newtloot
Registered: September 2011
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Fri September 30, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Convenience, prepaid
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Cons:
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Fewer participating restaurants
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While I'm sure Disney isn't losing money on the dining plan, I still find it worthwhile, and when you can take advantage of the times it's free, better yet!
The negatives: in the beginning, you still received an appetizer at dinner and all gratuities were included. That's gone. I'm also very disappointed to see that in 2012, the DDP no longer includes restaurants in Mexico, Japan, or China in Epcot. I haven't checked other areas, but I'm sure there are more cutbacks. I hope Disney doesn't continue to delete more options!! (MODERATOR'S NOTE: Restaurants may still be added for 2012.)
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bobbyaxe
Registered: September 2011
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Thu September 29, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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We chose to go the DDP for the first time and were not disappointed. The key to this plan is how you plan your meals. If you want to get the most bang for the buck, planning is essential. Buffets are of great value for a family of 4 because paying on your own would be costly. They also give you a lot more options for picky eaters. We wound up eating at Whispering Canyon, BOMA, Citricos, Cape May Cafe and Captain's Grille for our dinners. While it cost us 2 meals for Citrico's, we just planned another night out paying on our own. The only thing that is somewhat of a downside for me is dessert. I'm not a dessert eater and most places won't allow you to substitute and appetizer for a dessert.
This really has nothing to do with the DDP but I think needs to be pointed out. Disney highly recommends that you have reservations for your meals. We had reservations for all dinners and lunches that were not counter service. The dinner reservations were all before 530pm yet we had to wait a minimum of 5 minutes and in some cases up to 20 for our table. These restaurants were generally about half full so I'm not sure why we were waiting. The only place we didn't make reservations was Kimono's over at the Swan because they don't take them there. Ironically, we were seated immediately there. All in all, if you're going to venture into the world of DDP, just do your homework so you can get the most for your money.
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nlg0517
Registered: September 2011
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 21
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Review Date: Wed September 28, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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so many choices, saving money
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Cons:
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none
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I was sold from the moment I heard about the dining plan but my husband wasn't so sure. He never eats breakfast & rarely eats lunch but the rest of us (Mom, DS 9, DD 6) require 3 meals plus snacks in order to keep blood sugar up. After our first meal he was happy with the choice. Everyone got what they wanted and he didn't have to pay the $168 before tip price. We don't eat much fast food at home so we liked the table service choices. He even found himself hungry by lunch time everyday. The first couple of days we didn't think to use snack credits for drinks at the park but once we started using it for that it really paid off. We used left over snack credits for candy gifts we brought back. Next year we might upgrade to the deluxe dining so that we can try some signature experiences.
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momof3inMadisonAL
Registered: December 2009
Location: Niceville, FL
Posts: 67
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Review Date: Sun September 25, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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easy to use
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Cons:
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cost increases every year
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Love the dining plan because it is so easy to use. The servers seemed to understand it more this visit. We had some trouble Dec 09 because we had 2 rooms with our party and too many credits were used on one room vs the other. We didn't have the delays/questions at the registers for counters anymore either. I don't think we save money with the adults, but it is a bargain for the 3-9 crowd. It is the best value if you plan to do lots of character meals. However, I think some of the character experiences have lost their luster because of the dining plan - especially when they offer it for free. THere is always plenty of food. You have to make an effort to use up those snack credits. Last time we ended up leaving with a lot of microwave popcorn, so this time we were sure to get ice creams, soda, water hroughout the day. We also used it on our last morning to buy bagels, milk, etc for breakfast.
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NHN8TIVE
Registered: September 2011
Location: Stephens City, VA
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Mon September 19, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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ease of use, so many options, great food
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Cons:
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alot of food
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We found the plan very easy to use and the Disney food service cast members were helpful and helped us get the most bang for our buck. There are so many options for food and where to eat. We did sit down dinners the whole week we were there and felt we got more than our money's worth. The only con was there is so much food on the plan. We will definitely use the dining plan for our next Disney trip!
