Need help deciding, Plan or No Plan??

[Stitch65]

I'm really at odds whether or not to do it. It would cost about $100 a day for my family of 4, and I can't decide if it's a good deal... My son has food allergies, so having ADR's are helpful, but we're already on a tight budget and I'm afraid of losing money with this plan. So, who's utilized this plan and saved? Anyone had the plan and lost money?

If we don't get the plan, I was planning on eating snacks all day until dinner time and then getting a quick counter meal. We do have ADR's for Fantasmic, Chef Mickey's, Ohana's, 1900 Park Fare, and the Concourse Steakhouse, which comes to about $494 dollars (estimate), so I still have $406 to spread around before the plan starts to be worth it...

Ugh, my head hurts.

 

[Savsmommy]

We just went to WDW at the beginning of March with NO dining plan. I wasn't sure if I was making the right decision but figured I would try it without and see what happens since we live pretty close and go at least twice a year. The dining plan just seemed like a lot to me. We were there 4 days. It's me, DH and our 6 year old DD. DS is free. We had two character meals, 1900 Park Fare and Donald's Breakfastours. The other meals we ate at POP or at the parks. We got plenty of snacks and water throughout each day. I had to have my Mickey Ice cream bar every night. I totaled everything we ate including drinks and snacks, and it was $74.98 cheaper than if we got the dining plan. So, I was happy. For us, it just wasn't worth it. I guess it just depends on how many Character meals and TS meals you do.

 

[coruth4]

I am planning a trip for 2007 and am trying to decide if the dining plan is worth it. It will only be myself, and my two sons (13 & 11). The 11 yr old is VERY picky about food - pretty much grilled cheese only.
I am planning on Chef Mickey and the Fantasmic Dinner Package. Will also try to get seats at Coral Reef and Sci-Fi Cafe. Because of their ages, they both fall into the adult catagory. But the 11 year old isn't a big eater. But I believe using the dining plan is cheaper for the character meals?
I haven't done a ton of research for this and was wondering if it will work out?
Any advise?

 

[In Luv with Disney]

By looking at your plans, it doesn't look like the Dining Plan will actually SAVE you money. The dining plan only saves a substantial amount of money if you plan on eating AT LEAST one TABLE SERVICE meal each day. If you only plan on snacking and eating counter service as your main meal for dinner, you really won't be saving money.

One way to really get an idea, is to go to allearsnet and look at their menus for restaurants you THINK you will dine in. Price out what you would eat that day. Remember to include your snacks in your price, because you wouldn't have to pay for your daily snack on the dining plan...it's included (1 per person, per day). This way, you can see if it would be worth it to you.

 

[Stitch65]

Thanks for the responses! I did check out allears and it looks like we're going to go "no plan" for this trip. Those TS that I have planned are enough for us and I honestly think it'll be too much food for us. In past trips we have shard counter services with the kids and have snacked on snack food that we bring in (now, before the flames start, realize that my son has ALLERGIES, and it can get kind of old explaining to every vender why it's important that the hot dog or hamburger never touch the bun, etc, etc) Now that being said the TS are a real treat since the chefs are so knowlegable about food allergies, they never cease to amaze me on how well they accomadate my little guy. BTW, he's got dairy allergies (no, not lactose intolerant, an actual allergy), he's allergic to gluten, and to soy.

Wow, now I'm just rambling. This was our last big planning hurdle, and now that we decided I'm stuck twidling my thumbs till May.

Is it May yet?


Is it May yet?


Is it May yet????????????

 

[jillyjoey]

I think what time of year you go helps any decision regarding DDP. Last time we went was in June. It was so hot none of us really wanted to eat at all. Just drank water all day long. I think we only ate 3 ts meals the entire time and that was only because my sis and her dh wanted to. This trip for us will be in December so I am figuring that my family will want to eat.
Another consideration will be if you can share meals. DD and I share everytime we eat out now, so I am figuring we will do the same on the plan. Thus, we will get a few extra meals off the plan to use for breakfast or whatever. Same thing with appetizer and desserts -- we don't normally order these when we go out. But hopefully, by sharing TS when we can, we can stretch our credits.
I think everyone's input is right on -- if you don't eat at the more expensive ts then it may not be worth it. I looked at the price of CS meals, however, and for us it may be worth it as DH usually orders 2 meals, lol.

 

[kcashner]

You'll probably find that WDW is one of the best places for dealing with allergies--the CMs and especially chefs are very sensitive to the issue and willing to work with you. If you plan any TS meals, it is worth mentioning the allergies when you make the reservations. They can do things like gluten free "pasta" or special foods. If needed, a chef will even call you to be sure that they understand your needs.

As to the dining plan...it doesn't sound like you will save $. I know that we'll spend more than we normally do--but I'm doing it because I won't cringe when my daughter orders the most expensive thing on the menu. We'll eat more food (I don't need that), and we intend to try a bunch of "new" restaurants and not worry about the cost. We don't usually eat a TS every night, but this time, we will.

 

[thelionqueen]

I see that you decided against the Dining Plan which may work out better for you. I just wanted to mention a couple of things we noticed that made it a huge money saver.

If you eat any CS meals at all with your family size (ours is about the same as yours) our average CS total for all of us was around $40.00 (not including tax). Our water/popcorn/icecream intake daily was around $20.00 per day. I also didn't know if you were adding tax and tip to your meal prices...this can add up substantially (dining plan includes tax & tip). So for our family all the "extras" (not TS) including tax & tips added up to easily $75-90+ per day.

Honestly, yes, there is a lot of food, in fact we didnt use some of our credits but we still saved a TON of $$ (over $600.00) on our last trip (it was free, but we figured out cost vs. tickets).

