Dining Plan.........Worth it or Not?

[Raven66]

Hi all!:wave:

I searched but didn't find what I was looking for. So I'm coming to you all for help. Ok..........

There will be 3 of us, 2 adults and 1 child (9). We don't normally eat a lot when we are at WDW. This past May we ate only 3 sit downs and the rest were counter service. My DD and I usually share a meal at lunch. What I'm wondering is if you all think it's worth the almost $550 dollars it's going to take to get the dining plan? It's just so hard to decide what to do. I'm hoping they will do the free dining plan for when we are there. Wishfull thinking I'm sure. Thank you in advance for all opinions. I really appreciate it.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi all!:wave:

I searched but didn't find what I was looking for. So I'm coming to you all for help. Ok..........

There will be 3 of us, 2 adults and 1 child (9). We don't normally eat a lot when we are at WDW. This past May we ate only 3 sit downs and the rest were counter service. My DD and I usually share a meal at lunch. What I'm wondering is if you all think it's worth the almost $550 dollars it's going to take to get the dining plan? It's just so hard to decide what to do. I'm hoping they will do the free dining plan for when we are there. Wishfull thinking I'm sure. Thank you in advance for all opinions. I really appreciate it.

Hi Raven!!! The first thing I would ask are you into trying more sit down type of meals? They are more relaxing certainly but do take more of a chunk of time out of your park touring time. If you are into trying that, I would definitely say go for it. The meal plan was definitely worth more than the $35 dollars that it cost. However you are limited to one snack, one counter service and one sit down meal per NIGHT of your stay. It can be done and some restaurants are definitely more worth the cost ( Le Cellier, The Land food court and 50's Prime Time Cafe) and some, not so much ( Pepper Market in Coronado) Let me know what you think and we can work on some of the dining options some more!!! Belle

 

[DisneyMissy]

For me I would be spending more money getting the dinning plan. We mostly do counter service meals because it is cheaper and faster and I don't have to be tied down to a reservation so we only do a few table service meals. If you are going to do mostly counter service I don't think it is worth spending the money on it. If you want to do a lot of table service like Belle said then it may be worth it to you.

 

[DisneyBunny]

We normally only eat 1 or 2 sit down meals when we go because of the high cost. Most of the time we were perfectly happy just eating snacks we brought ourselves, and counter service. Then we tried the dining plan (see my trip report for more details if you want)

I will never go without the dining plan ever again. It opened a whole new world to us. We tried so many more places than ever before, and it was wonderful! Now, before, dining at the world was only a way of sustinance. Now, after the dining plan, eating is half the fun for us!

If you need more help on deciding if it's a good value for you, check out the Unofficial Guide's website. It really breaks it down for you.

 

[wannabeBelle]

We normally only eat 1 or 2 sit down meals when we go because of the high cost. Most of the time we were perfectly happy just eating snacks we brought ourselves, and counter service. Then we tried the dining plan (see my trip report for more details if you want)

I will never go without the dining plan ever again. It opened a whole new world to us. We tried so many more places than ever before, and it was wonderful! Now, before, dining at the world was only a way of sustinance. Now, after the dining plan, eating is half the fun for us!

If you need more help on deciding if it's a good value for you, check out the Unofficial Guide's website. It really breaks it down for you.

Hi there Bunny!!! I have always felt that the dining was a big part of the fun. I usually did sit down meals with the DDE card and my Annual pass. For my party the sit down meals are certainly far nicer and better. To our way of thinking a nice quiet sit down breakfast and a good sit down dinner is certainly worth the time that it takes from the parks, but that certainly doesnt hold true for everyone. Also one of the perks is that it allows for an almost cash free vacation which is always a nice thing, almost like an all inclusive. Good for people who dont want to deal with money on vacation!!!! Belle

 

[octoberbarry]

We just got back from 6 days on the dining plan and we LOVED it. We do like to eat good meals, and we saved SO MUCH money by using it, and tried things that we might not have if we had had to look at the prices on the menu. Try it, you'll like it. If, however, you think that you'll end up eating mostly counter service, then it's probably not the way to go. But if you have even considered doing some of the excellent table service places, it's really 'a whole new world'.:sohappy: :sohappy: :slurp:

 

[Peters_Shadow]

My wife and I just got back last tuesday from our 7 day trip to WDW. We got the free dining plan promotion, so it was definitely a good deal for us this time. If we had paid for it, it would have costed roughly $419ish to get it for 7 days. We tracked how much it would have cost out of pocket when we ordered. We would have spent $780 for all the food we got! We really felt like we scored a great deal! Whether we would have spent $419 on food if we didn't have the dining plan I don't know. We tend to share things alot to conserve money. We definitely wouldn't have done as many sit down dinners if we didn't have the plan, so it was very nice to try a bunch of new things and not worry about cost. So if one of the things you like about the trip is the food, then the dining plan is definitely the way to go.

