Anybody Else Pay OOP to avoid the hassle?

[Rustysmom]

We used the dining plan in 2007 because it was free, and it was good, but there was one hassle. After we at at 'Ohana, I noticed that we were short 4 TS credits. We were planning on going to another park after dinner, but I wanted to get it straighted out, so went back to CBR. Got into a big fight with my hubby about that. He was like "forget about it", but then we would be short on the last day.

It took forever for them to figure out what happened. Then they started reading out where the credits were used and they were used right before we ate dinner at 'Ohana. They were like "you didn't just eat at xxx?" (I forget which restaurant they said), and I said "Um no, why would I eat 2 dinners and how could I be at a park eating in a restaurant and then get to the Poly so quick and eat again?" Somehow someone put our code in by mistake at that other restaurant. It took over an hour to get the credits put back on and my husband said never again.

I guess if we got it for free again we would take it though, but it was really too much food, especially back then when you got an appetizer and a dessert.

 

[angelmav]

I just made a list of the TS restaurants I reserved (5 including one that takes 2 credits) and looked at the menus. For 4 of the restaurants, I chose what I thought we would order with the entree only and totaled it up. With only those 4 entrees (2 adults and 2 kids) the cost exceeded the dining plan cost by $100 and that was still having 1 TS, the 6 CS and 6 snacks unaccounted for along with the desserts at the TS.

With savings like that, who cares if you eat all the desserts or make sure you use up all the credits. I'd still have a couple hundred dollars to go with adding up the rest, well over what the dining program cost.

Im not seeing where you can get that kind of savings. At almost all the 1TS restaurants the most expensive entree's are in the $27-30 range. Assuming of course you only order based on price, that doesnt equal a $100 savings on a $42 a day plan. Granted, the kids DDP is a great deal, under 10 is where you save money, especially on character buffets etc. but the claims of saving that kind of money on the current DDP simply dont exist. Also, and perhaps this is where your numbers are skewed, you cant order adult entrees with child credits.

 

[unionville]

We love the convenience of the dining plan and it is a great addition to a WDW vacation. Our next trip is scheduled for Thanksgiving 2010. My "picky-eater" son will be 10 years old. There is no way that I can justify paying $42 a day for his meals. We will still do one table service a day, but we plan to pay out of pocket. I'm certain this will be the cheaper option for our family.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

No matter how I crunch the numbers, for just two of us (my dad and I), for ten days, I can't come out on top on the dining plan.

We don't need three meals a day, nor do we need to have individual desserts/appetizers at every meal, but I don't want to be restricted to only one sit down meal a day and no appetizers.

For us- the dining plan won't work out, and I'd rather not worry about using all the credits.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

DW and I(& fam) are veteran WDW tourists. A couple of years ago we tried some dining plan that was just more hassle than it was worth. I see all the questions and confusion on these boards and think it sounds like a big headache. We just pay OOP for our meals and snacks. No limitations, no math, no strategies, we just pay as we go. At the end of the day, I think we come out about even.

We have been to DW the past 8 years in December & this was our first year to try the free dining experience. I used to feel the same way, too much of a hassle, we won't eat that much food, etc..

Actually, I was very pleased with the Dining plan!! We ate at some table service restaurants we have never tried & since we are experienced park hoppers, it was nice to have a vacation "geered" around a nice sit down meal. I did not feel it was a hassle, actually it was very easy. If you want an appetizer, just order one & they will charge you for the appetizer, easy. We never ordered an appetizer because we wanted to save room for the desserts, which were heavenly.

We are not big eaters & did not feel it was too much food.
We used all of our snack credits, if we wanted a bottled water, or fruit, we would use our snack credit. If we wanted to try a snack that we were not sure if we would like, just get it & try it, you don't have to eat the whole thing.

We were there for 8 nights & only came home with one counter service credit, so felt like it was easy & enjoyable.
That being said, it REALLY impacted the crowd levels during our visit Dec 10-18, 2009. There were MANY people as compared to prior years, but mainly for the restaurants, free food, & the parades/shows. I did not feel the wait times were too long for rides, but there was definitely MORE people there !!!! So, I have a love/hate relationship with the free dining.

 

[DW2010]

We will be paying OOP for our trip in October. For us, we'll save money that way. I honestly don't think we could eat all that food! I would feel like we had to, though, in order to justify the DDP cost! And the regular dining plan just doesn't seem like enough!

 

[erosenst]

After the math I did on our last trip, I thought we'd never use the DDP. But for some reason, I did the math again this time...and even with no desserts and only one snack a day, we'll (DH, DD6 and me) save about $35. And sadly, no desserts is highly unlikely!

I think a large part of it is that it's a relatively short trip (3 nights, 4 days), and we have a lot of character meals booked (CPx2, Akershus, and CM) because DD still really loves the characters. We're planning one Signature dinner for DH and I, so that will use credits. And DD and I both are frequently thirsty, so it will be easy to use at least some snack credits for water/diet soda.

But I agree that being willing to look up the menus and prices, and compare that to the rates, is key to knowing whether it makes sense. Obviously, making ADR's is a necessity as well. And doing both of those would drive some people nuts.

 

[fbb]

Have done it both ways: dining plan once, and OOP many times. We didn't like the way the dining plan dominated our schedule. I also remember the CS desserts being of poor quality.

