I’ve done both full and half board several times. I’ve paid full price for it and had it as a freebie too.
For us as a couple who like their food full board is great. It’s nice not having to worry about anything when you’re there, knowing you just need to hand over your Magic Pass and everything will just happen. However, we do aim to have 3 course meals at both lunch and dinner to get the most value out of it. If park hours are good it isn’t too much of a problem. We’ll do lunch about 1-2pm and dinner around 9ish, but if you get the bookings too close you’ll certainly not enjoy the evening meal as much and feel that you’ve overeaten.
You should note that you will usually have a set menu to order from at most restaurants, which will be determined by the tier of dining plan. We’ve always done Plus as that gets your pretty much every restaurant across the parks and hotels (Standard limits you to hotel buffets and a couple of buffets on park really). Disney are flexible in that you can swap things out and just pay the top-up price, but if you’re doing that at every meal it soon adds up. It’s nice to do once in a while though. For example, I’ll usually pay the extra and get a wine menu with a meal one night (they’re actually pretty good value for the quality and size of the glasses you usually get!). The same can be done with food if nothing appeals to you, but like I say, the price can soon tots up.
The plans aren’t cheap, but it’s easy to get perceived value from them as the standard prices are high anyway, provided you eat at the right places and use every meal voucher. We always keep our receipts and tot them up after the trip, and we usually come off about €200+ better off than if we paid the full prices, but as I say, we certainly use the plan in a way it’s not intended to (there’s nothing wrong with doing it, but most people aren’t getting 6 courses a day!).
If I were you I’d advise looking through the menus at the restaurants you fancy. You’ll find them on the DLP website or in the app. Look out for the dining plan symbols to tell you which menu you order from and weigh up if there’s enough you’ll get from it. You might find several places to eat at that really appeal, or you might not find something that suits your taste.
If you are paying full whack for the plan you should be getting a hotel breakfast too which is actually really nice (in Sequoia and Newport at any rate). If you get the plan as part of a deal check the terms as you may find you need to go into the parks for a counter service breakfast, which isn’t so great.
There are some genuinely excellent table service restaurants at DLP and the quality is usually very good. Silver Spur and Chicago Steakhouse in Disney Village both serve excellent steaks, I’ve never had a bad meal at Captain Jack’s and Manhattan Restaurant in Hotel New York feels very premium with great food. I won’t include Walt’s on the list as you’ve more chance seeing the man himself come back from the dead than see that restaurant open (I’ve only managed to get there once by sheer good luck!). DLP has often come under fire for overpriced, lacklustre food, but if you’re only going to eat at Cassey’s Corner or Café Hyperion, what did you really expect. If you are looking more for counter service food though, or have slightly fussier eaters I’ll be honest and say you’ll probably find little value in a dining plan for the price.
One last word of warning, make sure you put the date that table reservations open on your calendar. You need to get in there early to get the best choice of restaurants and times, especially in the start of the year as closures are likely. Reservations normally open 2 months ahead of the date. Book through the app to make it easiest and keep the reservations in one place. There simply aren’t enough covers in the park to satisfy demand.
