2 People Trip.. Some questions

[nfeagle5]

ok...I am going on a trip with my fiancee august 5 - 12. Money is kind of an issue as we are both in college (we'll have enough to go and eat lol, but nothing extravagant) so i am wondering a few things.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PLAN

We are going to stay at the All-Star Sports for $82 a night. ?1) shoudl i upgrade the room for an extra $12 a night, is it worth it??

?2) Disney Dining plan- is it really worth it for 2 people, i have heard that its not worth it unless your traveling with 4 or more.

How should we (best guess) use the dining plan if we do decide on it. Ive never used it before and is it necessary to make reservations?

THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE ANY HELP!!

 

[lilclerk]

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PLAN

We are going to stay at the All-Star Sports for $82 a night. ?1) shoudl i upgrade the room for an extra $12 a night, is it worth it??

Personally, I really don't think that upgrading in a value is worth it. With little kids, I'm sure it's a big help, but for me and my group (early 20s) we're happy just walking.

?2) Disney Dining plan- is it really worth it for 2 people, i have heard that its not worth it unless your traveling with 4 or more.

I don't think it matters how many people you're dining with, it matters more how you eat. If you want to have a table service meal every night, and you're going to be eating in the more expensive places, then by all means the dining plan will save you money. For us, we only eat a few table service meals a trip, and at that we usually go to places like The Plaza that are pretty cheap. So the dining plan no longer saves us money since the changes (no longer including appetizer or tip in the ts meals.) This year, the boy and I ate pretty cheap having breakfast in the room, a snack (like stuffed pretzels or turkey legs) or splitting a counter service meal for lunch and having a big dinner. We mostly at at Beaches & Cream, The Plaza and Planet Hollywood (had 3 of the coupons )
Yes you absolutely need reservations for table service meals, with or without the dining plan. Check out the menus on this site and www.allears.net and look at park schedules for your trip to find out where you want to eat and make your reservations as soon as possible.

Have fun planning!

 

[Julie1221]

HI,
My DBF and I are in college and we just returned from our trip this week.
I would not upgrade rooms. (We stayed at POP Century) If you are like us you'll be in the parks all day and only in the room long enough to sleep or go down to the pools.

My DBF really enjoyed the DDP because we were able to eat at a nice sit down dinner that we wouldn't have normally gotten to do. It's a nice break from the hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and pizza served throughout the parks. I would suggest DDP. You may come out a little ahead if you go to nice restaurants. (i.e. Coral Reef:slurp:, Ohanas:slurp:, :slurp:Chef Mickeys, Teppan Edo etc..) if not you'll at least come out even.
I would suggest to make early reservations, it relieves a lot of the headache of trying to find somewhere during the peak eating times. I saw so many people upset because they would walk up and leave angry because earliest time they could get in would be 9:00 p.m.

HAVE A WONDERFUL TRIP!!! WE REALLY ENJOYED OURS!!!

(if you have anymore questions feel free to ask)

 

[Elonwy]

I have to say I agree with the posters above. I would not spend the extra money for the room upgrade but I like the dining plan.

I would make a few reservations for the two of you and I think you'll find that the dining plan will save you money at some romantic spots that would cost MUCH more had you paid for them separately. Now if you only plan to eat at counter service it would be cheaper to skip the plan but I vote for as many romantic dinners as you can

 

[figment3258]

I would say that the room grade is only worth it if you want a better view/location. If you just plan to go to the parks and not stay too long in your room I would not worry about it. the dinning plan could be worth it if you take advantage of it. make sure you use up all snack and meal options and go for the more expensive menu choices and it can really save you money.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

ok...I am going on a trip with my fiancee august 5 - 12. Money is kind of an issue as we are both in college (we'll have enough to go and eat lol, but nothing extravagant) so i am wondering a few things.

Been there and done that. I totally feel your pain.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PLAN

We are going to stay at the All-Star Sports for $82 a night. ?1) shoudl i upgrade the room for an extra $12 a night, is it worth it??

Upgrade to what? Is that the cost for a preferred room? I really don't think it is worth it. If that is the upgrade cost for a moderate, then you should absolutely 100% do it. However, I doubt that is the moderate upgrade cost.

?2) Disney Dining plan- is it really worth it for 2 people, i have heard that its not worth it unless your traveling with 4 or more.

I think it is worth it. My husband and I find it valuable. One of the best parts is having your food pre-paid. I find this to be handy when you are a poor college student.

How should we (best guess) use the dining plan if we do decide on it. Ive never used it before and is it necessary to make reservations?

If you get the dining plan, eat CS lunch and TS dinner. Pick TS dinners that are sit down and not buffets. Some of our favorites are Le Cellier, the Coral Reef, Maya Grill, and the Sci-Fi.

THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE ANY HELP!!

Have a great trip!

