by your hotel's Concierge desk in the lobby and ask to book there - I believe they also have access to the dining grid.

[Vikki]

Lovely, thanks MM :) Since we're going for three weeks next year, I didn't want to spend ages on the phone here (apart from the ones which we really want), so being able to book them whilst there will be great :)

[Linda Lou]

The credits are not lost. They are good until midnight on the day you check out. The credits at this point in time are pooled and people report of even using their kids credits for a more expensive meal and paying for their kids meals. We are going in March and intend to use the dining plan as it was intended to be used. Our 7 year old grandaughter will eat on it to. As far as counter meals, since the credits are pooled, there is no reason for a child to eat off the child's menu. How do they know who's eating what and Disney doesn't really care. You've paid for the credits and can use them however you like. I did receive in the mail from Disney just yesterday that if a counter credit is used for breakfast, you do not get the dessert with it. I think there will be changes from time to time until the kinks are worked out. Others say no, the dining plan has been around for a long time.
T

[JuniorMickey]

The credits are attached to the room card. A child's room key will have to order off the kids menu

[PaulaK]

I read on another forum that people had tickets/vouchers and they didn't say whether they were kids or adults on them, so people were paying cash for the kids meals and using the vouchers for adult meals that needed 2 vouchers instead. :shrug:

[Mickeymac]

Disney is changing the way the credits appear to the servers. Instead of all pooled into one, it will be broken out into child's credits and adult credits. It was my assumption that this change had already taken place, however, am not there and can't verify by calling a restaurant.

[PaulaK]

I was surprised when I read that and I'm glad they are aware of it and doing something. Once again, everyone else would just end up paying more for those that cheat the system. :)

[Mickeymac]

You're right. Tough to take a $10 purchase and use it for a $100 meal and NOT have the system changed.

[Johnie]

Just got back from Disney and took advantage of the free dining package. We ate A LOT. In fact, we had a bunch of counter service meals and snack credits left over. I personally don't like planning this much. I felt like we were always eating.

I'm not sure if they've changed the kids credits yet. But, they did pool all the credits onto the room cards so anyone in your party can use them.

[PaulaSB]

I was looking at the dining plan as a solo visitor, and looked at the menus that I wanted to try last year but worried about the price. For example Planet Hollywood.

Blackened shrip, loved that in the Uk so will want it in USA 10.95
Rib eye Steak, what can I say I always eat steak at PH 21.95
Ghiradelli Double Chocolate brownie, I am on holiday so why not? 8.95
assuming 3.00 for a drink that is a bill of

bill 44.85
tax 2.91
tip 8.07
total bill 55.83

even on this sort of dining it makes the plan well worth it.

[LadyKay]

Can anyone tell me if Disney is currently running a free Disney Dining promo as I read in this particular thread that someone had it for their upcoming trip. We leave in 37 days and are on the dining plan (had it on our last trip June 05 and thought it was brilliant) although we are paying for it and was just curious. I am one of those people who end up paying rack rates for EVERYTHING!

[Johnie]

The free dining promotion was Aug-Oct 2005.

[Vikki]

Yes, this thread has been going on a while :)

[lmdnewbie]

I am checking out the board because we are still trying to decide if we will use the DP. Be careful when you crunch numbers, I noticed your example 1 is off by about $15, before tax and tip.:blush: I have talked to many people, and all but one think it is a great deal. Fortunately, our under 10 is a better eater than our 10, so the plan would to be to swap the adult meal and kid meal when we need too. I haven't thought about the reservations yet, is that something I need to do??:confused: We will be there for 7nights/8days in early May, including Mother's Day.

[JuniorMickey]

The resorts are filling up for that time frame so I'd look at booking soon. Since you're almost within 45 days, you'd be looking at paying in full at booking too :eek:

[familydisney]

I would never NOT get the plan. We added up our bills and what we actually spent. It cost us around $500 for our week there and our bills, without the snacks, were $1154. We enjoyed character meals, Le Cellier, great food everywhere. We also used our counter service meals and they don't differentiate kid from adult there so we usually orderd 2 or 3 for the 4 of us, leaving us extra counters for breakfast on other days. We actually left with snacks still on our cards.
There are ways to maximize this plan. At first, we were so worried about "getting our money's worth", but after our first dinner at Liberty Tree was $102 (more than the cost for the whole day), we relaxed. It was stress free and evryone enjoyed it.

[lmdnewbie]

I wasn't very clear, we have our vacation package booked, staying at Pop Century, I was curious about the dining reservations for the sit down meals.:confused:

This is the first visit for me and my girls and my husband's last time at DW was a long time ago, so I want to do my best to make this a great trip.

Thanks for the reply!

[Whitequeen]

This May? If so, you need to get those ADRs organised now. It may be possible to walk in to the less popular venues but people have been able to book theit ADRs 180 days out and Mother's Day is a particularly popular time to dine. Good luck and have fun.:thumbs:

[dseth]

We purchased the Dining plan with our package last year and saved $218
We are going back in October this year and yes we will purchase again. The dining plan covers your tax and gratuity too you must remember that little luxury:)

[lmdnewbie]

Thanks, I have been checking places out and have a few that I want to make reservation with. Do you have any suggestions? Our girls are 7 & 10.
Thanks again for the advice.

Laura

[foreverducky]

Definitely Chef Mickey's for breakfast! It's a must on my list.

And for quick snack or meal on the run, I recommend Casey's at MK. They have the best hotdogs. But again, you don't need a reservation for that place, I just wanted to recommend it. :D

[kirsty01979]

We are booking from the UK and get the dining plan free for 14 nights if we book on certain dates. This should save us money but if it was not for free I dont think I would buy it.

I will see how it goes on my visit and then if it is flexible and worthwhile I will not hesitate to pay for it next time if needed.

I can't complain though, 14 days of free food at Disney sounds good to me!

[Keith]

We are booking from the UK and get the dining plan free for 14 nights if we book on certain dates. This should save us money but if it was not for free I dont think I would buy it.

That's how I feel.

We had it free last week and though it was fine, given the discount on the room which we missed out on + having to buy 1 day park tickets which we didn't need, it just about worked out but if we'd had to pay for the plan, it wouldn't have made sense for us.


I will see how it goes on my visit and then if it is flexible and worthwhile I will not hesitate to pay for it next time if needed.

sensible way to do it really. I know for us that a mixture of resort discounts + dde card to save 20% off food/alcohol works out great when we don't have the free plan


I can't complain though, 14 days of free food at Disney sounds good to me!

true :lol:

[DisneyObsessed3]

Sorry I didn't read all 75 replies so I could be repeating.......

Our experience with DDP was WELL worth it! One thing i noticed with the restruants you picked were cheap ones (Germany) and also had a meal of turkey legs.....now when we went we picked the most expensive places. One meal was $200 (4 people). Also breakfast can be the cheapest meal, so that was the meal we payed for. Each meal was usually $100.

And you can switch up your cs and sd......one day you could use 2 cs so really when it comes to end of day your not "stuck" with anything (unless its your last day)

i guess it depends on how much and where you eat.....

Edit: ok sorry I just read Keiths reply (the 2nd reply made) and I totally said everything he said!!! Sorry!!

[hayleyneeyore]

I agree... If the DDP wasn't offered free, I probably wouldn't have looked into getting it this time - BUT now that it is being offered for free, I'm looking even more and more into the restaurants and menus, and thinking - I'm going to save a bundle - and that it really is worth getting!

I'm still keeping the restaurants that I had before we got the offer, such as Biergarten and 50s Prime Time, but I'm now able to eat at - and order what I want without worrying - at places like Le Cellier, Kona Cafe and Raglan Road (we're saving the Yachtsman for another time ;)) - PLUS with the $800+ we're saving, we have decided to book tickets for La Nouba and take a Helicopter Ride over International Drive, all thanks to the DDP!!

I have to point out though, that we don't have any kids, plus we have split our stay to 11 nights at I Drive and 10 nights at Disney, so we will effectively be at Disney for the whole time that we have our DDP.

