astubbs
Registered: February 2007
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Thu March 10, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 1
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Pros:
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Cons:
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Not a good value
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Be careful when making reservations at 407-WDW-DISNEY. They are really pushing the dining plan. They do not take *no* for an answer. It would not have been free for me, since I saved 20% off my Fort Wilderness cabin by using a code. You cannot have a discounted room *and* free DDP.
I never understood the dining plan. Being forced to spend all of the credits, or you feel like you did not get your moneys worth. Your day is centered around making sure you spend all of the credits. We like to play it be ear. One sit down lunch per day (when we feel like it), one quick meal for dinner, breakfast in our FW cabin.
One day we had a big lunch at Beaches and Cream, and only ate one brownie the rest of the day. Would the DDP have been worth it that day? Other days we have a big lunch and something small like a hot dog for dinner. Read the below reviews. Others have done that math. Once you include the tip, the DDP is normally not worth it unless you spend every credit and expend energy forcing yourself to order the most expensive item on the menu to justify the DDP.
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dvcmilwaukee
Registered: March 2011
Location: Milwaukee, WI, US
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Sun March 6, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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lots of food
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Cons:
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getting pricey
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Our family has been using the DDP for the last few years now. We like that we can sometimes substitute a salad or soup for the dessert at the table service meals if we ask. Otherwise, we find that too many desserts make us sick.
DDP allows us to try restaurants we might normally steer away from. If you choose pricier restaurants, you'll get your money's worth from the plan. But, if you choose burgers and sandwiches quite often, it's probably best to pay out of pocket or go with the quick service plan.
However, it is getting a bit pricey, and we're wondering if the cost of the DDP will be worth it in the next coming years.
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philipneil
Registered: March 2011
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Tue March 1, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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lots of food, something else to plan
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Cons:
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no appetizer, something else to plan
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My wife and I took advantage of the free dining plan offer (first time) and enjoyed the experience. We kept track of how much everything would have cost, and found that had we paid for the plan, it would have been worth it.
While I thoroughly enjoyed planning all our dining options before we left, one would have to be strategic to ensure they are getting their money`s worth.
Also, the dining plan is A LOT OF FOOD for some people. By the end of our trip, we were turning down desert and using our snack credits on things like bananas.
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baloo
Registered: March 2006
Location: Northwestern PA
Posts: 85
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Review Date: Sun February 27, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Good value if you are careful about where you eat
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Cons:
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Wish you had choice of dessert OR appetizer
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We were at Disney November 14 - 21 and purchased the Basic Dining Plan. In 2009 we were lucky enough to get the free dining and a hotel discount included in our package, but this time we had the choice of hotel discount OR free dining, and the hotel discount was a better deal. When we got home, I added up the "cost" of our meals vs. what we paid for the plan and we still came out a little over $250 ahead. We enjoy trying the nicer table service restaurants, and would probably not do as many if we were paying out of pocket. As a family of 3, we are not subject to the "automatic" gratuity, so we are able to control those costs. We do wish they would offer a choice of dessert OR appetizer since the portions are so large and we could share.
We would never purchase the Quick Dining Plan because it's too many of the same meals over and over. Nor would we purchase the Deluxe plan because it's just too much food each day. Even on the basic plan, we usually end up eating only 2 times a day and always have snack credits left to spend on treats to take home.
We would definately purchase the Basic Dining Plan on future trips.
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Guelphite
Registered: April 2010
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 59
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Review Date: Sun February 20, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Value
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Cons:
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Would like choice of app or dessert
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We had the free Dining Plan for our stay at the end of Jan 2011. Of course being free it was great value but it would have been good value even if paid for out of pocket (which we did in 2010). The cost for our table service meals for supper at many of the character meals (Garden Grill, 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickeys) cost about the same as the daily cost of the entire Dining Plan for the 4 of us. The food just tastes a little better when you are getting a great deal.
As mentioned previously on this site, counter service credits can be used for adult or kids meals. We often got 2 or 3 adult meals and split them between the 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids 6 & 8). One CM even explicitly said that we could use them all for adult meals. Having said that, we usually took care to be low key when ordering our CS meals as we had read elsewhere that some CMs would refuse to let you order an adult CS meal if they knew it was for a child.
We tried to sub a piece of fruit for our drink at breakfast at our resort. We had refillable mugs so we did not need to get extra beverages at breakfast (we already had multiple water bottles to take to the park). Unfortunately the CMs we spoke to refused to let us sub. And the price for a banana is less than the bottled juice! Maybe other people will have better luck. We were able to sub a soup for a dessert at lunch/dinner CS.
I agree with many other people that it would be nice to be able to order an appetizer instead of a dessert. After a few days the desserts just don't taste so sweet.
I also will tip based on service. It is definitely annoying when Disney puts recommendations for 18 and 20% tips on the bill. Not even a 15% mentioned! And these were for buffets for the most part. There was only one meal that warranted that much, and I was happy to give it. Otherwise I tip around 10% for average waitservice for a buffet. For meals that cost around $100, that is still pretty generous.