 

[Wannabe Walt]

My girlfriend and I are going August 6-12. She'll still be in high school, I'm starting college. So we're kind of in the same situation as you! Here is what we're planning on doing:

All-Star Music (we get a AAA discount here...we're going to check tomorrow about a Mod. resort though)
No dining plan (eating mostly counter services... we figured the cost difference, its not worth it for us.)
7-Day MYO with Park Hoppers and Water Parks addons
Flying from/to St. Louis, MO

I had been looking online for everything, then I called today because when we booked our '07 trip we found out that we had been selected for free ticket upgrades (when we called). So, I wanted to call and check to see if we had any special discounts. The only one we had was an accomidation discount that expired Aug 2 (end of Peak Season). It would have made the trip cost about the same as going in Value season (aug 3-?) So, I asked about the AAA discount (we originally planed for Pop Century). Well, come to find out, the AAA discount only applies at the All-Stars. So, I didn't think to ask about Moderates today, so I'm calling tomorrow morning to find out how much I would save on a Mod. using the AAA discount. I really hope it's a significant amount because I would MUCH rather stay in a Mod. (Always have before, so a value doesn't look too appealing to my tastes).

 

[Victoria]

ok...I am going on a trip with my fiancee august 5 - 12. Money is kind of an issue as we are both in college (we'll have enough to go and eat lol, but nothing extravagant) so i am wondering a few things.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PLAN

We are going to stay at the All-Star Sports for $82 a night. ?1) shoudl i upgrade the room for an extra $12 a night, is it worth it??

?2) Disney Dining plan- is it really worth it for 2 people, i have heard that its not worth it unless your traveling with 4 or more.

How should we (best guess) use the dining plan if we do decide on it. Ive never used it before and is it necessary to make reservations?

THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE ANY HELP!!

I wouldn't worry about upgrading your room. Spend that $12 somewhere else.

Dining plan doesn't really matter if you are by yourself or in a group of 10. It really depends on how much time you want to spend eating and running from reservation to reservation. If you do decide to do the DDP, reservations (ADRs) are a MUST. Walk up wait times are pretty insane if you dont have an ADR.

With that being said, I really enjoy using the DDP. If you want to get a general idea of which restaurants you might like look at the menus on this site. ( http://www.wdwmagic.com/menus.htm ) If you think you might only go to one or two restaurants, the DDP isnt worth the extra money. If you find yourself wanting to go to every restaurant, DDP will save you a bundle of money!

 

[krankenstein]

Hi,

I am a single college guy who tends to go solo to the parks. I can't really speak on the DDP, but from everything I have read I think it is worth it.

Do not do the upgrade. Just ask for the closest available room to Stadium Hall at check in.

 

[tmaziarz]

stay there or go to the POP Century, you will sleep and nap there only

:wave:For dinner you are going to want to make you reservations way before you go.

If you want to go to one special place to eat I have listed a few

#1 California Grill ( this is a high class place, shirt with collar) If you want a special dinner this overlooks the Magic Kingdom.

#2 Ohana's ( at the Polynesian resort) one price per person all you can eat, this is a fun place . you can take the boat from the magic kingdom to get there.

#3 BoMA's (at the Animal Kingdom lodge) you would take a bus to a park and then a bus to this lodge. Cool place to visit and see the animals out side the lodge. The food is a African buffet, the dessert table alone is worth the price.

#4 a lunch spot SCI-FI café at Disney Hollywood studios, neat place food is OK, you sit in cars and watch a scary movie at a drive-in setting.

#5 go to down town Disney, House of blues, check there concerts on line for the week you are there,you would be surprised who plays there.

You will have a blast and make sure to go to a water park, I love Blizzard beach.

The bars at pleasure Island are a must, so you two will need to get to the parks early and get back to the hotel by 4:00 pm for naps and shower to get ready for the night life. Check the Disney web sight to see what days and which park is open late that day.

Also if you can save up and go to la-nuba it is worth it. Get you tax return and blow the whole thing on each other.:sohappy:

 

[coltow]

Don't waste the $12 just to be closer to the lobby. You're young and the few minute walk to the bus stop isn't anything bad (5 min tops).

Our theory is DDP is only worth it if oyu plan to eat sit down dinner every night. Dinners will run you at least $30 per person so for a few dollars more you get a counter meal and a snack. If you plan to eat most counter service places or do table service breakfast I personally wouldn't get it.

We are using it in August because there are 18 of us so it made sense to not have to worry about cash at meals. We also plan to regroup every evening for dinner.

When we go in December there are a few breakfasts that we want to try so to us DDP wasn't worth it on that trip.

 

[cpeters]

Dining plan

The dining plan is worth it. You will spend double that if you are planning on dining at sit down restaurants each day. My husband and I get the dining plan every year.

As for the upgrade in the room....not worth it. You will not spend a lot of time there. Save the money. An upgrade basically means a different view at the resort. Maybe a pool view instead of a garden view. Does it really matter? I can't tell you the last time we sat in our room in Disney!

ok...I am going on a trip with my fiancee august 5 - 12. Money is kind of an issue as we are both in college (we'll have enough to go and eat lol, but nothing extravagant) so i am wondering a few things.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PLAN

We are going to stay at the All-Star Sports for $82 a night. ?1) shoudl i upgrade the room for an extra $12 a night, is it worth it??

