Dining plan or not?

[KrisM]

Same here, just looking at your schedule I'd think you'd be a candidate for the DDP, but you seem to have done the research.

I do think $4 for snacks is optimistic. When you're walking around you get hungry and thirsty, and those carts are oh-so-conveniently placed. You're going to want Dole Whips Those are probably $4 each. Soooo good though. Mmm. Also, they sell fresh fruit and veggies, so it's not just junk. When your kids asking for an apple, it's kind of hard to say no (at least it is for me). Bottles of water and cokes are I think $2.50. Anyway, just make sure you allot enough for snacks.

We've done the meal plan before, but we had two kids age 3 and under, so we did lots of buffets, shows, character meals, and the kids were free. My DH, who was in charge of the budget at the time, loved not having a running total of what we were spending in the back of his mind. The last time we went, we didn't do the meal plan, but I was in charge of the budget.

Are you saying $4 is too little for snacks? I figured $4 each per day. Any other snacks would be oop since we just get 1 snack a day paid for. If I figure $5 for snacks, that puts us up $40 for the week. I would imagine we'd have more than 1 snack a day, but we're paying for those regardless, so I took them out of the equation. Same with breakfasts - I figure we'll eat in the room either way, so the costs are the same to me. We only have 1 breakfast scheduled and it's at 10:30, so we'll still eat something in the room before we leave.

[TwinFoxes]

Are you saying $4 is too little for snacks? I figured $4 each per day. Any other snacks would be oop since we just get 1 snack a day paid for. If I figure $5 for snacks, that puts us up $40 for the week. I would imagine we'd have more than 1 snack a day, but we're paying for those regardless, so I took them out of the equation. Same with breakfasts - I figure we'll eat in the room either way, so the costs are the same to me. We only have 1 breakfast scheduled and it's at 10:30, so we'll still eat something in the room before we leave.

Yes, I think $4 is too little for snacks.

DDP gives you snacks each day, I can't remember how many though, so I'm not sure why you'd pay OOP for those?

Maybe you mean you'd pay OOP for more than one snack?

[KrisM]

Yes, I think $4 is too little for snacks.

DDP gives you snacks each day, I can't remember how many though, so I'm not sure why you'd pay OOP for those?

Maybe you mean you'd pay OOP for more than one snack?

The DDP gives one snack a day per person. We'll be there 8 nights. If we each eat 2 snacks a day, we'll be out of credits on day 5 and have to pay OOP. I found this list: http://thewdwguru.com/disney-world-r...ck-credit-list with prices. From scanning, it looked like $4 would be reasonable. How much would you say a snack costs, on average? $5?

[egoldber]

I think $4 per person is plenty. The things we typically get are.....

popcorn (kids share and DH and I may have a handful)
cookie
Mickey ice cream bar
Nestle ice cream sandwich (and I'm the mean mom that makes them split one and DH and I split one)

Maybe a bag of chips here or there.

We seldom buy beverages except at meal times.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I swear when we were at Disneyland last Feb. that they gave free cups of water. Do they do that at WDW? I'd skip water bottles, in that case. Again, I prefer not to lug things around!

[mariza]

Yes, you can ask for a cup of water at the restaurants but I just don't care for the taste of unfiltered tap water. Personal preference and if you don't mind the taste and possible waiting in line that that is a good option instead of being weighed down. For me the weight of the bag encourages me to drink more and force the kids to drink more. It's important to stay hydrated at Disney. The more we drink, the lighter my bag gets, it's like a game


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[mariza]

I think $4 per person is plenty.

I agree, I had 17 snack credits to use up on the last 2 days of the trip. Maybe that's because I packed a few granola bars but we just aren't big on stopping to snack at WDW (wish I could say the same for being at home!)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[TwinFoxes]

I agree, I had 17 snack credits to use up on the last 2 days of the trip. Maybe that's because I packed a few granola bars but we just aren't big on stopping to snack at WDW (wish I could say the same for being at home!)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Maybe I'm just a sucker for my kids. they seem to want a snack all the time. DH We also had a stroller, so carrying water bottles wasn't an issue for us.

Anyway, OP, I think you should go with your research. I never think the DDP is a necessity.

[KrisM]

Clearly there are many different ways people eat at Disney . Which to me makes it easier to not do the dining plan. I can see us eating a couple snacks in one day and not having a counter service at all. Or splitting meals. If we were a few hundred cheaper with the plan, we'd make it work. But I'm thinking when I add it up at the end, we'll be pretty close and I'm not going to worry about going over by $100. Now, if it were free...

[mariza]

I read a great tip once for people who are not on the dining plan and I would absolutely do it this way if we don't get free dining next time.

You get a Disney GC and put your total amount of your food budget on the gift card. This way you don't worry too much about each individual meal but it will help you mentally budget and keep things in check. Just an idea, you will have a great time no matter what you decide!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free