Dining plan

[sbkline]

The wife and I are planning our first ever stay at the Disney Resort next April. We've visited Disney before, but always stayed off property. I'm trying to decide if the dining plan will be economically beneficial to us. It appears that, when you break it down, it comes down to about $37 per person per day. Problem is, as I look back at our vacation log from the last time we did a Florida vacation, it seems that we usually didn't spend that much per person on food. On the day we visited EPCOT, we splurged and ate lunch at Akershus in Norway and Supper at Germany, so we definitely exceeded 37 dollars per person that day. And one day, we splurged and at at Cinderalla's royal table. The final bill, including smoothies for each of us, along with the souvenier glass mug, came up to $68 dollars. So that, plus lunch, definitely took us over $37 per person that day. But other than that, it seems like we ate at alot of burger joints and restaurants off property after leaving the parks, such as IHOP, Taco Bell, etc. So I'm afraid we would pay more using the dining plan than we would without it. But one of my questions is, is a full service meal on the dining plan the same regardless of how much the meal would actually cost? For example, say we ate at a table service restaraunt one day which was roughly $20 per person, and then ate at another one another day which was higher priced at, say, $35 per person. Would they both be equally covered under the dining plan, or is there a price limit on it as well?

 

[erasure fan1]

We didnt get the dinning plan for the same reason. We just wouldnt spend that much on food for the time we are at Disney. Some of the restaraunts use up 2 meals instead of the 1. It is a great deal if you are going to use it all the way.

 

[pinkrose]

Each person on the dining plan gets one counter service, one snack, and one sit down for each night of stay.
Here's all of the information on what is included....

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/packages06a.htm

We are using the dining plan this Nov. for the first time. I've heard so many good things about it.

 

[sbkline]

Each person on the dining plan gets one counter service, one snack, and one sit down for each night of stay.
Here's all of the information on what is included....

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/packages06a.htm

We are using the dining plan this Nov. for the first time. I've heard so many good things about it.

Ya, I know what each person gets, but I'm just trying to weigh it in my mind to see if it's really a good deal. Like I said, it seems to come to about $37 per person per day. So, if we eat at, say Pecos Bills in Frontierland, and spend about 15 bucks total, that's about $7.5 dollars a piece. And although we may splurge occasionally and eat at a really expensive sit down meal, it's unlikely that we would be spending $30 per person per day on the other meal of the day...which leads me to wonder if we would actually spend more money using the dining plan, than we would if we didn't. I guess if the most expensive table service eatery and the least expensive were both equally covered under the plan, that could make it more worth the money, since we could eat at the coral reef for the same price as, say, the San Angel. Did I also read correctly that the tip is already included in the price of the dining plan?

 

[the_rich]

ok almost all sitdown restaurants are covered under the plan...lets say u ate in canada and the bill came to 100 between the 2 of you it would be the same as if u ate the buffet in germany and spent the twentysomething each on that...every restaurant in world showcase would be one dining service meal...

 

[the_rich]

and yes tip is included

 

[DisneyBunny]

Ya, I know what each person gets, but I'm just trying to weigh it in my mind to see if it's really a good deal. Like I said, it seems to come to about $37 per person per day. So, if we eat at, say Pecos Bills in Frontierland, and spend about 15 bucks total, that's about $7.5 dollars a piece. And although we may splurge occasionally and eat at a really expensive sit down meal, it's unlikely that we would be spending $30 per person per day on the other meal of the day...which leads me to wonder if we would actually spend more money using the dining plan, than we would if we didn't. I guess if the most expensive table service eatery and the least expensive were both equally covered under the plan, that could make it more worth the money, since we could eat at the coral reef for the same price as, say, the San Angel. Did I also read correctly that the tip is already included in the price of the dining plan?

Tips are included in the plan.

I think the argument of whether you used to eat $37 worth of food per person per day is a valid one. However if you'll be staying on property this time (which you have to in order to get the plan in the first place) Then going off property to Taco Bell won't be nearly as convenient as eating in the parks or your resort. That's time lost, plus the addidtional expense of a rental car, if you choose not to rely solely on Disney transportation.

That being said, if you could eat in Mexico, instead of Taco Bell, why wouldn't you? It may be a few dollars more than what you would have spent, but let's face it, you're getting so much more than Taco Bell, that it's not within the same league. There are so many dining experiences to be had in Disney - it's not all about the food itself. We view Disney Dining as a whole package, the food, entertainment, and atmosphere. Sure Taco Bell is cheaper, but are you sitting under a volcano watching boats go by on the River of Time while you dine? Plus, when you work out how much you would have spent in these resturants, it's a massive savings (in some cases, a modest savings in others). So whether you would have eaten like that before or not, in my mind it's worth the few extra dollars to eat in style, immersed in the Disney magic, like we seldom do at home.

