Do campers need dining plans?

[Campsight 0]

Hello, we'll be 1st timers at WDW and I wondered if meal plans are necessary for campers at Fort Wilderness.  (I didn't know how quickly we can make it from the campground to the park.). Thanks in advance!

 

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

First of all welcome.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

First of all, welcome!!!!!!!!!!! We hope you'll jump in and ask tons of questions. 

 

So to answer your first... NO! I actually think the dining plan is a rip off for most people. They say you can save up to 20% or something, but that's only true if you always eat at the most expensive restaurants and always order the most expensive thing PLUS one dessert per person. Some of our favorite places to eat are not the most expensive. 

 

Would you like some budget friendly dining suggestions? When are you going?

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Tme have done the dining plan before but not from the Fort. My wife and 10 yr old daughter are not big eaters but I certainly am.

We had the dining plan that gave us one table service per day, and the rest counter service and snacks. It was a lot of food.

I don't know if we would use it enough at the Fort to justify the cost. On our last trip to the fort we had breakfast at our site every morning and lunch is at the parks. Dinner was either cooked at the 5er and we had the giddy up and go from trails end twice and Hoop Dee Doo revue once.

Don't get me wrong the dining plan is nice but we just saved so much money eating at home.

[PGHFiend 140]

Wife and I split almost every meal at WDW, unless its a sit down table service (but not when I strap on the feed bag at the trails end) and even then, Like at the Hacienda San Angel at Epcot, we ordered the special meal for two.  Most things (like my favorite bacon burger at cosmic rays at the MK) are big enough to cut in half, add an extra side or better yet have a mickey bar after every meal! It will save you a ton. 

[TN22.....Brady 22]

I have never done the dining plan. BUT have several friends who have participated, agree with GaDawgFan for us it is not a good deal. The one thing that my friends pointed out though, is that it allowed them to set a maximum out of pocket budget. This kind of made the trip an all inclusive trip, and they knew what the majority of their expenses were going to be ahead of time. 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

For us, it is fun to do on a short weekend when we are staying at a hotel resort, but absolutely does not make sense for us at the Fort.

 

We usually have breakfast at the camper or at Trails End (very late in the morning), then a sit down dinner elsewhere.

 

Also, we actually hate that desert is included, would prefer appetizers. We usually have an appetizer and split an entree, then a couple hours later, we'll get a desert type snack. Can NEVER eat dessert right after our meal.

[MousingAround 0]

I would love to hear for experienced Fort Fiends about dining recommendations and FAST PASS recommendations.  Tomorrow I can make our Fast Pass reservations...so excited.  I have booked some dining reservations already...and will try to get into Be Our Guest for lunch during our stay.  We will be staying at FW for three weeks...then headed up to Hershey, PA.....and eventually back to sweet California...via Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Seattle and down the Oregon/California coast to home.  Thank you for a wonderful site...full of very useful info!!

[red...Susan 37]

I have been to all of the places on your upcoming trip. That will be a fantastic adventure.

[MousingAround 0]

This is our first big trip in the RV.  While we have been to WDW years (via flight from SFO) ago the only other destination on the East Coast that we have been to is New York and north.  We have toured the West Coast and are Disneyland regulars.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

If it's tomorrow, book them at midnight tonight of you want Anna and Elsa.

[Campsight 0]

GaDawgFan.....Kelly, on 10 Feb 2015 - 7:31 PM, said:

First of all, welcome!!!!!!!!!!! We hope you'll jump in and ask tons of questions. 

 

So to answer your first... NO! I actually think the dining plan is a rip off for most people. They say you can save up to 20% or something, but that's only true if you always eat at the most expensive restaurants and always order the most expensive thing PLUS one dessert per person. Some of our favorite places to eat are not the most expensive. 

 

Would you like some budget friendly dining suggestions? When are you going?

Thanks for the kind welcome!  Yes, I would love budget friendly suggestions.  We have 4 kids, ages 10, 8, 6 and 4.  We will be coming for a few days during the first full week of August.  Thanks!

[Mtnmanky...aka Leon 72]

While at the Fort we typically eat brekfast at the camper, put something in the crock pot and come back for lunch.  We can eat, enjoy a quiet time in the heat of the day, then go back to the park(s) for the evening.  We try to plan one "eat out" meal a day, otherwise it is cheaper and easier to eat at the camper.  If we are at a park where it is inconvienient (or slow) to get back, then we eat lunch as our "meal out" and go back for the evening meal from the crock-pot.

 

The crock pot makes it easier for DW, and the kids do the clean up so she is not feeling stuck in the kitchen on vacation.  We generally have  at least two kids with us, depending on which G'kids go, so meals can get expensive.  Never saw the meal plans as being cost effective for us.

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

For us doing the dining plan was worth it when we went in 2011 and we will be doing it again this year. When I planned out our trip I knew that my daughters would want to do some character meals so I did the math and after all was said and done for $200 more I could do the dining plan and do more meals and get the snacks and quick serve. We ended up having 6 quick serves after our week, but we went to Earl of Sandwich and used them for our trip home. Saved us money and we didn't have to stop as much.

So basically do the math. It can save you money and it may not, depends on how you want to dine.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

For us doing the dining plan was woth it when we went in 2011 and we will be doing it again this year. When I planeed out our trip I knew that my daughters would want to do some character meals so I did the math and after all was said and done for $200 more I could do the dining plan and do more meals and get the snacks and quick serve.

 

Which raises a good point... the best way to determine if the dining plan is worth it for you is to actually crunch the numbers.

 

I did this a couple of years ago, as we'd done the dining plan in the past (before they changed it) and it had been a good deal for us. 