?2) Disney Dining plan- is it really worth it for 2 people, i have heard that its not worth it unless your traveling with 4 or more.

How should we (best guess) use the dining plan if we do decide on it. Ive never used it before and is it necessary to make reservations?

THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE ANY HELP!!

 

[RiversideBunny]

Don't waste the $12 just to be closer to the lobby. You're young and the few minute walk to the bus stop isn't anything bad (5 min tops).

Our theory is DDP is only worth it if oyu plan to eat sit down dinner every night. ....

Agree.

We often travel as two. Last year we tried the Dining Plan.
Too much food and too many reservations to have to worry about.
Unless you are heavy eaters, don't use the DDP. Not using it will also make your park visits more flexible because you won't always have to worry about being somewhere at a certain time.

You might want to go ahead and reserve one character meal, such as Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner, or Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's for breakfast.
We do that but otherwise just use counter service whenever we get hungry. It makes for a fun trip.

Good luck.

 

[hansel1]

Do not upgrade your room. The benefit doesn't outweigh the cost.

If cash is a concern, don't do the dining plan. This year the tip is not included and neither is an appetiser with your dinner. You would be far better off paying out of pocket for a few sit down dinners you really wanted than going to a sit down dinner every night and paying tips and extras.

Advance dining reservations are extremely important for dinner reservations. You should book those as soon as possible whether you purchase the dining plan or not.

 

[hansel1]

Agree.

We often travel as two. Last year we tried the Dining Plan.
Too much food and too many reservations to have to worry about.
Unless you are heavy eaters, don't use the DDP. Not using it will also make your park visits more flexible because you won't always have to worry about being somewhere at a certain time.

You might want to go ahead and reserve one character meal, such as Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner, or Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's for breakfast.
We do that but otherwise just use counter service whenever we get hungry. It makes for a fun trip.

Good luck.

I would agree with you if the dining plan this year was the same as last years. With the appetiser removed from table service dining, the amount of food your recieved is more in line with what someone would normally eat.

As for flexibility, the choice of eating in sit down restaurants plays a factor whether you are on the DDP or not. You need ADRs if you plan on eating at a Table Service restaurant.

 

[diddy_mouse]

DH and I will be using the DDP for the second time on our next trip. The first time was an experiement and we both seemed to like it. But we are "sit-down meal" kinda people anyway. We use it more for dinner than anything. Lunch usually consists of visiting the snack carts or sharing something at a counter service.

 

[santa's surpriz]

ADR are neccesary. Make them use allearsnet.com to look up prices. Find out how much it costs to add the dining plan to your package and you will have a good number to compare.

 

[Disneykidder]

As others have said, nix the $12 a night upgrade. Spend that $84 on something else.

As for the DDP~~we paid for it last year and loved it. If we weren't getting the free dining this year, we would definately have paid for it. It is a chance to eat well, sit and relax and have some quality dining experiences. The best part is that you will have paid for it already before your trip begins. So any $ you plan to take will be solely on souvenirs, tips, etc., When the bill came last year at each meal, I did a calculation in my head and figured we did save a lot.

To assess if the dining plan is right for you...do you plan/want to have a TS, CS and snack everyday? If so, then it is worth it. Remember, it is per night, though...not per day. So we are there for 8 days/7nights and will receive 7 TS, 7 CS and 7 snacks per person. There is a restaurant guide that you can download/look at in the WDW web site, or even on here I think, to see which restaurants are included in the plan. As other have stated, once you decide...make your ADRs. I'd make them anyway and then you can always cancel if you decide you don't want them. This way you are covered if you do want them. I made my ADRs before I even booked my trip and then I was able to tweak where necessary.

Hope I have helped!! Enjoy!!:wave:

 

[LordHelmut]

And now for something entirely different....

If $ is a concern, have you considered going a month later ?

There are different costs depending on the season, and August is right at the end of one of the more costly ones. You should see rates in the 50's for rooms at the all-stars.

I am sure someone could provide you (or search) for the different season and $ values, the other thing that makes a difference is the days of the week. Weekends are higher too....

 

[MattyFresh]

We are going to stay at the All-Star Sports for $82 a night. ?1) shoudl i upgrade the room for an extra $12 a night, is it worth it??

no its really not worth it, unless you plan on spending most of your time in the room. When my fiance and I went, we were in the room to nap and sleep at night...so to me, a room with a bed is a room with a bed.

?2) Disney Dining plan- is it really worth it for 2 people, i have heard that its not worth it unless your traveling with 4 or more.

How should we (best guess) use the dining plan if we do decide on it. Ive never used it before and is it necessary to make reservations?

In my opinion, yes its worth it. Just to be able to make your ADRs, sometimes at a place you normally wouldn't go eat, because of the money issue and not have to worry about it, since its already taken care of. We were both kind of skeptical about it but when we figured out how much it would cost us to eat, then it was very clear that it was well worth the money.

Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions, I will try to help the best I can. :wave: