So many dp users claim it is soo much food.Please provide an example of your day with the dp..
We eat breakfast lunch and dinner plus at least 3 snacks per day and dh loves his pastry etc..

It can be, depending on how you are used to eating. What killed me was the desserts. In fact, I rarely ate mine and when I did, it was no more than 2 or 3 bites. And no not 2 or 3 BIG bites. ;) I stayed at the Caribbean Beach and in cases where I used their food court for breakfast I would take the extra drink instead of dessert and then have that extra drink to take to the park after I ate.

I actually used my counter service for a big breakfast in the morning and my table service for dinner that night. Or if I found someplace I really wanted table service for lunch I would skip out on breakfast all together and use the table service for lunch and then my counter service for a late night bite. Like after 8 or 9.

From what it sounds like, it should actually be right up your alley, especially if you like the desserts. I don't know about others, but just half of one of those small carrot cake desserts can make me feel like I ate a whole meal in itself. :(

If you space your meals out enough you should be in pretty good shape IMO. I only used my snacks on things that I really knew I couldn't get elsewhere, like a pineapple whip in MK or something of the sort.

Let me preface my comments with this...
I am a big guy and I love to eat. For the longest time, we considered dining at Disney one of the main events of the day since most of the places were just so good.

But during our August '07 trip, it was extremely hot. The heat and humidity pretty much zapped our appetite since it seemed like we were always eating. Also, since we were there for 10 days, it was just an overload of large meals.

So, during our April 08 trip, we thought the cooler weather and shorter trip (5 days) would help regain our usual Disney appetites. We were wrong. It just seemed like we were always eating.

Does that mean we will never use the plan again? Of course not. It has its place in our family. In our trip at the end of the month, we are not using the plan but at the same time, we plan on making our own breakfasts and the like in our Villa. However when Mrs. GusMan and I go on our MF trip without the kids, we plan on using the plan since we have some pretty pricey places picked out and we want to make time for some of those meals.

In looking at this, we broke it down...
Counter service: In most cases, what you get is more than enough food for meal. If you plan on eating dinner, eat lunch early. (Never used a CS for breakfast.)

Table Service: Considering most places will give you more an enough for two people, you tend to overeat. Add in dessert, and you can really get yourself over the top in a hurry.

Snacks: Not really an issue if you want to get drinks, but some of the snacks that you can get can really fill you up.

There is also one other thing to mention: time cost. What I mean by that is that you sometimes feel obligated to eat because you have the plan and that can take time away from the parks when you may not want to do so. If for some reason you want to just not eat, you may not be able to recoop the value of the plan for that day. Sure you can trade in a CS for some snacks and the like, but its not the best use of the credits. At the same time, there is always the dilemma of trying to get the ADR's that you want. And as we know these days, some are getting harder to come by if you dont call on your first eligible day. So, planning becomes an issue too...

So, where does that leave you, Dawz? Quite honestly, you need to tell us. :) What have you done on other recent trip(s)? Have you done the plan and did it work for you? My take is that if you think that the plan really gives you a good value and you think it is a good fit for your family, then it is. If you are questioning it, then try a trip without the plan and see how that actually changes things. Feel free to experiment a little and do some personal analysis.

After all...its only going to be a value if you use it to the fullest and if it fits your families needs.

After all...its only going to be a value if you use it to the fullest and if it fits your families needs.

Thanks! That was exactly the answer I needed.I have never used it-thinking it would not cover or eating.You put it out there so I understand it better now.Free dining times shall now be considered in the dawz residence!

One of the highlights of every day at WDW is our family's sit-down dinners. It's a time to come together, relax in an air-conditioned environment, talk about our day so far, get pampered a bit, and enjoy a great meal. Normally, desserts are a luxury when we go out; with the dining plan, it's part of the deal. When on vacation, treat yourself, even if it's only a bite or two of dessert, why not? You've already paid for it. I will definitely get the dining plan again this coming summer.

Now, for my parents, it's not as good a deal, because they end up with so many extra credits, they lose money. But for my family of three hungry people, it's a bargain!

For Mom and 2 teen boys in May of '07 we found the regular DDP to be a good value. Both in budgeting the cost, the time value thing(very important), and trying places I would have said that we couldn't "afford" otherwise.

Now, it's going to be(2009) the exact same cost but less "value"(no starter and no tip included) but it still works for our family. Most of the TS places in my experience are standard size restaurant portions. But the counter service can vary widely. That's where research comes in. Also, what you can get for your snack credits-and who allows what and where-takes research. Not a problem for me-I'm a planner.

We got around the "too much food thing" by sharing several times. Worked really well.

I wish that with the dining plan you could choose EITHER an appetizer or a dessert!!! We have been trying to cut down on sweets, but I guess we will have to set our healthier eating aside while we are in Disney World :~D

We enjoyed "free dining" this past September. We have never done the dining plan before. Our family consists of: Me, Husband, Son (11), Daughter (8) and Daughter (2). Son was considered an adult by Disney (he loved this)!

In the past we weren't on the dining plan so most of our meals were CS with one or two sit-downs thrown in. This time we shared 2 CS (breakfast platters) and a snack (biscuits and gravy) for breakfasts most mornings. With each breakfast platter we would get a juice and a water (so four drinks total). We saved the water for later. We stayed at ASMu. Every supper was a TS. We did all all-you-can-eat except one night we ate at Mama Melrose's. We would just taste our desserts...not really eat them as we were full on the "real" food. If we ate breakfast early, we would share some CS for lunch. On two mornings we ate at 11:30 am and counted it as breakfast/lunch. Snack credits were used for drinks. We had plenty with credits left over.

My observation: It was really nice to have the TS for supper each night. It forced us to sit-down and relax (and reflect on what we had done that day...what we wanted to do the next day) instead of grabbing a CS and keep on going. When we asked the kids what they enjoyed the most after the trip, they said sitting down and eating together at Garden Grill, Biergarten and 'Ohana!

Next trip, I think we will purchase the dining plan and try some other "sit-downs."

By what I am reading it sounds like some are saying that appetizers are not included in the regular DDP anymore is this true??? When I went 2 years ago they were included...:confused:

Thanks guys!

By what I am reading it sounds like some are saying that appetizers are not included in the regular DDP anymore is this true???
That's correct. It was a change they made for the 2008(?) plan and they also removed the tip - but they lowered the cost $1/day!

Thanks Drince, glad to know that Id hate to leave each restaurant without tipping the wonderful Disney staff, kinda bummed about the appetizer though!! Oh well, guess I better save a little more money then planned since we have already got the kids excited :D

I better save a little more money then planned since we have already got the kids excited :D

I know - thank goodness we are on FREE dining. However, the tips still add up, especially with the table service. I have looked at the menus and estimated what I think the total cost will be, then put a post-it with that amount on the envelope. Each time I go to the store, I get $10-25 in cash extra, in 1's 5's and 10's, and have started filling those envelopes! I would rather do that than put any more on our Disney Visa. However, once I have all the cash, I may just send in a payment and THEN put it on the Visa to earn rewards. But since it is birthday time and Christmas, I don't want to put anything extra on our credit cards. I would rather work a couple of extra shifts!

We (myself a 42 year old man with an expanding waistline and my DD6, a waif like creature) have done the Disney Dining Plan on previous trips. One TS, One CS and a snack were more than adequate meal wise. I did find myself buying an extra item or two for an afternoon snack as we used the snack credits for breakfast.

This trip (we leave in a couple of hours) by a stroke of good fortune we are on the Deluxe Dining Plan and are abusing it heavily. Just from looking at all our ADRs I know that my 6'1", 225 pound frame is about to gain a few pounds. I took full advantage of being on the deluxe dining plan to choose restaurants that would normally be beyond our reach.

Do we need to have breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe, lunch at the Crystal Palace AND dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table? All in one day? Probably not, but this is a vacation. Each day we have at least two TS meals booked, a couple of days three. There will still be a credit or two left over for a QS here and there.

Also the two snacks a day will be great. That's 20 snack credits for the two of us. Great for a water in the park, popcorn or whatever. I believe the DxDP will be well worth the money.

Let me preface my comments with this...
I am a big guy and I love to eat. For the longest time, we considered dining at Disney one of the main events of the day since most of the places were just so good.

snip

So, during our April 08 trip, we thought the cooler weather and shorter trip (5 days) would help regain our usual Disney appetites. We were wrong. It just seemed like we were always eating.

snip

Table Service: Considering most places will give you more an enough for two people, you tend to overeat. Add in dessert, and you can really get yourself over the top in a hurry.

