? for Disney dining experts! Is it worth it?

[kaysmommie]

Hello, I'm new to the Dining plan and don't know if it is worth it for my family. We are making ADR next week for stay in October. We eat at alot of character meals, and I heard then it is 2 TS coupns. So we would use them all up. We plan on eating at CRT, PSB, CM, CP, Ohana character breakfast as well as dinner there. Also 50's prime time and WC and possibly Boma. A couple of days we will eat breakfast in our room or Captain cooks at POLY. Also we don't get appetizers but we do get dessert sometimes. As far as snacks at the park we only do that sometimes. Lunch is usually CS or at our resort at the quick food place. Any opinion would be great, thanks in advance. Where do you find out about the restaurants they include?

 

[jann1033]

if you go to the dining plan stickY( very top thread under dining plan, by jjohnson) there is a link to the dining plan that says who is included. they did a great job compiling info..and it's long but worth reading

i think most character meals are 1ts except crt. most of the 2 ts are either shows like hoop de doo or fancy smancy places like cal grill.

 

[drogerstn]

You can look up menus and prices at DIS Menus and get a good idea on what you would spend without the Dining Plan. Make sure you add tax and any tips you expect to pay when paying on your own. These items are already covered in the $37.99 daily cost of the Dining Plan.

We eat a few meals in our room during a stay. Any TS meals we eat are usually at lunch and we may do only one character breakfast during a visit. The Dining Plan is not "worth it" for us.

 

[kcashner]

You need to review the restaurants covered on the dining plan. This information is available at the Disney World web site--click on dining plan. The only character meal that counts as 2 TS is Cinderella's Royal Table. THe other "character experiences" that count as 2 are the dinner shows (the luau and BBQ).

The others you listed--Cape May, O'hana, Crystal Palace, Garden Grill, Liberty tree, 1900 Park Fare, etc. count as one TS each.

My suggestion to the "is it worth it" is to look at the prices for the various restaurants. Most of the character dinners are $28 for adults (as of 12/05). That doesn't include tax or tip. Tax and tip would add about another $5. The DDP is $38 including tax and tip. So, you are getting a counter service meal (cost 12-15) and a snack for about $5 total. Of course, that assumes that you eat at a character dinner. DDP for a child is $11, which is about the same price as a character meal.

You can easily go to more expensive table service restaurants...for prices, see the all ears website.

Each family eats differently, and only you can decide if it will be a savings for you. Most people save significantly on the plan. Other options--if you are not a big eater, you might choose to use a Counter Service credit for a breakfast and share this with husband (or whoever). You might do the same at lunch, using a "snack" credit to get an extra drink and splitting the meal. You may want to do some cereal in your room and buy milk at the resort shop.

On the other hand, my sis likes to go to a sit down breakfast and a sit down dinner--no snacks or counter service. For her family, the DDP doesn't fit their needs.

We find it is a significant savings IF we eat table service every night....I also like not having to worry about what my teen orders!