"Q" about the Dining Plan

[Moeluv4u7]

I know this may bebetter suited on the Restraunts board but I would like DVC members take on this-
Our first trip will be in 2009- still deciding between late June or July- We will be using Developer points for this 1st one and this will be our very 1st trip ever to Disney - biggest question is...
with 5 kids and us - (7 total) only 2 are considered "kids" by Disney and the rest of us at adult prices- we really want to feel a very magical experience for our first time and as much as I am a "budget-minded" person- I think we would be better to just do what we really have been looking forward to and spare no expense- so to speak! But... on other hand, Would the Dining Plan be better for us or pay as we go- To determine this I have already researched a few places that I think we would really enjoy!
1st on the list... We absolutely MUST go to the Aloha Dinner @ Polynesian- What is cost if not on Dining Plan?? What hours are shows etc
Also would like to try Sci Fi Theater at Hollywood Studios & the Fantasmic Dinner Package (didn't see on Dining Plan)- How much and what time are shows there?
Hoope Dee Doo is another and have no idea what times would be available as of yet either- A few others are Coral Reef and Beaches & Cream Soda Shop (I already know the "Kitchen Sink" is not a part and that is definitely an item I'd like to order)- Other than that we'd probably do other eating at the Villa and pick up quick snacks around the park through the day-
We plan a 5 night stay and I think w/ those choices alone I have already filled our "sit-down" committments- My kids are go-ers and after the 1st night (some type of sit down meal) I will have to drag them to a sit down (I think) because it will interrupt park time- (I still have to convince them they will have plenty of park time!)
I plan on 10 day park hopper w/ water parks and more passes non-expiring so we can use them on multiple visits hopefully over at least the next 3-4 years- will be a better value than annual passes- I think - Please give me some insight into how most of you are doing it (since you have gone more than us) I am waiting to see which reservations I need to make in December for our trip and felt that I need to get a take on it now as to what I may be spending in cash or be better to do Dining Plan and then plan a character breakfast or something to use the other credits (If need be)

Also, any insight on the particular restraunts I mentioned would be appreciated- I saw a post where some were not happy with the SciFi Theater and many were not happy w/ Hollywood & Vine tell me why? My kids range in age from 17 - 7 and we enjoy many of the same things- i.e. big kids get a kick out of Mickey and friends as well as the younger ones are also really into scifi, and what would seem like older kid attractions-
Thanks again! You all havebeen great! Oh ! & We got our paperwork by Fed-Ex Saturday- They did have to resend due to our address being wrong on everything but just received new paperwork today and can't wait to send it right back out!

 

[CraftyMouse]

I have found that the Dining Plan is simply too much food for us. We tend to do just as well, financially, with the Disney Dining Experience card plus we don't overeat or waste food.

I'd look into the DDE card to see if it would be a better option for you. It is good for an entire year so you could use it on any subsequent trips you make within that year-long period.

 

[El&Asmom]

I would check to see if a couple of the things you mentioned are part of the DDP. I could be wrong as I have never looked into Hoop Dee Do or Aloha, but I don't think they are part of the plan. (Please verify this but I don't think they are part of the DDP).
I also would look at how much your "big" kids typically eat. If they are big eaters, then the DDP may be worth it since they will be ordering off of the adult menu. If they are not big eaters, you will be paying adult prices even if your kids still eat like kids.
The last thing I would consider is how much time you want to spend at TS restuarants. When we stay for longer trips,we don't like the DDP. It feels too confining. We also like to eat 1-2 dinners in the villa as it's easier with little one. Ours are a bit younger than yours though, and get sick of having to behave at TS dinners.

Lastly, I would head over to allears.net and figure out what and where you would typically eat. Add up the costs, and then decide if it is cheaper with or without the plan.

