<p>Bonita,
I think the point of the DB for a lot of parents is SO the student doesn’t spend the money on something else. A lot of first time college kids can be irresponsible with money and find themselves spending their food budget on other things and then not have money to eat with.</p>
<p>If you have a debit or credit card, don’t get a meal plan. If not, get a declining balance. It’s much more flexible than a meal plan - you can use it at any restaurant, dining hall, or store (except the bookstore) on campus. Unlike flex bucks, your balance rolls over semester to semester. I got a meal plan in Fall 2012, when I started at UF. I didn’t like the dining hall food very much, so I converted it all to a declining balance of about $2,000. After, Fall, Spring, and Summer B, I still have nearly $200 left. I did eat off campus somewhat frequently with friends though. </p>
<p>Bottom line: DON’T GET A MEAL PLAN!..unless you like mediocre food and plan on eating for most of your meals in a given week.</p>
<p>agmama,
I understand, and probably thirty years ago did my own share of irresponsible budgeting of food money. Don’t we need to kind of cut our kids a little loose from making sure they do the right thing?</p>
<p>I send my son care packages, and the meal plan was great (time saving, economics for the full access and choices) for his first semester, but I think using a DB to force them to eat on campus instead of mid-town is silly. </p>
<p>There is always some way to get food (or ramen noodles).</p>
<p>The full access meal plan is good for the first semester of freshman year; it is convenient to have access to meals right on the spot if one is living on campus. However, the food served inside the dining halls is pretty mediocre in my opinion.</p>
<p>the contract calls for 2 semesters</p>
<p>Skyride and gouf78</p>
<p>You are both right, but if you have a child with critical tracking, its one less thing to think about as they adjust to school (caveat: my son had a great roommate first year that drove him to Trader Joe’s - - this year his food shopping still needs some work). Its mediocre the same way cruise food is - too much starch and sweets), but there are some good things also available (vegetarian and vegan choices).</p>
<p>While the contract said 2 semesters, the food police never came. I suppose if they did, we cold have opted for a minimal plan.</p>
<p>As a main point, my son is a chocolate milk drinker. Having unlimited available was probably worth it just for that alone. He also had Moe’s after 4 pm during Spring, but I notice he does not care to go there any longer.</p>
<p>When I signed up for a meal plan there weren’t any specifics on what was in the dining halls, so here’s a basic idea for those wondering:</p>
<p>Quality of the food is usually great, although I can see that after a semester it might get a little old. I don’t understand why some people on this site say it’s “crap” because it’s not and most of the actual students on the plan enjoy it.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that both dining centers were recently renovated completely, so be skeptical when reading about them online.</p>
<p>They have unlimited fruit juice (apple, orange, pineapple, etc) and milk (2%, skim, chocolate) with various kinds of cereal. There is a sandwich bar which is like subway except on bread of your choosing (honey wheat, whole wheat, etc).</p>
<p>There’s a panini station which has a different type of panini every day. You can decide what to put on it and they are pressed right before you so sometimes the line can be a little long.</p>
<p>In the morning there’s always pancakes/sausage/bacon/omelets and a waffle station (similar to panini section) which makes amazing waffles with the gator head imprinted in the middle… They must put a lot of sugar in these because they taste so good.</p>
<p>There’s a dessert corner with cookies, desserts and other kinds of treats. There’s coffee in the mornings.</p>
<p>And there are many other stations that completely change every day and serve things like pasta, etc… There’s always pizza available 24/7, of course… But there’s definitely variety in the dining halls if you look for it.</p>
<p>The dining halls are very CLEAN… I’ve not noticed any problems except the juice station frequently goes out of order in the mornings…</p>
<p>Also if you want variety your plan is accepted at numerous locations in the Union and Chomp It & Moe’s at Raquet Club Dining Center (next to the gym by the stadium). You can spend up to $6 at these places, except for Papa John’s which is a combo meal. The bad news is you can only go to these places on weekdays, and there are limits on how often (2 swipes a day, Moe’s/BK only allowed after 4pm).</p>
<p>Personally I like to visit places like Chomp It, Croutons and Home Zone to get healthier options.</p>
<p>Hopefully this helps a little; I wish someone told me what was actually in the dining halls before I signed up!</p>
<p>Each semester is slightly different rules as to the perks, but I went to try it out and thought it was like a Lido Deck on a cruise.</p>
<p>I am a freshman with the 5 day meal plan and so far I have been impressed with the food. Usually if one dining hall doesn’t have good food, the other one will. I think it is worth it.</p>