These reviews are provided to help you plan your Walt Disney World® vacation. Please remember not everyone has the same likes and dislikes. Magical Mountain is not responsible for the opinions expressed in these reviews.
The 2008 Disney Dining Plan.
We did the 2008 DDP in January, which cost $37.99 per person. It seemed to work out pretty well. However, since 2007, there have been some significant changes. First, Disney eliminated a few “perks” from the 2007 plan. They no longer include the appetizer, nor do they include the tip. Also, as for the “snack option”, it is no longer based on an item that is $4.00 or less. They have relabeled several items as “family size”, and thus have limited the snack to a “single serving” size… which is definitely smaller than what they offered in 2007. After the trip, we added up our cost of each meal and compared the total to the cost of the plan. We found that we indeed did save money, enough that our “counter” meals were essentially free. An argument could be made about the tip not being included this year, but I figured that is was a wash, since most of our tipping came close to or included 18%. One thing we did notice was that the service seemed to improve over last year, however, the food quality was about the same across the board. Now, when considering the plan, one should first do the math. Check menus of your selected table service meals and add them up. Note that most of the counter service restaurants ran about the same in cost, with a few exceptions, such as the Pepper Market at the Coronado Springs resort… that came in almost double in cost. The average counter service cost us $28.75 for 2 of us. When doing the table service, we found ourselves going for the most expensive item on the menu for most (but not all) of our meals. Here lies a dilemma… do you get what you like, or do you want to get the most from the plan? In most instances, the most expensive item is the item we would have ordered anyway. Our average table service cost for the 2 of us was $69.80. Note that the buffets are less expensive, and thus can bring down the value of the plan, so consider that when making your decision on where to eat. For example, the Cape May Café clambake was $57.49 for the 2 of us, while places such as the Coral Reef ran us $83.44. Also note that we do carry the Dinng Experience card, which offers a 20% discount on the table service meals. After factoring that discount, we still would have realized a savings, just not as much. I still recommend the plan, but again, do the math. Your savings will vary a great deal. Note that the initial receipts will have the total on them, but the final copy will show zeros at most of the table service restaurants. Also, the counter service eateries will run a total on their display screen, but the receipt will also show zeros. So, be sure to make a note of each cost so that you can check your totals in the end.
1/26/2007
Reviewer: Todd Murphy, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Disney's Dining Plan -- We used the plan starting 1/8/07 for nine nights. The cost of the plan was $37.99 per person, and included 9 snacks, counter meals, and table service meals. The counter meals are referred to "quick service" meals, which include an entree, desert, and soda or other non-alcoholic beverage. The table service offers an appetizer, entree, desert, and a non alcoholic beverage. This was a great way to try places we had never
been to, and to visit places that we hadn't been to in a while. Had we paid out of pocket for the meals and snacks, we would have paid over $400.00 more than the plan! So, if you are going to WDW, and are going to eat at least one table service meal and at least one quick service meal, then this plan is for you. Be prepare to fill up! Also, be sure to use all of your credits by and including your last day. My other recommendations are not use the credits for signature restuarants, as they require two credits per person instead of one, or for breakfasts, as they are lower cost than dinners. Character breakfasts offer more value due to having the characters. We ate and early lunch, bwt 10:30 and 11:00 a.m., then early dinners, usually around 5:30 or so. Our snacks consisted of boxes of cookies, which worked out very well. Tip: be sure to ask your server before ordering if there are any menu restrictions. Also, keep track of the actual totals of each meal and add them up at the end to see the savings!
6/26/2006
Reviewer: The Zarretts, Bloomsburg, PA, USA
We got the meal plan for our trip. What a bargain! $40/day for adults ($12/day for kids) gets you lunch or breakfast (meal, dessert, drink), dinner (app., meal, dessert, drink,plus tip!), and a snack each day! It was like paying for dinner and getting lunch and a snack for free every day!
The only down side was that we definitely put on a few pounds over our stay. We were NEVER hungry!
On our last day, we had 14 credits left for snacks so we went to the Main St. Confectionary in Magic Kingdom and grabbed up a bunch of goodies to bring home. The novelty candies made great little gifts for our young son's friends upon our return home.
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