Outdoor Man Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 We are considering buying a meal plan for our family this year. I have read a lot of positives and a significant level of negative. Seems last years plan was pretty decent, but has been cut quite a bit (we didn't have one last year). We have 2 adult, 2 kids to consider. What places aren't included and is there pricing breaks for 4 purchases... if a fe2 families banded together and bought, say, 10 is there an additional discount; do they allow that? And finally, your opinion. I feel almost like 400'ish for 4 seems rather steep and that we'd have to visit an insane amount of times to see any sort of positive gain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 While there have been a few removals and additions, the list of options seems to overall be similar to last year's list. I wouldn't say that it "has been cut quite a bit". This page lists all of the options, but from my understanding is still a work in progress. Of note is that we don't yet know how the dining plan will work at the Reds Grille, which is listed under "where can I eat" but not yet under "what meals are available". Last year there was a discount ($12 each) for buying four or more simultaneously. However, I haven't seen a similar discount advertised this year. As for value... let's do the math for one adult. Two meals per day at ~$10 per meal is $20 per day. The dining plan is $100 (not exactly, but close enough for a rough calculation). $100 divided by $20 is 5. So in just five visits, the dining plan has paid for itself, and everything beyond that is pure savings. As for the kids, it depends on their age. If they're old enough to be able to eat the majority of a normal adult meal, then the same calculation applies. If you're more likely to order kid-size items for them, then don't buy the plan for them as the plan only includes adult-size meals. But in that case you can still get the plan for the adults. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malem Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 The list on Kings Island's website is still being updated; CP Food Blog has the latest word from the park on specific menus: http://cpfoodblog.com/2015-kings-island-dining-plans/ . Most quick service meal locations at the park are included, excluding third party operators (eg. Panda Express, Chick-Fil-A). There is currently no price break for purchasing dining passes in quantity. Prices generally go up as the season progresses, so finding a later discount that's better the current price is not likely. Do note that there is a 4-hour waiting period between meals this year. If your typical visits don't last long enough for you to redeem two meals, for example, the dining plan might make less sense. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 <a class='bbc_url' href='http://s362.photobucket.com/user/x241/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_3.jpg.html'><img src='http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/x241/Mobile%20Uploads/image_3.jpg' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' /></a> 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medford Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 really, only you can make the decision if its a wise choice to purchase a dining plan, and it all depends on how often you visit the park, and how often you plan to eat inside the park, vs what you would spend outside the park on food. If I counted correctly there are roughly 22 weeks of operation (not all full weeks) this year, not including the fall. We typically visit about once a week, in the evening, middle of the week. We'll probably make about 15 visits give or take and probably eat once inside the park on at least 12 occasions. 12 x $10 would be $10, so not a huge savings and once you factor in that w/o the dining plan, we'd probably eat outside the park at Chipotle or Jimmy Johns just up the road a handful of times, its probably a net push overall, but its fairly convenient. If someone were to attend more often, or if their visits covered longer hours that would include more than 1 meal, it would make more sense. then throw in those that like to pack a meal to eat in the car, or right before heading in and you a different level of savings to compare to. There is no right answer for everyone. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Something I was just noticing on the website and would like clarification on.... where it lists the places you can eat with a dining plan, it lists Reds Hall Of Fame grill, however when it lists what meals are covered by the dining plan, I don't see a listing for Reds Hall Of Fame grill. I am not at all expecting it to be part of the dining plan options but am curious if it is, and if so what food. We have platinum passes with dining plan added. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Lizard Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 As dtk1730 posted in the other dining plan thread: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/images/uploads/file/2015%20KI%20Dining%20Plan%20Details.pdf The thread: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/30682-changes-to-2015-dining-plans-update-not-happening/page-7#entry674382 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsus Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 From watching these updates regarding the Kings Island's dining plans for this upcoming season, I believe two conclusions can reasonably be drawn: Somebody has no idea about consistency. There are generally 2-3 different lists, none of which are equally alike. Things are very up in the air and still subject to change before the season begins. It wouldn't be too surprising if the options even changed during the season. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 You pay your money (and you get what you get, after we decide, until we decide something else,) ...and you don't throw a fit. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malem Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 To their credit, the 2015 dining plan menus are quite extensive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsus Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Actually, it seems they're at least being somewhat Fair with these matters. Or trying, anyway. Cedar Point had added Midway Market to the dining plans last season, but quickly removed it "because it made lines too long" or something like that. They did allow those who purchased the plan when MM was listed to continue to eat there. This was mildly frustrating for those who purchased the plan before it was added, because we didn't end up grandfathered in. Carowinds somehow managed to list Chickie's and Pete's as well as the funnel cake stand as being on the dining plan via their park guide. From reports over at Carowinds Connections, the park is honoring its mistake. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Carowinds is indeed honoring their mistake and allowing Chickie's and Pete's on the dining plan. The Philly Cheesesteak was delicious and I highly recommend it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italian Job 2005 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I think KI has done a great job with updating the dining plans. Now almost every dining establishment at the park that offers full meal-service (minus Chick-Fil-A) is included in the dining plan. Hopefully it'll stay that way throughout the years 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I had the season long plan last year, and was quite satisfied with it. I really only had two issues, and they were: 1. Sometimes the cashiers would charge for a drink refill and sometimes they didn't. Most of the meals were "combos" so if you were not on the dining plan, the drink was included. The cashiers appreciated the honesty, but I did not like to appear to tell them how to do their job. 2. Panda Express inside Festhaus was included, then taken away, then added, then taken away again. I like to eat non-chain foods while at KI, but there is no Panda Express near me, and I liked eating there when I lived in Phoenix. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatbandguy8807 Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I got the season long plan last year and loved it. I never really ate in the park before due to the costs but with the plan I was willing to stay in the park longer. As someone said earlier, when you do the math it pays for itself in just 5 visits to the park (if you get both meals in one day) I personally only used it once each time I visited last year but that's because I would go in the evening but I used it every time I went as well. I think it's a great option if you plan on visiting often during the season. On a side note, will you be able to use the plan during season pass preview night? I assume you would be able to but I figured I would try to find out before I go 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 https://www.visitkingsisland.com/images/uploads/file/2015%20KI%20Dining%20Plan%20Details.pdf See there for a complete list of places the dining plans can be used. It also list RHOFG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 thank you for all the opinions. My wife wanted me to call and get details; I said, I have a better idea... enter KIC. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I will say that I was satisfied in 2015 with my dining plan. Food service speed, not so much most times. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbum123 Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Save money if visiting frequently => yes! Save time by waiting in food lines => no. Loose weight from eating Chicken Shack once if not twice a week and walking/standing in ride lines=> um, not so much. With a family of 7, the meal plan has been a budget saver especially since they made it chain wide for platinums! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginagirl2020 Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I will say that I was satisfied in 2015 with my dining plan. Food service speed, not so much most times.  Agreed in regards to the speed of food service. Last year we got the dining plan for myself & my 2 sons. Overall we were satisfied with the dining choices of restaurants & dining options (I do wish they had more healthy options besides Subway) but found that the food service was very slow. Some stations were not as bad (Subway in Coney was one of the better ones). But most often they were understaffed and those who were staffed worked slowly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 My recommendation would be to forgo getting a meal plan at the park. My experience was for the most part horrible last year, and that was the first time I ever purchased a season long meal plan. The options to choose from where great, but the service was typically bad, and food quality was a flip of a coin. If you do however decide to get a plan I would suggest you stay clear from any skyline at the park. Especially the one on international street. I was a platinum season dining holder, and you experience at Cedar Point was great. But due to the small sampling size compared to Kings Island. (KI is my home park) it's hard to say if CP had the same issues. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dare-to-fly Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I think KI has done a great job with updating the dining plans. Now almost every dining establishment at the park that offers full meal-service (minus Chick-Fil-A) is included in the dining plan. Hopefully it'll stay that way throughout the years Chick-Fil-A was included in the dining plan last year, though I'm not sure it started out that way. From about August on, I got CFA pretty much every time that I went to the park...except if it was a Sunday obviously.  As a side note, for someone like me that is a fan of chicken, the dining plan is amazing! I think I counted 6 or 7 different places you could get chicken tenders and fries throughout the park and every single one was different. I particularly liked Chicken Shack and adored both the fries and the chicken at the Rivertown Potato Works. (Completely different in both fries and chicken to the Coney Potato Works, btw.)  I also found KI to be much easier to find variety than some of the other parks in the chain, most notably Cedar Point. CP had very few options imo. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Lizard Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 If you like chicken tenders, the ones at Reds Hall of Fame Grille, late in the season, were excellent. Buttery, mmmm. I had them earlier in the season and liked them ok, but starting in around August, they became ridiculously yummy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dare-to-fly Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 If you like chicken tenders, the ones at Reds Hall of Fame Grille, late in the season, were excellent. Buttery, mmmm. I had them earlier in the season and liked them ok, but starting in around August, they became ridiculously yummy. I forgot about those, and you're right. They were de-freaking-licious!!!!  Maybe I'm easy to please, but in general I've found KI's food to be really good in recent years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creed Bratton Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I think having the season long dining is well worth it. If you are there enough, having 2 meals a trip can easily make your purchase well worth it. You'd soon be eating for "free." The selections have been good and the food hasn't been bad. It's better than shelling out $15-20 anytime you want to eat at the park. I do wish there was more of a snack option though for popcorn, funnel cake, etc. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Lizard Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 In 2014, I snacked at my car on things I brought from home, exclusively, on my visits. In part, because I visited twice as often in 2015, I ended up spending less per meal from my meal plan (under $1 each) than I often did on those snacks. Because I felt like I was getting such a good deal, and because I much more frequently stayed at the park from open until close (rather than leaving in the afternoon because I was hungry), I spent a lot more in the park on other things as well. Sweet Spot cookies, taffy, funnel cakes, souveniers, and games. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medford Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I haven't seen it posted, and obviously it might change this year, but I believe the offerings at the Reds HOF Grill last season were the chicken tenders, Burger, Salad or a chicken wrap type meal. I think all but the salad (which included chicken) came with chips (or an upgrade to the fries) The Salad was OK, not bad, but great but pretty much what you expect, the Wrap was a decent, burger was solid and I never did get the tenders, but my kids usually did and they looked good.  I think they could improve the plan in several ways for both their customer and themselves.  1st, offer an exchange of 1 meal for some sort of snack. We typically go in the evenings, mid week, so getting 2 meals is never in the works. However, if we could use one of the "meals" to get a pretzel from Auntie Anns or perhaps an ice cream later in the evening, I think my family would be thrilled. We'd definitely feel like we were getting more bang for our buck.  2nd, the food proportions very a great deal and don't always make a ton of sense. The LaRosa's option of 2 slices of pizza plus 2 bread sticks is plenty, definitely not overwhelming. Meanwhile, at the Reds HOF grill, you get the regular servings, so it feels like getting served at any other sit down restaurant outside of the park, probably too much food, but it depends upon your appetite, I usually couldn't finish my meal. Finally, at Skyline, the other place we typically ate last season the portions were huge. IIRC, you could get a 3 way and 1 coney or 2 coneys and fries. The 3 ways they served were huge, it was way more food than our family of four could eat, we often just split amongst the 3 of us (1 was a 2/3 year old, so its not like she eats a ton, but the other was a 7 year old boy who can "hold his own") and we'd still have food left over. It seemed like they gave you way too much food (which I'm sure was attractive to some, but I feel like its an area they could alter a bit and save themselves money).  3rd, let you combine meal plans as a family to use one 1 larger item. For instance, lets say we take our 4 meal plans, and turn them into 1 large pizza and salad from LaRosas. I think we'd save KI a bit of time and money in take 1 pizza and divvying it up ourselves, than taking 4 separate plates. Or if you were at the chicken place, you could combine meals into 1 large "bucket" of tenders and fries. Essentially, allow a family or couple to group their meals together saving KI a little bit of time in serving the meal.  4th, tie it into their app so that I could pre-order some items if wanted (I'm mostly thinking Pizza). Lets say were are in line for The Beast, about to board in a train or 2, I could place my order over my phone for 1 large cheese pizza for the family, have it already linked into our passes, then pick it up after we get off knowing it would take about 15 minutes to prepare/cook. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annarosy Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 starting in around August, they became ridiculously yummy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 I think this thread is worth revisiting with the opening of the new Smokehouse. That is seriously the one factor that made me glad I decided to opt for the meal plan (I wasn't going to this year due to poor quality and service last year). The smokehouse is very easy to get to and the food is good and the service is fast, plus it's usually easier to get a good parking spot in the Soak City lot than the dry park lot. I literally went to the park after work today just to eat dinner because I want to try all of the Smokehouse options while they are still honoring dining plans for the entire menu. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ding Dong Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Heads up homestar92, you are likely to get berated for "abusing" the dining plan by using KI meal plan you paid for and following all the stated rules.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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