Dining Plan.....Is it worth It??

[mereg]

I just asked this question on my other thread "How do you do it". Is the Dining plan worth the cost. It seems pricey to me but since we've not been before and since I really want to fly and cut out a 3 day driving trip don't want to lug any more than I have to with us. I mean will we really eat that much food? We're a fam of 4. Is food really that outrageously priced?
Thanks for the info!!!:wave:

 

[DisneyMarg]

Now we're talking in 2 threads, lol.
If you rent a car you can go to a grocery store when you get there. ALso, some other threads list transportation services that will take you to a grocery store. Search on groceries and see what comes up. I've also read that some people ship groceries in advance, but somehow that sounds more expensive than eating out to me (although I've never checked into it)

I don't think the food is outrageously priced for good food in a resort location, but it might be more expensive than what you are accustomed to at home. You can check the menus and prices at allearsnet.com

As for lugging groceries, we are notorious for that. We'll pack a "food suitcase" even. It is a big family joke because one year we went to California for a 3 week vacation. We were renting a car and driving a lot, so everyone was told to pack in a very small space and only one bag. We were all paring down ("Do you think I can get buy with 3 pairs of underwear if we wash a lot?") and we did very well until right as we were leaving for the airport. All of a sudden, Dad had this sort of food panic and decided to bring along a FIVE POUND bag of RAISINS!! He was like, "you know, we will really be glad we have this!". We couldn't believe he was stuffing this in his suitcase. Of course we never ate any raisins, and, to top it off, we visited the SunMaid Raisin plant while out there. So now we are always asking each other, "Did you pack the raisins?"

 

[Monty]

If you're looking to save as much money as you can, the Dining plan is not the "cheapest" way to maintain sustenance while at Disney. You can manage fairly well eating at the food courts and counter service eateries and bringing your own snacks and it can cost less than the plan. But...

If you want to experience some excellent food at table service restaurants and can afford the plan, it allows you to order quite expensive meals for a fixed daily rate for food. I really found it worth the money. We ate at good restaurants and ordered things we certainly wouldn't order all the time because of cost. We used all of the credits for snacks, counter service and table service we were allotted.

Look at the menus, think of what you'd eat if you weren't on the plan and look at what you could eat if you were and figure out what's best for you based on you.

 

[RAY M N.J.]

yes i believe so. trust me i did the math it was way way over if we payed cash vs. dining plan. did it 3 times so far.

 

[wannab@dis]

Can you eat cheaper at WDW without the plan? Yes, but it won't be at good table service locations. The cost of many of the table service restaurants can actually exceed the cost of the dining plan. Throw in the counter service and snacks and you can really get some bang for the plan.

I think it's a great way to budget your food costs AND be able to eat at some of the best places on property without breaking the bank. Le Cellier was our most expensive meal and we ordered items that we would NEVER order with the dining plan. It was an experience that was more than worth the cost of the overall plan.

Enjoy your trip! :wave:

 

[Deaclaw]

We use the dining plan to enjoy the character meals once a day. It is much cheaper if you go to a table service meal once a day. The plan assumes that youi will eat one meal out per day but it was so much food that we only ate at Chic-Fil-A one time during a 5 day visit and on the last day, we had 8 snaks to use! My family has 5 people

 

[wannabeBelle]

I just asked this question on my other thread "How do you do it". Is the Dining plan worth the cost. It seems pricey to me but since we've not been before and since I really want to fly and cut out a 3 day driving trip don't want to lug any more than I have to with us. I mean will we really eat that much food? We're a fam of 4. Is food really that outrageously priced?
Thanks for the info!!!:wave:

Hi there!! I Just was discussing this with a friend of mine a few days ago. She had asked the very same question. We figured out what would be a normal days worth of food for her and her husband. We figured that using the allowances as given and choosing off the menus listed on www.allearsnet.com under the Dining section that she would have "Spent" about $70.00 for food on a given day. Of course this was using all of the allowances, a dessert with the counter service meal, an appetizer and dessert with the sit down meal as well as the entree etc. Also it is a factor as to if your family wants to take the time away from the parks to have a nice sit down meal. I know that sounds odd, but some people dont. They prefer to grab something on the run and keep exploring all that the parks have to offer. If that is the case the Dining plan may not suit your park style. Cost wise is it worth it comparitively to what you get in terms of food?? Definitely. Belle

 

[HiddenMinnie]

I think the dining plan is well worth the price! We will never go to WDW without getting the dining plan. There were 8 of us that went last year, and since everyone gets an appetizer, entree, and dessert, we ordered every different appetizer on the menu and everyone shared. We did the same with desserts. We also went to some great restaurants that we probably would have looked at as being too expensive otherwise. We did the Hoopdy Doo Revue the first night. It was soooo fun!!! Pretty pricey too when it was all said and done! But all we had to do was sign our name on the receipt, no leaving a tip or anything! It was all included in the dining plan!! I do enough price comparing at restaurants at home, when I'm on vacation its nice to just order what sounds good or try something new. WDW has some incredible restaurants and the dining plan is the way to experience them!

 

[Jenngusto]

Thanks

I am planning a trip for sometime next winter and am glad I read the info.