[Vikki]

We were going to pay fr it for our full 21 nights, but then the free dining plan came up so we got the last 14 days for free in the end. We would definatley do it again, and would be happy to pay for it, since we only eat on site. We found we could go to places we would never have gone to if we weren't on the dining plan :yes:

[Evertonian]

We have just come back from a fortnight at POR without the dining plan and spent around £350 on all our food and drink ( Not much alcohol honestly). That includes water in the parks , ice creams etc and mostly counter service meals rather than table service. We found that the $11.99 mugs at resort were a great saving. Dining Plan would have cost us 14 days at £20 x 2 = £560 and I dont think we would have eaten that much food. However TCD have an offer for next year which includes Dining and we have been quoted for 14 nights next Sept at POR with dining plan and Sat flights for an amazing £2300 for the two of us.

[JuniorMickey]

When comparing, it needs to be apples to apples. Honestly the DDP isn't for everyone. Mister E and I however always find ourselves doing a sitdown, and a counter service each day. DDP makes sense for us.

[AlecK]

When we tried DDP I thought it was a great deal - paid $170/day for 4A&2C and most days just topped $300/day in CS and TS alone - big :thumbs: from me for DDP

[Keith]

When comparing, it needs to be apples to apples. Honestly the DDP isn't for everyone. Mister E and I however always find ourselves doing a sitdown, and a counter service each day. DDP makes sense for us.

yes this is very true. We tend to have a sandwich or something really light through the day. We get bored of burgers/chips etc very quickly and we go to the malls and eat there a few days. We then have a great table service meal every evening.

So that equates to snack credits spent on water fine, table service spent on dinner (usually *2 each for signature restaurants) and counter service not spent (we had 10 left from the our trip last week on the last day)

Also when we eat dinner we dont tend to do starters/desserts (sometimes one or the other sure but never both). Not for any other reason than we find the entre large enough for us and don't always find starters we like.

So straight off, you can see the difference between what we'd normally spend and the DDP.

Then add in DDE 20% discount on everything and it's a great deal.

Then often people are buying full packages to get the DDP with 7day pass etc. Those passes come close to buying an annual pass which give great discounts of rooms! So instead of say $200 a night somewhere it could be $129 or whatever. So add that to DDE discount and all of a sudden the DDP doesn't really work for us as a pay option

[AlecK]

Good points Keith - it has to be said to be fair that we tried DDP added onto a six day DVC booking so we hadn't got the AP discount thing to confuse the calculation.

[LadyKay]

How is everyone getting quotes for next year with free dining?

[JuniorMickey]

It's been offered to UK visitors

[hayleyneeyore]

I booked through Virgin Holidays in the UK and got free dining....

I'm not sure if they've started doing the offer in the US yet though :shrug: But I guess you can get a quote through Disney Uk?!

[JuniorMickey]

Last year it was announced on April 1st for US Visitors and had to be booked before mid-June for stays Mid-August through September 30th (have to arrive on or before the 30th)

[LadyKay]

Any free dining scheduled for 2007 that anyone knows of?

[JuniorMickey]

Other than for the UKers, not at this time

[Lizzy]

I think it's good if it will save you and your family money but if you have no intention of eating any TS meals it may not work so well. For us it worked because we DO want to try a lot of TS places and the free dining means we can try more than we previously might have done had we just paid for them normally.

[pluto]

I'm looking forward to trying different foods.. when it's free it gives you the encouragment to maybe pick something daring from the menu

[Andy B]

We are considering going back to WDW next year and normally would stay in a Villa but with the Free Disney Dining Plan I am thinking of staying 5-7 days on site and then the rest of the time off site for non Disney activities. If I factor in Tickets which I would have to buy anyway, parking which I would pay if staying off site and possibly not hiring a car for that part of the holiday and using DME to get to the hotel then using a dining plan cost of £21 per adult per day and £6 per child (as quoted in a travel brochure) then the accommodation works out as £79 for POR and £345 for AKL

Prices as follows;
Adult dining £21 per day x 3 x7 days £441
Child dining £6 x 7 £ 42
Parking 7 x $9 $63 (@1.80 xchange) £ 35
Tickets 4 x £ 159 £ 636
Total £1329

Package Quoted inc tickets and dining
POR £ 1408
AKL or WL £ 1674

Seems a good deal.

