IS the dining plan worth it

[kellybecks]

Hi there

I am trying to decide whether or not to purchase the dining plan when we travel in Nov- does anyone have any advise on whether to purchase or not. I seem to think it's worth it but not sure.

Also, has anyone heard about the free dining being offered in Nov- so far i only see it through Oct 3

Thanks
KElly

[caroline1851]

for our family it was totally worth it for the following reasons:

dd2 was free so she could eat at buffets, etc.
i'm cheap and didn't want to always be looking at prices.
yes, you can scrimp and save here and there and share meals, or buy a double burger and an extra bun to share, etc. but that's not a vacation to me. the ddp allows you to eat what you want without worrying about cost.

Dh did need more food than what was on the plan because we at at CRT and used 2 TS credits, so he ended up buying a meal oop at the Plaza. Also, my kids like to snack, so often they wouldn't eat their whole meal and then they wanted snacks throughout the day. I brought some snacks with us, but had to buy extras for them. The meal plan cost us $600 and when I calculated the meals and snacks we had on the plan plus tax, it would've cost $800 oop. In addiiton to the ddp, we spent about $150 or so on extra food.

I will definently do the ddp again. Plus, it's nice not to eat cs all the time. I enjoyed the relaxation of a sit down meal.

[Alesia]

Well, it depends...

First and foremost, Do you want to eat a TS meal every day? For some people, it's a must. Other people aren't thrilled with the idea of being held to a schedule and spending at least 90 minutes of each day sitting in a restaurant and would rather get CS most of the time.

If you have kids, will they be happy eating the way they need to on the plan? Children 9 and under must order from the kid's menu. Children 10 and up pay the adult price, even if they want chicken nuggets at every meal.

[caroline1851]

I found our TS meals took about an hour.

Check out the menus and see what you would order at what restaurants and see if it's worth it. I foudn that even CS meal prices really add up once you add in a drink and tax that even if you could see yourself (to save money) eating mostly CS with just few TS, you still might save money since the tax is included and a snack per day. A snack at $3-4 dollars per person per day adds up.

[septbaby]

Hi there

I am trying to decide whether or not to purchase the dining plan when we travel in Nov-

Depending on your dates you may be in a surcharge period; you'll pay more for buffets/character meals during that time; Dining plan guests don't pay a higher price during those periods.does anyone have any advise on whether to purchase or not. I seem to think it's worth it but not sure.

Also, has anyone heard about the free dining being offered in Nov- so far i only see it through Oct 3
The November Free Dining that many speak of are specific offers Disney has sent to an individual, not a public program. Those offers are really luck of the draw or Disney whim.

On a general note the DP is a fantasic deal for a child 3-9. We've used it with 2A and a 5yo, great for us. Next trip we'll use it again 7yo and 1 Adult.

Thanks
KElly

Hope that helps! Just before to make your meal reservations prior to arriving at Disney. You can do so by phone our online up to 90 days before arriving.

[brokenlola]

For us, it was not. If you priced out every meal we ate, then yes, it saved us some money. But, we ate more than we normally would just b/c we wanted to use every credit and sometimes the kids could have shared an adult meal instead of 2 kids meals and we would have saved money that way. It was too resticting too. Some days we weren't even hungry, but since we had an ADR and we had to go, we couldn't just get a QS instead. When we go back and it happens to be during free dining, of course I would use it, but we won't pay for it again.

[MarinaAndCharlie]

You can check out the menus for most restaurants and their prices at this link:
http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

Price out a theoretical on what you'd most likely eat. I'm trying to make the same decision so I made one that was cost conscious and one that had what I really wanted to eat, so one bill could differ greatly depending on if I got the salad or the steak, you know? You have to think about both.

DBF and I went to Disney two years ago for a little over a week and we only ate counter service meals because we were on a tight budget and while with a lot of planning ahead, you can find some nice CS meals, we got tired of the kind of food and atmosphere that came with eating CS for every meal every day. We finally gave up and tried to find a TS restaurant that had an ADR open for lunch day of and we ate at Chefs de France, which I honestly hadn't heard of until we went there because its not very popular I guess, but the food was leagues and leagues above the food we'd eaten all week and it was so nice to be in a room with normal central air and normal lighting and a normal sound level! It was sincerely therapeutic and really turned our mood around. Can you tell we're leaning towards the DDP this time around?

Also, we're college aged so we thought we'd be perfectly ready for fried food all week, but boy were we wrong!

Good luck deciding!