Either way, happy eating! :wave:

 

[the_rich]

there are only a select few that arent covered...like victorias and alberts...but almost all are no matter if its the coral reef or some cheaper restaurant in disney

 

[sbkline]

ok almost all sitdown restaurants are covered under the plan...lets say u ate in canada and the bill came to 100 between the 2 of you it would be the same as if u ate the buffet in germany and spent the twentysomething each on that...every restaurant in world showcase would be one dining service meal...

I bought a 2006 Biernbaum's Walt Disney Resort guide, and under the dining plan, he says that 2 table service meals can be exchanged for a meal in a "high end signature restaraunt". Just what is a signature restaraunt? I kind of took it to mean one of the pricier table service eateries like France, or the Grand Floridian, etc. Is this correct?

 

[the_rich]

triple post

 

[the_rich]

triple post

 

[the_rich]

jiko, flying fish cafe, california grill, citricos, narcoossees, artist point, yachtsman steak house, brown derby, and character meals are signature

 

[sbkline]

that means victoria and alberts...the california grill and any character meal

Cool. So, basically, a four star restaraunt, like France, and a two or three star one would all cost the same under the dining plan? And I wouldn't have to mess with a tip because it's already included? It may be worth it after all.:slurp:

Another question: Say we check in Monday night around 5 PM. Do we still get the snack, the counter service and the table service for Monday, or does it start on the first full day there? And what about check out day? Do you still get all three for the day you check out? Or, again, is it only for the full days you are there?

 

[the_rich]

it goes along with your ticket plan...if for your first day you have park access then yes you get everything...the day you check out is the same thing

 

[DisneyBunny]

jiko, flying fish cafe, california grill, citricos, narcoossees, artist point, yachtsman steak house, brown derby, and character meals are signature

Close, but no cigar - Most character meals (like Chef Mickey's, The Crystal Palace etc), with the exception of Cindy's Royal Table are just single table service meals. Cindy's requires two, and a credit card number to hold the reservation.

As for the number of credits you get - they're tied to the number of nights you stay - not days. So a 7 night, eight day trip would yeild 7 snacks, 7 counter service meals... ect. per person.

 

[pinkrose]

Cool. So, basically, a four star restaraunt, like France, and a two or three star one would all cost the same under the dining plan? And I wouldn't have to mess with a tip because it's already included? It may be worth it after all.:slurp:

Another question: Say we check in Monday night around 5 PM. Do we still get the snack, the counter service and the table service for Monday, or does it start on the first full day there? And what about check out day? Do you still get all three for the day you check out? Or, again, is it only for the full days you are there?

Yes, everything is per night of stay.

Since you can order the most expensive meal, then sometimes just your sit down will add up to be more than you spent on the plan for that day. If you don't want that much food, then no, don't go for the dining plan.

 

[sbkline]

it goes along with your ticket plan...if for your first day you have park access then yes you get everything...the day you check out is the same thing

So, regardless of how many days I have in the resort, it's based on how many days my ticket is for? So if I am staying in the resort for 9 days, but only get a 7 day pass, then I only get 7 days on the dining plan, whereas if I get a 10 day parkhopper pass, I get 10 days on the dining plan? Am I understanding it correctly?

 

[popsicletrees]

We did the dining plan in January. It was well worth the cost. We ate at nice restaurants every night with appetizers, entrees, and desserts. So if you look at say $20 per entree, $5 appetizer, $5 dessert that is $30. We ate at Le Cellier one night and for four of us the bill was $230. We got more food than we could possibly eat, but we had already paid a set price for it so why not splurge? Also places with counter service don't tell you which meals you can and can't have there. Some counter service places offer rather large lunches and you can use that as your counter service. I say go for it. It really is worth the cost. Another thing, you don't have to use a snack a day. We saved up all our snacks (when you eat so much on the plan you don't need a snack) until the last day and got rice krispy treats in the shape of mickey's head to take back to my younger cousins.

 

[DisneyBunny]

So, regardless of how many days I have in the resort, it's based on how many days my ticket is for? So if I am staying in the resort for 9 days, but only get a 7 day pass, then I only get 7 days on the dining plan, whereas if I get a 10 day parkhopper pass, I get 10 days on the dining plan? Am I understanding it correctly?

Not quite. It's tied to the hotel reservations - if you book a 7 night stay but buy a 10 day ticket, you're still only going to get 7 of each food credit, per person. Conversely, if you book a 7 night stay, but only buy a 1 day park ticket, it's still 7 credits per person.

 

[popsicletrees]

So, regardless of how many days I have in the resort, it's based on how many days my ticket is for? So if I am staying in the resort for 9 days, but only get a 7 day pass, then I only get 7 days on the dining plan, whereas if I get a 10 day parkhopper pass, I get 10 days on the dining plan? Am I understanding it correctly?

As someone posted above it is per night. My dad does other things during the day rather than go to the parks, but since he is on our room reservations he still gets the plan. We only bought a two day ticket for him and we are there for four nights. He gets four days worth of meals.