Dining Plan ?

[WildcatDen]

We are seriously considering the dining plan for our trip in November. It says there are over 100 participating restaraunts. Does this pretty much include all the locations within the parks and at the resorts? I would hate to do this and only have choices at places the kids won't eat at. I assume it would be fine.

Also, any insight into if you think the dining plan is worth it. We are a family of four, 2 girls age 9 and 11 (the 11 year old is a picky eater). I have always assumed it would not be a good deal but our neighbors used it this past year and thought it worked out well.

Thanks for the help

 

[gjpjtj]

Here is a link to a list on All Ears. http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/packages07a.htm#rest

 

[Aurora23]

I am a big believer of the dining plan. I wouldn't go to WDW again without it. There is something for everyone and you can check out all of the menus beforehand at www.allearsnet.com

 

[New2WDW]

Here is a link to the latest brochure on the Disney site.
http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...agespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/07Dining.pdf

We also love the dining plan and have used it the last two years and will continue to do so!

Your 11 yr old girl would be considered an adult and your 9 yr old would have to order from the kids menu. But, if the 11 yr old is picky then let her eat off the kids menu and let the 9 yr. old eat off of the adult menu. You would be abiding by the plan but just swaping plates. (Just a thought)

 

[DisneyMarg]

If you search on these forums you will find many posts on the dining plan. I would say the people who are for it outnumber those against it by quite a margin. Most eating places are covered. That won't be a problem.

People who do not like it usually have these reasons
1) It costs more than we would spend without it
2) It provides too much food (wasteful, overeating, etc)
3) It doesn't match the way we eat (i.e. we don't eat at table service places or, we only eat at table service places)

In my opinion it was great.

You can eat more cheaply without it, but there is no way you can come close to eating the quality (or quantity) of food for the price of the dining plan.

We enjoyed it because we tried new places we would not have wanted to spend the $$ on without the plan. That's how we found Boma, which is now our favorite.

It's also very very nice that your meals are pre-paid, and you don't have to stress over what everyone is ordering at each meal. Want appetizers? Sure! Want dessert? Sure! Want the most expensive entree? Sure!

 

[jessnic95]

We love it too! We went to WDW in 2005 and used it for the first time - it was great. We kept our reciepts and for 2 adults and 2 kids we "spent" over $1000.00 on food (compared to the $600 it cost us) for the week. Yes, we ate at super restaurants, having steak, lobster, and fantastic food ALL the time. It is nice to sit down at nice restaurants each night with the kids after a CRAZY day at the parks! We are going again in September and will definitely be using the meal plan - it is soo worth it!

 

[finan03]

Would any of you suggest maybe testing the theory out in two trips? Just to see if it fits your families needs?
What i mean is, your first trip, you dine without, and your next trip, dine with. Compare pricing, and go from there.What do you think?

 

[Monty]

Would any of you suggest maybe testing the theory out in two trips? Just to see if it fits your families needs?
What i mean is, your first trip, you dine without, and your next trip, dine with. Compare pricing, and go from there.What do you think?

I would suggest the opposite. Use the plan first. I was very pleased with the plan and wouldn't do without either it or the DDE from now on. I ate meals just on table service credits that comfortably paid the cost of the plan and then some. So all the snacks and counter service meals were to all intents free.

It's also difficult to compare, if I'm using the plan, I order dishes I probably wouldn't order if I were paying cash. So the comparison just on price base alone isn't realistic. I you want to eat enough to keep you alive and save money on food, you can eat a lot cheaper than the cost of the dining plan, but you won't be eating anywhere near the quality or quantity of food you can on the plan.

 

[luv2ash]

Just got back last night, and I have to admit, the plan was good for my DH and I, however, not so good for my kids who are 6 and 9. They had to order the same old food everywhere we went. Why do the kids have to eat "healthy" and the parents can have whatever? The kids are on vacation, why not enjoy themselves! The kids choices are always grapes, carrot sticks, juice milk, applesauce. Although you can substitute french fries at some places.

it is a lot of food for the adults. Our dinners came to no less than 150 bucks. Now, the only down side we both agreed on was the service. we felt that we got poor service. They knew they were getting 18% tip, regardless, so their service sucked. We even complained at several restaurants and are writing a letter to Disney about this subject. Also, we stayec concierge and discovered that we could get away easily without the DP by filling up on the conceirge food.

 

[bayoutinkbelle]

I just booked my summer trip sohappy: :sohappy: ) and also booked the dining plan for the first time. I really can't wait to try it out and I think it'll work out wonderfully for my peace of mind. I can relax and know that the majority of my meals are paid for already.

 

[lilclerk]

Here's a random dining plan question that I don't want to start a whole new thread on...
Will a table service restaurant allow you to take your dessert to go?

 

[ypcat]

Yes, you can get it boxed to go. No problem.

 

[slappy magoo]

Got another question for anyone who might know...

I'm aware that alcohol is not included in the DDP. How do they handle your bill if you order drinks with dinner? Do you tell them in advance you'll be using the DDP, and then at the end they only bring out a bar tab?

 

[mouselvrmom]

Yep, you tell them that you are on the dining plan. They usually would let me know when something was not on the plan. Then when they bring your bill, they have two separate receipts. One for the dining plan(or two if you have kids and adults) and then another for anything that you are paying for separately.

 

[meatloafsfan]

If paying out of pocket for alcohol (or anything else) when using your DDP credits, always check your bill carefully - they generally automatically add in an 18% gratuity to your OOP Bill.