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forever a child
04-25-2009, 08:31 PM
I have never used the Disney Dining Plan before and I am considering it. My DD is a swimmer and eats a LOT for a 14 year old girl (actually it is more like feeding a 18 male football player)!:secret:

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE USED IT BEFORE, could you tell me how easy or difficult it was to use in the Parks and Downtown Disney? Do there seem to be a bunch of exclusions or are the portions so limited that you end up spending more $ than what the dining plan offers?

I realize you can spend as much or a little as you need each day but I am wondering how easy and money saving it really is to use? Thank you for your help!!!:thanks::thanks::mickey:

SBETigg
04-25-2009, 08:37 PM
It's extremely easy to use and there are almost no restrictions. You order off the regular menus. You get the same food and the same portions that people get who are not using the dining plan. Things are marked at counter service restaurants with meal or snack options. You tell them you're using your dining plan credits and hand them your card (the credits are tracked through your room key) and you can also charge the tip to your room or pay it separately for table service. You'll get a bill to reflect your dining plan credits and a separate one for things ordered off the plan (like alcoholic bevvies or appetizers).

It's extremely easy to use and a great option for people who like to pay in advance and eat enough at table service restaurants to save money with the deal. It's generally a better deal to use table service credits on dinners than on breakfast or lunch. We tend to use counter service for lunch and snacks for breakfast. It works great for us.

sisterdisco
04-25-2009, 08:39 PM
Not to worry:thumbsup:
First, it is extremely easy to use the DDP (make sure you have ADR's for table service though).
Second, you can pick places that have large portions, if DD is a big eater.
I would recommend Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Kona cafe (DS 12yo ate a HUGE prime rib), Cosmic Rays --you can get a 1/2 ckn and 1/4 rack ribs, mashed potatoes, cornbread, drink and desert all as 1 counter service credit.
Also, the pizza at Pinocchios was too big for all of us to individually eat.
DH had a turkey leg in front of the Amercian restaurant in Epcot--even though it wasn't a counter service and there was no sign designating it as DDP participating. He got a turkey leg, a drink and a frozen lemonade and they deducted 1 CS
Check out the menus here on intercot and you can plan!

wdw_bound
04-25-2009, 09:16 PM
I'd recommend buffets/all you can eat for TS - that way she controls the amount of food. For example, the skillet at WCC is really good, and seconds (even thirds) are not a problem.

For CS meals, there are many places that have additional sides for a snack credit (breadsticks at Toy Story Pizza Planet) that can round out a meal. Snack credits are the most interesting - they can be wasted (IMHO) on a bottle of water, or used for some pretty hearty stuff. We usually have snack credits left over at the end of a trip and buy mickey mouse rice krispy treats to take home.

As for money saving, it really depends on how you usually dine on a trip. I think there are cheaper ways to dine (but they involve a great deal of hassle, such as going off-site for still over-priced fare at chain restaurants), but we do eat well, and it is nice to have it paid for before we go. For our family, it works out to be a good thing.

Have a great trip! :mickey:

forever a child
04-25-2009, 10:02 PM
Thanks for your replies. The DP sounds like it might work well for us. :thumbsup:

I am just trying to figure out of scheduling trip during Aug Free Dining would be better savings vs. hoping for general discount for Moderate Resort w/o free dining and buying our meals when there. (We haven't set date and first and second week work better for us in Aug).:unsure:

We don't go out of the parks to shop/eat. We either eat at parks at places like Hollywood & Vine or at the Resorts in both sitdown and food courts.

Any suggestions on savings of Resorts vs savings on Free Dining plans are welcome!:mickey:

tinksmom02
04-25-2009, 11:32 PM
Thanks for your replies. The DP sounds like it might work well for us. :thumbsup:

I am just trying to figure out of scheduling trip during Aug Free Dining would be better savings vs. hoping for general discount for Moderate Resort w/o free dining and buying our meals when there. (We haven't set date and first and second week work better for us in Aug).:unsure:

We don't go out of the parks to shop/eat. We either eat at parks at places like Hollywood & Vine or at the Resorts in both sitdown and food courts.

Any suggestions on savings of Resorts vs savings on Free Dining plans are welcome!:mickey:

My advice is to book through Magical Journeys! If you book now you'll get the free dining, but if something even better should some along later on, MJ will adjust your reservation almost immediately! They're great about that. We'd booked with a PIN code, and when free dining came out Terrisue crunched the numbers...we had a better deal with the pin, but she wanted to make sure!!

SBETigg
04-26-2009, 12:13 PM
The free dining plan is a great deal if you're staying at a value, and sometimes also at a moderate. The room discounts tend to be better savings if you're staying deluxe, and sometimes moderates. So if you're at a moderate resort, you might do well either way. You would have to crunch the numbers to see which saves you more. I think I would go with free dining.

forever a child
04-26-2009, 12:56 PM
The free dining plan is a great deal if you're staying at a value, and sometimes also at a moderate. The room discounts tend to be better savings if you're staying deluxe, and sometimes moderates. So if you're at a moderate resort, you might do well either way. You would have to crunch the numbers to see which saves you more. I think I would go with free dining.

Thanks, that's good to know! :thumbsup: We have stayed mostly at the moderates. We stayed at the value our first year during spring break season and so our hotel was more expensive then then the other times when we have stayed with AP discounts at the moderates.:cry: Am not currently an AP holder and would probably not do so just cause there are so many other ways to save w/out getting an AP.

The other idea I am toying with is doing 4 nights at moderate and 2 at AKL.:yes: DD would really like to stay there and then the dinner plan may not be as cost effective of an option with the split hotel stays. I have been reading threads and although I probably wouldnt like the packing much to move to AKL, I believe Disney would make the relocation of luggage an easy issue to deal with. Thought it might be a fun surprise for DD! :minnie: So that puts another option of date to go and price savings considerations.

My preference would be to go sometime between last week in July any time through 1st or 2nd week of Aug with a General public room discount for 4 nights in moderate and 2 nights in AKL and not worry about the food plan. BUT of course I do not know IF there will be a discount for general public and I dont want to miss out of Free dining if there is not. :confused::(( DD would probably miss 1st week of school to go during the Aug 16th time for Free dining plan ~ She's in a home school group so we have some flexibility there, but still hate to miss if we dont have too!);)