Having fun planning.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

Crafty, I only thought about DDE when we looked at getting PAP's- however I think the non-expiring 10 day's are better for us and we aren't Fla residents so DDEis not an option (maybe in a few years when PAP's may be better)
El&AsMom- thanks, I didn't know about allears- I am going to check it out and hopefully it will have pricing or menu's etc to check out- Yes my older kids (17 & 16) are boys who eat like horses and also have champagne taste! Hubby allows them to order whatever they want including appetizers (they do eat it all) LOL Thankfully our beer budget days are over but they aren't quite champagne yet- LOL More like Sparkling wine- Heehee We can afford to eat out weekly but don't - well, at sit down casual dining we do about once a month- fast food is an almost 3 times weekly thing ( I & hubby work 14 hours a day plus in our fields) my 2 oldest cook as does my 12 year old daughter a little, but many days we eat quick fix and I find myself picking up "chicken" because the kids (now that it's summertime) got wrapped up and it is too late to cook) I know that sounds like we are horrid parents but our days off are very quality meals and family time as well as the fact that we can afford the things we do- No stone throwing please- I have my own guilts on my family time- That is another reason why we have decided DVC is for us- Okay no more need to justify- I have loved these boards and everyone has been great! I really look forward to our first trip now not just for Disney but that I may run into some DVC'ers who have been on this board helping us! That would be cool!

Thanks again! Hope I find some info!

 

[Moeluv4u7]

E1&Asmom! Thanks so much I found loads of info on allears- I am also now looking at a possible regular dining plan and then the rest we will pay as we go but I still need to show a few menus to DH and let him see what he thinks he may want that time frame - even if we do the HoopDeeDoo or Luau and use 2 meal credits it will leave us enough to do a diff place as a sit down- plus for the younger kids I may not do a meal plan at all! They would be sorely disappointed to get chick'n nuggets and mac n cheese while we have bbq ribs and such at a luau! I did see that listed and didn't think an appropriate kids choice for the venue! Maybe for kids 5 and under but my youngest DS is 7 and the other will still be 9 but almost 10! they eat like all the rest in the family! At lunches or snacks that wouldn't be so bad but for the prices they charge I am also surprised that the kids choices are so slim and very cheap foods! Hmm giving that one another thought- Maybe an occassion for me & DH to step out on our own one night- the rest of the show dinners seem great! With foods in all categories for all- a few restraunts are better than others for kids choices my guys would like- If I just do DDP for us and pay for them as we go they may enjoy more & I may still be cheaper off- For the items listed at Rainforest Cafe my big guys would choose and then any lunch or counter item through the day- for me to t least get the basic DDP would probably work out great! Save a little and still have lots of options but not have too much that we would feel obligated to do a sit down every meal so as not to waste it- I am still running some numbers and will decide after all numbers are in- DH & I would probably enjoy the Deluxe DDP but for the kids it may be wasted- young and old alike- I see the Fantasmic Dinner show is associated w/ one of 3 restraunts to choose - My only question is if the show is included in the price of the meal? I couldn't find that- Going back to look up Fantasmic and see if it states it somewhere in the description of the event- - Thx for the site - I am finding even more stuff I didn't know about- This will really help! Thx again!

 

[PEANUT1]

I always wonder how some people feel that the dining plan is too much food. It is really only 2 meals a day and a snack. Now the Deluxe plan is a ton of food.....3 sit down meals a day with app/entree/dessert. My husband wants to do it for our upcoming anniversary trip in October....I feel bloated already

Just do some research about where you want to go and if it makes sense for you. The aloha show and the Review are 2 credits each...that's alot of credits to use if you are on the dining plan.

It is really overwhelming planning a big trip. If you like to plan far in advance, you may like the dining plan. It will be wonderful whatever you decide.

btw...everyone in your group has to do the meal plan if you want to do it. If you and your hubby want to do it, the kids have to do it too. we had no problems with the kids choices. If a dinner is buffet, the kids eat the same thing as you.

also, there is no cost for the fantasmic show....the restaurant reservation just gets you priority seating.

Good luck planning and have fun!!

Andrea

 

[starbox]

We've got kids age 11 and 9 (soon to be 12 and 10) - and for us the big deal breaker with the DDP is the fact that we're forced to pay for adult meals for the 11 year old. We've found that with non-fixed price meals, where DS is charged based on his age - every single restaurant has given us both menus and allowed us to choose how to order, without us even asking. About 80% of the time DS still prefers the child options and this lets us try more exotic restaurants where the adult menu is not kid-friendly.

I'd say that if you have a few kids in the tween zone - you'll probably do much better without pre-paying for all their meals as adults (and paying the auto 18% gratuity added to a party of 6 or more on the enormous, inflated rack rate costs of those DDP meals). We took our parents this summer and I got the DDP so we could treat them, and our auto-added tips (5 DDP adults, 1 child) ran between 35-45$ per meal.

