Should I take the Dining Plan at WDW?

Question

I plan to go to WDW in December, and to stay in an on-site Hotel. Should I buy the Dining Plan, or buy my food there and then?

Answer 1

I have been to Disney twice this year and used the dining plan. I would say definitely YES to your question. The key is to decide where you want to eat and make priority seating reservations beforehand. Make supper your big meal of the day, and go to a nice restaurant. You are likely to eat a meal that would have cost $50 at that one meal alone.

Also, we found out this past visit that the snack credit can be used to purchase a whole box of donuts, a big bag of chips, or even a box of ice cream from the store at our hotel (Old Key West). The same was true at Saratoga Springs, where my brother and his family were staying.

Some restaurants to try for supper to get your money's worth:
Le Cellier Steakhouse at Epcot
Boma buffet at Animal Kingdom Resort
50's Prime Time Cafe at MGM Studios
Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge
Wolfgang Puck's at Downtown Disney (not Wolfgang Puck's Express)

Enjoy your trip and enjoy the food!

Answer 2

your little ones are in basic terms the astounding age to start going to WDW. We began while our daughter grew to become into 4. She is now 17 & nevertheless loving it. we can be occurring our thirteenth trip in July. we've dined at each and all of the places the place you're going different than the BBQ (pay attention it is super inspite of the incontrovertible fact that). For the dinners you will i could recommend that the lads get an afternoon nap or you ask in case you could convey a stroller in & get a corner table. I undergo in techniques that our daughter had a hard time staying wide awake on the dinners. on the California Grill we had to place 2 chairs jointly so she ought to sleep on the same time as we finished dinner. we've never eaten at Kona Cafe yet have had breakfast at 'Ohana on the Polynesian. The foodstuff grew to become into astounding & the characters have been loads of relaxing. Donald's Safari is gorgeous, yet you ought to replace that for the two breakfast on the Polynesian (in basic terms a theory...your boys could particularly like the safari subject matter extra useful). Bomas is dazzling & we bypass there each and every time. i think of that your boys are slightly youthful to appreciate this. There are no characters there. you will possibly appreciate WDW sufficient to return, so so which you could attempt it on your next trip. yet another astounding breakfast is on the Crystal Palace is yet another super character breakfast in the experience that your boys like the Winnie the Pooh characters. verify to make reservations quickly. those places top off speedy. have relaxing!

Answer 3

I've never bought the dining plan, because we would never have used it all. If you're going to use it, then I think it is the best deal, for all that. I'm not sure, but I think they may even have different levels of dining plans now, to fit more budgets/tastes. Good luck!

Answer 4

Shane is on the mark! Just do some research to figure out where to get the most bang for your Dinner buck, my faves are Le Cellier, Boma, and the Japanese steakhouse at EPCOT.

Also you can look into using 2 Dinner points to go to a show Hoopdedoo, Lua, or go to what disney classifies as signature restuarants..California Grill, Jinko,Victoria and ALberts

Answer 5

If you like to try different restaurants then definitely , YES.

Last year my son (age 25) and I used it for a 5 night stay. Cost- $370.00. Cost of the food we ordered had we had to pay out of pocket- $498.38. We found we tried many different restaurants we wouldn't normally have tried. We also did a character meal. Well worth the price.

In fact we are going again this year in Dec. and plan to use it again

Answer 6

YES!

On my last visit I saved over $500!!!!!!! ( The cost of all the food I got minus the Dinning Plan cost. 3 adults 8 night stay)

You get one of each for every night of your stay for each member of your group:

1 counter service meal, entree, side, non-alcoholic drink and dessert.

1 Table service meal, starter, main dish, sides, non-alcoholic drink and dessert

You can use two table service meals to upgrade to a Dinning Experience.

1 snack (most items under $4)

This is A LOT of food, I saved most of my snacks and got chips and fruit to take to my next stop (Miami).

If you like good food (and plenty of it) and like to save $$, this plan is a must! If however, you are a light eater and don't like to plan ahead, then you might not feel this is the right choice for you.

Have a great trip!

