Disney dining package

[lizdarren41]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone would like to share their experiences of the Disney dining package.
We are considering having a complete Disney vacation next year, you know staying at Port Orleans and never going off site untill we have to fly home.
We usually leave the parks to eat in an evening but we thought we would try this instead in October 2009.
Any of your experiences would be gratefully recieved as well as any suggestions on where to eat when using the Disney dining plan.
Thanks guys and see you in October 2009.

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

We used it before and loved it. We have 4 kids and they have some big appetites so this was a very cost effective use for us. We usually paid for breakfast for ourselves and saved the counter service for lunch. We tried a lot of restaurants that we wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise.

Currently, the dining plan does not include appetizers but it really is plenty of food otherwise. It also does not include alcoholic beverages or gratuity but for my family, it is still worth it. We had a few snack credits so the last day, we stocked up on rice krispie treats to take home. The kids loved to eat those for the next two days.

My kids loved OHana, Garden Grill, 50s Prime Time, and Chef Mickeys. In fact, they liked everything but Boma but that was just my kids. There are so many others who love that restaurant.

[tmlinz]

The Dining plan was great for my family last year. Character meals make it well worth the price. Also, ended up with so many snacks at the end that I was all loaded down with treats for Spectromagic and Wishes our last night.....

[PolynesianMedic]

I have used the dining plan, going back as far as 2000 (it wasn't officially called that but it was) and LOVE it! We don't ever go without it, and are planning on using the Premium plan the next time we go to see if we like it better. So, I say go for it, and you won't be disappointed.

[disneydreamer98]

We will never go to WDW without using the Dining Plan again. If you are wanting to do one nice sit down meal a day it is a great deal! We have booked a character meal for almost every day that we are going to be there and the cost of Chef Mickey's and 1900 Park Fare alone pretty much total the whole amount of our daily Dining Plan cost.

Give it a try, I'm sure you'll be happy with it!

[Mickey's#1Fan]

we used the dining plan for the first time last year wnd we loved it and have it again for our aug trip as mentioned before very cost effective and we got to try new resteraunts that i have never been to which was a great new disney experience! definetly worth it and i havnt heard any bad reports about it

[InStitches]

My husband and I went in April and got the dining plan. Personally, we didn't like it. We usually don't eat as much as you have to eat on the plan. I very rarely get dessert because I feel miserable after so much food! Having to fit in all the sit-down meals also took up too much of our time. Of course, it did give us an opportunity to try some restaurants we probably would not have tried-Yak and Yeti for example.

[Flanagan]

Originally Posted by InStitches

My husband and I went in April and got the dining plan. Personally, we didn't like it. We usually don't eat as much as you have to eat on the plan. I very rarely get dessert because I feel miserable after so much food! Having to fit in all the sit-down meals also took up too much of our time. Of course, it did give us an opportunity to try some restaurants we probably would not have tried-Yak and Yeti for example.

I've actually had the opposite problem. Many of the restaurants I love in the World count as two-credit meals, so I have needed careful planning so as not to run out of sit-down meals. I've never been big on counter service except for the occasional lunch.

My best advice for the dining plan is to figure out where you prefer to eat and how much you would spend. If you like sit-down meals a lot (like I do) and often spend a lot of money on meals, then it might be worth looking into the Deluxe Dining Plan that enables you to have 3 sit-down meals per day, but costs more than the standard dining plan. If you prefer counter service and only go to a few sit-down meals per trip, the standard Dining Plan is a great idea. Either way, you are likely to save a bundle of money, even if you end up paying for a meal or two out-of-pocket.

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

Next trip will be during the busy time of the year. So we got early reservations for lunches and dinners as a way to take a break from the crowds. It will also be a time to sit and discuss what they did that they liked, what they want to do next and make plans for inbetween meals. And since my kids do not ever seem to fill up, we are going to attempt the Deluxe Dining Plan. That way, we can stop for a drink and a snack and not have to pay out of pocket for these things. Those sure add up so in the long run, it will benefit us.

[WDWtraveler46]

Hi Lizdarren41,

I notice that you are from the UK. Something that you may want to take into consideration is that your currency exchange rate is about 2 USD to 1 GBP. (DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial advisor, nor am I trying to give any advise as to how to spend or save your money. I am just a part time currency investor.)

If you time it right, you may just get a really good price on the currency rate and you will get to eat (and maybe even vacation) cheap! If I was in your shoes, this is what I would do. Get a quote from Disney (or the Travel Agent) for your vacation. Put a deposit down on it. Keep an eye on the currency exchange rates and when I feel that the exchange rate is the best that I can get, I would pay it off.

When I am going to WDW this Sept., we got in under the Free Dining Plan. This is the first time that I am going with the dining plan. However, I know for a fact that I would not be going to half the restaurants we are if we had to pay cash for them.

Good Luck and have a safe trip.