Disney Dinning Plan

[Rich Mc]

Hi all:
Question: Is the Disney Dinning Plan really worth it for two.
DW and I like to dine out at Calif. Grill, Flying Fish, etc.....:mickey:

[sbnewbride]

In my experience, yes, but with some explanation. My husband and I went to Disney on our honeymoon a few months ago and opted for the regular DP. I'm assuming you know how the dining plan works so I won't go into a lot of detail on that end.

1. Because the food was already paid for, I'm sure we ate more than we would have had we been forced to pay everytime rather than simply pulling out our keys to swipe.
2. You must be a little choosy when selecting where you're going to eat, especially snacks. Not every single restaurant / food cart accepts the DP. This wasn't a big problem for us but you may want to atleast check into it.
3. You still must pay the gratuity on table service bills.
4. You're ultimately probably not saving more than just several dollars per person, per day. But it does add up, I guess.

On the plus side:
5. Being as we were on our honeymoon, the convenience factor was huge for us. We loved it!
6. We didn't mind eating our way through Disney seeing as I had been majorly watching my weight for the wedding and was ready to eat and enjoy myself. And of course my husband can always put away some food!

Hope that helps! :mickey:

[Jared]

Hi all:
Question: Is the Disney Dinning Plan really worth it for two.
DW and I like to dine out at Calif. Grill, Flying Fish, etc.....:mickey:
If you like to eat mostly at the signature restaurants, you might actually want the deluxe plan, which gives you three meals per day that can be used at your discretion. Therefore, you can spend two credits at California Grill or Flying Fish Cafe for dinner and have a counter service lunch or breakfast. Unlike with the basic plan, the appetizer is still included. The deluxe plan also entitles you to two snacks each day and a refillable mug for each member of your party. It's expensive at $69.99 per day per person, but if you would normally eat at expensive places that cost two credits, it may be your best option.

:tasty:

[Figment!]

If you have an idea of the places you would like to try, the Disney Dining Plan Estimator Spreadsheet (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/../infocentral/dining/diningplan/estimator.asp) can assist you in determining if the standard plan would be a good value or not.

[Gator]

Depending on what you get you can lose a little or save a little. But in the end, it's the convenience of knowing you can get whaterver you want and not worry that it's the most expensive thing on the menu.

[HndrdPrcnt]

For us, it was totally worth it!! We loved eating at all the TS restaurants and we even did a few Signature restaurants (CA Grill & Hoop de Doo) and still had plenty to eat on the trip even after giving up 2 of our TS credits in order to do the Signature restaurants. :tasty:

[wdwnomad]

I agree with Jared. The deluxe dining plan might be a better option for you because of the signature restaurants. What I would do is look at the menus at where you want to eat and price it out as if you were paying for it yourself. Come up with an average for each day on food. If average for the day is higher than the cost of the dining plan then go with the plan.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Use the dining planner and be honest about how much you would actually eat. We have been on the DDP but this year will not be. Why? We found that we always had lots of credits left and had over eaten (by our standards) way too much. When we did an honest evaluation on how we dine it doesn't work out for us. FOr others, it does work out.

So, it all depends on you and how you want to do it and others can't really decide for you.

[bc002k]

If you like eating at Cali Grill, Flying Fish, etc., then I'd definitely recommend the Deluxe Dining Plan. Those aforementioned restaurants require 2 DDP credits, so you'd run out of credits quickly on the regular dining plan.

But with the deluxe, you get 3 credits for each day you're there, and they can be used in any way possible. $70 per day is an absolute bargain once you see how much you'd have to pay out of pocket for those meals.

[TheDuckRocks]

My DH and I will be going to WDW in Dec. to celebrate the Christmas season and to do the deluxe dining plan. We will be eating at 4 signature restaurants and will using all of the other credits for TS meals. The deluxe DDP for me alone will cost $349.95, but going over the menus of where we will be dining the other day I came up with a total of $512.00 for what I will be ordering. I would guess that my DH's total won't be much different. That's a huge savings!

[lightyearfan]

the DDP is a must do for me and dw, and for this upcoming trip, we even upgraded to the deluxe, we did the spreadsheet and it will save us well over $300, so what i'm trying to get at is that it is worth it. we will be doing alot of breakfest buffets and we figured that breakfest alone would average out to over $300 spread out over 8 days. the convience factor knowing that you don't have to shell out money that can be spent elsewhere, is very nice.

Victor

[pluto 77]

If you like to eat mostly at the signature restaurants, you might actually want the deluxe plan, which gives you three meals per day that can be used at your discretion. Therefore, you can spend two credits at California Grill or Flying Fish Cafe for dinner and have a counter service lunch or breakfast. Unlike with the basic plan, the appetizer is still included. The deluxe plan also entitles you to two snacks each day and a refillable mug for each member of your party. It's expensive at $69.99 per day per person, but if you would normally eat at expensive places that cost two credits, it may be your best option.

:tasty:

I completly agree!! We went as 2 adults on the Deluxe Plan and wound up saving almost $1,000. We ate at 5 2 point places and still had enough credits and were neve hungery. It was such a wonderful and relaxing trip and we will do the deluxe plan every time now!