Dining plan question

[jellibeans]

I know I've read about this and should probably just call disney but can someone help? Does every charachter meal count as 2 table service meals or just some? We are trying to decide whether to buy the dining plan for our late August trip. We want to go to the Hollywood and Vine buffet for lunch. Anyone?

[Cam&Clay]

Almost all are one credit. Cinderella's Royal Table counts for two credits, but places like Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, Hollywood & Vine, etc. are one credit.

Check out www.easywdw.com. They have summaries of each restaurant and it tells you how many dining plan credits it takes.

[Jupiter]

The dining plan is so worth it. Unless you plan to go out to signature restaurants don't get the top one, the middle is perfect.

[egoldber]

In late August, there are often significant room discounts available, but not if you choose "free" dining. I would consider a lower room cost of vs the dining to see which makes more sense for you.

My kids are seldom hungry on a schedule and we dislike having to be at a certain place at a certain time for meals. So for us, the dining plan does not feel very appealing, since to get your money's worth, you really need to do a sit down every day and those really need to be scheduled ahead of time.

[Jupiter]

The dining plan does not have to be scheduled. Every resort has a casual dinning. Usually you wait in line get what you want go to the cashier. You can go to any of them at any time, doesn't have to be your hotel. Reservations are needed for some of the restaurants but I was also able to make reservation for the same day at some places. Snack can be gotten anywhere and include al sorts of things. You can use the your ddp in the hotels, parks and at some downtown Disney locations.

You need reservations definately for like breakfast with the characters or I think there is one with the princesses. They want you to make reservations 6 months ahead to guarantee. But if your flexible you are good.

My husband and I tried all the causal dining places at the different hotels and downtown when I went out for the half marathon because we didn't buy park tickets.

I would get the quick serve level plan.

[Cam&Clay]

We have done the regular dining plan and the deluxe (when just DH and I went). We absolutely love the dining plans but in the end it doesn't really save you any money. What we love is the freedom to order whatever we want and not having to think about the check at all. It's already paid for, so enjoy. What's funny is that some people feel it actually restricts you because you have to make reservations in advance for most of your sit-down meals. It's really a personal thing. I get why some people don't like it. DH and I, however, will likely never go down there without the dining plan.

We have never done free dining because we get the 40% off military rate on deluxe rooms. With a club level room and the regular dining plan, you don't even have to think about food. We like having one sit down a day as a chance to relax and regroup.

When DH and I went alone, we did the deluxe plan which was way too much food. It was fun to try, though, and since it was just us, that many sit down meals was just fine.

[BayGirl2]

I'd think about whether you prefer Table Sevice (sit down) or Counter Service and then decide on the dining plan. We like to have at least one TS meal a day. I find it easier to sit and be waited on than to have one parent wait in line for food while the other sits with the kids waiting, which is how counter service seems to work for us. My kids are good in restaurants so that helps. I also prefer to have a meal scheduled so I know when where and what we will be eating. With CS I feel like we're scrambling to find a short line when we're hungry. So think about what's the best mix for your family. If you want good TS options reserve them several months in advance, at 180 days for the most popular.

We don't have access to the dining plan because we have a conference rate. I'll compare our costs after to see if we would have saved money with it. My sense is that we'd maybe save a little with The mid level plan (1 TS/day) but probably not enough to make up for a cheaper room rate.

[westwoodmom04]

We have done the regular dining plan and the deluxe (when just DH and I went). We absolutely love the dining plans but in the end it doesn't really save you any money. What we love is the freedom to order whatever we want and not having to think about the check at all. It's already paid for, so enjoy. What's funny is that some people feel it actually restricts you because you have to make reservations in advance for most of your sit-down meals. It's really a personal thing. I get why some people don't like it. DH and I, however, will likely never go down there without the dining plan.

We have never done free dining because we get the 40% off military rate on deluxe rooms. With a club level room and the regular dining plan, you don't even have to think about food. We like having one sit down a day as a chance to relax and regroup.