[bangzoom6877]

I did the math for what we would order if we were not on the DDP, omitting a couple of desserts for CS meals here and there, and did not take into account purchasing any snacks at all even though we would still get certain things we love at WDW, like dole whips, various snacks in the WS at Epcot, etc. I just couldn't estimate exactly how many snacks we would need throughout an entire trip, so I left those out and did meals only. Doing it this way, with what DH, the kids and I would most likely order at each place, plus the given cover charge at character meals, the DDP still saves us a considerable amount of money over a 10-night trip.

I also did the math for the DDP credits, what each credit includes, restaurants we plan to go to, and I did 2 different calculations. One calculation was with the absolute LEAST expensive items on each menu (mainly vegetarian choices), and the other was with the absolute MOST expensive things on the menu. I took into account snack credits and the fact that a snack could be anywhere between $1 (a piece of fruit) and $4. Using the least expensive items at all places and the least expensive snacks, the DDP saves us $265 over 10 nights. Using the most expensive options for everything, the DDP saves us over $500 for 10 nights. The savings would most likely be something in between those 2 figures, as we would not always order the cheapest things, and I am not eating NY Strip steak every single night, that's just not realistic for me.

I also added in things we would pay for OOP, such as a few character breakfasts (extra TS), and a few apps if DH and I decide to get at TS restaurants. Taking all of that into account, we would still spend hundreds less on the basic DDP plus paying for those things OOP than we would for the deluxe dining plan. So we decided that the deluxe dining plan would be way too much food for 10 nights (i.e., 4 people on deluxe for 10 nights=80 snacks...can't even begin to think of what we would do with 80 snacks!) and that it would be way more expensive than what we are more comfortable with...TS dinners, CS lunches and a few OOP character breakfasts. Not paying hundreds more just to have an app included at a few TS's I will go to that are not all you can eat. Would rather pay OOP if I feel like having one and save the money.

Keep in mind that we will be going for 10 nights, so our savings would be greater than someone going for just a few nights or a week with the same dining patterns as us.

Other info about us...DH and I are not huge eaters (we watch what we eat most of the time, especially me), but we love to indulge in the food on vacation and treat ourselves. We prefer a TS dinner after a long day at the parks, and just in general when we are on vacation, no matter where we are. We have 2 children. My older son is 4 and my little guy is 2. We go back to WDW next July, so they will be 3 and 5. I think the DDP is a fantastic deal for kids when you plan to eat at character meals and other all you can eat venues since those cost more for a child than one dull day of the basic DDP, PLUS they still get a CS meal and a snack for that day. You can't beat that.

Perhaps I will feel differently in years to come, when my kids are older and considered full-paying adults at Disney. Although, DH seems to think that a 10-year-old boy can eat WAY more than $40 worth of food in a single day! :lmao:

[tonilea]

We definitely could have eaten cheaper, but for us it was totally worth it. We tried things I know we wouldn't have tried if we were paying OOP. We ate like kings - but I didn't gain any weight - we did so much walking! Win-win!!

[BingBang]

We are doing the free DDP for the 2nd yr in a row and we definitely love that! If we went outside of the free plan dates, I still think I would add the dining plan again. If you are staying at an onsite resort and not planning to spend time outside of WDW, then it really makes sense. If you are planning other activities outside of WDW though, then you would probably be losing $$. We were never hungry - that's for sure! We even had extra snack points left over on the last day and cashed them in for treats on the plane on the way home.

[My2Angels]

We love it! I will say, we went in June and tried going without the DDP...never again! One TS meal for us at Wilderness Lodge $125.00. The cost of the DDP per day for my family $112.99!!! I could have had my counter service and snack paid for that day and had some left for my tip!

[Ronni]

Money-wise for me, I break even. But convenience wise--YES. DEFINITELY worth it. I can't imagine going to WDW without it. :woohoo:

[CariAnn]

The only time I would say it is not worth it:

-If you have a couple kids in the adult price range that don't eat much.

-If you absolutely don't want to be tied down to reservations for certain places and times.

-If you're going to be spending a lot of time off-site (other parks, etc.).

Other than that, it's definitely worth it IMHO.

[HarrietSLP]

I only do it for the fun of it plus convenience.:cool1:

My family certainly wouldn't normally eat this much food but when on vacation we like to do something we ordinarily wouldn't do. Sure.....I'll gain 5 or 6 lbs...but the next week I'll go back to my normal way of eating and daily exercise routine which will take the weight off.

My only complaint with the dining plan is the exclusion of an appetizer. I purposely booked more buffets for our October trip just so I could get a salad.

