How is the Disney Dining Plan working these days?

spodie · Post by **spodie** » Jun Mon 16, 2008 8:26 am

I'd like to see a plan that offers two counter service and two snacks.

I would totally do the dining plan if it was like that, or even if it was two counter service and one snack. Personally, it feels like it wastes a lot of time to do a table service meal every night. I have been to WDW around 10 times and can probably count on one hand how many table service meals we've actually done. In fact, just give me the finger foods/snacks they serve on the concierge level and I'll be happy

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kellybus · Post by **kellybus** » Aug Thu 14, 2008 7:27 am

It's great if you have teenagers. My grandson and grand daughter ate them out of house and home at the buffets. ALL YOU CAN STAND, including desert. I'll do it again in May 2009.

rknrlrcstr · Post by **rknrlrcstr** » Sep Fri 05, 2008 2:41 pm

My recent trip (8/24-9/2) included the free basic dining and upgrade to the Deluxe Dining (I only had to pay the difference in the price between the two plans - about $30/day - per person).

And let me tell you, I don't know how anybody (I should restrict that to adults, I know how teenagers can eat) could eat that much.

I never had a day that I ate three meals using the plan. At the end of the trip, I still had five meals left over. I did eat at three "2-credit" restaurants (Narcossee's, Artist Point, and Yachtman's Steakhouse) and the three meals (not including tip or "adult beverages") totaled about $400 combined. So, for the $540 (9 nights x $30 x 2 adults) I paid for the upgrade, I feel that I got my money's worth out of the plan.

Although it was different to not have the tip included, it made for better service (for the most part) since the servers were working for their gratuity.

In the end I do believe that I probably won't get the deluxe plan again, since I was unable to use all of it, so I was getting something that I really didn't need. But it is really up to those who are going on the trip to figure out what they really wantbased upon their own habits.

The dining plans are good so you can "prepay" for your food and have one less thing to budget as part of "necessary spending money". However, be sure to do what everbody should do for any Disney trip...research and plan.

Just my $.02

I now turn the discussion over to the floor. Thank you.

sherabby · Post by **sherabby** » Sep Wed 17, 2008 8:00 am

It worked for us. We are a family of three with one under 9 on the kids plan. We did save money. I guess it depends on where you eat on what value you will receive from the plan. Our favorite meal was at 1900 Park Fare. We also did Chef Mickeys, Garden Grill and the Liberty Tree tavern. I'm not sure we would have eaten as many sit down dinners if we were not on the plan. We needed that sit down break as well and my son really enjoyed dining with the characters too...especially the step sisters!

yodiwan1 · Post by **yodiwan1** » Sep Wed 17, 2008 10:12 am

the step sisters??? who and where?

rodders · Post by **rodders** » Sep Thu 25, 2008 10:28 am

sherabby wrote:I'm not sure we would have eaten as many sit down dinners if we were not on the plan.

And here is my personal problem with the plan. The only way for the plan to be good value is for you to eat every DS, QS and snack credit. We basically ordered food for the sake of it when we were there recently. If I wasn't on the plan then there is no way that I would order Â£20 (GBP) worth of food in a typical day. In a typical day my plan would give me

Breakfast
$2 Beverage but the other goes in the fridge because I don't need it and we will have the refillable mug so even 1 beverage is hardly a benefit.
$8 Breakfast "platter"

If I use my QS for lunch then I have a similar thing with a desert that I don't want although the drink does have some value.

Lunch
$3 Snack is usually enough for me with the breakfast and evening meal.

Dinner
Typical Entree of around $16
Dessert $5 which I only really order because it's already been paid for.
No beverage with the evening meal as I like wine with my evening meal.

So Typically I am getting about $30 of food for Â£20 which in my opinion isn't worth it. Some days I may have Lunch in Lieu of a big breakfast but then I don't feel like eating much in the evening. For some it makes sense but for us it's simply throwing money away. Next time we will pay cash and won't be booking an ADR for every day of the holiday. Many evenings we just want something light in the room. We thought that that would be the case but as we got it for "free" we took the offer gladly. This time I won't even bother to upgrade hotels to get it because although the French Quarter was stunning I don't really feel that the difference is worth Â£450 (GBP) to us over a 2 week holiday.

Rant over

sallyporsche · Post by **sallyporsche** » Oct Wed 08, 2008 7:36 am

I'd like to see a plan that offers two counter service and two snacks.

Croaker -- I believe they are coming out with a plan like that in 2009. I checked on waltdisneyworld.com for dates in May 2009, and one of my options was "Magic Your Way Package Plus Quick-Service Dining" Includes:

Two quick-service meals per person, per night (ages 3+)
Two snacks per person, per night (ages 3+)
One Resort-refillable drink mug per person

That might be a better value for the quick-service people. And it does include the refillable mug.

Our family loves the DDP. We typically plan a TS meal once a day and it works out very nicely for us.

sherabby · Post by **sherabby** » Oct Wed 08, 2008 7:57 am

yodiwan1 wrote:the step sisters??? who and where?

1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian. Stepmother, Cinderella, Prince Charming and the two step sisters. My son loved the character interation!

rodders · Post by **rodders** » Oct Fri 10, 2008 7:50 am

sallyporsche wrote:
I'd like to see a plan that offers two counter service and two snacks.
Croaker -- I believe they are coming out with a plan like that in 2009. I checked on waltdisneyworld.com for dates in May 2009, and one of my options was "Magic Your Way Package Plus Quick-Service Dining" Includes:

Two quick-service meals per person, per night (ages 3+)
Two snacks per person, per night (ages 3+)
One Resort-refillable drink mug per person

That might be a better value for the quick-service people. And it does include the refillable mug.

Our family loves the DDP. We typically plan a TS meal once a day and it works out very nicely for us.

If you do eat TS and Counter service each day then the full plan is great because you should make a decent saving. The trouble with the QS plan is that the best that you can realistically hope for is to break even. I would rather charge it to the room. Sorry to sound so negative