who has regretted getting the dining plan?

M

margot31

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 18, 2015
So I am down to 101 days before my trip. I keep going back and forth on getting the regular dining plan. I have used that page someone else posted but it didn't fully take in some of the other things the plans include. So I felt as if the number was not fully correct.

After taking a look at the all ears menu pages I feel like maybe the plan is a good idea.

When its just my husband and I in the past we didn't do the plan but we also drove to disney and were able to bring our morning breakfast and coffee with us in the car. Now we live further and driving.

I have done the plan before when my whole family went down and it was nice but just for my husband and I, I am not really sure now.

Has anyone regretted getting the dining plan? I see the snack, quick service and 1 ts being just perfect for us but I don't know if its really worth the cost since we are not doing a package for this trip.
 
From what I have read, unless you do a lot of the pricier character buffets it's tough to save money vs. out of pocket. That's how I view it, strictly in $$ terms.

We had the plan (almost free) a few years ago and thought it was too much food and did not really want dessert with every meal. We eat breakfast in the room, by the way. I never understood the reasons: "having it all paid before hand" or "not worrying about what I order" justifications on getting the DDP.
 
personally I wouldn't pay OOP for it without some type of deal associated with it. I eat more with the dining plan than I actually would without it. I would be good with a small breakfast & dinner.. I get distracted while I'm in the parks, so hunger usually doesn't hit as fast. Its personal preference!
 
smhwalker2011 said:
personally I wouldn't pay OOP for it without some type of deal associated with it. I eat more with the dining plan than I actually would without it. I would be good with a small breakfast & dinner.. I get distracted while I'm in the parks, so hunger usually doesn't hit as fast. Its personal preference!
Click to expand...

That is what we have really been debating about. We have a room only military discount this time and we aren't huge dessert people unless its something small like a cookie. I know its something on our mind since its a shorter trip for us due to flying and all that we won't have enough time to do all the places we want to see and still make time to sit down and really eat.
 


margot31 said:
So I am down to 101 days before my trip. I keep going back and forth on getting the regular dining plan. I have used that page someone else posted but it didn't fully take in some of the other things the plans include. So I felt as if the number was not fully correct.

After taking a look at the all ears menu pages I feel like maybe the plan is a good idea.

When its just my husband and I in the past we didn't do the plan but we also drove to disney and were able to bring our morning breakfast and coffee with us in the car. Now we live further and driving.

I have done the plan before when my whole family went down and it was nice but just for my husband and I, I am not really sure now.

Has anyone regretted getting the dining plan? I see the snack, quick service and 1 ts being just perfect for us but I don't know if its really worth the cost since we are not doing a package for this trip.
Click to expand...

Hi Margot,
We've gotten the plan 3 times, and never regretted it. But, we have always had lots of kids travelling with us, and we're hitting up some of the higher priced character dinners and entertainment. You don't really need the calculators... simple calculation: if at least half your party is in the 3-9 crowd and half or more of your TS meals are higher priced single point character dinners or entertainment, then the dining plan will about break even or even be a little better off for you money-wise.

In your case, you're just adults. And you probably won't be hitting up too many character meals. So I would not get it. However if you just like it because it's convenient, prepaid, etc, then there is no harm in getting it. Worst case you come out about 10% over on the spend. In other words it's not going to make or break your bank. With 2 meals we'd be ordering more appetizers and more alcoholic drinks and enjoying fewer sodas and desserts, so I'd not get it if I was in your shoes and going with just two adults.
 
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Unless the plan is free, it's not likely going to save you money. If you're not big into desserts, I'd say pay out of pocket.
The plan just prepays for your meals, so it's not often saving money.
Enjoy!
 


The current dining plan just changed where you can trade in your dessert for a side item or a snackish item which could be something simple like a soup with your sandwich.

Also, did you ask CM about a military discount for the dining plan? I could swear I thought there was a discount for that as well.