All in all, still a good value. We would get in again if staying on site, even if not free.
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kmdebree
Registered: February 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Sat February 19, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 4
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Pros:
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Do not have to have cash up front
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Cons:
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No tip included as in the past, service not so greart
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Well, we have used this feature for the past 12 years. When we first started this included an appetizer, meal, drink and dessert plus tip. Now it just includes meal, dessert and drink. I would not recommend if you plan just to eat at a few places. A family of five was able to stay 12 nights without the meal plan and we only spent 1,400 on food. With the meal plan, it would have cost us 2,500 plus tips for each table service so that is about 12 x 15 which + 200 so that would have been about 2,700. We were very happy and had several meals in Disney as well as outside. I would not recommend the meal plan right now.
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emmhorton
Registered: July 2007
Posts: 30
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Review Date: Tue February 15, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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This was the first time using plan and it worked really well for us. Before purchasing the plan I researched which restaurants we wanted to eat at and looked at their menus to determine if was a good value for us or not. It was myself and 2 kids, and the kids prices at the character meals more than covered the entire days dining plan price.
I liked that each meal is not assigned to a certain person. For instance at two table service meals, my youngest son did not order a meal and so we had 2 table service kids meals left. I used them at the end and simply paid for my meal, giving us an extra table meal. Great for a place like Sci-Fi Dine In where you can get a burger for $13.
They also don't have child quick service meals and adult quick service meals. They're just "quick service" meals. This enabled my DD9 to order a larger variety of food, get a larger drink, and a dessert. (She often saved her dessert -brownie, cookie, muffin, etc. to eat as a snack later.) My DS5, who eats very small amounts of food, was able to share with us as well. We never had to pay for any quick meals! In fact, on our last day we had one left over which we exchanged for snacks.
My advice to anyone considering the plan is to do some research to find out if it's a good value for your family. I really liked the plan and hope to use it in the future.
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jenvin
Registered: February 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Tue February 8, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Plenty of food, character meals, convenience
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Cons:
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Working vacation around restaurant reservations
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We received the DDP for free and upgraded to include the table service meals in order to get the character dining. It was a lot of food and we ended up with 15 snacks to spend on our last day....no big deal, just went to the food court and loaded up for the trip home. Also, I agree with other reviews that it would be nice to choose an app or dessert....kind of "desserted" out by the end of the vacation. I did find out (a little too late) that the food court in the resort would let you count a banana or fruit as dessert instead of a snack...you just have to ask. I am not sure if I would buy the dining plan (we just took it because it was free). Not sure if I would spend that much on meals - they are BIG! But, we did get to do the character dining (something we may not have been able to afford otherwise with 6 people in our party). Also, it seemed as if a lot of our time and day revolved around when we had to be at a certain restaurant for our reservations.
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cq1970
Registered: January 2011
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Thu January 27, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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So much food - worth it!!
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Cons:
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making dining reservations so far in advance
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We got the dining package free with our vacation package and it was great!! So much food...the only drawback was having to make advance reservations for table service. Since this was our first visit, we weren't sure where to eat. I took a chance and made reservations for lunch only in each park. I knew we would be there for lunch - not sure where we would end up for dinner. This worked out very well - Would recommend 50s prime time cafe in Hollywood Studios - the waiters were so much fun - loved the whole atmosphere. We estimated we saved about $250 per day on food for a family of four.
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DisneyDreamer06
Registered: May 2010
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 8
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Review Date: Tue January 25, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Can save $ if planned out, Pay in advance
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Cons:
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Appetizer or Dessert Choice
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I agree with most of what I have read from previous posts.
Pros - Paying in advance and not having to carry $/CC with us was really nice. Also, we were able to eat places we would not have considered otherwise, for example Le Cellier. We also made choices on which drinks/snacks to use on our plan versus which to pay for. We were able to save about $70, if you added everything up. However, even if we had broken even, the convenience was worth it.
Cons - It would be nice if you could choose between an appetizer or dessert. There was a lot of food.
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TiggerTrigger
Registered: December 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 55
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Review Date: Sat January 15, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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convenient, a lot of food
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Cons:
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confusing for some, hard to make it a good deal
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We got the DDP for free. It wasn't bad, but had we been paying OOP- I don't know if it would have saved us any $. We went in Dec of 2010 when the DDP was $41.99 per adult per day and there were definitely days when my meals/snack cost less than this. I also would prefer the option of appetizer or dessert. Truthfully, ever since they changed the plan (i.e. reduced it to only include entree, dessert, drink) it just seems like it's lacking. DH and my mom also felt like it was too much food.
It is convenient, but everyone in your party needs to understand the plan or else you risk wasting credits. DH didn't realize everything that counted as a snack and wasted our snack creds on drinks. I guess that's also my fault b/c I think I messed up the whole refillable mug discussion. THe other issue...we had some people in our party who resisted dessert...i.e. we had to keep telling them they were included and they needed to order one.
