Cost of character dining?

[LP1]

Hi, we are from the UK and are travelling to WDW with our toddler for 2 weeks in April. With our package we get the free QS dining plan but are debating whether we should upgrade? We want to do quite a few character meals which will be good for our 2 year old as am thinking she will be able to eat from the buffet (she's a big eater so not sure that sharing a quick service meal with us is going to work!). Our plans are:
Tusker house- lunch
Ohana- breakfast
Akserhaus- lunch
Disney Jr- breakfast
Garden grill- dinner
Chef mickey - brunch
Crystal Palace- breakfast
Ohana- dinner
I'm trying to work out the cost of these meals to compare with the cost to upgrade but all the info given is that prices vary e.g.tusker house between 34.99-59.99. How can I find out which price will apply when we visit? Any advice would be much appreciated thank you.

 

[21stamps]

Hi, we are from the UK and are travelling to WDW with our toddler for 2 weeks in April. With our package we get the free QS dining plan but are debating whether we should upgrade? We want to do quite a few character meals which will be good for our 2 year old as am thinking she will be able to eat from the buffet (she's a big eater so not sure that sharing a quick service meal with us is going to work!). Our plans are:
Tusker house- lunch
Ohana- breakfast
Akserhaus- lunch
Disney Jr- breakfast
Garden grill- dinner
Chef mickey - brunch
Crystal Palace- breakfast
Ohana- dinner
I'm trying to work out the cost of these meals to compare with the cost to upgrade but all the info given is that prices vary e.g.tusker house between 34.99-59.99. How can I find out which price will apply when we visit? Any advice would be much appreciated thank you.

The highest price is only on certain holidays. You don't need to upgrade to the DDP for 8 meals in 14 days. Save the money

 

[MissingDisney]

Allears.net has the price listed for all locations in the menu section. If you are traveling at Easter, the prices may be higher. Find out what you'd be charged to upgrade to the regular dining plan per day vs. paying out of pocket for all of these meals and make a decision from that.

 

[Bob]

@wdwmagic lists the exact prices. All you have to do is click on each of the individual dining locations.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining-filtered/character/operating/all-locations.htm

 

[MissingDisney]

@wdwmagic lists the exact prices. All you have to do is click on each of the individual dining locations.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining-filtered/character/operating/all-locations.htm

It does, but unfortunately doesn't list the price range due to regular-holiday price ranges.

 

[Bob]

It does, but unfortunately doesn't list the price range due to regular-holiday price ranges.

I would not be surprised if the prices listed by @wdwmagic adjusted to reflect holiday pricing changes. Regardless, the price difference at holiday time isn't significant enough such that it should effect whether or not the OP decides to change their DDP.

 

[Calmdownnow]

2 basic questions: are you travelling in April 2017? Have you already booked the 8 character meals? If you haven't yet booked them and you are travelling in 6 weeks time, you may struggle to get reservations. If you have booked, then the up-grade to the regular dining plan is a no-brainer as otherwise you will be looking at 36 meals (8 out of pocket and 28 free with the QS plan) and 28 snacks per person over a two-week period. Way too much food or a waste of your credits. Plus the cost of the 8 (x 2 people) character meals is likely to be greater than the cost of up-grading.

The regular plan will give you 14 table service meals and 14 counter service as well as 28 snacks -- and the snacks can be used at EPCOT's Flower and Garden Show food booths. Still plenty of food. Just remember you have tips to add to the costs of the table service meals regardless of whether they dining plan or out of pocket.

 

[MissingDisney]

I would not be surprised if the prices listed by @wdwmagic adjusted to reflect holiday pricing changes. Regardless, the price difference at holiday time isn't significant enough such that it should effect whether or not the OP decides to change their DDP.

The price difference at CM for dinner during a trip for us once was $9/adult (we went twice, a week apart with different people) That's a lot to me. Multiply that times 2, 3, 4 people...that's nearly $40 that could be spent elsewhere...at Disney, of course.

 

[LP1]

thank you for all your help. I have the reservations secured already and we are going the week after Easter. Having calculated the cost of the 8 meals at a mid point of the price range would still put it over the cost to upgrade the package...so that's the decision made for me. if the exchange rate were as it used to be then it might have been a closer call. Think I'll make the call to upgrade and then can add some more table service meals -if I can get booked up this late!!

 

[Marc Levin]

thank you for all your help. I have the reservations secured already and we are going the week after Easter. Having calculated the cost of the 8 meals at a mid point of the price range would still put it over the cost to upgrade the package...so that's the decision made for me. if the exchange rate were as it used to be then it might have been a closer call. Think I'll make the call to upgrade and then can add some more table service meals -if I can get booked up this late!!

I'm going the week before you, also from the UK. We last went in 2015, and did some character dining meals without the dining plan, and they were stupidly expensive. The "normal" meals also came with a hefty bill shock, they are all very far removed from what you'd consider "reasonable value for a family restaurant", assuming you typically take your family to the same sort of places that I take mine to. And don't forget that Disney excel at finding things to charge you for that you'd never even think of and you have to factor in a 20% tip on top of the cost of all meals.

All I can say is that this time we opted for the dining plan as a direct result of our experience last time.

 

[LP1]

I'm going the week before you, also from the UK. We last went in 2015, and did some character dining meals without the dining plan, and they were stupidly expensive. The
"normal" meals also came with a hefty bill shock, they are all very far removed from what you'd consider "reasonable value for a family restaurant", assuming you typically take your family to the same sort of places that I take mine to. And don't forget that Disney excel at finding things to charge you for that you'd never even think of and you have to factor in a 20% tip on top of the cost of all meals.

All I can say is that this time we opted for the dining plan as a direct result of our experience last time.

Thanks for sharing your experience, I'm reassured I've made the right decision now. The cost to upgrade was £360, I'm sure we would have spent more off the plan and at least now our toddler can eat from the buffets as opposed to sharing from our plate as the way her appetite is, it wouldn't leave much for me and my husband!! Have a good trip