We are a military family and I did purchase the dining plan and using the military room discount. I like already having everything prepaid and not worrying about the cost of meals while there. We don't spend all minutes of trip in the parks and like to have a sit down every day and enjoy some of the nicer places.

Have you thought about purchasing the counter service meal plan instead of the traditional plan?
 
lovemygoofy said:
The current dining plan just changed where you can trade in your dessert for a side item or a snackish item which could be something simple like a soup with your sandwich.

Have you thought about purchasing the counter service meal plan instead of the traditional plan?
Click to expand...

But if I don't order the dining plan, I wouldn't have dessert or a side with my counter service meals, I might get an extra ice cream as a snack. If you wouldn't normally eat the extra side/dessert with a counter service meal then the dining plan always works out more expensive than paying OOP.


Personally I only paid for the dining plan once, the other two trips it was included (free) as part of the UK package. The time we paid for it we loved it as the plan was still a reasonable price and included tips and appetizers.
 
I haven't ever used the dining plan, but had the regular DDP included for our trip in March until this morning when I decided it just wasn't worth it. I'm traveling with my parents (both in their 70's), and my mother's appetite isn't all that big, plus my father is diabetic, so the amounts, times and types of foods he eats is not really conducive to trying to eat our money's worth on the dining plan. I don't like feeling like i *have* to order the most expensive items at the most expensive restaurants and get dessert (or a substitute salad, soup, or side) with those meals even if I'm not hungry enough for all of that, or else I'm wasting money. I'll still make a few ADRs for the TS meals we know we want (Via Napoli for sure, where we can eat pretty reasonably if we share a pizza and get the salad and even share a dessert or two), and the QS stuff we'll play by ear. If we're hungry, we'll eat! If not, we won't!

The dining plan has stressed me out since the day I added it to our vacation. Changing that this morning has been a breath of fresh air! Freedom! LOL!
 
We did it once and did not like it. We ended up spending $100 more than we would have without the plan!!! The reason it's always so appealing to us before every trip is just knowing our dining is already paid for. That being said, when it comes down to it, we never get it (except that one time).

I don't like the fact that I feel like I should be ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, or making character buffet dinner ADRs just to get the most of the DDP. Sometimes I just want the grilled chicken, not the 45 oz porter house!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
We got the DDP for free so it is saving us money but if we actually paid OOP for the dining plan, it probably wouldn't save us money. We don't order dessert at every meal - especially CS restaurants. I also usually only order water when we eat out (which is free). If you are doing buffets or character meals, it may save you some money though. I know we are saving about $30 per person for 4 different character breakfasts!
 
For two people it is never worth it for us and on vacation we eat dessert... A lot. This year we got fd so we paid oop for two dinner shows and pooled our TS credits to eat at signature restaurants.
 
The first couple of times we had it (2008-2010 timeframe) it seemed like a decent deal. Last trip in Jan 2014 crunched the numbers after we got back, and felt like we broke even at best. Since our daughter turned 10 this year, we were going to skip it until free dining worked out for our trip.
 
I would only get the dining plan if it was a "free" dining package. Otherwise it's not worth the cost and it's way too much food.
 
We just got back and had free dining (bounce back). My husband and I agreed it was way too much food. DH is a big eater too! We actually decided to forego the free dining bounce back offer and wait for a room discount instead. Still, if you want to do a lot of character meals, it might be worth it. I'm glad we did all of them for our daughters, but next time, we'll just book one or two TS and do CS for the rest of the trip.
 
I always go with my girlfriend (just us two) and we are always on the DP. It's a vacation, I rather just enjoy the fact that I don't have to keep count how much is in my wallet or the price on the menu. Only thing I count is for the Tips which comes out of my Disney Visa Reward Dollars :)
 
This June was the first time we went without the DDP. I cancelled it right before we left. We ended up saving money by not having the plan. We never told the kids no, and ordered what we wanted to eat, still indulged in dessert when we wanted it, and even had a few adult beverages. We did several character meals and other sit down dinners. DD & I did share a few entrees, but we normally do that at home.
 
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