Any advice on whether to do dining plan?

[Disneymom2266]

My family has been to WDW several times but we have never done the dining plan. Can anyone tell me if it is truly worth it? Is it too much food? We also stay onsite and sometimes do snacks in our kitchenette or go off property to eat. I have been wondering about the plan and any pros/cons would be helpful.

 

[Faldred]

It's a very subjective question with a very subjective answer, I'm sorry to say.

What it boils down to is, how do you want to spend the dining portion of your vacation? If you're going to (or at least want to) do a sit-down meal pretty much every day, then basic DDP might be a good fit. If you like counter service meals, then the QSDP might work. If dining is a big part of your trip, DxDP is an option.

As for the "amount of food", no one is forcing you to order everything you're entitled to. Skip the dessert f you like (or order fewer, and share). There's no need to "maximize" value of the plan to get good value from it; as long as you aren't the type to always order from the "low end" of the menu, you'll probably at least break even, and do so without having to worry about prices, etc., during your trip.

All that said, the most important question still remains: do the credits allocated for a specific plan fit in with the way you want to vacation? If so, then I think the dining plans, across the board, are a good deal. If not, then I would suggest simply paying OOP.

 

[Disneymom2266]

Thank you for that. The reality is, that food is a big part of our vacations, Disney or not. I have a dd who is now 12, and after 9 years, you cannot order for a child, which I disagree with. My dd who has always been taller than kids her age, never looked her age even when she was 9 or under. Now she is considered an adult, so I want to do the plan that works best for us. I have always heard very positive things about the dining plan. The only downside is that it is for your length of stay, so there are no other options to eat off site if you do the plan. I will just plan accordingly. Enjoy your upcoming trip! I am very jealous!

Carol

 

[Faldred]

The only downside is that it is for your length of stay, so there are no other options to eat off site if you do the plan. I will just plan accordingly.

Not quite accurate... since your credits are pooled over the length of the stay, you can simply "double up" on some days, leaving you free to do off-site stuff on other days. Or, (for basic or deluxe), add in some 2 TS credit meals to use up those extra credits.

Enjoy your upcoming trip! I am very jealous!

I fully intend to (and on Deluxe, too!) Of course, once I get back, I'll be jealous of everyone planning their next trip.

 

[summermac]

We're trying it. I've always wanted to do a character meal but have always been too cheap. Now I don't care. Yeah maybe I could use that dining credit in a more cost efficient way but oh well. I am not so sure on being tied to a reservation every single day but with 3 of them being character meals and 2 being experience type meals (50s & WCC) I kind of feel like the dinners will be an extension of the parks NOT time taken away from the parks.

We are going 7 days and based on our TS hope to get ressies and possible meal choicse, we are around $100 under the cost of the DDP & that's with two "cheaper" breakfast buffets. So in terms of value, I'm pretty certain $100 for 3 people on CS & snacks over 7 days will definitely happen.


In the end though, it really depends on how you want to eat when you're there. Are you more of a CS person? Or a TS person?

 

[septbaby]

Some don't think it worth it to pay the adult rate for a child, so that is a personal decision.

I loved having the DP. I just took a quick trip to WDW w/o the plan (2 nights) so I paid OOP for meals and know I made decisions based on cost/price and not simply ordered what I wanted like I did on the plan. In at least one case I would have made a healthier decision on DP.

All that said I did eat at Houdr pf Blues which is not on the DP and I paid OOP for breakfast at Boma which is on the DP.

If food and is a big part of the vacation I suggest you try the Basic DP this time if the cost suits your budget. I don't think the QS plan is a good indication of Disney Dining. That way you know for sure for future trips.

If you get the DP and are still dying to eat at 1-2 off site places. Just use a couple of those TS credits for 2TS meals and go off site for that second meal.