PardonOurPixieDust
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2017
I made a huge and elaborate spreadsheet over the past week or so comparing our particular dining options - even calculating tax and tip where applicable and extras we would purchase at various restaurants and events. I decided on potential reservations, what we'd be most likely to eat at each place in each circumstance, and calculated the differences. My problem is that I still keep waffling back and forth, because we'd behave differently in each situation so it's not a straightforward "go with whatever saves you money". We also wouldn't mind sharing meals some places, but this has been factored into the cost.
Basically, my brother and I will be at Disney World November 9-17th for the last weekend of Food and Wine. We'll be driving up from Miami immediately following a 12 night cruise (where we have an unlimited drink package), so we'll have just come off of an "all-you-can-eat-and-drink" atmosphere. But we do love to eat and to drink, and are looking forward to a number of places at Walt Disney World. We'd still likely get drinks with most meals, including table service breakfasts, so have taken this into account.
I have three potential scenarios:
1) Pay Entirely Out of Pocket
2) Do a Split Stay at the same resort and get the Deluxe Dining Plan for the first two nights
3) Get the standard Disney Dining Plan for the entire 8 nights.
Some things will remain the same regardless of the plan:
- Splitsville for at least an appetizer and drink and Share a Dinner at the Edison on our arrival day
- California Grill Brunch (the 3rd morning, hence 2 nights if the deluxe plan)
- Sanaa for a shared late lunch (the 3rd afternoon)
- Be Our Guest Dinner before the Christmas Party on our last night
- Spend most of our 2nd and 4th day snacking around Food and Wine
- Drinks at various lounges (Especially Trader Sam's and the Nomad Lounge)
- A couple scheduled Food and Wine Events (Parisian Breakfast and Alex Guarnaschelli's demo)
- Be Our Guest Lunch our first MK day
- Certain Quick service meals and such
If we were to get the standard Disney Dining Plan for the whole stay, it would cost us about $100 total more inclusive of tips. In exchange we would add on:
- Be Our Guest Breakfast 1st MK day
- Bon Voyage Breakfast HS day(Which I've been wanting to do)
- 1900 Park Fare Dinner 1st MK day (which my brother wants to try)
- 50s Prime Time Cafe Dinner HS day
We'd be saving approximately $230 over doing the exact same plan out of pocket.
However, we would have less to spend on food at Food and Wine booths (about 24 snacks versus about $100 a piece) and we would have less flexibility than just spending out of pocket. We also would have a couple appetizers and drinks at the Hollywood Brown Derby lounge out of pocket that we wouldn't bother with if we were on the dining plan.
Our other option is the Deluxe Dining Plan for the first two nights (and more importantly, 3 days). That would cost us about $125 total over the trip more than our planed Out of Pocket costs including tips. In exchange, we'd add on:
- A shared Morimoto Lunch our arrival day
- Appetizers at the Edison and an Entree and dessert at Splitsville
- 8 Snack Credits for the most expensive items at F&W (we wouldn't reduce our planned spend in this option)
- 1900 Park Fare or Kona Cafe Dinner the 3rd Night
- A Shared meal at Flying Fish, or our own meals at Rose and Crown, Teppan Edo or Tutto Italia (after F&W all Day)
We'd be saving approximately $320 over doing the exact same plan out of pocket.
With this option, it's definitely a little more densely packed with food those first few days. I factored in that we might not want to have the most expensive items or a dessert at some of these places. But appetizers at various places, 8 basically "free" snacks for those $9 items at F&W booths, and the potential of a Signature restaurant still make it super tempting. It also wouldn't lose as much flexibility as the full dining plan option, since it's only for the first few days.
If you've stuck with me this long, I apologize for being so wordy! I'd buy you a drink if I could.
I just keep waffling back and forth. We had the Free Dining Promotion for our trip over my birthday in September last year, but sadly they seem to have cut back the dates this year. I just need to figure out which to do! At the moment, I'm basically trying to make reservations that include three different contingencies! So which would you choose? Dining plan, Split stay Deluxe, or Out of Pocket?
Basically, my brother and I will be at Disney World November 9-17th for the last weekend of Food and Wine. We'll be driving up from Miami immediately following a 12 night cruise (where we have an unlimited drink package), so we'll have just come off of an "all-you-can-eat-and-drink" atmosphere. But we do love to eat and to drink, and are looking forward to a number of places at Walt Disney World. We'd still likely get drinks with most meals, including table service breakfasts, so have taken this into account.
I have three potential scenarios:
1) Pay Entirely Out of Pocket
2) Do a Split Stay at the same resort and get the Deluxe Dining Plan for the first two nights
3) Get the standard Disney Dining Plan for the entire 8 nights.
Some things will remain the same regardless of the plan:
- Splitsville for at least an appetizer and drink and Share a Dinner at the Edison on our arrival day
- California Grill Brunch (the 3rd morning, hence 2 nights if the deluxe plan)
- Sanaa for a shared late lunch (the 3rd afternoon)
- Be Our Guest Dinner before the Christmas Party on our last night
- Spend most of our 2nd and 4th day snacking around Food and Wine
- Drinks at various lounges (Especially Trader Sam's and the Nomad Lounge)
- A couple scheduled Food and Wine Events (Parisian Breakfast and Alex Guarnaschelli's demo)
- Be Our Guest Lunch our first MK day
- Certain Quick service meals and such
If we were to get the standard Disney Dining Plan for the whole stay, it would cost us about $100 total more inclusive of tips. In exchange we would add on:
- Be Our Guest Breakfast 1st MK day
- Bon Voyage Breakfast HS day(Which I've been wanting to do)
- 1900 Park Fare Dinner 1st MK day (which my brother wants to try)
- 50s Prime Time Cafe Dinner HS day
We'd be saving approximately $230 over doing the exact same plan out of pocket.
However, we would have less to spend on food at Food and Wine booths (about 24 snacks versus about $100 a piece) and we would have less flexibility than just spending out of pocket. We also would have a couple appetizers and drinks at the Hollywood Brown Derby lounge out of pocket that we wouldn't bother with if we were on the dining plan.
Our other option is the Deluxe Dining Plan for the first two nights (and more importantly, 3 days). That would cost us about $125 total over the trip more than our planed Out of Pocket costs including tips. In exchange, we'd add on:
- A shared Morimoto Lunch our arrival day
- Appetizers at the Edison and an Entree and dessert at Splitsville
- 8 Snack Credits for the most expensive items at F&W (we wouldn't reduce our planned spend in this option)
- 1900 Park Fare or Kona Cafe Dinner the 3rd Night
- A Shared meal at Flying Fish, or our own meals at Rose and Crown, Teppan Edo or Tutto Italia (after F&W all Day)
We'd be saving approximately $320 over doing the exact same plan out of pocket.
With this option, it's definitely a little more densely packed with food those first few days. I factored in that we might not want to have the most expensive items or a dessert at some of these places. But appetizers at various places, 8 basically "free" snacks for those $9 items at F&W booths, and the potential of a Signature restaurant still make it super tempting. It also wouldn't lose as much flexibility as the full dining plan option, since it's only for the first few days.
If you've stuck with me this long, I apologize for being so wordy! I'd buy you a drink if I could.
I just keep waffling back and forth. We had the Free Dining Promotion for our trip over my birthday in September last year, but sadly they seem to have cut back the dates this year. I just need to figure out which to do! At the moment, I'm basically trying to make reservations that include three different contingencies! So which would you choose? Dining plan, Split stay Deluxe, or Out of Pocket?
) is that we would have a shorter period of overindulging and could eat as hungry without feeling guilty about wasted money for the rest of it. 
