dining plan vs eating at rv

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I don't know about the Fort, but at other resorts you can check-out and check back in and only have ddp for part of your stay. You cannot use the plan on the days of your other reservation, but its a good strategy if you want to see characters or do some nice restaurants for part of your stay and do more Rv, CS, or off-site for the rest of your stay.

I would think the deal breaker would be whether or not you had to move your RV to split the reservation. That seems like too much of a pain.

 

[chief19spixi]

I don't know about the Fort, but at other resorts you can check-out and check back in and only have ddp for part of your stay. You cannot use the plan on the days of your other reservation, but its a good strategy if you want to see characters or do some nice restaurants for part of your stay and do more Rv, CS, or off-site for the rest of your stay.

I would think the deal breaker would be whether or not you had to move your RV to split the reservation. That seems like too much of a pain.

That would be nice but it does sound like its a pain.

We just came back from our 2 week trip and were on the dining plan! It was great for us and didn't mind tipping the 18% or 20% even though we only had 5 in our party! Trust me there were times when we put down 18% and were asked if we wanted to add more to make it 20% and I did the right and noble thing and said you could be greatful for the 18% or get 10% you choose!! LOL Needless to say they were shocked that I said it and walked away! I would have given them 20% but we saw them about 2 times and it was a buffet so what more could they ask for!

 

[auntie]

So...let me get his straight? You had waitstaff actually ask you if you wanted to leave 20%. Wasn't the idea of Disney removing the grautity that the customer can decide what amount they want to leave? Where as, previously the 18% was included. (note they didn't drop the price by 18%..when they removed the gratuity included, and the appetizer )
Did they bring you a check with 18% figured in already, and ask if you wanted to leave more? Or was there no gratuity and when you added the 18 they asked if you wanted to leave 20%.

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

That would be nice but it does sound like its a pain.

Trust me there were times when we put down 18% and were asked if we wanted to add more to make it 20% and I did the right and noble thing and said you could be greatful for the 18% or get 10% you choose!!

The wait staff actually asked you if you wanted to add more to make it 20 percent?

 

[dtum]

Talk about rude! I'd go to the 10% at that point. Tips are for survice not "on-demand"

 

[Us3]

I agree that I don't like to "cook" while on vacation....BUT, while at FW we *are* camping, and for us part of camping is grilling good food. We do not spend all day in the parks anymore and love to come back to the Fort to relax. Good food and drink is part of that. The DP just doesn't make sense for us and also its just more for me to keep track of if I have to plan every single meal and snack.

If staying at one of the other resorts...the DP might make better sense for us.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Wow.......Ive NEVER been ASKED for a tip, even from the rudest waiters Ive encountered....Ive never stiffed a waiter either, even when service was horrible, but have left a single dollar with a "Rog-ified note" about how they might should have chosen a different career like TOILET SCRUBBER for their crappy attitude. I think I would have asked for the MGR on duty if I was asked to increase the tip amount, especially an 18% tip.....we usually do 20%, but 18 aint too shabby, not shabby enough to beg for more anyway!!!

 

[VACAMPER]

We had a party of nine last trip so our tip was automatically added. I don't mind tipping a good waiter/waitress but we had a waitress that we never saw after our drinks came, it was a buffet & had to ask another waitress for her to bring our check. That girl made a fortune for doing nothing. I don't think tips should be added in, they should be earned.

 

[chief19spixi]

I know it is as bad as it sounds! I charged 18% on my key to the world card as the tip .. she then came back and said she did not put in through cause she wanted to know if we would add more to make it 20%... we looked at her puzzled and then it clicked in how rude she was thats when I offered her 10% instead! There were only a couple that did the similar thing after that time but by then we were game and put cash down instead of using a key card!

 

[LarryJ]

I know it is as bad as it sounds! I charged 18% on my key to the world card as the tip .. she then came back and said she did not put in through cause she wanted to know if we would add more to make it 20%... we looked at her puzzled and then it clicked in how rude she was thats when I offered her 10% instead! There were only a couple that did the similar thing after that time but by then we were game and put cash down instead of using a key card!