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sabu5253
Registered: August 2011
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Sun September 11, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Worked well this vacation
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Cons:
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Plan for 2012 has less restaurants to choose from
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We stayed 8 nights and it worked out well for us. We used 4 two-credit restaurants, split 1 QS for every lunch, used balance of QS for 4 dinners, and used snacks for whatever...soda, Mickey bar, etc. When I figured it out, we came out about $27.00 ahead. So, for us it worked.
Not sure if we would ever buy the plan again, as looking at next year's plan, many great places are now off the list, such as Wolfgang Puck's, Big River Grill, and many other great places to eat.
I remember when they started...you also got an app and the tip included. Then they cut the app and tip. But with many restaurants not being included next year, I doubt if I would do it again unless it was free. Unless you have access to Disneyquest, there is no where to use a QS anymore at Downtown Disney. Yak and Yeti is gone from AK. This once great idea is losing it's "shine" quickly.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Disney Dining Plan locations are subject to change without notice. Some restaurants may be added at a later date.
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simmonsx6
Registered: April 2007
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 15
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Review Date: Wed September 7, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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This was my family's first time on the dining plan, it will be hard not to have it next time! It was excellent, we ate too much!If someone wasn't hungry we would split a meal and bring snacks back to the room.
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DisneyAddict1210
Registered: September 2011
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Sun September 4, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Never had to worry about money
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Cons:
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Too much food sometimes
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I love the Disney Dining Plan. Don't know if we would have saved money or not...knew we got a bang for the buck though. Let us try all sorts of different restaurants and foods. It was fun. I will definitely not go to Disney World without it...when it is free especially.
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Lisa Kaminski
Registered: September 2011
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Sun September 4, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Get to pick what you want
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Cons:
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Everything comes with desserts, even lunch. Don't think you need desserts with lunch everyday.
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I highly recommend the dining plan, especially if you had children or a big group of people. We compared the cost of the dining plan to what our meals would have cost. It is well worth the money and then you don't feel strapped to pay with cash or credit card at the time of your meal.
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ggdatlaw
Registered: August 2011
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Thu August 18, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Get lots of food
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Cons:
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Not all restaurants accept it, Not all meals on plan, some meals cost 2
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Here is the low-down on the Disney dining plan. The idea of the dining plan is that you pre-pay for meals. The deluxe plan buys more meals. You get a set number of snacks too. Simple enough, right?
Not really. First, not every restaurant in the Disney parks accept the dining plan. You really need to check into that before you go eat at any restaurant.
Second, even at restaurants that accept the dining plan, not everything on the menu is available on the plan. If you want something on the menu but not included on the plan, you can buy it. There is supposed to be a logo on the menu but that was far from consistent.
Third, some restaurants charge TWO meals for each meal you eat. If you want to eat at a fancy restaurant in the park, your steak will cost you two meals. If you want room service, it will cost you two meals.
The entire process of the dining plan becomes very complicated. Is this restaurant on the plan? Is it a double meal plan place? Can I get what I want and not have to pay more? The solution is simple. Disney should just say that all restaurants on the property are included and each meal costs one meal. It would solve so many problems.
On the plus side, with the Deluxe plan you get a ton of food. You get one appetizer, one entre, one desert, one beverage. We usually could not eat all the food. At the end, we had a dozen snacks left and so we raided the hotel snacks.
I still recommend the meal plan. The menu price for meals is very, very expensive. If you are on the plan, know what you are getting before you buy in and plan accordingly.
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kjp165
Registered: August 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 13
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Review Date: Thu August 18, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Allows for a greater dining variety
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Cons:
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Lots of food!
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We have used the Dining plan several times. Actually, now that we have used it I never want to go without it.
My daughter loves the characters!!! So I always book as many character meals as I can. She gets to see the characters and we don't have to stand in line. Well, we still stand in line because we still have to stop when we see them in the parks.
It is also very nice to get out of the heat and relax. I try to book my meals as either a late lunch or early dinner. We try to eat breakfast early so we can get into the parks first. There is nothing like being one of the first ones to walk down Main Street.
