Dining Plan w/small child

[DisneyDreamz99]

We are considering a trip to Disney in a couple of years when my son is 3. My hubby really wants to do the dining plan so that our food is paid for in advance. Is this a good idea with having a 3 year old? If there are issues, do the pros outweigh the cons?

Thanks!

[disneydame2004]

First, in a couple of years, there is no guarantee that the dining plan will bear any resemblance to the current dining plan.

But, assuming it is still going and still the same, to answer your question about is it a good idea.... that depends.

Pros: food is paid for in advance; the price for kids is almost always less than what you would pay in a day for kid food; the dining plan allows you to try table-service restaurants you might have otherwise passed up; having a table service meal is a good way to take a break during the day.

Cons: you need to plan well in advance where you want to have those table service meals. The best values of the table service meals are not necessarily where you want to eat with a three-year-old (i.e. the nicest restaurants are not the most kid-friendly). If you are going at a busy time of year, it may be difficult to change reservation if your plans change during the day (i.e. because 3 yr. old gets tired).

Since you are asking this question so far in advance, I don't think you'll have any trouble with the planning part - choosing restaurants, making Advance Dining Reservations, etc. But a lot of this depends on your child - some kids are great with dining out, others, not so much.

My family used the dining plan last year when my son was 3 1/2, and it worked pretty well for the most part.

[DisneyDreamz99]

First, in a couple of years, there is no guarantee that the dining plan will bear any resemblance to the current dining plan.

But, assuming it is still going and still the same, to answer your question about is it a good idea.... that depends.

Pros: food is paid for in advance; the price for kids is almost always less than what you would pay in a day for kid food; the dining plan allows you to try table-service restaurants you might have otherwise passed up; having a table service meal is a good way to take a break during the day.

Cons: you need to plan well in advance where you want to have those table service meals. The best values of the table service meals are not necessarily where you want to eat with a three-year-old (i.e. the nicest restaurants are not the most kid-friendly). If you are going at a busy time of year, it may be difficult to change reservation if your plans change during the day (i.e. because 3 yr. old gets tired).

Since you are asking this question so far in advance, I don't think you'll have any trouble with the planning part - choosing restaurants, making Advance Dining Reservations, etc. But a lot of this depends on your child - some kids are great with dining out, others, not so much.

My family used the dining plan last year when my son was 3 1/2, and it worked pretty well for the most part.

That is very true and a good point. Disney is always changing and the dining plan could be different by the time we take our trip. If it is available I think we will give it a trip. I plan on booking my dining advance so that we have a better chance to eat where we want to. As for my son...who is now only 13 months...he'll eat anything that doesn't eat him first. He's like his dad, skinny but can eat a horse. So if he's still that good of an eater by the time he's 2 or 3, I think we might as well go with the plan.

[prshell]

We are planning to go in Feburary with my grandchildren and they will be 4, 3, and 1. We are waiting for the prices for the packages to come out, but I think that we will do the plan.

[suznels]

My family had the dining plan for our trip last February and for the most part we loved it. One MAJOR issue we had was choices for our kids. They were VERY limited in what they could choose. For example, they wanted pizza at Pinnochio's Village Haus and there was no pizza choice on the kids menu. They had to get PB&J and sugar-free jello. We had to pay for pizza for them and took the sandwiches to eat on the plane trip back home. Very frustrating!

[firemedic]

I had a question about this topic. We're taking our three kids: 6,3,1. If one of the kids doesn't eat one of the meals that day, does that meal roll over to the next day or do we lose it? Or, can one of the other kids use it?