And if you're tired and are planning on paying for a meal OOP, don't mistakenly hand your server your key card or they will deduct the meal from your DDP credits w/o asking.
Oh well- we might try the deluxe plan just so I have a good excuse to try a bunch of signatures. And I'd do the DDP if we got it free again- but that's it.
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PolynesianStitch
Registered: January 2011
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Fri January 14, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Good value for what you pay especially if you have people who are willing to be adventurous eaters. We really liked being able to get desserts with our meal and being able to get dessert with the meal was something that we looked foreward to because so many of the restaurants have very creative and delicious desserts. We will be using the dinning plan agian the next time we go.
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Momof4
Registered: January 2007
Posts: 22
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Review Date: Sun January 9, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Tons of food for the money
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Cons:
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We just returned from an 8 day stay and found the dining plan to be wonderful!! We haven't used it since it changed from including an appetizer and gratuity. I was actually very hesitant and did not add it until the week before our arrival. (My teenagers convinced me and they were right!)
We always have a sit down meal planned for each night so it didn't alter our plans at all. It was well worth the money! We paid $1600 for the week and our dinners alone ranged from $220-300 each night. Our lunches would have been $70-100 each day and we got snacks!! We ended up with many leftover snacks and got a bunch of stuff from the store at our resort for our plane ride home.
Our dinners were all very good and we did not experience any different treatment as stated by others. We were there over New Year's and it was very crowded. We were never rushed! Our meals were outstanding. We felt very spoiled having filet, new york strip, crab, etc. each night. My teenage son was actually stuffed. Our servers were all great and explained what was included thoroughly. Service was never an issue! Those that went above and beyond: Le Cellier, Captain's Grille, La Hacienda de San Angel!! Lunches at Wolgang Puck Express and Kringla Bakeri og cafe were HUGE!! Again, well worth the money!!
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wdwamanda
Registered: August 2009
Location: MA
Posts: 65
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Review Date: Sat January 8, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Tons of food, pay ahead of time, can save you $$ if you plan it right
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Cons:
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Tons of food, it would be nice to choose an appetizer OR dessert
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As annual passholders, we usually take advantage of savings with Tables in Wonderland and pay out of pocket for our meals. We visit WDW multiple times a year and our favorite thing to do there is try out the awesome restaurants around the 'World. Our Tables in Wonderland card just expired, so before renewing it, we we decided to pay for the dining plan ($45.99/pp) and see how we could maximize the value. We were on the dining plan from 12/26-12/31 as a party of 4 adults.
We planned our reservations well in advance; our table service meals consisted of lunch at Mama Melrose's (Fantasmic package), dinner at Teppan Edo, dinner at 'Ohana, dinner at Le Cellier, and breakfast at Boma. All were fantastic. It's really too bad that Le Cellier is becoming 2 credits on the DDP, because it is a great value as 1 credit but I don't think it's enough to warrant 2. Mama Melrose's was great and only 1 credit on the DDP, despite the fact that it was a fixed price menu where we each got to order an appetizer, entree, drink, and dessert, plus reserved seating at Fantasmic.
We paid for 2 other meals out of pocket that we wanted to try but wouldn't have been a great use of our table service credits on the DDP - breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe and lunch at Via Napoli (we just split a giant cheese pizza).
Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD was a GREAT way to use a counter service credit - we ate there twice and our meals there would have been $100 each time for the 4 of us. At the end of our trip we ended up with a few extra counter service meals (we split some during the trip since we like to stretch the credit), so we each got a meal to go at Earl of Sandwich and saved them for the airport. That worked out really well for us!
Used snack credits on lots of great foods; some of the best values were the HUGE shaved ice in the Japan pavilion, gingerbread cookies at the Grand Floridian, and cinnamon buns at the Main Street bakery. It was nice to use a snack credit on soup every so often since it was VERY cold during our stay, and that spiced things up from getting more desserts (since we already had tons of desserts with every other meal).
All in all, if you don't mind scheduling your days out around dining reservations and do your homework ahead of time, you can definitely get your money's worth on the dining plan - we did, every day of our vacation (easily).
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dodgersle
Registered: February 2007
Location: Columbus OH
Posts: 26
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Review Date: Thu January 6, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Don't have to reserve a budget for meals, easy
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Cons:
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Don't always need a dessert
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We used the basic dining plan on our trip 12/2-12/11. Overall we did really like having it. It was very nice to not have to mess with a food budget during our stay. We agree with others that dessert should be changed to an option between that or an appetizer. We did end up having counter service credits left over as some of the things we got for snacks were very filling. A great option would be if you could exchange counter-service credits for snack credits. We had heard of others doing this, but did not find this to be an option when we were there. One part that I thought could be better explained up front is that if you are putting the tip on your KTTW card, you need to fill in the tip before they take your card to process at the same time they do the dining credits.
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