We're huge fans of the DDE - if just one member of your group gets a AP you can get it.

(Also - if there's a fixed-price signature meal (like Spirit of Aloha) that you know you want to do - one kind of tricky option is to do a split stay checking into a different resort for the night you arrive. Do the DDXP for that one night only. That way, you'll get refillable mugs for everyone in your group and the credits don't expire till midnight the following day - so you can do the special dinner the first night you're n your "real" resort. We did this last spring - I did one night at SSR before moving to AKV and got the DDXP. We arrived late afternoon and used the CS meal for dinner that night (and got refillable mugs). The next day we moved to AKV and used one snack credit for breakfast and another for Frozen Cokes. We had dinner at a signature dining restaurant and used the 2 TS credits that night.)

 

[DebbieB]

Keep in mind the 2009 dining plans have not been announced. They made major changes this year (no appetizer, no tip included), it's possible there will be more changes.

 

[NSL]

E1&Asmom! Thanks so much I found loads of info on allears- I am also now looking at a possible regular dining plan and then the rest we will pay as we go but I still need to show a few menus to DH and let him see what he thinks he may want that time frame - even if we do the HoopDeeDoo or Luau and use 2 meal credits it will leave us enough to do a diff place as a sit down- plus for the younger kids I may not do a meal plan at all! They would be sorely disappointed to get chick'n nuggets and mac n cheese while we have bbq ribs and such at a luau! I did see that listed and didn't think an appropriate kids choice for the venue! Maybe for kids 5 and under but my youngest DS is 7 and the other will still be 9 but almost 10! they eat like all the rest in the family! At lunches or snacks that wouldn't be so bad but for the prices they charge I am also surprised that the kids choices are so slim and very cheap foods! Hmm giving that one another thought- Maybe an occassion for me & DH to step out on our own one night- the rest of the show dinners seem great! With foods in all categories for all- a few restraunts are better than others for kids choices my guys would like- If I just do DDP for us and pay for them as we go they may enjoy more & I may still be cheaper off- For the items listed at Rainforest Cafe my big guys would choose and then any lunch or counter item through the day- for me to t least get the basic DDP would probably work out great! Save a little and still have lots of options but not have too much that we would feel obligated to do a sit down every meal so as not to waste it- I am still running some numbers and will decide after all numbers are in- DH & I would probably enjoy the Deluxe DDP but for the kids it may be wasted- young and old alike- I see the Fantasmic Dinner show is associated w/ one of 3 restraunts to choose - My only question is if the show is included in the price of the meal? I couldn't find that- Going back to look up Fantasmic and see if it states it somewhere in the description of the event- - Thx for the site - I am finding even more stuff I didn't know about- This will really help! Thx again!

I don't know if you know this already or not but you have to do the dining plan for everyone in your party for your entire length of stay. Just something to consider. We have two small children and have always done the DDP in the past. However, I am not so sure it is a great deal now that it does not include gratuity. That was a big benefit. I am waiting to decide about next time when the 2009 "rules" and prices come out. If you do, one of our favorites is Boma at AKL. We really love breakfast and dinner there. My kids are 7 and 4. I would be happy to discuss other favorites if you are interested. Just curious, how did you know you wanted to buy into DVC when you had never been to WDW before? That seems scary to me! But we love it so it was an easy decision for us. Good luck in your planning.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

