Amy wrote:secondstar wrote:I have never used it in the past. I always thought it "boxed me in" regarding meals. However, on our upcoming trip, we are going to try it for the first time.
Did you get it for free as part of a package? Or are you paying for it out of pocket? If you are paying for it, I am interested in hearing if you think it was worth the cost after you return!
Amy, we went to WDW in October and we used the Dining Plan for the first time. I have very mixed views on it.
First, I had my room and tickets already paid for when I decided to add the dining plan. This made things more difficult. I had taken advantage of the Annual Pass early discount code when I booked my room. (My wife and DD8 were using 10-day hopper tickets.) Everything was paid for weeks before we were set to leave. Then, about 10 days out, my wife and I decided to add the Dining Plan. I called reservations. They informed me they would have to refund everything I paid and re-bill me in full, including the Dining Plan, with a new confirmation number. The new reservation added approximately $1,200 to what I had already paid.
After thinking this over for several days, I finally called reservations back and complained about the price. It seemed too high. Someone called me back and said, while they did give me the Annual Pass rate on the room with the new package, they did not give me the EARLY BOOKING rate that I had previously taken advantage of and refunded me approximately $150. So I paid about $1,050 for plan.
On our trip was my wife and I, DD8, and our son 18 months. (He was not on our plan. He ate from our plate on occasion.) I kept a running log of prices. It turns out we ate approximately $1,125 worth of food so we got our money's worth. But here's the catch:
I LOVE bottled Coke and I hate fountain drinks. Many times, prior to stopping into a counter service restaurant to eat, I'd buy a bottle of Coke for the meal. But, as soon as I'd tell the Cast Member I'm on the Dining Plan, I'd
HAVE to get a drink with my meal. Moreover, lunch or dinner comes with a dessert. If I was paying out of pocket, I would have just purchased a sandwich or something. But since I was using the Dining Plan, I had to get a drink and dessert I didn't want. (I wanted a Mickey Bar from the concession carts!) The bill would end up being more than it would normally be if I were purchasing it out of pocket, but it would be pre-paid.
Additionally, the only way we were going to get our money's worth was to have several "big meals." We ate at Kouzzina's, Yak & Yeti, Crystal Palace character breakfast, Chef Mickey's, Coral Reef, Tutto's in Italy, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Goofy's Clam Bake at the Cape May Cafe, and Whispering Canyon Cafe. If we weren't on the Dining Plan, I'm not sure we would have eaten at all these places. Maybe half.
So, for me, I didn't like it and probably won't use it again. I did like knowing that all the money I brought down with me I could use for shopping and not food. That was nice having a significant portion of the trip already paid prior to arrival. But overall, I didn't like it.
[i]"Herbie, I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train"[/i]
-- Walt Disney
(Or at least that was our unfortunate experience this past time around)
) and they would mention that a lot of people on the dining plan were keeping track. By a few days in I finally just put a pen in my pocket so I wouldn't have to keep asking 