Thank you thank you thank you.

Having read the Dining Plan information, all I could think of was: Damn, that's a LOT of food. If I eat dessert at every meal, for 11 nights, I won't survive and that's even if we use some double credits at higher end restaurants.

If for some reason you want to just not eat, you may not be able to recoop the value of the plan for that day.

My other dilemma is treating my 11-y/o as an adult. Sure, he has a pretty good appetite, but it's still a pretty hefty cost for his portion of the plan and sometimes he's not a bottomless pit.

I know my decision won't work for every family but I'm very reassured to know that an veteran WDW traveler has experienced what I'm afraid would happen to us! I'm not imagining that this could happen!

Adrienne

Adrienne

My other dilemma is treating my 11-y/o as an adult. Sure, he has a pretty good appetite, but it's still a pretty hefty cost for his portion of the plan and sometimes he's not a bottomless pit.
This has been a sticking point for me as well.

Its just that a child that is 10 or older is being treated as an adult (for DDP purposes) is pretty much a silly idea. Sure, there are some kids that are a bottomless pit and it would almost justify the cost, but at the same time, its just not a good balance.

I wish they would have some sort of "junior" plan that would maybe include 1/2 portions of some of the adult entrees for some kind of mid-range pricing. This could be aimed at the "tween" crowd which is usually caters to the 10-13 year old age range.

Sure, smaller appetites can order off the kids menu if they wanted to, but in no way is that a good value if they are paying for the plan as an adult. So in a case like that, if you have a child or children that you think may or may not be a good fit for the "adult" version of the plan, doing your meals out of pocket the first time is a good idea. Afterward, you can see if the plan would have helped or hurt from a cost perspective. (Of course, if free dining is an option then feel free to experiment.)

I have a question to add. I'm taking my family + parents to WDW this January and had planned on getting everyone the dining plan, partially for simplicity sake.

We're going to be a group of 7(!) and I was wonder what the chances of getting seated in any restaurants without ADR's. In the past my girlfriend and I have never really had trouble getting a table at places like Tusker, HW&V, CP (mmm buffets) without prior reservations. I would say at most we've waiting a little over an hour for a table for two at lunch.

Is this even a remote possibility for a party of 7 in January or should I start making ADR's now?!?

We're going to be a group of 7(!) and I was wonder what the chances of getting seated in any restaurants without ADR's. ...

Is this even a remote possibility for a party of 7 in January or should I start making ADR's now?!?
Welcome to MP Disneydude...
The general rule is this... Table Service restaurants pretty much require an ADR these days, especially with a group that size.

I too am/was, very confused by the 'dining-dilemma".:confused:

After perusing the options with my dear hubby we decided to opt out of the
dlx dining plan on our upcoming WDW trip.

I'm a lite eater when we go to the DLR so I'm sure it will be the same
at WDW. Hubby and grown boys like to eat but not enough to justify
the amount they would need to consume over a 4 day period. While it
sounded like a good idea to have everything paid for in advance, the bottom
line.. it doesn't work for our family.

So, off we go with our ADR's and wallet in hand:)

I'm not going to moan about the standard DDP as we got it for free :) However, I am strongly of the opinion that it is a glutinous amount of food. We really enjoyed having 1 table service meal a day and unusually took most of them at lunch time as we found in the heat it gave us a second wind in the afternoon after the rest and air conditioning. However, we ate breakfast in our room, had a mound of counter service credits unused and had 30 or 35, can't quite recall, snack credits left the night before we checked out. I also found the CS places realy quite dire. In future, if I'm paying, I'll book a TS every day, eat breakfast in the room and just go to snack places for the other meal. There are meals to be had in those 'snack' options!

I'm not going to moan about the standard DDP as we got it for free :) However, I am strongly of the opinion that it is a glutinous amount of food. We really enjoyed having 1 table service meal a day and unusually took most of them at lunch time as we found in the heat it gave us a second wind in the afternoon after the rest and air conditioning. However, we ate breakfast in our room, had a mound of counter service credits unused and had 30 or 35, can't quite recall, snack credits left the night before we checked out. I also found the CS places realy quite dire. In future, if I'm paying, I'll book a TS every day, eat breakfast in the room and just go to snack places for the other meal. There are meals to be had in those 'snack' options!

Here, Here!!:)