Do you BUY the meal plan?

[ForeverDance]

For us, we just totally loved the freedome of not having to worry about budgetting out for food. Our first trip was last year, and having not been there since I was 9, I had no idea how much to budget for food. It was also nice to be able to try new things, and know if I didn't like it, I could just eat off someone else's plate because there was more than enough food

Last year we planned our trip 9 days before we left so we didn't have a single ADR (didn't even know about them at the time). We had no trouble finding somewhere to eat (we were there in July and it was packed!). However, we ate our TS at lunch, and were not too picky about a particular restaurant.

This year we only made 3 ADR's for meals we really wanted to try this year, beyond that we will play it by ear.

 

[eliza61]

Question: If you only have a 10 day PH with extras (WP, DDD etc) can you still go into DW to eat?

Do you mean only to eat? You have a 10 day PH. Every time you go into the parks for the first time you are charge (so to speak) for a day, no matter why you go. So on Monday you go to MK that's 1 day used, you can park hop, leave and return for breaks and meals all you want on Monday without using another day. On Tuesday if this was to be your off day and you decide to go into the park for just a meal, you've burned another day on your pass. Since you are going for 14 days you have 4 days left that are not covered. When you make your ADR's the cm's usually tell you if admittance to the park is required

 

[Flametamr]

We payed for the DDP last year and liked it. My DD does not eat solid food so we had extra credits to use. We just ate all character meals. She enjoyed it and we had plenty to eat. This August were getting the free DDP and I have planned our meals out better. Trying a lot of the more expensive resturants. Basically I will be eating like a King for free. All told we are saving almost $1000. I can see the point of some that if they did not eat much and had to pay they would be better to pay OOP. But overall it's a good deal if you do eat one table service a day.

 

[hematite153]

Yes, I eat differently with the DDP than I do normally at home.

At home I am more of a grazer eating throughout the day and the quantity of food associated with the TS meal was daunting for me at first. However, the overall quantity of food works out about right for the day.

The biggest advantage for me is that I get much healthier food at the TS restaurants than at the CS places. I would never be willing to pay OOP for a TS meal every day but with the discount of the DDP I feel free to enjoy eating good food without having to leave the parks to cook.

I've also found that I rarely use the snack credits for dessert-like things prefering to choose yogurt or fruit. Plus, many CS places will let you substitute the kids carrots/grapes for the adult fries/dessert and these are easily kept for snacks later to spread out the eating. (Note: some places were completely unwilling to make these substitutions which I do find odd given the price comparison between the ENTIRE kids meal and the $3.99 dessert they told me I had to get.)

 

[Rustysmom]

We were going to buy the plan for our trip in August even if it wasn't free (but I'm sure glad it is LOL). We hardly ever eat out at home because right now we're living just on DH's small salary. I'm lucky that we get takeout Chinese every Saturday. Big whoop de doo!
So the dining plan lets us eat at nice restaurants without having to worry about what the meal will cost. I would never order appetizers or dessert if I had to pay seperately for them. But with the dining plan, we just figure it in as an expense like airfare, pay it ahead of time and not worry about it.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We buy the plan. We've gone once with Free Dining, and this will be our 2nd trip paying for it. It is definitely worth it for us. Our food budget without it (basing on the year we paid out of pocket for everything and the fact that our youngest no longer eats free at buffet meals), would be about $165-170 per day; the dining plan cost us a little over $100 per day, so that is a savings. Even when you add in the 3 extra table service meals we're having and paying cash for, it's still a savings for us.

 

[tarazandra]

So for those who visit Disney when the meal plan is not free, do you usually purchase it? Do you think it's a good deal? Why or why not? thanks :

We are not purchasing the plan on our next trip after having it for free last year. The reason is because we want more flexibility than the plan allows when it comes to kids' meals and we don't want a table service every single day. We also don't want to be as full so we can actually have some snacks, which we didn't have a single one on our last trip. The only thing we used our snack credits for was milk and soda in the parks because we were always full.
Mainly though, it's the flexibility factor.

 

[DiRTyBuNNy]

My wife and I have purchased the dining plan once previously and are planning on purchasing it with our trip this December. We like to eat well and are fine with the fact that we have to plan our trip around the restaraunts.

--Mr. DB

 

[RobbinsDad]

I think it all depends on your eating habits and what you enjoy doing.

Part of the thrill of WDW for me is having a nice sit-down dinner experience. Plus if you plan on doing a couple of character meals, which is always the highlight of my daughter's trip, the DP is kind of a must. But if you're not into the dining experiences and a cheeseburger at Pecos Bill's is more your speed, I wouldn't buy the DP.

And to me, creating a schedule is half the fun of WDW!

 

[themudd4]

Each person / family will tell you what works best for them. For us it totally pays for itself and saves us money. We do at least one TS meal each day, and I have sat down and done the math both ways...even brought home all of our reciepts and figured it afterwards too and DDP is a GREAT deal for us. We were there in March and one of our meals at Coral Reef would have cost us $180+. This is for 3 adults (although 1 is a 13 yr. old) & 1 kid. When the steak you are ordering is $31 Not counting your drink, or anything else, nor tax and tip... That tells you right there to go for it. On top of the steak, we were able to get our drinks, appt., dessert...and it included the tax and tip. And we also were able to have a snack and a CS meal basically for free...(well not free really but you get my point).
Go to allearsnet.com look at the menus for the places you plan to dine. Decide what you and your family would likely get...add tax and 18% tip and see what works best for you! For us...it is worth paying for! Not to mention the ease of knowing everything is paid for!!!

