Picking the right dining plan

[kidneymomma]

How to pick the right dining plan???? This part of planning the trip gives me a headache every time I try to think about it. I guess it all comes down to weather or not I can a resi at CRT because that will use 2 table credits. If I am able to get that resi would it make more sense to get the Deluxe Dining plan? I know for Table Service meals I want to try to get Resi at the following places:

• Chef Mickey's
• Fantasmic Hollywood & Vine
  
• Be Our Guest
• Princess Meal (preferably CRT if not 1900 Park Fare)

And was even considering the Crystal Palace. But if I get the above mentioned table service meals I wouldn't have a credit for it. Would it be better to pay out of pocket for the other meals or go to the next level up dining plan? I guess it all depends on if I am able to get a resi at CRT since that uses 2 credits.

 

[supersnoop]

www.distripplanner.com

 

[Jnbm63]

www.distripplanner.com

Yes! I love this dining calculator! It really helped me decide with my dining.

 

[aretha30]

www.distripplanner.com

This helped me help my DH see that paying OOP was the way to go for us the last trip! We saved hundreds. We are doing it again this trip as well. We bought Disney gift cards at Target (so everything was still prepaid) saved 5% and didn't waste food or money!

 

[Nancyg56]

On the last family trip I was f=going to bump us up to teh DxDDP becasue we had a few additional meals planned, and usually order appetizers to share. My DD did a little quick calculation of how much more the upgrade would cost over the length of out stay (It was 10 nights) and then apx. how much those meals and appetizers would cost. For us, because we had our plan in place already, we knew about how much extra the meals would cost and how much a few apps to share would be, it was easy to determine the DxDDp would not be a great idea. In retrospect, because my DH wanted breakfast every day, and was totally confused about what he could order (get what you want, everything but the appetizer is included, and we will just pay for that LOL) we probably should just have upgraded, schedule a few more breakfasts and called it a day.

 

[Disney_Dogs_Rule]

Definitely depends on the CS/TS places and what you prefer to eat.

I wasn't going to use the DP but then realized that I had split stays. So I can get the dining plan, use it for my more expensive meals and save over $100 but when I was calculating it up "all together, entire stay" I was not saving anything.

Please note when I talk about savings for me, I am a little different.

I don't eat the desserts and I rarely drink sodas, so I was able to leave those out with my price comparison.

If I get Minnie's Holiday and Dine reservation, I am planning on the Deluxe for my first night being I will have that, BOG, and CP and that was around $100 savings.

 

[Nancyg56]

Definitely depends on the CS/TS places and what you prefer to eat.

I wasn't going to use the DP but then realized that I had split stays. So I can get the dining plan, use it for my more expensive meals and save over $100 but when I was calculating it up "all together, entire stay" I was not saving anything.

Please note when I talk about savings for me, I am a little different.

I don't eat the desserts and I rarely drink sodas, so I was able to leave those out with my price comparison.

If I get Minnie's Holiday and Dine reservation, I am planning on the Deluxe for my first night being I will have that, BOG, and CP and that was around $100 savings.

I think that knowing where you want to eat, and then understanding what the family will most likely order is the key. Mine likes desserts and has a beverage with meals. We don't indulge in desserts after every meal at home, but on vacation we generally will, so that factors into our decision. I think that if folks plan on teh DDP, and then try to make it work for them is when there are problems, this is nto the slam dunk it used to be when deciding cost vs value

 

[FancyNancy]

For my family we go on our appetites. I have done the QS once and the TS three times. The last trip we did on TS we discovered that we just can't eat that much food anymore and don't want to have to drop everything to get to a reservation on time. We figured out that for us QS is the way to go.

 

[Nancyg56]

For my family we go on our appetites. I have done the QS once and the TS three times. The last trip we did on TS we discovered that we just can't eat that much food anymore and don't want to have to drop everything to get to a reservation on time. We figured out that for us QS is the way to go.

Exactly! Even as we read all the replies, it is so clear that there is no one solid answer to "is the DDP worth it?" Every family has individual dining habits, and even those change depending on the Season or activities planned. Research and a little preplanning can help so much in making an informed choice.

 

[dkrauss]

In Sept we did the Deluxe Dining Plan..........and it had its positives and negatives. A positive was not having to carry so much money or use credit cards as often. The process, especially with the Magic Bands was very easy. We broke even on the cost. I'm calling that a positive, some others may not. We also really liked the mugs.........especially when my wife forgot hers at Chef Mickeys early in the trip and we were able to get a replacement easy peasy

On the negative side (I hate the word negative because it really isn't appropriate to anyone else but us)...........by our last day we were stuffed.......its alot of food! . We didn't use all of the snack credits........... The Deluxe plan requires TS meals which puts you in restaurants or rushing to them alot of the time...........instead of touring. Finally........We broke even on the cost.........Yeah its a negative also. Two 50+ adults just couldn't eat enough to make it a money saving proposition As I said before others may not agree with me.

You really need to do the math based on your dining plan to determine if you'll actually benefit............or get FREE Dining

Doug

 

[kidneymomma]

Purchasing Disney GC is a great idea as well. We are not going until after Christmas. Family usually purchase some GC for us. I guess I could mention Disney gift cards would be preferable. We've stayed off property before and not had dining and I like the ease of the dining plan but having already purchased gift cards makes sense too. I prices the DDP and the cost of it would be roughly $750 the deluxe plan over $1000 I can't see that we would justify eating that much more food even if we get a CRT resi and need to pay for one meal out of pocket.

 

[JennyDrake]

The Deluxe Dining plan is a LOT of food and a LOT of time spent Getting to/from dining and dining. If you go often enough that it isn't a big deal to have a trip where you do fewer attractions, it is a good option if you like LOTS of food.

For ME an oft solo traveler wo kids, OOP is best for me as I don't want/need even one TS per day.

 

[JZCubed]

How to pick the right dining plan???? This part of planning the trip gives me a headache every time I try to think about it. I guess it all comes down to weather or not I can a resi at CRT because that will use 2 table credits. If I am able to get that resi would it make more sense to get the Deluxe Dining plan? I know for Table Service meals I want to try to get Resi at the following places:

• Chef Mickey's
• Fantasmic Hollywood & Vine
  
• Be Our Guest
• Princess Meal (preferably CRT if not 1900 Park Fare)

And was even considering the Crystal Palace. But if I get the above mentioned table service meals I wouldn't have a credit for it. Would it be better to pay out of pocket for the other meals or go to the next level up dining plan? I guess it all depends on if I am able to get a resi at CRT since that uses 2 credits.

Since three of the four are price fixe - you'll likely lose money using the DxDP.

 

[B-Ride]

As someone who runs out of appetite with the regular DP I can't imagine the deluxe DP. I would suggest paying OOP for a lunch and using a QS for dinner one night (WPE makes an excellent dinner on QS).