Advantages of NOT doing Disney Dining

[DizBub]

Please don't forget about the DVC discounts. They are mostly 10% but there are a few 20% ones. House of Blues for instance, NOT on the DDP. We had an awesome dinner there.
We really like to have a sit down breakfast some days, a huge waste of a TS on the DDP. Olivia's at OKW and Grand Floridian Cafe gave us 10% discounts. Many restaurants at Dolphin/Swan offer 20% off.

There are other options other than DDP. Too much food and becoming pretty expensive with the price hike next year. Plus we already have more refillable mugs than we will ever use.

I guess we are officially OVER the DDP.

 

[Wedgeh]

How about 1) keeping more dollars in your wallet and 2) not gaining 5 pounds while on vacation.

Seriously, who needs two desserts per day for a week straight?!?!

Me! And coming from the UK you can make that 2 weeks

 

[WDWMom]

We just don't eat that much food. Don't like being on the clock also.

Exactly! I would gain too much weight and not feel well if I ate all the food that was offered.

 

[TravelingJen24]

We have never done DDP before, but are taking a shot at it this time. We are going with to other families and will be having a few sit down meals with them. We made a collective decision to all get the DDP. This was so no one would feel ackward when the bill came. Our family has a tendancy to say you get this one we'll get the next. This should make it easier.

With the prices changing in January for kids, this seemed like a better deal. We use our kitchen a lot when we typically go, but I didn't want to hassle with groceries and cooking this time around. My life is so busy typically and I want to just go and not worry about the cost of groceries, issues with meals, etc. I am hoping it is a good choice for everyone.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[TDC Nala]

I assume you mean using the Disney Dining Plan.

If you are not on the Disney Dining Plan, you have the option to order what you want. Appetizers? Go get 'em. Don't want dessert? Don't order it. Don't feel like eating that big table service meal you wanted? You can skip it (keep an eye out regarding credit card guarantees for restaurant reservations though) and you don't have that dining credit left over. Kids don't like the kids' meals? You can order them whatever they want. Want to try Il Mulino or Bistro de Paris or some other restaurant that doesn't take DDP? You can! Not hungry for snacks? You don't have to stock up on stuff to bring home at the food court so you don't waste those snack credits.

 

[2binak]

We used the DDP on this last trip, but only because we had some expensive meals planned & we had an entire extra day on property after check-out (6pm flight home) in case we missed an ADR, we could make it up that day.

We usually don't get the DDP because we like the flexibility of hopping from park to park on a whim and we don't like the pressure of having to make every ADR or lose money. If someone's not feeling well, we don't want to feel forced to sit down for a meal. Also, it's alot of food and really cut into our ability to truly enjoy F&W Fest .

This was a 1-time thing for us. We won't be using the DDP again.

 

[lisaviolet]

Funny story.

About a week or two after using the DDP at WDW - I was ordering dinner here. And the internet page did a pop up and suggested a dessert. I actually felt sick to my stomach. Instantly. It was cheesecake. I LOVE cheesecake. Adore it. And I went "what?" "why?" ""why is this happening?".

Oh yeah that DDP isn't quite out of my system yet. The ramifications are lingering. I need to give it another week or two.

And despite using many fruit choices as snack options I refer to my time on it as my *stoned on cupcakes* holiday.

 

[get_us_to_WDW]

We have always been a group that favored DDP for the convenience it offered a large group. But, after several years of doing DDP with our large group of 12 we have decided against it for 2012. In fact, of our 9 nights in WDW we have only planned 4 group "sit down" dinners. None of these are buffets because paying $$$ oop at buffets for small children who eat very little seems like a waste - so we're dining at Tutto, O'hana (special occasion and price is not as bad as most buffets), Le Cellier and Chefs De France - where the adults can eat as they want, kids can get a meal for around $10 (1/2 of buffet prices) and we can use TIW.

What really excites me about this plan is that our normal routine in warm weather is to tour parks in the AM and then come home once we've had enough and hit the pool - usually by late afternoon. It will be sooooo nice to be at the pool at 4:30pm and not need to leave to go get showered and rush to a 6:00pm ADR! Several nights of wide-open freedom! Grab a hot dog at Hurricane Hanna's and keep swimming! Head back to the parks later in the evening - OR NOT!

We always have groceries delivered to the room for breakfast items and snacks, so this year we will likely order some lunch-meats or other casual dinner foods.

Definitely looking forward to the freedom, less spending and not feeling so stuffed from so much DDP food!!

 

[jekjones1558]

I am on vacation. I do NOT want to be tied to an eating schedule. I do NOT want to predict 6 months ahead of time when I will be ready for dinner and what I will be hungry for and where I will actually be located at dinner time. I don't give a rip about the cost. I want to eat on MY terms. DDP does not allow for that.

 

[Serkazong]

How about 1) keeping more dollars in your wallet and 2) not gaining 5 pounds while on vacation.

Seriously, who needs two desserts per day for a week straight?!?!

Me! And coming from the UK you can make that 2 weeks

Me too! Well, not need, but since when is eating at disney about what you need?

 

[huey duey & luey]

We just don't eat that much food. Don't like being on the clock also.

we did the DDP for the first time this past trip, and this is why we won't be doing it again. We were ledt with so many extra snack credits and a few counter service. Just not right for us, I am glad I tried to while my kids were still "kids", to see for myself

 

[TSMMANIAC]

My husband and I did the dining plan in 06. At that time it was only ~30$ and included appetizer, entre, dessert and tip. we had 5 reservations at table service restaurants in 5 days. By the end of the trip we felt like all we had done is eat and plan every day around a reservation. I would never do it again!

Since then we have done a counter service meal plan and it worked out much better. Just don't really feel it has much value these days. Food isn't great at the WDW. If we could still segment I would try it again.

 

[dvcforme1993]

i have never seen the benefits of the dining plan. i have, though, seen the adverse effects on food quality at disney and. i suspect, obesity. in september i was at vwl for a week, trying to lose at least 10 pounds for a month or so (now down about five)...i was extremely conscious of the overweight folks, many of whom were handing in coupons at RF. i even remarked to my sister: "if you want to feel 'thin," make a trip to disney." i didn't gain weight on my trip, but didn't lose any either. about the best you can hope for on vacation. i expect that most adults on the dining plan gained 4-5 pounds during their week's visit, eating lots of less-than nutritous food "tastied up" with lots of fat and sugar.

schedules to eat? give me a break. i would hate that.

 

[Doug7856]

We did the dinning plan twice -- paid for it once and got it free once. My kids hated it and now that my oldest is turning 10, I can't see getting it again. He still eats like a kid. My son felt that it was a terrible use of time when he could be riding the attractions LOL.

We limit ourselves to a few table service meals, eat in our villa a few times and have a great time! I agree that food quality has diminished and a sameness has spread through many of the restaurants. I don't find the quality poor, just not worth what Disney is asking me to pay. Prices are inflated so everyone can feel that are getting a great deal on the dining plan.

The dining plan is all about marketing and a way for Disney to compete with cruising.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We find the dining plan to cost too much for us and require us to eat differntly than we want to. We NEVER do counter service, and we found we only used the table service options and snack options, so it was not a good value for us. On top of that, once they took away the option of choosing dessert or appetizer, we nixed it completely. We did a cost comparison for two trips...one using DDP and one without. We spent several hundred dollars more with the DDP than we would just eating the way we prefer. Our preference is one table service a day plus a snack. With the TIW card we always come out ahead over what it would cost to do the DDP, and we don't feel like we are "leaving food on the table" so to speak.

Now, beyond that...I HATE what the DDP has done to the quality of WDW dining. It used to be a special place to find special menus. That's not true anymore.

 

[otterpop]

I'm going to go against the majority on this one...with two under 9 kids, the DDP works out great for us. We have a light breakfast in the room, QS for lunch, and a TS for dinner. My kids love the character meals and there is always a good variety of food, so there is always something for everyone. I agree that it is a ton of food, but we probably lose weight for the duration of the trip, rather than gain, because we are always on the go (and my family is all average weight or even under weight). We plan our meals at the times when we know we all need to take a break and re-energize. I agree with others, that I could probably do without the QS desserts and we generally have a few snack credits left, but it all gets put to use and makes for great snacks for the plane trip home. I have calculated the cost every time, and we always come out ahead versus paying out of pocket. Many people will say that it might be saving you money, but would you have spent (and ate) that much if you were not on the plan and paying out of pocket? My answer is probably no, but then we aren't at Disney every day of the year either. It's all part of being on vacation and it works for us.

The nice thing about the the DP's is that you know how much they cost and you know your dining habits, so you can easily sit down and figure out if they are right for you.

Now once my kids turn 10 (or is it 9?), then it will be a different story. I will probable pay out of pocket at that point.

 

[Doug7856]

I'm going to go against the majority on this one...with two under 9 kids, the DDP works out great for us. . .

I agree. I believe that the children's price of the DDP makes it a deal for a family if you eat at buffet locations. If I'm not mistaken, the children's price per night is less than one character meal. It becomes less valuable at non buffets for families in my opinion. The last time we were on the DDP, my son complained about the sameness of the children's options at the non character meal restaurants and especially the counter service restaurants.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I totally agree with OP. DDP was nice for our first 2 trips, we tried a lot of buffets/restaurants, but I would rather be able to order what i want, not waste dessert that I don't eat and not feel like I'm losing money if I eat 2 CS in a day and not any TS.

 

[allshookup]

ITA with the majority of posters. We have also done both & made the comparison & since we tend to have pastries for breakfast in the room for breakfast, eat 1 sit down meal per day (sometimes we share a dessert) & the other meal usually consists of a light snack, so the DDP is just too much food for us & not a value.

That being said, DH & I are going on our first adults only weekend in January & have decided to do the deluxe plan since we don't really plan on doing the parks except wining & dining through Epcot. We also plan to do a couple of signature meals which require 2 credits, that means we still won't be eating 3 sit down meals per day.

So I don't think the DDP is a savings when we take the kids or stay for more than a couple of days, but OTOH I will utilize the plan if it's just an adult weekend. I just really wish Disney would go back to more variety & quality in their menus & get rid of those stupid wheat buns.

 

[Disney Spaz]

Add us to the won't do it again group. We had Free dining this past May and all agreed it was not something we wanted to do again. Like most we planned our days around TS meals and that made for some unhappy people on several days. The only real positive was it got us to try a few restaruants we had never tried before. But of all the restaruants only 1 we agreed to do again. Either way we much prefer using the kitchen to make food at least a few times.