I personally would not use the DDP for CRT or any othre of the 2 TS credit meals as I dont think that is worth it.

 

[zaza]

We buy the plan. One of my husband's favorite parts of Disney is all the restaurants so we always eat TS meals at least once a day. It is cheaper for us to buy the plan than to eat the way he likes without it. The only thing we've found is that we get too much food for our money. Even though it's hard on me (giving up something I feel I've paid for), we sometimes only order 1 appetizer or 1 dessert, or don't get dessert with the CS meals. When it works, we get something we can stick in a ziplock bag and take with us. I like the fruit and cheese appetizer at Rose and Crown for that.

 

[solferino]

We were going to buy the plan for our trip in August even if it wasn't free (but I'm sure glad it is LOL). We hardly ever eat out at home because right now we're living just on DH's small salary. I'm lucky that we get takeout Chinese every Saturday. Big whoop de doo!
So the dining plan lets us eat at nice restaurants without having to worry about what the meal will cost. I would never order appetizers or dessert if I had to pay seperately for them. But with the dining plan, we just figure it in as an expense like airfare, pay it ahead of time and not worry about it.

Big ole DITTO except change August to January.

 

[kimis]

So for those who visit Disney when the meal plan is not free, do you usually purchase it? Do you think it's a good deal? Why or why not? thanks

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
We love it. We eat at places we normally can't afford. It is so awesome. Go with the DDP always and you won't be sorry.

 

[turning40withMickey]

We are buying it for the first time in August, looking forward to eating at all those fabulous places, being able to order a drink (we usually only get water when we eat out) as well as appetizers and desserts. WE will feel like we won the lottery with those little perks, so it is something my whole family is looking forward to.

 

[tinkerbell102]

We have gone to WD and purchased the dp, and we have gone and not purchased it. We felt that it was a fabulous deal for my husband and myself because we enjoyed ts meals in wonderful restaraunts each night. We couldn't eat all of the food because you each get an appetizer, main course and dessert. However, we do not feel that it is a savings for our three children. They would rather eat at a food court for every meal instead of a ts. It really depends on your dining preferences. If you enjoy going to nice restaraunts, then the dp is defenitly a big savings and worth it.

 

[stemikger]

I'm going August 13th through the 23rd and this will be my first time buying the meal plan. From what I see, I think it will be very worth it. On my last two trips, we didn't have a sit down dinner every night, but because of the meal plan, we are going to. I think the deal is very good.

 

[disneynutz]

We are at the park right now. This is our first time on the DDP and there are two adults in our party. So far in two days our TS meals alone have been $120 per day. That's a $40 per day savings just on TS. The plan is worth it for us, BUT that is based upon the following:

Eating this way for more than 4 or 5 days would be to much. We schedule split stays.

Schedule the DDP for the first half of your trip. The credits are good until midnight of your check out day. This allows us to eat on the plan after we move to our new room/resort.

When on the plan we eat at the more expensive restaurants. Off the plan we order groceries from GardenGrocer.

We use all of the snack credits to buy water or soft drinks from the resort store to take back to our room.

 

[ashlynn_j_m]

We purchased the plan last minute on our last trip. We kept debating on whether or not we wanted it. I'm so glad we decided to do it. We never had to worry about paying for food. We saved over $400! My mom and sister went with us, but booked a seperate reservation because my sister did not want to do the plan. After a couple days into the trip, she said she wished she would have done it. We will never go without it again.

 

[crtarheels]

Me and my sister have gotten it the past 2 times we have went. We got it again for this June. It is awsome. We get to eat at places we would never have the chance to eat at without it. And you dont have to worry about having enough money with you to pay for food and snacks. That was our biggest plus. I dont like to have to count my money everyday and make sure that i will be able to eat that night. And it allows you, well those who are on a budget, to try new places and not have to eat at the food court every night or going off site to mcdonalds or anything like that. I think it is awsome. You get appetizer, drink (non alcoholic) dinner, which in most cases are over $22, and a dessert. That is amazing for $40 a day!!!

 

[mickeymousemom]

Yes. This year will be our thrid year on the DP and the second year paying for it. We would do fine without it, but we like having our meals paid for and being able to eat at a TS restaurant every day. In the past we just couldn't afford more than one or two TS meals a week. We were lucky to get the free dining two years ago and busted our hineys to pay for it last year. We've been able to eat places we couldn't have before. We weren't going to do it this year, but only because we almost missed a couple ADR's because of stuck monorails or slow busses. We joined Tour Guide Mike this year, so all my dining ressies fit in perfectly with what park we'll be in that day. We were going to eat a lot of CS meals and Dh and I just couldn't do it. We have too many favorite TS places to eat. So. We are doing it again this year. It isn't for everyone and I'm sure lots of reasons for it AND against it have been given in this thread. We just happen to love it!