hi !we are going to dw for 10 days in april. Me , hubby, dd, ds . I am wondering if dp is worth it. Anyone who has used it before please let me know pros cons and if its worth the money . thanks so much
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dining plan worth it or not
- Thread starter kathyjacks
- Start date
Yellow Shoes
Well-Known Member
"Is it worth the money?" is a very subjective question.
Will you eat meals worth more than you paid for the program?
--yes. It is possible to have a meal on the dining program that would have cost you $50. From that standpoint, you will get your money's worth.
Are you the kind of family that likes a sit-down meal every day?
--not everyone is
Are your children old enough to tolerate a meal that may take over an hour?
--again, not all children will, even if it is a character meal
Is your touring style such that having a daily advance dining reservation and having to keep it will cramp your style?
--some people feel that having to drop everything and head to a restaurant ruins the moment. There is also the feeling that your entire day revolves around food and eating. Some folks do not like that, for many reasons.
Will having the dining plan allow you to try some restaurants that may have seemed too $$ in the past?
--IMHO, this is one of the best reasons to get the plan
Do you absolutely love the idea that you will have no out-of-pocket expenses for meals while at WDW?
--again, a great reason to go with the plan
An appetizer, entree, and dessert at a sit-down restaurant is a LOT of food. Many people find that they cannot maintain that level of food consumption over 5 or 6 days. Will wasting food be difficult for you?
Are you organized enough to look through menus to determine what your family will eat (for example, there is very little on the adult's menu at Brown Derby that my kids would eat), and then to make the reservations?
I think it is a great deal, but it isn't for everyone. My last trip was with my then-10 year old son. I kept track of what we spent on meals--the dining plan would have cost us more (yes, I do realize that we would have eaten differently with the plan). For example, at 50's Prime Time we split the fried chicken and had an appetizer and were more than full.
However, if my husband had gone along, we would have done the plan, because sit-down meals are important to him.
Honestly, I have not run across anyone here who was sorry they got the plan. It has received raves. You CAN eat for less than $39 per person per day and be happy, however.
Will you eat meals worth more than you paid for the program?
--yes. It is possible to have a meal on the dining program that would have cost you $50. From that standpoint, you will get your money's worth.
Are you the kind of family that likes a sit-down meal every day?
--not everyone is
Are your children old enough to tolerate a meal that may take over an hour?
--again, not all children will, even if it is a character meal
Is your touring style such that having a daily advance dining reservation and having to keep it will cramp your style?
--some people feel that having to drop everything and head to a restaurant ruins the moment. There is also the feeling that your entire day revolves around food and eating. Some folks do not like that, for many reasons.
Will having the dining plan allow you to try some restaurants that may have seemed too $$ in the past?
--IMHO, this is one of the best reasons to get the plan
Do you absolutely love the idea that you will have no out-of-pocket expenses for meals while at WDW?
--again, a great reason to go with the plan
An appetizer, entree, and dessert at a sit-down restaurant is a LOT of food. Many people find that they cannot maintain that level of food consumption over 5 or 6 days. Will wasting food be difficult for you?
Are you organized enough to look through menus to determine what your family will eat (for example, there is very little on the adult's menu at Brown Derby that my kids would eat), and then to make the reservations?
I think it is a great deal, but it isn't for everyone. My last trip was with my then-10 year old son. I kept track of what we spent on meals--the dining plan would have cost us more (yes, I do realize that we would have eaten differently with the plan). For example, at 50's Prime Time we split the fried chicken and had an appetizer and were more than full.
However, if my husband had gone along, we would have done the plan, because sit-down meals are important to him.
Honestly, I have not run across anyone here who was sorry they got the plan. It has received raves. You CAN eat for less than $39 per person per day and be happy, however.
I am also contemplating purchasing the DDP for my May trip. I thought the DDP was a great idea, until I started reviewing the menus for various restaurants. Unfortunately my family is not fond of buffets, nor do they like many non-american dishes, this eliminates several restaurants. Also, while reviewing the "counter service" kids menus, there were usually only 2 or 3 choices and one of them was always PB&J.
I will probably NOT purchase the DDP based on the menu reviews I have read.
I will probably NOT purchase the DDP based on the menu reviews I have read.
maxime29
Premium Member
It was a lot more food than we normally ate, but for the money it was worth it. Yellow Shoes basically covered the basics.
Check out some comments from other people who used the Dining Plan on AllEarsNet: http://allearsnet.com/pl/mywdining.htm
My only gripe was that the program was picky regarding what could be considered a snack. For example, the brochure we were given listed chips as a snack while most locations said it was not included. Depending on the CM at the register, they were willing to make the adjustment (and rightfully so since it was a small enough item). Same issue with counting certain items as a dessert. One day at the Casparilla Grill at GF they ran out of ice cream bars and toll house cookie ice creams. One of the CMs allowed us to count a fruit cup as the dessert.
Check out some comments from other people who used the Dining Plan on AllEarsNet: http://allearsnet.com/pl/mywdining.htm
My only gripe was that the program was picky regarding what could be considered a snack. For example, the brochure we were given listed chips as a snack while most locations said it was not included. Depending on the CM at the register, they were willing to make the adjustment (and rightfully so since it was a small enough item). Same issue with counting certain items as a dessert. One day at the Casparilla Grill at GF they ran out of ice cream bars and toll house cookie ice creams. One of the CMs allowed us to count a fruit cup as the dessert.
