Hi! We have not done our trip with the meal plan yet, but we originally booked the standard half board. I then went into the menus for the parks and looked at what we were likely to get for food as a family and calculated the cost. Going up to standard full board made sense for us.
Yes, that's three buffets a day on standard full board. Breakfast at the hotel, lunch, and dinner. But, I know that my child, who is not really picky so much as changable, will be able to find something to keep her going. I know my husband will not get hungry. So, peace of mind.
Yes, that is time away from the parks, but from what I have read here, the speed of the counter service is no better now than when we visited in 2007. There is a reason it is not quick service at DLP, or so they say. At a buffet, I don't have to wait for the food after ordering, as I would at a counter service or table service.
Now, on the standard I am limited to only a few buffets. Breakfast is fixed as being at my hotel. Lunch is Plaza, Agrabah, Stars in Studios, or La Grange in the Village. Dinner is those or back at my hotel. For a 4 day stay we are repeating some, especially as I upgraded one breakfast to the character breakfast at the Plaza.
But, we are not going to DLP for the food. We are there for the park, the theming, and the experience. Can't remember the food being much to talk about in 2007. Doesn't look like it has changed much from other's comments.