Dining Plan Wasn't Worth It For Me!

[sunny_stace]

Hello lovely Disers!

This was the first year I've gone to Disney without a free dining offer on my reservation and so I decided that it would be an interesting study to see if it worked out in my favour in the end. Through the trip I kept track of what we ate. We've been back for nearly 2 weeks now but only just got around to doing my final totals last night! For our group of 2: it wasn't worth it! It was however very close! We lost out by $26.40! AND it was because of me and my eating habits! Here's the breakdown:

This tally is for two grown women. Our family's friend and I were roomates for the week and so we shared our reservation and plan credits. She hadn't been to WDW in over 20 years (making her about 10 on her last visit) and so we guided her through the week and I was the weirdo who made her keep all of her receipts! We used the regular Disney Dining Plan for 6 nights (12 TS, QS, and SNK credits to use!)
**One thing I didn't include in the tally was the (6+ people) automatic 18% gratuity at TS restaurants as it didn't reflect just the 2 of us. Because we were seated as a party of 7-10 people the cost was added no matter what - except at Raglan Road where we were broken down and considered parties of 2, 3 and 2 regardless of the fact that we all sat together! My opinion on this obligatory percentage isn't a great one for the most part**

Total Cost of the dining plan - $720.48
Total spent on food by us - $694.08 (-$26.40)
Dining plan cost for each person - $381.85
Total spent by her - $379.49 (-$2.36)
Total spent by me - $314.59 (-$67.26)

If anyone would like the complete breakdown of exactly what we ate I can give you that as well, but here are my overall observations:

- Priciest TS Meal - $96 (for the 2 of us) at Akershus (lunch - probably the most disappointing foodwise), followed closely by $95.64 (also for the 2 of us) at Portobello Italian Country Tratorria (dinner - also the favourite of most adults on the trip!)
-Priciest QS Meal - $23.91 (for 1) at Wolfgang Puck Express (dinner - she had the pizza and claimed it was some of the best she had ever had!)
-Priciest Snack - $5.79 for a gigantic frap drink (I can't remember exactly what she had) my friend got at Starbucks at Disney Springs as we were leaving.
- The DDP is very convenient! Knowing that it was already paid for and just tapping a magic band was pretty awesome!
- It was fairly warm while we were there (mid to high 80's daily) and none of us really wanted much of a heavy meal. We also were there with 3 small kids for most meals so sitting and spending time savouring a dish was out and scarfing down your food makes me feel kinda gross so I didn't want to keep eating all day long!
- I wouldn't likely order a full entree and dessert at every meal for a week if it weren't part of the DDP! I enjoy food but don't often have a large appetite and so if I weren't on the DDP, I would have ordered differently. Our friend was in agreement there as well. I felt bad about all of the food I was ordering and not finishing (whereas when I got the plan for free this guilt didn't seem so bad!)
- We had a ton of credits left on the last day (3 QS and 6 SNK) and we used them up on things we didn't really need or want. We ate more on the day we left than any other day!! If we hadn't had all of those left, we likely would have maximized our credits a little more)
-Snack options have really expanded and that was great for choosing things besides a standard Mickey ice cream bar or popcorn (which are awesome! But it's nice to be able to expand on that a bit!)
- I am a picky eater and often find myself ordering from the kids' menu or asking for an adult sized serving of a kids choice. These are not very pricey as a rule and don't maximize value. My friend who ordered more pricey entrees (i.e. steak or elaborate pastas, etc) at TS meals still didn't quite make it to the full cost either!
- I didn't track their costs, but the family of five (2 adults, 3 kids) we traveled and mostly dined with seemed to benefit more from the plan.
- Not always eating together made it tricky to keep track of credits. When I have traveled with the DDP before, it's been with everyone eating together for every meal, every day and so credits are easier to track. This is the first time I have wound up with more than 1 snack credit left and I had never been over on QS credits before!

In the end, we may not have spent as wisely as we could have, but we had an awesome trip and can't wait to go back!

 

[loves to dive]

I stopped getting it years ago. I go for the discount room rate now. I don't eat much, mostly kids meals for breakfast and lunch, rarely snack between meals but do eat TS most nights. I'd rather have an app. and a salad with a dessert maybe, then a meal. And I drink an adult beverage with most of my TS meals. We discovered we didn't like having to be tied down to eating a certain way, there were just days we wanted to snack around the world at Epcot instead of sitting down and eating.

 

[havoc315]

What's notable... is that you would have lost out by $26, and that was with ordering things you wouldn't have otherwise ordered. As you said, you had to "burn" credits on the last day, and you also wouldn't have ordered so many desserts. So take out that stuff, and your OOP expenses would have been even less.

 

[sharonabe]

Your math doesn't "add up." If total cost of the DDP is $720.48 and price per person is $381.85, one of those is wrong.
The same goes for what you lost. If the total loss is $26.40, and the two separate losses are $2.36 and $67.26, then something is wrong there as well.