Dwight Benedict
New Member
I'm a food lover. I get the DP and go to all the better restaurants at Epcot, Chef Des Frances, LeCellier, Nine Dragons, the Japanese restaurant (these all count as one sit down meal) Then maybe go to one of the really top restaurants that count at 2 sit down meals (Citricos, California Grill, Flying Fish). I get the most expensive steak meals, surf and turf etc and save a bundle. Remember, Gratuity is included!!
if you're not a food fanatic, the plan may not be for you.
if you're not a food fanatic, the plan may not be for you.
Rayzer
New Member
I'm all for the dining plan!!! it was my first time to WDW (apart from the one numerous trips in the on in LA) so i got the DP to see what it was like..and it was absolutely wonderful =D the snacks, the counter, the sit down...it was quite convenient, cuz there are quite a number of restaurants to choose from...I sure hope it doesn't end haha
Yellow Shoes
Well-Known Member
maxime29 said:
I'm sooo sorry, but fruit cup is NOT an acceptable substitute for ice cream!!!
Never
Never
NEVER!!!
:lol:
hrmom26
Active Member
i am going in march i was going threw the do i don't i thing with the dining plan until a friend of mine that goes to the park once or twice a year gave me great advice. she said to go on-line and look at the menus ask the people your going with what type of places they would like to eat, have everyone look at the menu's and pick out things.add it up then compare it to the cost of the plan i have myself and two kids one 11 one 8 i counted the 11 yr old as a adult and have us going to 3 character dinners the Crystal palace , chef mickeys, one more i don't remember right now and eating all our lunch's and dinners somewhere in the park . it all added up to about the same as the DDP i think it was maybe 5 or 10 dollars different i don't remember witch way though anyway i just decided not to i wasn't real comfortable with the restrictions of so many table service so many counter what if we feel like eating more of one than the other? then i end up wasting money
dining plan is going to cost us 1,000 bucks. thats alot of money . I am not saying it isn't worth it but dont' they have a mcdonalds becuase I will eat there some that can't be 1,000. thats my next question is the mcdonalds onsite reg prices or disney world prices?
Nicole
Well-Known Member
The McDonald's on WDW definitely has Disney pricing. And if you don't have a car it's going to be hard to get there.
I generally budget around $100 per day for food when its me, my DH and my 5 y.o. DD. So the $1000 figure for ten days sounds good for a family of four. However the thing about paying cash is the flexibility. We don't necessarily eat in a table service restaurant every day, and sometimes when we have dining reservations somewhere we change our mind and just get counter service.
I generally budget around $100 per day for food when its me, my DH and my 5 y.o. DD. So the $1000 figure for ten days sounds good for a family of four. However the thing about paying cash is the flexibility. We don't necessarily eat in a table service restaurant every day, and sometimes when we have dining reservations somewhere we change our mind and just get counter service.
AshAlytwins
New Member
For my family of 4 includeing 2 13-year old girls the Dining Plan we used in December was a huge saving. We saved at least $350. We love to eat well, and we were able to get some fantastic meals that would have regularly cost a bundle. Don't forget that the plan includes your tax and gratutity. Good luck and have fun!!!
Yellow Shoes
Well-Known Member
For hrmom26, something to consider:
Portions at WDW restaurants are HUGE.
I have never had a problem with splitting meals with my son. The fried chicken meal I talked about above was 4 pieces of chicken--leg, thigh, wing, and ...well.. you know the other one, mashed potatoes (which we don't like-they have the peels in them, so we substitited french fries), and green beans. I told our "cousin" (the waiter) that we were going to split it, and he brought 2 plates with beans and fries, and the chicken divided up.
We added a milkshake and onion ring appetizer (my son's favorite) and were uncomfortably full.
If you are worried that you won't have enough food, you can order an appetizer or dessert. (or get a Mickey bar, Dole Whip, school bread, churro, etc. later in the day)
Another thing you may not know is that you can order a burger without fries even though they may be listed together as a "burger basket combo" or whatever. There are usually enough fries for 2 people, so you can save some $ there.
If you are paying cash, you can use some strategies to save a little.
If, of course, you have a car, you can save a lot by going off-site. I would suspect that a full sit-down meal at a Mexican chain (Chevy's, Chi-Chi's, On the Border, etc.) doesn't cost much more than 4 combo plates at Cantina de San Angel at $8 each.
Portions at WDW restaurants are HUGE.
I have never had a problem with splitting meals with my son. The fried chicken meal I talked about above was 4 pieces of chicken--leg, thigh, wing, and ...well.. you know the other one, mashed potatoes (which we don't like-they have the peels in them, so we substitited french fries), and green beans. I told our "cousin" (the waiter) that we were going to split it, and he brought 2 plates with beans and fries, and the chicken divided up.
We added a milkshake and onion ring appetizer (my son's favorite) and were uncomfortably full.
If you are worried that you won't have enough food, you can order an appetizer or dessert. (or get a Mickey bar, Dole Whip, school bread, churro, etc. later in the day)
Another thing you may not know is that you can order a burger without fries even though they may be listed together as a "burger basket combo" or whatever. There are usually enough fries for 2 people, so you can save some $ there.
If you are paying cash, you can use some strategies to save a little.
If, of course, you have a car, you can save a lot by going off-site. I would suspect that a full sit-down meal at a Mexican chain (Chevy's, Chi-Chi's, On the Border, etc.) doesn't cost much more than 4 combo plates at Cantina de San Angel at $8 each.