We tried the QS plan in May and I found myself really craving veggies by the end of the week. If you are doing this plan....I highly recommend Cosmic Ray's ( chicken/rib combo with smashed potatoes and green beans); Tangerine Cafe, Wolfgang Puck Express, Sunshine Seasons, and a resort food court that offers some variety rather than just hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, and fries.

[dopeyone]

To me it seems the DDP is pretty close to even. I'd say the average TS maybe $25 QS $9 snack $3, those numbers actually make the DDP more $$$. I may be off by a couple bucks here and there, but it seems pretty close to me. I like it for the convienience. I usually don't order dessert, I'd rather have an appetizer! I do like the DDP just for the sake of having all my meals paid for up front. I also have the TIW card, which I use for appetizers and drinks or when I don't get the DDP. It really is an awful lot of food, I think eating the dessert I usually don't order puts me over the top! oink! oink! Can someone please roll me back to my room! :)

[DisneyFamily123]

Last year we did the plus dining (1 TS, 1QS, 1snack). Some of our meals were paid for by other family so we didn't need more than that. We had a large QS breakfast from the resort and that pretty much stuffed us until an early dinner. We paid out of pocket for an on the go lunch only a few times. It was nice to have a sit down dinner every night to relax. There was a large family group so the teens could have some meals by themselves and use the dining plan without having to worry about them bothering us for money.

This year, we are doing the deluxe dining plan (3 meals, 2snacks). I like that TS or QS count the same. We are doing a LOT of character meals for breakfast and dinner... and some of the signature restaurants that require 2 meal credits. So, we will definitely save money. If we just did the plus dining, our out of pocket costs for non-covered meals would equal the additional cost of the deluxe plan.... but the bonus is more snacks, and you get an appetizer with lunch and dinner.

We will be there for a week so plenty of time for parks... if I was coming for less time, I would not want to spend so much time in restaurants. I just have to remember my jogging shoes because I'll need to burn off all those calories before I leave disney. I may fast before getting there!

One downside of the dining plan is you can only get category 2 or 3 seating for most shows - like Spirit of Aloha. I really don't get it given the additional cost for category 1 seating is only $5 to $7. I'd just pay the difference if Disney is really that stingy.

[sunluvr]

It really depends on how and what you like to eat. We did the dining plan several years ago when it was appetizer, entree, dessert and tip included. That was great for us-family of 4 all adult by Disney standards. Now with the appetizer excluded and dessert only included it does not really work for us. We generally do not eat dessert and if we do we share. Conversely, we like appetizers. Looking at what we would eat we are better off without the dining plan. Also, when we did do the dining plan we felt a little constricted in terms of time. Because we paid for the plan we would eat even if we really weren't that hungry. Without the plan I know we would probably eat a few lighter meals. Again it is a matter of preference. :hippie:

[djm99]

IMO, money wise the plan is worth it- time wise -NO its not worth. 2 years ago my family had the Basic Plan. We had ADR's everyday and by day three my DD and niece were tired of leaving the parks for our 3 hour food adventures. It took up too much of my vacation time. In Mexico (all inclusive eating is the way to go - not Disney). Also, my husband is a VERY big eater so at some of the places we literally left to find him something else to eat (he is a vegetarian and many selections were limited). He loved the Salmon but it was often very small portions. That was big fun! DH only agreed to this trip if we didn't do the Dining plan. Against his wishes I booked the Quick service dining plan. Hopefully this one will be better. At least now he can order two meals at a time if he needs to and snack his way thru the park.

[luvmyfam444]

I got a pin code for free dining in Nov - in my email this week....

[gracie1]

I did what most people on here recommended. I sat down with a spreadsheet and put in every meal...what I would get if on the deluxe dining plan (thats what I was thinking of doing). I put in the drinks, apps, entree and dessert. It came out less than the cost of the dining plan. And that was eating 3 ts meals a day! So I really don't see how it is worth it for me.
Then, we decided we weren't going to do the dining plan altogether because we don't want to be restricted and on a time schedule. We are paying oop and will make 5 reservations for ts.
It takes a lot of time to figure out the dining plan and what works for you. I think I researched it for 6 months before making my reservation :surfweb: But in the end I am happy that I am not doing the ddp.

[tikkipoo]

I think it is worth it for us. DH has to have 1TS a day to feel complete. I did about 6 different calcs and basically came up with the same end. The basic DDP is going to cost us approx $100 more, but, like a previous poster, I did not include any snacks in my calcs. So, if you include that, it will cost approx $20 more. Totally worth it to me.
Plus, it might help our other family members that aren't on the DDP. If we could share some of our meals with them, it would save them some money too! :thumbsup2