[triciacarole]

Does seem good Andy and I believe parking has gone up to $10.

[uscwest]

Parking has indeed gone up to $10.00

[Andy B]

Even better value, and I have not taken off the saving in not hiring a car for a week. I could make a profit!

[DisneyMad]

One thing me and DGF are looking at is taking maybe 13 / 14 nights worth of DDP credits for our 17 night stay, if its possible. That way we've paid for most our food upfront and can have the expensive meals like Alec detailed, but dont have to worry about having left over credits (we'll eat at McDonalds and get take away pizza for dinner at least once, and neither of those qualify!)

[Andy B]

I think I have seen that you have to have the dining credits for every night you are staying on property.

[AlecK]

That's right Andy - every night of your onsite stay has to be on the plan.

[Andy B]

Just a further point on what the free dining plan is worth, I have put earlier dates into the booking system to see how much it would cost for the dining plan if we had to pay and it would be £615.72 for the four of us for a week.

[Andy B]

Has anyone seen at what age you become an adult for the dining plan? My daughter will be 10 when we visit so will be an adult ticket for entrance will she get adult meal credit I wonder.

[triciacarole]

One thing me and DGF are looking at is taking maybe 13 / 14 nights worth of DDP credits for our 17 night stay, if its possible. That way we've paid for most our food upfront and can have the expensive meals like Alec detailed, but dont have to worry about having left over credits (we'll eat at McDonalds and get take away pizza for dinner at least once, and neither of those qualify!)

You could do two bookings one on DDP and one room only, but you will have to use up all your credits by midnight on the day you check out on the DDP.

[AlecK]

Has anyone seen at what age you become an adult for the dining plan? My daughter will be 10 when we visit so will be an adult ticket for entrance will she get adult meal credit I wonder.


:yes: she will be charged adult prices and get an adult credit :thumbs:

[lisaw]

Another question :rolleyes: :lol:

Can the CS credits be used for breakfast at the resort food courts? We are bigger breakfast eaters than lunch, so we would probably be better off using maybe 3 of our 4 credits at breakfast and then 1 adult credit for lunch along with some fruit or crisps. That way we would enjoy our TS dinners more. Is this possible?

[DisneyMad]

If you can't do it, I'd just pony up the extra £75 i think, I could live with eating a big meal every day!

[mel64]

I have been reading all the post about the Dining Plan and was wondering .....
I have planned my trip for Jan 28 - Feb 3 2007 at the Wilderness Lodge.
From what I have read It seems if any discounts come out for Deluxes they are better for room only. would I be better off financial wise booking room only or a package with dining? We are not huge eaters.
Thanks

[mel64]

it's me again. one more question. With the DP does everyone get their own room key with their own credits or are they all combined on one key?

[AlecK]

it's me again. one more question. With the DP does everyone get their own room key with their own credits or are they all combined on one key?


All the credits are in a 'pool' on your room account and can be spent with any room key linked to it so each member of your party can eat snacks etc when they like :thumbs:

[mel64]

Can you only use the credits for yourself or if I was with someone who didn't have the DP could I put their Dinner on mine?
Thanks

[Keith]

I have been reading all the post about the Dining Plan and was wondering .....
I have planned my trip for Jan 28 - Feb 3 2007 at the Wilderness Lodge.
From what I have read It seems if any discounts come out for Deluxes they are better for room only. would I be better off financial wise booking room only or a package with dining? We are not huge eaters.
Thanks

It kinda depends on how many people go, where you stay, how large the discount is etc. :)

We find that a combination of Annual pass for tickets, + AP discount on room only, + disney dining experience for 20% of all food/drink is a much better deal for us if we stay in deluxes than paying full price + dining.

The equation changes if you stay in values where the discounts aren't as much etc.

