Disney Dining Plan ?

[carlosjv]

what do you think about the dinning plan ?, does it worth the money ? or its better to have the freedom of eating what ever you want at any place , we would be at the coronado on new year eve for one week , we are good eaters ,so i dont know what to do , what dou you recomend ?:veryconfu

 

[Disneysue]

Id go with the DDP. It ends up being $38 per adult per day (approx.) You get soooo many options with it! What I like about it is that I can pay for EVERYTHING in advance. So whenI get there, all I have to worry about is play money! No worries about budgeting out for meals. GO FOR IT!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

If your primary driver is cost I can recommend it.

 

[jonesenon4]

:sohappy: in my opinion its the best thing disney has ever done. i would yes yes yes on getting the ddp.there is no way you could eat like you do on the ddp for 38 dollars a day.it will save you tons of money on food plus its already paid for so like others have said all you have to worry about is play money.we have used it 2 years in a row and wouldnt think of going without the dining plan now. have a magical trip.:sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[Monty]

Another vote saying it's a great deal. But only if you like to have Table Service meals a lot. But even if you don't have DDP, you're not going to "have the freedom of eating what ever you want at any place" any more because of the plan.

It is essential to have ADRs for your Table Service meals at WDW restaurants these days. Because so many people are using the DDP, the restaurants book up fast and you can't guarantee being able to find a restaurant with an opening, particularly during a busy season like New Year's.

 

[juniorlilly]

Is this Dining Plan only for people staying 'at' Disney?

 

[Monty]

Is this Dining Plan only for people staying 'at' Disney?

Yes, you have to be at a resort with a ticket package or as a DVC member.

If you're not on-site, there's the Disney Dining Experience card, which gives 20% off the food bill, including alcoholic drinks. Also a pretty good deal...

 

[KrazyKowboy]

Is this Dining Plan only for people staying 'at' Disney?

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Who Can Purchase the Dining Plan?[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Magic Your Way Dining Plan can only be purchased as follows:[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1. If you are a non-Disney Vacation Club member, you must purchase a Magic Your Way vacation package at a Disney resort for your entire party with at least one day's park admission. The number of days for the Dining Plan will equal the number of nights you have reserved your room on the package. It has nothing to do with the number of days of park admission you have.[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2. If you are a Disney Vacation Club member staying at a DVC resort on points, you may purchase the Dining Plan. You must purchase the Dining Plan for everyone in your party. No purchase of park admission is necessary. The number of dining plan days will equal the number of nights of your stay.[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NOTE: The following resorts do not participate in the dining plan: The Swan, Dolphin, Shades of Green and the Downtown Disney resorts on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, which are not Disney owned or operated.[/FONT]​

-------------------------​

And here's the 2006 Disney Dining brochure. It includes just about all of the informaton you'll need to make up your mind.​

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...gespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/MYWDining.pdf​

 

[kennygman]

We've used the DDP twice. Once for free. If you plan to eat at least one sit down meal per day (including character meals) it can be a good deal. Especially since they include the tip. If you don't do nice sit down meals much, then you can buy your food cheaper.

 

[juniorlilly]

That disney dinning experience card sounds interesting, we will be getting the spirits..

The other option the dining plan, seems like too much food, also I don't think we will want to have to get a dessert w/most meals, etc.

now i have to reasearch that dinining experience card.

thanks


also we are staying at comfort maingate - 9 days - not a member of disney vacation - or staying at disney - so if i read correctly i couldn't do it anyway.
Okay I can't do the dining experience card EITHER! Do not live in Florida nor are we season/annual pass holders!

 

[polynesiangirl]

I think it depends on what you plan to do, etc...for example, we tossed around the idea of using the DDP this coming trip, BUT we're only going to be there for like 4 days, and while we are doing a couple of sit down meals, we aren't doing enough to make the plan worth it to us...

Also, I dunno...it seems like (maybe I'm wrong, I honestly have never done the dining plan so take whatever I say with a grain of salt,) a lot of food. Doesn't every "meal" include an appetizer, entree and dessert? I really like Disney dining, but...I don't think that I'd want all that food at every meal...and I don't really like to waste food either...so I'd probably end up eating WAY too much. I mean, maybe it is a "savings", but...it just seems like a lot to eat. I guess I just wouldn't have enough willpower to resist it, haha.

 

[Monty]

That disney dinning experience card sounds interesting, we will be getting the spirits..

The other option the dining plan, seems like too much food, also I don't think we will want to have to get a dessert w/most meals, etc.

now i have to reasearch that dinining experience card.

thanks


also we are staying at comfort maingate - 9 days - not a member of disney vacation - or staying at disney - so if i read correctly i couldn't do it anyway.

Here a good spot to start your research. Basically, it's a card you buy and it's good for one year. If you eat enough during that year to recoup more than the initial cost, it's worth it.

Edit: If you're there often enough or long enough it might be worth getting an AP, so you can get DDE...

 

[PhilharMagician]

Just a note. The DDE card is only available to AP holders and Florida Residents.

 

[carlosjv]

thanks you all guyss , i would go for it , it seems that its a great deal thanks you again :wave:

 

[bears163]

we just used DP 2 weeks ago. besides having to make reservations it is the best thing ever. having to make reservations makes it difficult to plan your day. but for the cost. it cost us about 675 for the DP. i estimated our bills would have added up to esily over 900. we ate a wolfgang cafe the last night & let me tell u what it was the BEST. some of the best food all week. that night alone our bill would have been 200. also we got to eat at places we normally would not have eaten.

 

[LuLaSue]

We are leaving October 29th and are using the DDP. If you are planning to incorporate signature dining into you culinary adventure I find alot of pre-planning is involved . I definately think you get more bang for your buck with the DDP!! A wise man once said, "Proper planning prevents poor preformance." I say go for it and enjoy!:wave:

 

[mgraef]

We are leaving October 29th and are using the DDP. If you are planning to incorporate signature dining into you culinary adventure I find alot of pre-planning is involved . I definately think you get more bang for your buck with the DDP!! A wise man once said, "Proper planning prevents poor preformance." I say go for it and enjoy!:wave:

We are doing the same - arrive the 27th and bought the DDP after finding a nice AAA discount on the rest of our trip. I am sure we could have eaten cheaper on our own. Last time at DW I was making PB sandwiches in the morning, and by the end of the week was longing for better food.

My wife did all the restaurant planning and had a good time doing so. The only thing that I don't really care for is that we do need to at specific parks for the ADRs on specific days.

 

[LuLaSue]

We are doing the same - arrive the 27th and bought the DDP after finding a nice AAA discount on the rest of our trip. I am sure we could have eaten cheaper on our own. Last time at DW I was making PB sandwiches in the morning, and by the end of the week was longing for better food.

My wife did all the restaurant planning and had a good time doing so. The only thing that I don't really care for is that we do need to at specific parks for the ADRs on specific days.

I was also planning on packing a "dry" breakfast until I read in one of the forums that you use a snack option for muffins and such. Makes packing a bit lighter and allows you to use the snack option to its full potential.

 

[mgraef]

I was also planning on packing a "dry" breakfast until I read in one of the forums that you use a snack option for muffins and such. Makes packing a bit lighter and allows you to use the snack option to its full potential.

We are still bringing the requisite granola bars etc. for breakfast so that we can hit the parks running, so to speak.

 

[Craig & Lisa]

In April we bought the DDP. It came out to alittle over 600, but when we figured out how much we would have paid out right without it, we saved over 300. The only downer is it's a use it or lose it. But overall I do not see us not using the plan. Go for it, it's a win win deal.