Answer 7

Dining Plan Brochure. It details the plan and lists the applicable restaurants! wdw_07dining.pdf (1.27 MB)

http://www.mei-travel.com/mft/specials/wdw_07dining.pdf

copy and paste, this is the details on how the dining plan works. it also includes the list of restaurants.

Answer 8

I really think that it is worth it. It will still save you a lot of money. Every trip I have taken to Disney since this plan was released had the dining plan on it, if not the premium or platinum plan, it's a great deal. I believe Disney says most guests save an average of 40% off of their dining. The key thing to remember is that the tip is include. Consider that at 18%-20% of your meal and the savings start to add up.

Most restaraunts are included in the plan, it changes all the time, so its a good idea to watch what is and isn't included as well as how many meal points it will use, one or two. But for the most part a lot are included As far as what you can order, you will be able to order way more than you can eat. It's amazing. Each restaraunt at Disney is a little different as far as what you can order, so my travel agent has always told me to just ask when I get there. The waiter will tell you what you can all order.

Any time you eat at a table service meal, not counter service, you should book it in advance.Especially if you plan to go during one of the peak, and sometimes regular seasons. You may wait in line a long time otherwise, or you may not be able to get in. As far as what parks on what day, look for the ones that will be open the longest during the days you are there. That is what I always do. This way you can go t the park all day and get the most out of the day. Otherwise, you can just plan to go to the parks on any day and schedule your dining around it. But I wouldn't go to more than one park per day. If you have a meal in one park, but spend the day in another park, you will spend most of your time traveling between parks and not get to do as much.

The dining plan is great. It's the least expensive plan I have been able to get from Disney for dining in a long time. Of course the premium and platinum plans include a lot more and are definitely worth the upgrade. But if you are on a budget the dining plan is still great. One of Disney's great benefits for their guests. You will be able to eat a restaraunt that are really nice, and most likely places you wouldn't eat at if you have to pay full price.

My recommendation would be to find a good website that has the information for the plan on it. Find a site that really outlines the plan, what you get, what you can eat, where, etc. If you are planning this on your own it will be the most useful way to go! If you can, look for a Disney specialist to help you with your trip. I think it is because of my travel agent that the dining plan is such a great deal for me. She helps me plan my dining and in some cases my days (although not so much anymore since I pretty much know how the plan works and have used it 20+ since it originally came out. But she still was able to help me learn the plan to get the most out of it) I've read a lot of people that didn't think it was worth it or it wasn't really a savings, and immediately from reading over their plans I could see where they had went a little off course and lost out. Their are a lot of little secrets to help you plan the dining that will make you get the most out of it, which is why I find a travel agent very useful.

So in short, I think the plan is worth it. I wouldn't even question it if you have children under 9, in this case it is an amazing bargain. Even if you have adults only, it is still a great deal. You will get so much food you won't know what to do with it. Plan wisely and you will do great. If you plan to dine onsite while at Disney, consider the least expensive meal, a very basic meal to run you about $10 per person. That can show you how quickly the plan can save you. These are just burgers, fries and a drink at a counterservice, if you want something a little nicer you are looking for at least $20 per person. There are restaurants in the plan that you could spend well over the cost per day in one meal.

Now, the other thing to think about is where you plan to eat. If you don't mind eating at more simple places, i.e. burger and fries, you can spend less per day. You could eat at counter-service restaurtants that usually run about $10 per person, McDonalds, etc. you could also make a few meals on your own, or go off site if you have a car. However, if you are looking for something a little nicer for your trip, you definitely should get the dining plan. Basically, you only pay for your sit-down meal. If you use the plan right, your whole cost will be covered in just that meal. So, your counter-service and snacks are free. Even though you don't get all your meals, it is plenty of food.

I love the dining plan and wouldn't go to Disney without it. However, it is possible to spend less on your meals, you just don't get to eat at as nice of places. So really, it is just your preference and how much you are willing to spend.

Hope this helps!

Answer 9

Only if you plan to use it. You pay a lot for it, but if you use it - it can save you some money. Trouble is, you will go somewhere and want to eat something, and then not be where you need to be to eat. It messes with your schedule.