 

[Teenchy]

I just asked this question on my other thread "How do you do it". Is the Dining plan worth the cost. It seems pricey to me but since we've not been before and since I really want to fly and cut out a 3 day driving trip don't want to lug any more than I have to with us. I mean will we really eat that much food? We're a fam of 4. Is food really that outrageously priced?
Thanks for the info!!!:wave:

This is not to be negative but on your last post you said it looked like you couldnt afford a trip to WDW, and now your worried about food and dining prices?
Have you been able to work out a price to get there and now wonder if you can survive on the food budget?

I think a person can survive at least 3 days on 1 Turkey leg, 1 dole whip and a Mickey Ice Cream Bar.:slurp:

 

[Monty]

I think a person can survive at least 3 days on 1 Turkey leg, 1 dole whip and a Mickey Ice Cream Bar.:slurp:

That wouldn't get me through an afternoon :lookaroun

 

[Senderella]

Can you eat cheaper at WDW without the plan? Yes, but it won't be at good table service locations.

Don't forget when you're doing the counter service, the choices aren't that varied. It gets old real quick.

 

[HiddenMinnie]

Don't forget when you're doing the counter service, the choices aren't that varied. It gets old real quick.

That is very true!! I don't think that I would want to eat counter service for lunch and dinner every day!! Someone said that they might not want to take time away from the parks to have a sit down dinner. It was very simple for us. We just made our dinner reservations well before we even left for WDW and then planned our day around what park we had resevations for that evening. We ran around that park all day and then went to dinner and when we were done we walk out of the restaurant and we were off again. It is nice to take a break and sit and eat a nice meal after being in the park all day.

 

[Senderella]

That is very true!! I don't think that I would want to eat counter service for lunch and dinner every day!! Someone said that they might not want to take time away from the parks to have a sit down dinner. It was very simple for us. We just made our dinner reservations well before we even left for WDW and then planned our day around what park we had resevations for that evening. We ran around that park all day and then went to dinner and when we were done we walk out of the restaurant and we were off again. It is nice to take a break and sit and eat a nice meal after being in the park all day.

That's what we do. I check out the schedules & park times and try to come up with a plan for our ADRs so we're able to see the fireworks/parades/whatever else if we want. Most of our favorites are outside the parks but the places we love in the parks, we make that park our park of the day. We wander around and do what we want until it's time for our meal (although the in park restaurants, I try to get them for breakfast or lunch) and then after that we can decide if we want to stay or book it to the room, DTD or another park. We like it like that because we've got our meals planned for.. a general game plan for our parks... and beyond that we're free to roll with it. Freedom with SOME organization

 

[HiddenMinnie]

We planned one of our days around breakfast too. We got reservations for breakfast with Cinderella at the castle. Because our reservations were at 8am we got to go into MK before the park opened. It was so cool to be there with hardly any people around! We got some amazing pictures of the castle and didn't have tons of people in the pictures!! That was our designated MK day since we had reservations in there that day. We also had dinner in MK one evening at The Liberty Tree Tavern. The food was awesome and it was a character dinner as well. The kids loved having Goofy, Minnie, Donald, and Chip & Dale visit our table every few minutes.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi there again!!!! I was the one who said some people dont prefer to take the time out of the park schedule. It is true, however that is certainly NOT what I personally do. I enjoy the sit down meals as much as I enjoy some of the attractions around the parks. Belle

 

[Senderella]

I enjoy the sit down meals as much as I enjoy some of the attractions around the parks. Belle

Same here.. a lot of the restaurants (especially the character meals) are definately something to experience.. it's right up there with experiencing say certain rides or shows.

 

[dandaman]

That wouldn't get me through an afternoon :lookaroun

I could live on that. Albeit, I'd have to at least quintuple the amounts. :lookaroun

The cost more than balances out the value. We ended up "spending" over $1500 on WDW food last August! Thankfully, we got the Dining Plan free anyway.

Which reminds me: Anyone out there know if it's coming back? If not, I can understand that, from a Disney standpoint. I feel like we could've bankrupted the company with all the mass consumption of free meals.

 

[Kadee]

I could live on that. Albeit, I'd have to at least quintuple the amounts. :lookaroun

The cost more than balances out the value. We ended up "spending" over $1500 on WDW food last August! Thankfully, we got the Dining Plan free anyway.

Which reminds me: Anyone out there know if it's coming back? If not, I can understand that, from a Disney standpoint. I feel like we could've bankrupted the company with all the mass consumption of free meals.

I was wondering the same thing!!!! We are planning a trip for sometime this year and the free dining plan would certainly be a factor in the decision of when to go. Of course, ANY special deal from WDW is usually pretty good. Anyone hear of ANY deals coming up?

 

[wannabeBelle]

There is a deal out now for check in dates 4/23/06-6/3/06. Disney is upgrading the regular MYW tickets to include the Park Hopper and the Water Park and more option for free. This offer must be booked by 3/30/06. If anyone is interested in the pricing, please feel free to E mail me (see my signature line) and Ill work up the numbers for you. Please include the dates you want to go, the number of people, how many adults, how many kids and the ages of all children. As far as the Free Dining, I wouldnt exactly hold my breath for a deal as sweet as that one. I think that was more to advertise the new MYW dining plan during a particularly slow period in the year for Disney. It worked. All of us know what a great deal the Dining plan is now!! Belle