 

I mapped out what we'd be likely to eat over a few days (meals and snacks) on and off the dining plan, then using real prices from the menus I found online, I added it up.

 

DDP didn't add up for us, but as Norm said, it's actually the better deal for him on his upcoming trip. So the answer is most likely... it depends.  :)

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

I also think it depends on how many times you get to Disney as well. We decided that we are going to go every three years, so we want to spend as much time in the parks as we can. If you go twice or three times a year, you  can have the luxury of splitting things up across all three trips.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Another good point, Norm.  Also depends on how much you plan to cook/eat at your site, how you eat, and how you typically manage your Fort/park time.

 

We go to the Fort once a year, and it's our one big annual vacation.  For me that means little to no cooking BUT we also rarely get to the parks before noon and usually eat breakfast/lunch of some kind at our site.  We're also not big dessert people, but we do enjoy appetizers, and these days if we do a TS meal, more often than not we order a couple of apps and split an entree. And we don't eat out TS every day, partly because we like to wing it.  Many times we'll pop into one of the lounges that serve food and make a meal out of appetizers.

 

So for us, unless we totally change our routine and how/what we eat, the DDP just doesn't add up for us these days.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

First let me say we are not your typical family. We tend to be on the larger size not by girth but by people.

 

For me it comes down to my vacation.  I am the main cook. If I want a true stress free vacation then eating out is the only way to go. The DDP would cost us a mint and I mean a mint however.

 

So then I have to decide am I willing to spend that much to have a stress free trip or can I come up with a way cheaper option that may not be as stress free but much better than it would be at home.  I have decided to come up with a cheaper option.

 

I plan a few meals out and the rest are at the camper. I use my crockpot daily and my children help with clean up and prep work. We do lots of grilling that my husband takes care of. I also make a bunch of freezer stuff that I can pop into the microwave if we are rushed.

 

A typical park day would be arriving at the park before rope drop and eating while we wait. That would be make ahead oatmeal or breakfast burritos that I heated up before we left.  Lunch would be packed and brought oout when we were ready.  We would then head back to the camper for some rest and swimming and an early dinner. We would plan for a late evening snack in the park.

 

A typical day at the camper would be breakfast of bacon and eggs, easy sandwiches for lunch and a crockpot meal for dinner. Plan to spend lots of time at the camper. Most kids just want to swim anyway. We try and stay so that a Park is enjoyed everyother day not back to back.

 

Another factor I have to take into account is our diet. We eat a very healthy real foods type of diet. Eating on the DDP would have my family cramped up, emotional, and running to the bathroom around the clock.  

[TN22.....Brady 22]

I would love to hear for experienced Fort Fiends about dining recommendations and FAST PASS recommendations.  Tomorrow I can make our Fast Pass reservations...so excited.  I have booked some dining reservations already...and will try to get into Be Our Guest for lunch during our stay.  We will be staying at FW for three weeks...then headed up to Hershey, PA.....and eventually back to sweet California...via Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Seattle and down the Oregon/California coast to home.  Thank you for a wonderful site...full of very useful info!!

O'hana is a MUST DINE for us every trip. Obviously we recommend it, along with a quick lunch at Casey's corner.  The Fish n Chips are also a goto lunch for us in Epcot/England, I think the restaurant is named Yorkshire County Fish shop. Our Fastpass reservations are handled by DW, and as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the 60 day out from our arrival she is online nonstop. 

Glad to hear you are going to Hershey Pa as well, we have friends near there and enjoyed our tour of the Hershey Factory tremendously. Good Luck on the reservations for Be our Guest, they are hard to come by, so the sooner you can get online and make your reservations the better. If unsuccessful just try and check back often in case of cancellation.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Another good point, Norm.  Also depends on how much you plan to cook/eat at your site, how you eat, and how you typically manage your Fort/park time.

 

... 

 

So for us, unless we totally change our routine and how/what we eat, the DDP just doesn't add up for us these days.

 

There's no question that the DDP wouldn't work for us.  We eat out every 2-3 days.  Otherwise we eat at the moho.    I cook/freeze meals at home and just heat them up when we're hungry.  Frankly I don't want to spend all the time in restaurants that the DDP requires.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Time is another key factor. How much time do you want to be traveling to eat?  If you are not at a Park everyday then you need to either eat at Trails End or head to another resort or DTD to eat.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Time is another key factor. How much time do you want to be traveling to eat?  If you are not at a Park everyday then you need to either eat at Trails End or head to another resort or DTD to eat.

 

Part of the reason we prefer to wing it (i.e., not book a bunch of ADRs) is that we can figure out where we're going to be - either the night before or even that morning - and then plan accordingly. We were able to make a bunch of "day of" ADRs this past trip. We even managed to score one for Le Cellier the day before.

 

Granted there are only 2 of us, no kids, we don't do character meals, and we're pretty flexible and don't really care what time we eat.

 

Your mileage may vary. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Good points, Mo!

[Retired and Happy (Ken) 101]

We also have never used a DDP.  Our family is so dysfunctional, disorganized, or whatever we can never keep a schedule, but go with the flow.  We never know which park, or Fort, we will be in on any day or at any hour.  About the only thing we schedule is a MBYBBQ and/or HDDR.   The rest of the time, we grab a quick meal wherever we are or eat at the MH.  We wind up taking too much food with us and bringing a lot of it home, but we have what we like to eat...one of the advantages of stasying at the Fort.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Ken, One Day I Hope To Meet You And Judy And The Kids. You Have Such An Amazing Story Of Love That Blows My Mind.