What's really funny and I can't find my receipts, but IIRC some of the fixed price meals with entertainment that include tax and gratuity like the Spirit of Aloha, CRT (which also includes the cost of the picture) and I think the HDDR the gratuity is around 14%. With the DDE which includes an 18% gratuity for most meals (TE take out is eligible and doesn't require a gratuity), I don't add anything unless the service was beyond the call of duty.

Larry

 

[ntsammy5]

, and for us part of camping is grilling good food.

I agree! We sometimes remember trips by the food we ate or by what or how much we had to drink.

 

[SurfinTX]

We are staying at the cabins next year and I don't know what the prices will be so we haven't decided on getting the dining plan yet. 2 cabins will hold our entire party but ours will be 2 children, 1 junior (13) and 3 adults.

The 13 is hit and miss on how much he will eat. He isn't really into the dining experiences and will enjoy more park time. The children will be going for the first time and I plan on 2 character meals for them with the adults tagging along. However, the older of the 2 eats like a bird and we will really have to plan around what she will be able to do.

It will be a close call on cost if we end up doing a meal every day in the cabins. Without app and gratuity the DDP really seems to be a decent deal for people with under 10 children or adults who plan out everything and will max out everything every day. For us, the kids will be fine with CS for the most part and we probably could just do a few of the character/TS meals out of pocket with only the people who really wanted to do it.

 

[dreaming4disney]

I just got an annual pass for our trip this December. I plan on getting the Disney Dinnig Experience discount card. We will have breakfast in the rv in the morning and one other meal during the day. Then we will eat out 1 meal either table service or sit down at the restaurants we really want to eat at. I am hoping this saves us some money, but I still want to feel like I am on vacation. I have 3 kids(11,10,8)and the dining plan is just too expensive for us this time with two of them considered adults.

 

[HappyCamper87]

I just got an annual pass for our trip this December. I plan on getting the Disney Dinnig Experience discount card. We will have breakfast in the rv in the morning and one other meal during the day. Then we will eat out 1 meal either table service or sit down at the restaurants we really want to eat at. I am hoping this saves us some money, but I still want to feel like I am on vacation. I have 3 kids(11,10,8)and the dining plan is just too expensive for us this time with two of them considered adults.

We are going in October and I have planned one TS a day most days and the rest of the time we will either eat at the fort - I'm just getting simple sandwich and/or salad meals together - or, if we don't feel like doing that, we will get a quick bite at a CS.

I think the DDP is great if you have tons of time to schedule and attend those meals but really I felt it would take away from our time at the Fort and one big meal a day is enough for me.

And, I cannot understand why so many people refer others on this site to another unofficial site's dining menus, more importantly why aren't us DIS folks scanning those menus and sending them here to be updated?

Someone start a petition to have each person promise to send at least one menu from their trip and these boards would be up to date as well. I'm going to try to gather as many as I can in October and then figure out how to use the scanner.

 

[5stljayhawks]

My strategy : Work Extra magic hours and lunch/nap/dinner at the Camper

We buy park hopper passes. We eat (now 5.5, 2.5 and .5) breakfast at the camper, then try to hit the early magic hours. Head back for lunch nap then dinner, then go back to the park that is offering extra magic hours in the evenings. Sometimes we will eat in the park (brown bag) ride a few more rides, hang with the mouse, then go back for naps and dinner and back for extra mag evenings.

For instance, if I know we will be traveling to animal kingdom, the travel time back and forth does not justify, coming back to eat, so we will either pack our lunch or eat at the park. More times than not we pack lunch and get a snack at the park. I also usually plan a slow next day, with the kiddos missing naps one day, we make sure they nap the next..

