First timers going in October

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linderman4

New Member
We are taking our 4 year old in mid October over his 5th birthday, need help with dining plan and also thoughts on the surprise gifts while we are out in the room? thank you
 
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linderman4

New Member
Original Poster
networkpro said:
For the first part, what sort of dining plan are you looking for or just suggestions on what places to eat?

The second part is pretty cut and dried. The name is misleading but they can do it all for the right price.
http://disneyworld.disneyfloralandgifts.com/
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I'm torn between quick service and the regular dining plan. If it's hot we most likely won't be eating a ton of food, also I'm hearing that you can overeat because you get so much food, we have 3 adults and 1 child.
 
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aliceismad

aliceismad

Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica said:
Skip the dining plan. Zero chance a four or five year old eats enough to make it worth it. Order your food off the menu and pay cash.
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Agreed. Our DD will be a newly 5 year old when we go this spring. She and I can usually share an adult meal. (Or I like to eat kids meals some times at QS places.) We prefer light meals and grazing, which doesn't work well with the dining plan.
 
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linderman4

New Member
Original Poster
aliceismad said:
Agreed. Our DD will be a newly 5 year old when we go this spring. She and I can usually share an adult meal. (Or I like to eat kids meals some times at QS places.) We prefer light meals and grazing, which doesn't work well with the dining plan.
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I don't think I'm so much worried about my 5 year old as I am my husband, myself and our other son.
 
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LavaLiz

LavaLiz

Active Member
The dining plan is a great way to budget in how much money will be spent on food for some, but it is definitely not for everyone. My husband eats an impressive amount of food, so if we purchase the dining plan for our trip, I know I'm not going to hear about how hungry he is. If I'm on a girls trip, I am more likely to pay out of pocket and split meals and snacks. Since you are going to be traveling during the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, the quick service dining plan could save you money if you are hoping to try several of the more expensive items offered. One thing to think about that hasn't been mentioned yet is how much you plan to drink during your vacation. Now that the dining plan includes an alcoholic or specialty beverage with most meals (not usually breakfast), the costs of the dining plan reflects that. If you don't think you would like to have that much to drink, it might not save your family money. If you are hoping to enjoy a character meal every evening for dinner and would love a glass of wine with that meal, the Disney Dining Plan could could definitely be a cost effective option.
Just throwing it out there, if you decided to travel a couple weeks earlier, you could possibly get a Disney or Quick Service dining plan complimentary with the current Disney promotion. As someone who has insisted on taking all of their God-kids on a Disney vacation on their exact 5th birthday though, I understand if that would not work for you.
Whatever you decide, I'm excited that your son will have such a magical birthday memory!
 
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Dave B

Well-Known Member
How many Character Dining experiences are you looking to do with your 5 year old? This will make a difference for sure. Also are you looking to eat at any special places? Before we answer I would say you have to get an idea of how many dining experiences you are going to do outside of Burgers, Chicken sandwiches, Nuggets and Pizza. Also the weather is typically perfect in October, I would not worry about it being to hot, but hot enough to enjoy pool and other things for sure
 
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Nottamus

Nottamus

Well-Known Member
We did dining plan our first 2 visits, and found since then,,,NOT having one really frees up an afternoon for doing things without having to meet a reservation time.

and since its just the wife and me...we found we saved $ not having meal plan...

We now wing most of the week...as there are some pretty good QS places that don't have just hamburgers and fries. We book 1 or two dinners a trip...and wing the week. Sometimes you can book the same day and find a bunch of TS places available (depending on time of year)
 
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aliceismad

aliceismad

Well-Known Member
I just like having dessert somewhere other than where I had dinner. Or just having dessert, followed by second dessert, and then maybe a third dessert too.

For OP, though, all the menus are online, and that is really helpful for our planning efforts. I put a lot of time into research before pretty much any kind of trip, but especially WDW.

(I agree that character meals are a great use of DDP credits, if you want a bunch of character meals - thus saving line time waiting for characters, if that's important to you. Also, if table service meals are important to you, do get online at the 180-day mark to make your reservations.)
 
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JMcMahonEsq

Well-Known Member
If Budget is not your primary concern, I have found the DDP to be the way to go. 1) You budget for food is set pre-trip; This is more a personal preference, but i know having the plan set out for us meant i wasn't tempted to be eating at the Yachtsman every night. Also for my wife who generally just forgets to eat, it meant we didn't skip out on some restaurant experiences all together; 2) The convenience of having the free re-fillable cups for drinks was a huge bonus we weren't expecting. Our family drinks a lot and being able to keep ourselves supplied with soda/coffer/milk at the resort was a great deal; 3) if you plan on doing character dinning, I found the price points paying in cash for such meals exceeded he DDP point allotment. 4) For us, having family members with different eating habits actually let us use the meal plan more efficiently. Two of our family are big eaters...but no into snacks, while others could each ice cream sandwiches all day and be happy. We were able to mix and match our families points to meet everyone's needs.

However, from some number crunching, and from a flexibility standpoint, just paying as you go gives you more control over your options, and more flexibility.
 
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Dave B

Well-Known Member
Question for everyone? If we are going to be there 6 days and we get a 5 day park hopper, can we make Fast Pass selections for that sixth day if we have purchased MNSSHP party tickets and they are linked and show on our My Disney Experience? Or when it is time to select at the 60 day mark will I only be able to pick 5 days?
 
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yensid67

yensid67

Well-Known Member
Linderman4...If you post your plans, hotel you're staying at, we can offer more advice. Do you want/HAVETO stay on Property!? There are some great Disney Good Neighbor Hotels nearby that are just as good, but without the theming. How much time are you going to spend in your room or around the resort? Practicality says go for a cheaper hotel and splurge on souvenirs! Consider you mode of transportation...depending on where you are, traveling can be a good thing or a headache! Consider taking the Amtrak! Your 5 yr old will love it(what little boy doesn't love trains!?) You could opt to go coach, but with 3 adults you may want to consider a Family bedroom! That would sleep the entire family! I got a hotel on I Drive for 8 days for ONLY $323.10 for 2 adults! It is a 3 star hotel and will suit our needs. There is The Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista, 3 star...2 pools....kids splash playground...restaurant...deli...convenience store...bar...game room...laundry, that can be reserved for as low as $60/night! Its about a 15 minutes walk(if you wanted) to Disney Springs! Other comparable hotel can be had around the same price if ya know where to look(PM me and I will give you a few sites I use!) Also, since you are going in October, consider Mickey's NOT So Scary Halloween Party as a special birthday surprise or as an alternative to going to the MK during the day!
 
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