Just wanted to give some opinions and advice from a parent with similar family type. Have a GREAT trip!!

 

[drogerstn]

..., but we're already on a tight budget and I'm afraid of losing money with this plan. So, who's utilized this plan and saved? Anyone had the plan and lost money?

You can save a lot of money by not doing the plan and following your own low cost meal plan.

We will eat breakfast in our room a couple of days during our visit meals as well as an occasional lunch or dinner (sandwiches, chips, drinks, etc.) in our room. This saves money and can be very convenient.

For someone that eats TS meals, especially for dinner, the "savings" can be huge. These aren't necessarily true savings unless the person is planning to buy high dollar TS meals with desserts and appetizers already.

 

[Kincade]

We did a 3 night stay in February and are going to go back in August. Our daughter is 2 years and 3 months. We did the DDP and it was amazing! The food was all top caliber and we made all of our reservations BEFORE leaving for the trip. It will definitely save you money. The waiter service dinners we had alone were $125 for my wife and I each time!
It is a MUST!!!

 

[Stitch65]

Well, after more figuring, (I even made a spreadsheet! ) It would make more sense for our family to acutally get the plan! UGH! And here I thought I'd save money not doing it.

So I figured my current ADR's (which we're not willing to part with) and added in 2 counter services a day plus 1 snack. totals 1200(and that's including an estimate of tax & tip)

DDP would cost us 900 dollars.

We honestly don't eat much while we are at the Parks, so I think we can even spread our credits to get a few breakfasts in. Well, glad I checked that out. Now if I can get ADR's for the rest of the trip....

 

[Hopefully]

In October, we (3 Adults) saved over $450 on the Dining Plan. We like to eat a nice TS meal each day and we would have done so. plan or not. So it really was a savings for us.

 

[gigi1313]

So I figured my current ADR's (which we're not willing to part with) and added in 2 counter services a day plus 1 snack. totals 1200(and that's including an estimate of tax & tip)

DDP would cost us 900 dollars.

i see you accounted for TWO CS meals per day, along w/your ADRs for TS meals and some snacks... just a head's up that w/the ddp you only get ONE CS meal per person per day... which may change your savings calculations a bit...

now, we've used the plan twice and have gotten much more than our money's worth each time, and that's having to pay for dd as an adult, even though quite often she ordered kids' meals at TS restaurants! we still came out ahead!

just as an example, our family dined at chef mickey's... the total for the meal was $97, add to that tax and 18% gratuity and you're looking at $125+ and the dining plan for the day cost us only $115... which translates (for us anyway) into our 4 CS meals and 4 snacks that day were "free!" (for your family, it would be approx $82 for dinner for four at CMs plus tax and gratuity for a total of ~$100, which is the same cost as the ddp for the day)

also, we were more than able to share some meals, particularly breakfast... we would simply get the "big" breakfast, pay oop for a bagel, get a dish of grapes for a snack credit and turn that into breakfast for 3! [ds would have the bagel and sausage patty, dd the eggs and biscuit, i would have the bacon and potatoes and we'd all three share the grapes. (dh isn't a good sharer ) which really helped to stretch our dining credits...

another "hint" that we learned was to take our dessert to go after a TS meal... we'd either enjoy it for a snack later that night (perfect to enjoy while staking out your spot for fireworks, fantasmic or illuminations!) or have it for breakfast the next day!

 

[Stitch65]

Thanks for the heads up! I was comparing the meal plan's 1 CS and 1 TS to 2 CS -OR- 1 CS and 1 TS depending on if we had ADR's or not. Not sure if that makes sense.

Either way in my calculations we'd be responsible for breakfast (which we usually eat quick snacks for anyway) so the savings calc of 250 should be right. Which means more shopping for me at DTD!!!!!!!!

 

[gigi1313]

great idea, extra shopping

keep in mind, that sharing CS meals really helps stretch the credits... we were able to have B,L,D every day by sharing...

 

[thelionqueen]

It's so much fun figuring all this stuff out though isn't it
I think you will be THRILLED with your choice to use the DDP Apart from the substantial savings, it is SO convenient! You just use your key wherever you go and you don't need to carry credit cards or extra cash for dining (of course shopping is another story )

Just a few examples of how WONDERFUL it was for us, we had our favorite spot picked out for Wishes (on bridge to Tomorrowland..shhh it's a secret ) and while waiting decided we needed some snacks. Now mind you, we never used all the snack credits we had, and we are BIG snackers. So I sent DH to get popcorn, water, soda and ice cream for all 7 of us (cousin & family joined us) and all he needed was 4 extra arms and his dining card. That little snack run alone would have cost over $38.00! And when the kids decided they didn't want the ice cream anymore after the ears were eaten off, I wasn't concerned that I had just wasted $$. It truly is awesome, I know once you try it, you'll be hooked! Have a great trip!

 

[MEK]

I am a big fan of the dining plan. I probably would not have purchased it last year, but I got it free. My kids (10 &12) LOVED it! They ate huge amounts of food for all the TS meals. I was surprised at all the things they tried and how much the enjoyed the whole dining experience.

The dining plan was such a big hit with our family that we plan to use it on our next trip. It will be over $1000, but I like the idea of not worrying about what each and every little thing costs. We can eat like crazy all week and not worry about it. After experiencing the dining plan, we are very spoiled and can't see ourselves going without it.

My kids are extremely picky, so if you have a picky eater you might be surprised at the things they try. I also felt like I was getter a much higher quality of food then if we ate CS all week. I felt like I got plenty of vegetables, fruits, salad, ect.

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