WannabeBelle is right, there are some places you get more for your dining credits. The land is a great place as is Le Cellier. The Pepper Market gave us issues with what was eligible for deserts on several occasions which was frustrating (especially since there are no signs explaining what's eligible and what isn't), but it was there we actually got the most for one of our CS credits. We got a rib eye steak, so that one credit would have costed about $22.. but some things there are a waste of a credit, so you just have to be careful. On average one CS credit would have ran between $12 and $16. It was very satisfying to have the total bill(for 2 people) at a TS restaurant come to over $100.

 

[Raven66]

Hi Belle:wave:

We tend to eat pretty fast when we are there. But we do enjoy the sit downs. We are interested in trying different places. We've done Norway Princess breakfast, Sci-Fi diner (which I loved) and we always do ESPN, Chef Mickey's too. We normally don't get apps. before dinner (except ESPN wings), or dessert. I will be grateful for any insight.

 

[mkfan23]

We booked with the dining plan for the first week of dec., and I have to say that it really adds another element to our vacation. This will be the fith time that I have been to DW and have never experienced anything other than counter service meals. It's taking alot more planing, but I'm enjoying it.

P.S. Any suggestions on can't misses?:slurp:

 

[shoppingnut]

P.S. Any suggestions on can't misses?:slurp:

Le Cellier - EP
Chef de France - EP
Cinderella's Royal Table - MK (dinner is excellent, no characters) breakfast is good too with the princesses.
Crystal Palace - MK
50's Prime Time - MGM
Boma's - AKL

These are all places that I like very much some have characters, others don't, but all have very good food. I used the dining plan with my brother and they were thrilled with all the sit down meals we had. Generally speaking the kids are only charged $10 a day for their meals on the plan, but it's not about them eating because they usually don't eat very much, it's more about the adults have a good meal and not hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza all week long. If I wanted that cuisine, I could stay home and eat that junk. Besides one character meal for a child's price is $10 anyway, so you do a few of these and you're ahead because no matter what there is no sharing at these meals since they are buffet and charged per head.

 

[Laura]

Well look at this way. Here's how much food an adult can get in 1 day with the dining plan....

Fast Food Lunch - Cosmic Rays/Magic Kingdom - 1 Counter Service Credit
BBQ Rib Meal: $8.69
Triple Chocolate Cake: $2.29
Large Coke: $2.29
Total price with tax: $14.13

Snack - Aunt Polly's/Magic Kingdom - 1 Snack Credit
Bag of Chips - $2.39
Total price with tax: $2.55

Character Dinner - Chef Mickey's - 1 Sit Down Credit
Adult Buffet - $26.99
Total price with tax & 15% tip: $33.06

TOTAL VALUE FOR 1 DAY: $49.74

Compare that with the $38 that the plan actually costs.

BUT - if normally you don't eat sit down meals, desserts, snacks, etc, then you will actually be spending more than you normally would on food, BUT you'll get a good price on the food that you do buy!

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi Belle:wave:

We tend to eat pretty fast when we are there. But we do enjoy the sit downs. We are interested in trying different places. We've done Norway Princess breakfast, Sci-Fi diner (which I loved) and we always do ESPN, Chef Mickey's too. We normally don't get apps. before dinner (except ESPN wings), or dessert. I will be grateful for any insight.

Hi again!!! Grab me on IM and we can discuss a bunch of dining options that might rock your socks!!! I am usually on after 7pm EST. Belle

 

[Raven66]

Well look at this way. Here's how much food an adult can get in 1 day with the dining plan....

Fast Food Lunch - Cosmic Rays/Magic Kingdom - 1 Counter Service Credit
BBQ Rib Meal: $8.69
Triple Chocolate Cake: $2.29
Large Coke: $2.29
Total price with tax: $14.13

Snack - Aunt Polly's/Magic Kingdom - 1 Snack Credit
Bag of Chips - $2.39
Total price with tax: $2.55

Character Dinner - Chef Mickey's - 1 Sit Down Credit
Adult Buffet - $26.99
Total price with tax & 15% tip: $33.06

TOTAL VALUE FOR 1 DAY: $49.74

Compare that with the $38 that the plan actually costs.

BUT - if normally you don't eat sit down meals, desserts, snacks, etc, then you will actually be spending more than you normally would on food, BUT you'll get a good price on the food that you do buy!

Laura,
Thank you for taking the time to write that out, it was a big help. :wave: I was trying to do that this weekend, but with football blaring and my husband swearing at the TV I couldn't concentrate :lol: Again thanks a bunch.

 

[Raven66]

Hi again!!! Grab me on IM and we can discuss a bunch of dining options that might rock your socks!!! I am usually on after 7pm EST. Belle

I will do that, thanks. We have some restaurants in mind, but I would love to hear what you have and get your opinions on ours.