Meal Plan not worth it anymore.

[TJA]

We have done regular DDP once and it was indeed a great value for us, but we also ate a TON more than we usually do. Next trip we did not to the DDP and brought our spending money and we spent about the same amount of money as the DDP cost, but we spent it in different ways. Like we skipped dessert and got appetizers instead.

Next trip we are trying the DxDDP because we want to have one signature meal and one character meal per day. I think it will work well for us, especially being that the appetizer is included and we can skip dessert and still feel like we got a value.

Taking a gift card to disney is a great idea as posted above. Another thing we personally do is having the disney visa, we transfer our points and take with us and use for our meals. Works in the same way as the gift card.

 

[goofy4tink]

wow I did not know prices changed for seasons!

That's relatively new. Just started doing it. Disney isn't stupid. They give us something reasonable. Then, once we all get 'hooked' on it, they start taking stuff away from it...no more appetizers for instance. Then, they raise the price, but take away the tip that was included. Then, they raise the number of credits needed for the Candlelight Processional...they gave free dining at this time of year for the first time so needed to prevent everyone from booking the CP dining pkg on free dining....instead of a restaurant being 1 credit it became 2 if you booked CP...and they raised the oop cost as well. But, they gave us preferred IllumiNations viewing.
Now..they've increased the daily cost for ddp, with it being higher during the busier times of year...summer vacation for instance. Rather than pay that increased price, we'll just change our dining habits. It may be time to start renting a car and buying food offsite.
Even the TiW card has changed...the cost has gone up when it got popular. It's enough to drive you nuts.

 

[kristenandrick]

This trip will be my first and probably last time using the DDP. The only reason I finally decided to get it is because we will be doing a lot of character dinners. I knew that if I had to pay $60+ for one meal for myself and DD13 my eyes would roll out of my head. When my husband and I went last Feb we shared apps and an entree OOP. WAAAAY more economical .

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Stitch2244314]

I don't think that Disney would offer a dining plan (or anything for that matter) that does not allow them to profit in some way.

I often hear people saying that the DDP is too much food-- but from what it looks like, it doesn't seem like it would be enough food for our family. You only get 1 Table Service Meal, 1 Counter Service Meal, and 1 Snack per day. Eliminate the snack because that's a bottle of water. For us, we really enjoy eating a good breakfast, so we would have to skip lunch in order for this dining plan to work out for us at all. Still, I think it's too much money.

We also priced out the DxDP, and while I do think that is a better value than the DDP, it's very expensive, and we would be pre-paying to eat at places that we would normally never eat at anyway. So at this point, we're thinking we're probably going to pay OOP like we always do. As 4 adults from DP standards, it just doesn't make sense for us.

Doesn't Disney realize that most people like to eat Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner? I guess they must and that's why you can only have three meals a day when you buy the deluxe plan.

 

[jordancej]

Not worth it anymore, and its just way too much food anyway. Did it back with appetizers and tip was included, and also when they didnt include them. I also found that I had alot more time on my hands, instead of running from one dining reservation to another. I usually bring snacks and eat one good meal at the parks each day, usually counter service.

 

[Lynne M]

Moving to the Dining Plan board....

 

[owenbyd]

Chiming in on our thoughts:

Family of 4 including 2 boys, one 5, one 7.

We are doing the QS dining plan. We don't plan to 'do' disney again for some time and we have been at a place in life where this trip is a celebration of where we are as a family and what we have accomplished. For us, trips revolve around food and the QS plan will allow us to be the 'fun' parents (allowing more snacks and going out to eat which rarely happens in the real world), pre-planning and some flexibility to add in a TS restaurant if desired. Plus, we got a great discount on our room and opted for the dining plan with a value resort vs. no dining plan if we went moderate.

Could we have saved money without it? oh yeah, more than likely. But this is how we choose to spend this vacation and I am so excited at the prospect of having it!

 

[TDC Nala]

I definitely agree with the OP, but I like quite a few restaurants that don't accept the plan, and I don't like being limited to entree and dessert when ordering. This outweighs any "convenince" prepaid meals might have for me.

 

[dessay13]

My DH and I went in 2008, and it was definitely a great value. But we have no kids, and LOVE food and look very forward to a nice sit-down experience when we have dinner. We do WDW like an adult luxury vacay, so we planned our schedule around eating in the best places with great wine, etc. We didn't opt for the Deluxe or wine included, just the basic TS DDP, and we were very happy. We felt it was a tad too much food, but not by much.

We did switch 2 fancy meals for 2 of our TS's (Narcoossie's was one of them, as I remember), and we felt that was worth it as well. I LOVE appetizers, though, so I'll have to sit down and crunch some numbers before we go in May again.

 

[TDC Nala]

I love food too. But I don't want to have to worry about using credits on the deluxe plan (too many credits) and I want the option of ordering two appetizers and no entree if that's what I want. Plus, I like some of the restaurants that don't take the plan at all (including a lot of what I think are the best places - Victoria & Albert's, Bistro de Paris, La Cava del Tequila, Bluezoo, House of Blues, Wolfgang Puck Upstairs and I want to try Il Mulino - I'd never try it if I were on the plan) and I don't want to write those off on my trips.

