Dining Plan or Not??

[llamaface]

OK - so here's the question. Last year we used the dining plan and loved it, however, it was free. So now we are trying to determine if it is worth it. Our biggest concern lies with our 11 yr old daughter. She does not eat off the adult menu - ever. So, therefore, would it be more beneficial to not use the plan because then she has opportunity to eat off the kids menu, or do we pay OOP for her meals using the plan? It seems that we would be paying more overall in that case. I realize that we would have extra credits for adult meals, but is it worth it to pay the extra $$ for the kids meals.
Sorry if this is confusing - I'm confusng myself as I type........

[MMouse6937]

We were going to pay for it last time before it became free. I still thought it was a great deal, but we don't have any children. In my opinion, I would pay for some of her meals. Or have her get something off the adult menu that would be comparable to something she would eat on the childs menu. There is a dining plan calculator here somewhere that might help you make up your mind. It kind of has you plug in numbers and decides if it's worth the money. It's probably under info central somewhere (sorry, I can't do that link thing). Good luck with your decision. :thumbsup:

[KAT1811]

For starters, yes I feel the DDP is well worth it free or paid for.

Secondly, everyone staying in the same room has to be on the same package. What I mean is if you and DH/W are on the dining plan DD has to have the DDP as well and since she is 11 she is charged the adult price.

With that being said there is not reason why she can't order from the child's menu and use the adult credits (not that it would be a wise choice) but it can be done.

Or you and DH could use her credits and pay OOP for her meals. That would give you extra credits to do some 2 TS restaurants, the Luau, or the Hoop-Dee-Doo. They lump all of the credits together on the room keys and then leave you to use them as you feel.

I would say do the DDP, especially if you plan on doing a lot of TS meals.

[January-2007]

It's really a personal decision. If you're paying for her as an adult anyway then yeah, you could just pay out of pocket for some of her meals and go to some 2TS locations or do a few extra meals. At lunch or dinner buffets you could use the DP on her since the price is set already. It depends on how much time you want to spend dining. It might be cheaper and less crazy to just not get the DP since you would be stressing over its value during your trip. That doesn't sound very relaxing to me!

[DessertDivaFL]

For someone like me (single parent with two picky eaters) it isn't worth it as we try to budget our expenses. We usually eat breakfast in the room (we bring from home) and have one TS meal (usually lunch) and then the other meal is a lighter one (sandwich/burger). We bring along snacks from home and have those throughout the day as well.

As others have stated, it is a personal preference and for me it is how much $$ I have.

[pixiesmimi]

We discovered the DDP last year and thought it was wonderful and I think really saved us money for our group. We will always do them. I wanted to eat at some of the 2 TS places this time but DH wasn't willing to give up one of his TS to do this. (Food is everything to him):blush: If I were you, I would do the DDP and do OOP for her if she wants the children's menu and let her choose a special place to use the extra credit like the CRT or something like that. You can pick and choose smaller meals for less expense if you do OOP for her. Look at the menus for the different restaurants ahead of time and let her decide what she wants to eat. Most of the meals are more than most people will eat anyway and maybe she would just want to share some off one of yours. They don't mind you doing this.

[Momto2Princesses&1Pirate]

I also have a DD11 who eats very little and doesn't like most adult meals. I debated back and forth and finally decided to go with the DDP. At buffets & char. meals we will pay adult price for her but at menu restaurants I tried to choose places that had an appetizer that she would like. At Whispering Canyon she thought the nachos sounded good (minus some of the toppings) so I will order those for my appetizer and give it to her. At other places I will order her a kids meal OOP. I made a spreadsheet that shows where we will eat and how many credits we will use. It enabled us to eat at more places and she will be happy with eating things she enjoys. We all end up Happy!

[yasmina]

I also have a DD11 who is a picky eater. I have booked a variety of TS ressies that include foods that she will probably eat, like LTT, Garden Grill, PT 50's etc. Maybe if you check the menus you can find places that offer foods that she will eat.

My problem is that I also have a DD9 who will try just about anything on a menu. Unfortunately, she will have to choose from the kids menu.

I figure that if DD11 doesn't see anything she wants on the adult menu, and DD9 wants something on the adult menu, they can order for each other, then switch plates!