[DisneyObsessed3]

Well......I guess they wouldn't really know........but if the number of people is on the card then that could make the waiter question if he counted people........oh I don't know

[katielucy]

If we were using TS credit for 4 adults (2 adults are only aged 10 and 11 years), as 10 year old is such a small eater, do Disney allow you to use say 3 adult TS credits and pay out of pocket for child meal, or is 10 year old not allowed to order from childs menu?
When we have done table service before they really have been children :lol:

[JuniorMickey]

It will be up to the server, but most times they'll give you the kids food (IE chicken tenders) in an adult portion size since 10 is adult in Disney

[BevW]

Gads...my head hurts. :lol:

[mom2munchkins]

Gads...my head hurts. :lol:
No kidding LOL

[JuniorMickey]

Of course, most of this information won't work as soon as the new program is in place in January

[disneymeces]

Now I'm going strickly by what is stated on the disney site....

including our legendary Disney Character Dining. For each night on your package, you enjoy:
1 table-service meal including appetizer, entree, dessert, and nonalcoholic beverage and gratuity charge
1 counter-service meal including entree, dessert and nonalcoholic beverage at select counter-service locations
1 snack, such as a frozen ice cream bar, box of popcorn, 20 oz bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Dasani water or a medium fountain soft drink at select snack cart locations
As an added benefit, you may exchange 2 table-service meals for either 1 Signature Dining Experience at one of our finest restaurants, such as the acclaimed California Grill or for 1 Disney Dinner Show, such as Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.
Children ages 3-9 must order from the Children's Menu if available.It doesn't state that you can pool the meals. Now if you can, that is a little better. Still, by doing so, you will end up with only counter service meals. See where I'm going with this. Again, it's all in how you intend to eat.

Post edited

We have have used the DDP 3 times, and yes they do pool together. And as far as the child menus go, we all share our meals anyway since the plates are so big, so we make sure we all have something different so that we can try everything!

[Vikki]

Of course, most of this information won't work as soon as the new program is in place in January

:lol: good point! We'll just have to start over :)

[BevW]

:lol: good point! We'll just have to start over :)

BITE your tongue woman!!!! :lol::eek:

[disneymeces]

I also think it's less stressful not to have to keep track of how many sit down or counter service I've used. Much easier to have a budget (mine is usually $100/day) and stick with that.

I've never kept up with how many we have left, the ticket that you tells you how many meals, CS, TS, etc. that you have left for each person. Or you could just ask.

[Shellyamc]

When Dh and I went on our last trip we used the dining plan and I will never go without it again! It was so great for us. We didn't eat at a lot of fancy places, but had a few nice meals. Each night when we got back to our room I added up what we spend that day on food (using the plan) and at the end of our trip balanced that against what we paid for the plan. The savings was almost $800!!! I think the only really expensive thing we did was see the Hoop de doo review, but it was well worth it!! :thumbs:

[Vikki]

BITE your tongue woman!!!! :lol::eek:
:zip:

[Philly]

Our party (4 adults 4 kids, aged 14,13,7 and 2) are all going to Disney next Sept and thought about Disney DIning. Like Magicalears we worked it out to break even though on expense, and the reason we have decided against it is because upon reading the reports we would have to book the dining with precision timing as apparently the restaurants get very busy. Whilst we do keep to some sort of schedule when we go to Orlando, its difficult to stick to it religiously but we would have to if we had booked certain restaurants on certain evenings PLUS, I understand you have to take up the DDP for the duration of your stay at WDW. We plan a week at AK and a week at OKW, we only wanted to do disney dining for one of those weeks.

Can anyone confirm that it HAS to be for the whole of your stay at WDW.

[JuniorMickey]

I don't know how it goes if you book through a UK Tour Operator but if you book a split stay here, each resort is its on ressie therefore your DDP would be split, but your credits expire at midnight of the day you check out of the hotel (so if you do AKL week 1 and OKW week 2 and you want DDP at AKL, the day you check out of AKL your credits expire at midnight)

[orangebreezer]

A lot of the TA in UK are offering free disney dining from 10th Aug - 27th Sept next year, you got to book moderate or above and purchase your theme park tickets at the same time.

[JuniorMickey]

You'd have to see how they handle changing resorts

[hayleyneeyore]

OOooooh look at your timer JM!!