 

[OhThePain]

I will be using this for the second time on my upcoming trip. There really isn't too much financial benefit to using it. I worked the numbers last night. If everything works out as I figured, for a 9 day, 8 night trip, I think I'm saving $6 a day per person, which in reality is not that much. I just like not having to think about paying for those meals.

 

[MagicalKingdom]

Basically, they're only worth it if you eat a lot and if you were going to have the bulk of your meals in the parks anyway. Note that the pricier plans include sit-down meals that'll take up a lot of time. Time that might be better spent on riding rides and enjoying laser shows.

 

[JustAGirl]

Even if it isnt worth it money wise i still like the fact of having all my meals covered and payed for as soon as i get there. I only got the QSDP but I feel great comfort in having it and knowing that even if i spent all my money we can still eat twice a day and have snacks

 

[GOOFYsince71]

Basically, they're only worth it if you eat a lot and if you were going to have the bulk of your meals in the parks anyway. Note that the pricier plans include sit-down meals that'll take up a lot of time. Time that might be better spent on riding rides and enjoying laser shows.

Very good point...A LOT of time is spent getting TO these reservations, especially if they are at another Resort...sometimes it would take an hour to get there, another 2 hours to complete the meal and another hour to get back to your resort or the park you were at. After doing the "dining" many times,,the next trip is going to be...footloose and fancy free,,,eat where I want when I want and be done!!!

 

[jelyfi]

It is not worth if for us anymore because we have a 10 year old and he is considered an adult. He wont eat off of the adult menu so why should I pay over $40 a day for him when he wants the $5-$7 kids meal. My daughter also does not eat a lot so her and I share so it works out better for us to pay out of pocket. I don't look at prices we eat what we want and it is still cheaper for us.

We are heading to Disney in May and I'm trying to figure out whether it's worth it to get the meal plan. Doing the math, it looks like we're getting charged $95.96 per day for the meal plan for a family of four (two adults, DS7 and DD5). That's only $23.99 per person per day. Can that be right? It seems everyone here is quoting around $40 per person per day....


Also, I know gratuity is no longer included, but tax is, right? So our only OOP will be gratuity?

 

[Cassie Dean]

The plan is less expensive for your children than it is for adults. We have done the dinning plan the past two years for our family of five. (2 adults, one junior who is considered an adult and 2 children) It seems to work well for us. We do alot of meals in the parks and most of them have characters, so for us the meal plan is the way to go. Although I can understand the points that others are making about wanting to go to restaurants that don't accept the plan, etc...I think alot of it is personal preference.
We always have some quick service meals left over on our last day because some of the meals are so large that we split them...so we always hit the quick service restaurant in our hotel before we go to the airport. That way the kids have something to munch on while we are sitting in the airport waiting for our flight and we don't have to pay airport prices...lol
Good luck and have a great trip!

We are heading to Disney in May and I'm trying to figure out whether it's worth it to get the meal plan. Doing the math, it looks like we're getting charged $95.96 per day for the meal plan for a family of four (two adults, DS7 and DD5). That's only $23.99 per person per day. Can that be right? It seems everyone here is quoting around $40 per person per day....


Also, I know gratuity is no longer included, but tax is, right? So our only OOP will be gratuity?

 

[Cassie Dean]

For the standard dining plan...one quick service, one table service and one snack a day
$41.99 for adults
$11.99 for kids

We normally dont eat breakfast, but I pack granola bars and poptarts in our suitcase to have in the room in case anyone wants something. I also bring fruit snacks and some other type of individually wrapped snacks to put in the kids backpacks for in the parks during the day if they want something. Other than that we eat in the parks or at the resorts...

Hope that helps...

 

[DisGirl23]

It's worth it to us. We eat 3 meals a day at home so we would eat 2 meals a day on vacation. We like to have a TS meal each day to get out of the chaos for a little while. When we dine at another resort, I've made the reservation for a day we weren't going to be at a park, that way we could get there without rushing and enjoy that resort for a little bit. And we usually had the desserts with that meal.
At he QS meals, we were able to get something packaged like a cookie or carrot sticks that we could snack on later. And the snack credits we didn't have a problem using. Even if it was just for a bottle of water or soda. But I liked using them for the Dole Whips best! Yum!
We liked not having to worry about what to order. And we tried restaurants that we may not have otherwise.

 

[jenseib]

I find that for us, we like the time it takes out of the day. It gives us a break and offers a different scene. It give DD a chance to rest too. It works for us now, but who knows what we'll think in the future.

 

[TDC Nala]

We are heading to Disney in May and I'm trying to figure out whether it's worth it to get the meal plan. Doing the math, it looks like we're getting charged $95.96 per day for the meal plan for a family of four (two adults, DS7 and DD5). That's only $23.99 per person per day. Can that be right? It seems everyone here is quoting around $40 per person per day....


Also, I know gratuity is no longer included, but tax is, right? So our only OOP will be gratuity?

That isn't right. Two adults and two children on the basic plan in May will be $107.96 per night of your resort stay. I think you left off one of the children on your calculation.

This is based on adult plan $41.99 per night, child plan $11.99 per night.