Please recheck/redo and let us know.

 

[DiannaVM]

Honestly, I found the DDP to be both freeing and binding. On the plus side, it gave me the freedom to get snacks at the parks that I usually wouldn't have done if I had to pay out of pocket (Besides that, we are not the type to want to stop during the day to get a snack. We usually pack our own to eat on the go). What I also liked was that I was able to use left over snack credits to buy stuff to bring back for persons I probably wouldn't have brought anything back for because its so expensive (like my Sunday School kids). However, in hindsight this didn't save me anything because if I had no extra credits I wouldn't be buying them in the first place.

What I didn't like is the same as some of PPs. I am not a person who usually (try ever) eats dessert right after my meal. I don't even think of ordering because I know I won't be eating it right then and there. This is made worse at Disney, because when we are done with our meal we are more concerned with what's next on our agenda to tackle. Most Disney desserts are delicious, but DH and I found ourselves mostly taking them back to the hotel to eat later, and then ended up not being eaten at all. It was a shame really, and obviously this didn't save me anymore money than if I had paid out of pocket because I wouldn't have gotten any dessert to begin with. The prospect seemed great (again lots of great dessert choices!) but it wasn't as such in execution. If I were paying out of pocket I wouldn't order dessert every time, and if I had we probably wouldve gotten just one to share.

 

[Hopefully]

I stopped getting it years ago. I go for the discount room rate now. I don't eat much, mostly kids meals for breakfast and lunch, rarely snack between meals but do eat TS most nights. I'd rather have an app. and a salad with a dessert maybe, then a meal. And I drink an adult beverage with most of my TS meals. We discovered we didn't like having to be tied down to eating a certain way, there were just days we wanted to snack around the world at Epcot instead of sitting down and eating.

We are a party of 3 adult Disney veterans. We are DVC owners so a room only discount doesn't apply as we stay on points. The basic DDP reflects how we usually do eat. We have a QS lunch & TS dinner each day. DH & DS do eat a dessert at each meal. I don't & often prefer an appetizers, but if I did I ordered it. I like the pre pay element. We do save a bit and the. DDP works for us

 

[Murphoid Mouse]

For me the main value of the dining plan is to know how much you are spending in advance. You lost out on 25 bucks. What value would you place on knowing that you didn't have to worry about going over budget on food? Me, I'd say a lot more than 25 bucks.

 

[Nancyg56]

For me the main value of the dining plan is to know how much you are spending in advance. You lost out on 25 bucks. What value would you place on knowing that you didn't have to worry about going over budget on food? Me, I'd say a lot more than 25 bucks.

This is the way we look at it. We also seem to order a little more freely when we use the plan, and that too is worth it for my family. I cannot help looking at prices on a menu, and while I might not if we were just having a meal out, I would after a few days on vacation. Last year I went without the DDP and I felt like I was bleeding money at every restaurant. I could not buy the plan that trip, but never again! Prepaid from now on!

 

[BudgieMama]

My DH would never have agreed to our first trip if it wasn't for the free dining offer. Being able to look at the cost as pretty much all-inclusive (minus tips and souvenirs) was very freeing, and meant we didn't worry at all whilst we were there, because everything was paid for. We paid attention to meal costs (so we knew what we would be tipping) but we didn't worry at all, and we did lots of character meals that we simply wouldn't have paid for out of pocket. We didn't spend time trying to maximise our credits, we just ate what we wanted and enjoyed it.

I recognise that getting the DDP is VERY subjective. For us it was definitely less about money and more about feeling we had an all-inclusive holiday! (We've never done all-inclusive on any other holiday, and we always stress about what we're spending on meals, so it was a real joy!) But I can completely understand others not finding the worth in that and choosing differently to us!

 

[Nancyg56]

My DH would never have agreed to our first trip if it wasn't for the free dining offer. Being able to look at the cost as pretty much all-inclusive (minus tips and souvenirs) was very freeing, and meant we didn't worry at all whilst we were there, because everything was paid for. We paid attention to meal costs (so we knew what we would be tipping) but we didn't worry at all, and we did lots of character meals that we simply wouldn't have paid for out of pocket. We didn't spend time trying to maximise our credits, we just ate what we wanted and enjoyed it.

I recognise that getting the DDP is VERY subjective. For us it was definitely less about money and more about feeling we had an all-inclusive holiday! (We've never done all-inclusive on any other holiday, and we always stress about what we're spending on meals, so it was a real joy!) But I can completely understand others not finding the worth in that and choosing differently to us!

The DDP used to be pretty much a no brainer decsion, but no longer. For us, it is still almost a mandatory purchase for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is my inability to stop looking at menu prices. I think that the next trip we take that we have 2 rooms and my DH, we will need to add the DxDDP for our room. The last time he was with us he was so frazzled by what he "could" order and what he "could not" order that even I was frazzled. ALso, even though we had booked CL at the Beach Club so I did not book too many OOP breakfasts, he was hungry for a "real" breakfast. After our test run, I know we will break even if I book TS breakfasts once in a while and he can then order all the Appetizers he wants. I have to say that for a man who insists on making sure we all have everything we want, I was surprised that he was trying to stay within the confines of a plan but telling the rest of us to just order! LOL!

