For most folks, budgeting is a big part of the pre-Disney Experience. The DDP makes it seem like food is taken care of, but getting the DDP is only the first step!

“It’s always important to budget out meals, but doubly so on the DDP! Make sure you get the best bang for your buck by planning out meals!”

For most people once they have the Disney Dining Plan they rightly feel like most food concerns are taken care of. After all, Disney’s picking up the tab, right? No more worries! Sure, but if you don’t take a little time to explore the various restaurant options you have, look at the charts over at Allears.net to see what counts as a counter, what counts as a table and what counts as two tables, you may find that you end your vacation with a bunch of counter service or some table service left over. Smartly budgeting where you’ll eat and when can take a little spontaneity out of the trip, but it can also help to feel you maximized your DDP. Bargain shoppers will also appreciate getting every penny’s worth out of the plan. And frankly, it’s just a whole heck of a lot of fun to look over lists of places to eat and decide which ones are old favorites that you need to hit again, which ones are brand new and you’re just really curious about and which ones you don’t mind missing but might make a reservation for just in case you’re around that day.