On our last trip, we did have several quick service meals left over. I ended up buying lunch for strangers on the Boardwalk. We still got our moneys worth and that just became an part of the magic for our trip.
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pamleblanc4
Registered: August 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Thu August 18, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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Plenty of food
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Cons:
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Too much planning, too much food, tips not included and add up!
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This is our second time using, and while it is a good value, you should only get this IF you plan on eating a LOT of food during your stay. We left with 3 counter service meals remaining. A family of 4 with 2 kids (12 and 10) with good appetites, we could not eat enough food to make it worth the value. While we did eat at places we would not have because of the high prices (Le Cellier, Garden Grill), we would have been better served to pay out of pocket for a few select table services and the rest counter meals. Ended up taking home 11 snack items because we could not use them all. I would recommend to anyone who would really enjoys eating. But it was wasted on the kids who couldn't make it through a full meal at any place, including the counter services!!! Would only do it again if it was free and I didn't mind not using everything..... Also, with so many reservations (1 per day) we had to plan everything we did around eating. This was too much work when we would have rather gone with the flow on vacation. Think hard about how you would use it. We never even ate most of the desserts!
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JJPrice
Registered: August 2011
Posts: 20
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Review Date: Wed August 17, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Good Deal
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Cons:
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Confusing receipts, tips not included
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We really like being on the Dining Plan. It's so convenient. The last time we went to WDW in 2007, tips were included on the Dining Plan, this time they were not. I would rather pay more up front and include the tips again, the receipts were very confusing. You get the receipt and then have to decide on the tip, they calculate an 18% and 20% tip for you on the receipt. Once you decide on a tip, then you get another receipt to sign, but there is still a space on the final receipt to fill in a tip, which is confusing b/c now the tip you gave is on the receipt, so it's unclear if you need to fill it out again or leave it blank.
We also found it confusing at some QS restaurants to order with the dining plan. Sometimes it's unclear what is and what is not included on the Dining Plan.
All in all, I believe the DP is a good deal and I would get it next time too.
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amporino
Registered: August 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Wed August 17, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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good for families who eat a lot of meals
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Cons:
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not worth it for my family
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I go to Walt Disney World every year and have always gotten the dining plan and always thought it was beneficial to me. It kind of seems like it makes sense if you eat a lot of meals.
This year I got curious so I did a search on the web and found this thing that calculates the value of the Dining Plan for you. It cost a few dollars on eBay but I figured I'd give it a shot. I figure, a few bucks...if it doesn't work, oh well right?
I plugged in the places we plan to stay and it told me that I come out a big LOSER when I get the dining plan! By their calculations, my family "wastes" $122 by getting the dining plan! I didn't believe it. But I didn't get the dining plan, just to see.
Well, low and behold I come back from vacation and tally up my receipts and....I would have spent $134 more dollars by getting the dining plan! I have been wasting precious Disney money that could have been spent on souvenirs all these years!
Needless to say we will not be using the Dining Plan in the future unless our eating habits change or it is free dining!
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jen4
Registered: August 2011
Posts: 13
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Review Date: Mon August 15, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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didn't have to worry about how much your meal cost, excellent choices
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Cons:
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food prices are horribly inflated at Disney
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I would for sure recommend the DDP if you are staying at Disney, especially in one of the Disney Resorts. The food prices are terribly inflated at all restaurant types. For a family of 4, our lunches at a quick service ran between 40.00 to 60.00 and our dinners were 150.00 before tip. I'm glad we didn't do the quick service meal plan but I wish Disney offered a different dining plan...2 quick service per day, 1 snack per day and 1 sit down per day. We stayed 6 nights and did have to pay for 2 meals. Some days we ate a big breakfast, skipped lunch and had a big early dinner. we had snacks in our room so it wasn't like we were starving...I think the 3 table service meals per day would have been too much but if I were to do it again, I might do the 3 table meals per day so we would have been able to experience more restaurants!
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