 

[tinah159]

OK guys, here is my .02 I have flame suit on! I dont like the dining plan. I am going to Disney in October and we have to stay at the All-Star Sports. My sister and her family are meeting us for their vacation. Since we are staying in a hotel (gasp!) we are using the plan. They will only be here for 4 days and we really need to make the most of these days touring the parks. I really dont like having to make ADR's. It seems like we are planning our days around food. Darrell and I are used to having breakfast at the trailer and then going to the park. We have lunch and snacks at the park, then return to FW for dinner. I usually put something in the crock-pot in the morning, and by the time we get home, we have dinner waiting for us. With our October dining plan trip, I had to subscribe to Tour Guide Mike just to figure everything out!

 

[Disney_Angel]

OK guys, here is my .02 I have flame suit on! I dont like the dining plan. I am going to Disney in October and we have to stay at the All-Star Sports. My sister and her family are meeting us for their vacation. Since we are staying in a hotel (gasp!) we are using the plan. They will only be here for 4 days and we really need to make the most of these days touring the parks. I really dont like having to make ADR's. It seems like we are planning our days around food. Darrell and I are used to having breakfast at the trailer and then going to the park. We have lunch and snacks at the park, then return to FW for dinner. I usually put something in the crock-pot in the morning, and by the time we get home, we have dinner waiting for us. With our October dining plan trip, I had to subscribe to Tour Guide Mike just to figure everything out!

That sounds like a great idea....putting something in the crockpot and having it ready for when you come "home".
OMGosh Jacksonville? I am a Yank with family in Yulee.

 

[donatalie]

OK guys, here is my .02 I have flame suit on! I dont like the dining plan. I am going to Disney in October and we have to stay at the All-Star Sports. My sister and her family are meeting us for their vacation. Since we are staying in a hotel (gasp!) we are using the plan. They will only be here for 4 days and we really need to make the most of these days touring the parks. I really dont like having to make ADR's. It seems like we are planning our days around food. Darrell and I are used to having breakfast at the trailer and then going to the park. We have lunch and snacks at the park, then return to FW for dinner. I usually put something in the crock-pot in the morning, and by the time we get home, we have dinner waiting for us. With our October dining plan trip, I had to subscribe to Tour Guide Mike just to figure everything out!

DH added the dining plan to our last trip as a "Mom gets a Vacation too" surprise. I was soooo excited about it. I picked my restaurants and made my ADRs. Then we spent our whole vacation on almost a minute by minute schedule to make sure we made it to our restaurants on time only to sit and wait to be called ( this isn't easy with two autistic kiddos in tow!). I thought DH was going to FLIP when we had to tell DD that we couldn't ride POTC because we had to get to CP for our ADR only to wait 45 minutes to be seated! DD was in tears, DS was getting very aggrivated (and aggressive) and we decided then and there that it was just NOT WORTH IT.

I guess everyone needs to decide for themselves what their priorities are while on vacation!

Thanks for listening!

 

[Murrlene]

My husband says that too me to, he feels he always has to be somewhere. It is always about trying to squeeze things around the meals. We are going in June/July next year and we have decided everyone can pick one meal out that they want and then we will eat at our campsite. We have 5 in our group we will be 11 days so that will give us five dinners out. We eat breakfast at our site, and it is hot then so we are gonna come back to swim so why not eat lunch too.

We have done the dinning plan the last 2 times we were there and I like it because I do not have to cook, and we have tried places that we would not normally have tried.

But this year with the increase $$ I have no problem saving the money. The crock pot and smoker will just get some extra use this time. Plus we are gonna still have a few meals out.

 

[dreaming4disney]

My husband says that too me to, he feels he always has to be somewhere. It is always about trying to squeeze things around the meals. We are going in June/July next year and we have decided everyone can pick one meal out that they want and then we will eat at our campsite. We have 5 in our group we will be 11 days so that will give us five dinners out. We eat breakfast at our site, and it is hot then so we are gonna come back to swim so why not eat lunch too.

We have done the dinning plan the last 2 times we were there and I like it because I do not have to cook, and we have tried places that we would not normally have tried.

But this year with the increase $$ I have no problem saving the money. The crock pot and smoker will just get some extra use this time. Plus we are gonna still have a few meals out.

What kind of smoker do you have and what do you cook in it? Is it easy to clean? I wish I had more easy to make and clean cooking ideas for the rv.