 

[sharonabe]

For me the main value of the dining plan is to know how much you are spending in advance. You lost out on 25 bucks. What value would you place on knowing that you didn't have to worry about going over budget on food? Me, I'd say a lot more than 25 bucks.

Only problem here is OP's math. If you look at the breakdown, the math doesn't add up, and there is a possibility she lost $70. That's enough for another character breakfast for both of them or it would have paid almost all their tips for the same price that they paid for the DDP.

 

[tikkipoo]

Thanks OP! Great report and helpful to a lot of people I am sure. I know prepaying for meals is a lot better for me and my family.

 

[scrappinmom1]

I think I read your entire post but may have missed if you mentioned the refillable mug. I took that in to account as well when figuring out if the dining plan would be worth it for us. Our trip is in early December so I have to wait until then to see how it works out. We are a party of 4- 3 adults and 1 child. I know we will come out ahead on the child's plan and I think it will be close on the adults- hoping it will average out in the end.

Christine

 

[jeepwreck]

For me the main value of the dining plan is to know how much you are spending in advance. You lost out on 25 bucks. What value would you place on knowing that you didn't have to worry about going over budget on food? Me, I'd say a lot more than 25 bucks.

same with us we always get the DP this is the first year we were able to get free DP with our booking

I just like knowing that I don't have to worry about budgets or anything I can eat what ever I want and were ever I want. We usually get the deluxe plan so we have more eating options. its more of a vacation for us with out worrying about anything. everything is paid for in advance and all you have to think about is tipping.

our trip coming up in 4 days there are 8 people going all with the dining plan so I don't have to worry about who spend what and where its just more freedom for us

I know the DP is not for everyone and I am not sure if it was worth it in the past or not I don't keep track. but we always get and will probably get it next trip too

 

[amylock]

For 3 of us over 8 days, we are doing the QSDP. My 23 year old son is with us and it just makes things easier. We are DVC members and don't do many TS restaurants anymore - I just don't want to bother with reservations and such. This works for the way we eat, and with the new QS swaps, it's even better (I'm likely to take soup or a salad rather than dessert).

I also purchased the plan with getting some savings on Disney gift cards - $75 from cashing in points and $20 off of a $100 gift card, plus the rest purchased with my target red card with 5% off. This makes it effectively $36.10 each per day. We will, at the very least, break even likely come out ahead. I thought about just keeping it all on the gift card and paying as we go, but I like the idea of not worrying about it! Maybe I will do like the OP and keep a tally of receipts and post back.

OP - thanks for the analysis! I know that the regular plan wouldn't work for us at all.

 

[sharonabe]

This works for the way we eat, and with the new QS swaps, it's even better (I'm likely to take soup or a salad rather than dessert).

You cannot get soup or salad at a QS place in exchange for your dessert unless that establishment has a soup or salad that is a SNACK credit. There are a few places that do, but you'll need to do some research. Most snack credit items at QS locations are other drinks or desserts or fries.

 

[amylock]

You cannot get soup or salad at a QS place in exchange for your dessert unless that establishment has a soup or salad that is a SNACK credit. There are a few places that do, but you'll need to do some research. Most snack credit items at QS locations are other drinks or desserts or fries.

I've researched it and followed the confirmed snacks-swap thread. Boardwalk bakery has a soup and a salad now that are snack credits, Pecos Bill's soup is a snack credit, can swap soup for the dessert at BOG, etc. I'm not planning on doing this at EVERY location - it is vacation after all. I just don't want to end up with the Disney chocolate or carrot cake at every location. The CHH cobbler, however, is always a good dessert! If I absolutely don't want dessert and there is no substitute, I'll have to take a bottle of water. I have a feeling, though, that my son and my husband will gladly take a dessert off my hands...

 

[MiramarQE]

Great post - parallels what we've seen over 3 week-long trips we've made in the past - ACTUAL cost of the food was always less (in our case it averaged something like $85) - and we didn't waste ANY time wondering "how many snacks do I have left" (can't tell you how much time it seems is wasted behind someone at Boatwright's trying to figure out if what they have on their tray is covered by what's left in their dining plan)

 

[WIcruizer]

We've done it both ways many times, and give or take $50 or so it's about the same. (Don't know for sure, I have never crunched the numbers.) What we like about is that it "forces" us to have TS every night. Something we never do if we're not on the DP.

 

[nicolej92]

I went once with my family and twice with my friends. When I went with my friend, we opted for the dining plan. We didn't get the dining plan because we were expecting to save money on it. We got it for the convenience of having everything prepaid. I loved not having to factor the costs of meals into our "saving" money... it just made everything so much easier. When I go back in 2018, I am definitely doing dining again!