So we have taken our kids to disney 3 times now and we have gotten the dining plan every time that we have gone. Again...I am not sure that this is the most frugal option and if you REALLY are pinching pennies than you can certainly stay at the campground and cook your own food. So why didn't we cook our own food?
The first time we went to Disney we had a 3 month old baby that didn't sleep through the night and a preschooler that was up at 6:30am every morning! My sweet husband suggested that we get the dining plan so I could have a vacation too! Love him!
The next time we went we got the dining plan because we wanted to go to sooo many character meals. The dining plan includes those meals so it was actually more economical to get the plan than to pay the prices (they are $$$$$$$) to go to those meals.
The most recent trip to Disney included free dining at a value resort. Staying there with free dining was cheaper than buying the dining plan and staying with the camper so that was a no-brainer for us.
So now you knw why we pick the dining plan when we go to Disney. The standard Disney dining plan includes 1 sit down meal, 1 qiuck service meal (think fast food) and 1 snack per day per person. The children are suposed to order from the children's menu when available. We have talked about going to Disney without the plan but we will have to wait and see on that. If the girls outgrow the character meals it may be worth it to pack our food in and buy 1 meal at the parks but you just can't do the character meals as affordably without the plan. We also really enjoy being able to indulge on some snacks. Being frugal, without the dining plan we would probably avoid the in park treats. $5 for an ice cream sundae is pretty steep but when you have already paid on the dining plan you just get to be cool parents! To get the most bang for our buck, we also try to have as many character dinners as possible because they are more money/value than breakfast or lunch. That said, we have had breakfast at the castle and we had breakfast in the animal kingdom once too. We enjoyed the animal kingdom meal as there were some different foods that aren't standard as well as the usual breakfast fare.
I think if you are just looking to eat to be full the dining plan may not be the best choice. If you want to go to a number of character meals and sit down dinners this is a great plan. We have never looked at the quick service plan (no character meals) or full sit down plans (too much food). Disney dining is, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy the food at Disney!
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