Peanut & NSL- Thx I didn't know we all had to get it to be on it-
Hmm- thinking now- LOL DebbieB I also didn't know about the change- I do still have some time before I have to start doing reservations so I guess I also need to wait and see what changes are coming about before making our decision-
NSL, Asfor wanting to be in DVC...
I am a Disney Freak! Have been since I was a kid and have never ever been- My parents could never take us- finances and all- plus we were a military family who stayed most of our time in Germany and while in the US we were almost always at FT. Bragg, NC- A few places in between but my parents families are both about a 14 hr drive further NorthWest- That was our vacation commitment when we did get to go on any- Not terrible- I love my grandparents, cousins, etc and miss them terribly too- But I always wanted to take my kids to Disney- After the first, then the second, pregnant again and so we just kept planning for the perfect time- After my last son (5th child) We knew we were done having kids but then we wanted to go when they could all rememebr such a glorious trip - not to mention after the money we would be spending- couldn't afford for one of them to not remember it... Long story short- youngest just turned 7- this year our vacation was Platinum passes for Cedar Fair Amusement Parks- Kings Dominion, Carowinds, etc- For our BIG vacation we went to Va and the kids got to go to KD every day- We did Platinum passes because for our size family it made more sense- still able to do small side trips on Sundays because Carowinds is driving distance for a good long day trip (I wrk 6 days a week - occassionally 5 days a week) At any rate, he is old enough to remember and big enough to ride almost all of the rides ( afew he is still too short for and that steams him- he loves thrill rides) by next year he will be able to ride even more and really really enjoy Disney! YAY! So I started planning as soon as we got home- Really because I knew I needed to find a few cost effective things due to pricing- We had seen a time share presentation earlier this year that left a very bad taste in my mouth and am sooo glad we didn't do it- as soon as I found out in my research that Disney has a "VC" I talked to hubby and we went over pricing, points, usage and how much the kids would really get to go- It is the best decision I think! You wouldn't imagine what we pay already for a small modest family vacation each year so our kids have a highlight to their Summer- We would definitely be saving money- At this point we would still drive down to Fla rather than fly but I think that will be an advantage for us! I am psyched and really can't wait to be full fledged members! My oldest will be in college in 2 yrs- I will also feel much more comfortable with him doing Spring Break w/ his friends at a place we know of and can even possibly meet up w/ him at a diff resort (not spying ya know- just keepin an eye out) than him going to the Myrtle Beach Spring Break or Miami, etc- W/ all of the other things in the Orlando area- I think he will love it! I plan on getting him tickets to BlueMan Group for next year as well- Whatcha think?


Thanks for the helpful info and didn't mean to take this post so off topic- don't mind letting others know how we waited so very long so we can enjoy this as a family for the first time- A major time for all of us to remember forever! and now enjoy forever!

 

[Moeluv4u7]

Wow! Forgot to ask- When will 2009 pricing and policies be released??

 

[rutgers1]

I keep wondering what the best plan is. For my next trip, we are most likely going to do about two weeks split, with a trip to Universal Studios in between. If possible, I might consider using the DDE for the first week and then doing the math while at Universal Studios (the two days in between) and then consider the upgrade to DDP upon our return if the numbers work out. We had the DDP when we went in April, but to tell you the truth, I bought it while on the phone with the reservations person and never added up the total expenditure until it was too late. Ouch! Expensive!

 

[NSL]

Wow! Forgot to ask- When will 2009 pricing and policies be released??

Rumored date to release 2009 dining plan is August 3 (same day as ticket increases will be released). Also, rumor is there will be a new CS plan. Two CS meals and 2 snacks per day plus a refillable mug for $26???/day. Hopefully we will find out for sure soon because I am also curious as to what changes, if any, there will be and the cost. Have a wonderful time planning your first Disney trip. I am sure you and your family will love it.

By the way, are you still in Ft. Bragg? My cousin is there now.

 

[CraftyMouse]

I always wonder how some people feel that the dining plan is too much food. It is really only 2 meals a day and a snack. Now the Deluxe plan is a ton of food.....3 sit down meals a day with app/entree/dessert. My husband wants to do it for our upcoming anniversary trip in October....I feel bloated already

Personally, I can't eat an appetizer/entree/dessert at one meal. It is just too much. I can do an appetizer/entree or entree/dessert but that's about it. I just find that we really are not able to use the dining plan to its full advantage so we go with DDE instead. It ends up working out to be just about the same cost for food per day and we sometimes actually do better with DDE than we would have with the dining plan.

 

[the who #3]

we (grandmother, daughter and 2 grandchildren and sometimes a friend) have been using the ddp for about 5 yrs now and have found it to be just great.
sometimes we have some counter services left over, but that can be used to pick up sandwitches to put in the car for the trip home. we do tend to love very nice dinning...so...we sometimes have to pay some extra. also for the wine we enjoy having with dinner. the teenage boys always need more snacks than the plan allows, but i put a little extra in their pockets for that. i particularly love the plan because the boys can take the card with them and not have to have a lot of cash. with ddp, room key and park passes plus a cell phone for emergencies, i know the kids are ok.

my brother and his wife (no children) use the dde plan and that works best for them.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

okay freaky board happenings here...

 

[Moeluv4u7]

Hmm- I made my previous post disappear?? - The site got "stuck" or something - I posted in old post screen and it is gone now?