When DH and I went alone, we did the deluxe plan which was way too much food. It was fun to try, though, and since it was just us, that many sit down meals was just fine.

The deluxe does save you money if you would eat that way anyway, I did the calculations and it saved us close to $1000 based on the restaurants we ate at. The regular does not but often people get it for free, so then of course it does. We did the deluxe and were happy with it, but we really have a strong preference for sit down dining. Our kids are good in restaurants, and its a nice way to take a air-conditioned break from the crowds (the counter service is often mobbed).

[egoldber]

The regular does not but often people get it for free, so then of course it does

But there is still an opportunity cost. If you choose "free dining" you are paying full rate for the hotel and giving up a potential discounted rate like AAA, AP, any WDW special discounts, etc. If you will plan a sit down meal on WDW property every day, and you don't mind making reservations in advance and giving up the flexibility associated with doing that (having to plan your touring around reservations), then the dining plan is a good deal.

[hellokitty]

JB, we've gotten free dining 2x. However, if the only character meal you want to do is H&V, personally, I would just pay OOP. I think that unless you are going to go nuts on character meals, the dining plan isn't worth it. If we do WDW again, we will just pay OOP for meals, maybe just do one character meal and that's it. The dining plan includes things like dessert and soda, which aren't things that we'd normally order. So, keep that in mind too. I personally think that it's too much food.

[egoldber]

HK, that is us too. We generally prefer to do only 1 character meal. They are so stimulating and my kids just don't eat that well when there is that much going on.

Also, we always rent a car, and I like being able to go off-site for a meal now and then. Sometimes you just need some breathing space away from the Happiest Place on Earth. ;) Not to mention, we can all eat at the IHOP down the street from WDW for the cost of one character meal!

We also grocery shop the first day, usually as we are driving to the resort. That way we can eat a light breakfast in the room (cereal and banana) and then head out with our own snacks (granola bars, cheese sticks) to the park. Saves us a great deal of time and money.

[hellokitty]

HK, that is us too. We generally prefer to do only 1 character meal. They are so stimulating and my kids just don't eat that well when there is that much going on.

Also, we always rent a car, and I like being able to go off-site for a meal now and then. Sometimes you just need some breathing space away from the Happiest Place on Earth. ;) Not to mention, we can all eat at the IHOP down the street from WDW for the cost of one character meal!

We also grocery shop the first day, usually as we are driving to the resort. That way we can eat a light breakfast in the room (cereal and banana) and then head out with our own snacks (granola bars, cheese sticks) to the park. Saves us a great deal of time and money.

Lol, I think that we have similar disney strategies. ;) My kids are early risers and we are rope drop ppl. So, we always do a light breakfast in our rooms too. We drove the first yr and brought our own food. Last yr, we ordered from a grocery service, which was more expensive, but nice and I did healthy bkfsts and snacks for my kids, since I just get sick of the junk food while traveling. Our go to breakfast for the kids is usually, milk, cereal, yogurt, banana/apple/clementines. The kids never complained, they ate while dh and I got ourselves ready for the day and I think it was healthier and cheaper in the long run. I am thinking about just renting DVC points next time, so we can do bkfst and either lunch/dinner in the room, since I seriously get sick of eating out while traveling. It's ok the first two days, after that, it's blah and I feel like I have bloat.

[westwoodmom04]

But there is still an opportunity cost. If you choose "free dining" you are paying full rate for the hotel and giving up a potential discounted rate like AAA, AP, any WDW special discounts, etc. If you will plan a sit down meal on WDW property every day, and you don't mind making reservations in advance and giving up the flexibility associated with doing that (having to plan your touring around reservations), then the dining plan is a good deal.

I absolutely agree with you; the dining plan only saves money if you do sit down meals. We stayed at blt on rented points, mostly ate breakfast in our room, and used the dining plan for character meals, and sit down restaurants. More than half of these meals, however, were at other disney resorts, not at the parks. It really wasn't a big deal to make the reservations in advance since we knew what parks we would be at each day based on the crowd calendars, but it is really all a question of how your family likes to travel.