I have written several posts on the dining plan in the past. By now it is probably obvious that I am only a fan of the plan if you get it for free (or if your family really enjoys having a sit down meal every day). We have been very lucky to get it for free almost every trip so I definitely wouldn't turn it down, but I also did not pay to add it to the last two trips we took to the World. Why? Truthfully, the amount of food you have to eat on it to make it worth the money is way too much for our family. I have kept our receipts for the last few years when we had free dining and it was about a wash with the price for the plan. I added up every penny we spent on snacks, counter service meals, and dinner and compared it to the price we would have paid to add the dining plan to our stay. Every time we came out almost even. In other words, we wouldn't have saved any money by adding the plan. In fact, we probably would have spent more because there were many times we were eating food we wouldn't have purchased out of pocket (mainly desserts). We were "forced" to get a dessert at every meal, and truth be told, we don't often spend money on desserts. I am not saying we didn't enjoy eating them, but very often we left food on our plates because it was way too much. I have written posts in the past about how we stretch the dining plan and share meals which allows us a few extra meals, plus it eliminates excessive waste of food. Even taking that into consideration though, we still wouldn't come out ahead as we would share those meals anyway if we were paying out of pocket.
Whether or not you pay for the plan, or if you are lucky enough to get it for free, I have a few tips for maximizing the plan to get the most value out of it. My husband always makes it his personal challenge to get the most expensive food and dessert at each restaurant so that he can make the most of the plan. So, based on his "research" I have a few tips.
Part one: Maximizing the Dining Plan Using Sit Down Meal Credits
First of all, I am not a big fan of using the dining plan on signature restaurants (these take two dining entitlements) or in room pizza delivery. I would rather have two sit down meals instead of one that takes two credits, and truthfully, I can get two pizzas at Pizza Hut for $20, and even if I have them delivered and pay a delivery fee it is cheaper than wasting a sit down meal credit. We have had Giordano's delivered to Pop Century before when we didn't have access to a car so I know that there are restaurants that deliver if you just don't want to go out. There are so many amazing restaurants to choose from on property so why do I want to waste a sit down meal on a pizza that is made at the food court (and really isn't that good)? As for the signature restaurants, I just don't feel like you can get your money's worth for two credits. Now, I must admit that I have done this once. A few years ago my princess wanted to eat inside the castle so we did use two credits a piece for this meal. While this did include gratuity (not usual for dining plan anymore) and a photo package with Cinderella, I probably wouldn't do it again unless she really begged. I would rather eat with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare where the atmosphere is more relaxed, and the food is much much better.
Secondly, I wouldn't do breakfast unless it is something that your family really enjoys. You get much more food at lunch or dinner, and you aren't wasting a credit on bacon and eggs. We have had breakfast at a few sit downs now, and I walked away every time feeling like I just spent my life fortune on pancakes and waffles. None of the food was any different than what I could make at home (with the exception of maybe a casserole or two). Since our family isn't really into eating big breakfasts, we would rather have cereal or bagels at the hotel and save our meals for later. We had quick service for free last year and my daughter begged to eat at Chef Mickey's on her birthday. After looking at the prices, we decided to try their breakfast since it was considerably cheaper than dinner. Since we were paying out of pocket, we wanted to eat as cheap as possible. So, we took the plunge and tried it. After waiting in line to take our picture and get seated, we were starving by the time we were taken to our table. However, Mickey Mouse was really close to our table so we waited to see him. Then we raced to the buffet and filled our plates. By the time we got back, Goofy was one table away, so we spent the next few minutes getting ready for autographs and pictures. By the time he left and we started eating, our food was getting cold (as breakfast foods often do). So we ate a little then went to get more, only to come back to Minnie Mouse heading our way. So the cycle started again. By the time we had seen all of the characters it was an hour later and I had only eaten a few Mickey waffles, some scrambled eggs, some potato casserole and a muffin. I felt full as I was utterly exhausted, so we paid our bill and left. Our meal cost us $90 out of pocket by the time we paid for three buffets and left a tip. I really did not feel like the three of us had eaten $90 worth of food, and truthfully that is almost my whole grocery budget for a week. If we had eaten there for dinner as we usually do, we would have eaten a lot more food and I would have felt like I had gotten better value for my money since I would have had fresh carved beef, or ham, and lots of other goodies. I guess I just have a hard time spending so much on breakfast food that is really pretty cheap to make. Even if we had used a dining entitlement for our breakfast, and we had gotten the dining plan for free, I would have walked away from that meal feeling like I just threw money out the window. I am not saying we won't do breakfast again on the dining plan, but it will definitely only be when we get the plan for free. I am sure doing one or two breakfasts wouldn't be a big deal, but if you want to get your money's worth from the plan, breakfast is not your best value.
Finally, there are certain restaurants to avoid to get the best value out of your plan. The in room pizza delivery is number one on my list. Second choice would be The Plaza restaurant in Magic Kingdom. The prices are super cheap here, and the atmosphere is pretty laid back. The prices really aren't much higher than those at counter service locations, so you just can't get a good deal if you are on the plan. Now if you want a cheap sit down meal to pay out of pocket, then this is an awesome place to go. I would also avoid most of the sit down restaurants at the moderate resorts. These are geared towards the guests at those resorts, so again the prices are pretty affordable. Not only are the prices cheap, but the atmosphere is pretty laid back and simple (for example, Shutters at Caribbean Beach is open in the morning as extra seating for resort guests eating in the food court). The food may be good at these restaurants, but it is far from fancy and the value is not there if you are using the plan. One final restaurant that stands out as a low value for the plan is Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club. Here you will get burgers or sandwiches, and the desserts on the plan aren't as great as I would hope. you get a simple sundae or other small ice cream treat. I would rather go here for dessert only and enjoy a Banana Split or Kitchen Sink sundae out of pocket. Most other restaurants on property are going to be a decent value. If you are looking for a few that will give you your money's worth I suggest O'Hana, Teppan Edo, Portobello, Wolfgang Puck (lower dining room), T-Rex, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Boma or a Character Buffet for dinner (1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickey's, Akershus, or Crystal Palace). These are all pricier options with either big portions, yummy desserts, or a great atmosphere. I would put all of these at the top of my must do list for all newbies to the plan.
In the coming days (hopefully) I will post my tips for maximizing the plan with quick service options.
No comments:
Post a Comment