I am happier not to consider whether we are coming out ahead or behind or worry about maximizing credits. With the rates we generally choose, we are not eligible for the dining plan, anyway.

 

[MerryFlora]

Correct me if I'm wrong here.

To accurately figure the value of DDP vs OOP:

you must estimate an OOP tip amount for each TS credit used with DDP
vs
you must estimate tax plus any applicable tip to budget for OOP

I'm just really trying to see the savings here but my #'s dont show it

 

[Robindianne]

DW and I(& fam) are veteran WDW tourists. A couple of years ago we tried some dining plan that was just more hassle than it was worth. I see all the questions and confusion on these boards and think it sounds like a big headache. We just pay OOP for our meals and snacks. No limitations, no math, no strategies, we just pay as we go. At the end of the day, I think we come out about even.

We tried the dining plan and found we still spent money because we wanted appetizers and didn't really want all that dessert. And we ate TONs more food than we typically do at WDW so for the coming trip we are not using DDP. Also, last time was our 3rd time at Brown Derby (only time on DDP) and our server was unkind and snipey about it. Now it may not have been related to the DDP at all but her tone and demands made me feel it was. No more DDP for me

 

[smidgy]

can I say we like BOTH ways? (wishy washy person that I am)
depends on the trip. free dining? of course! but sometimes, even then, we can enjoy disney cheaper, with AAA rates, or room only ressies, and paying OOP for food.
I like to go to disney as cheaply as possible, drive down with cooler, sandwiches in the room, food court meals, etc.

ah, but the first free dining suckered me in!!! I SO enjoyed eating at the fine restaurants I couldn't afford previously.. and ordering the finest steak!!!

so.. next trip, we purchased the DDp,l but only for a portion of the trip.. did a split stay.

now, we go back and forth. sometimes we don't like having so much of the trip taken up by "eating". but, since we have done all the rides and attractions so often, we enjoy experiencing the dif. restaurants.

I DO know we would never purchase the DDP for a whole week. too much food, and not worth it for us. one big meal every other day works best, for us.

I will say, whether on the plan or not, I have only ONCE gotten rude service from a server at Disney. pretty good odds, I'd say.(over numerous trips, and tons of dining experiences) and I am a server, so when dining out, I like to be treated well. even when the gratutiy WAS included, all our servers treated us VERY well. (as a server, I added more to the 18%, but they didn't know ahead of time I was going to do that).

kudos!!to Disney's great serving staff!

is the plan worthit to you? you have to do the math. if you are not big eaters, perhaps not. maybe try it once, just to "treat" yourselves. try a split stay, and stretch it into the next (room only) ressie.
as another poster stated, we often ended up with leftover snack credits, and even leftover counter service credits.

 

[es45]

For our last 2 trips we had the dining plan. One we paid for and the second was under free dining. For us:

Cons
Too much food. I don't like dessert every time I have a meal, especially those CS desserts.
Sometimes I just want soup/salad and I felt obliged to eat a large meal to get my money's worth.
Felt tied to ressies, especially when traveling with the kids who don't want to leave the action for a sit-down meal.
When comparing menus for our preferred restaurants, we didn't save any money by purchasing the plan for the adults.
No savings if you eat a lot of buffets.
If you aren't careful with your planning, you'll have 16 crispy Mickey heads coming home in your luggage!


Pros
Ate at places that I might not have without the plan.
Saved money when eating at character meals.
Always saved on the kid's meals.

For our next trip, we are paying OOP.

 

[abubu919]

We usually pay OOP for all meals but I think I may try to dining plan one time just to see what it is like.

 

[LandChildWorldAdult]

I am fairly certain that we saved quite a lot on the plan, but my family can EAT. And, our answer to servers about whether or not we were on the plan was "Yes, but we know how to exceed it!" We ordered what we wanted, including several appetizers and a few sides. It worked very well for our family and the way we eat. When I finish my dining review I will know what it save us altogether, but I suspect that we would do the dining plan again even if it was close.

Why? It fits our style of eating. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting down at least once, sometimes twice in a day to eat and be served. And this why I decided to post -- the dining plan, really all three dining plans are just like any other WDW attraction. You either like it, love it or fall on the other side, disliking or hating it.

I think the reason it gets so contentious is that some people really believe that it is the dining plan itself that has changed the experience of dining at wdw. I guess, but so does the addition or closure of an attraction. They both have positive and negative effects. In my mind, the fact that non-disney owned restaurants continue to participate in the plan in significant numbers is proof that the plan's positives outweigh the negatives for restaurant bottom lines. And what is good for restaurant bottom lines is good for diners -- it keeps restaurants in business. Food is a low margin item, from grocery stores to restaurants. It is a very tough business. I love that there are tons of restaurants in wdw and I don't need to rent a car and head outside the magic to have a nice diner.

And I don't mind that others don't want to use my "attraction" -- more room for me! If you like the plan but worry about how CMs feel, tip better and use plenty of smiles and thank yous when dining! Oh, and educate your friends about what is included if they will be using any of wdw's dining plans for their trip.

 

[fbb]

Food is a low margin item, from grocery stores to restaurants.

Food is not a low margin item at restaurants. Some food items are low margin items at grocery stores. It is a tough business. The business is made very easy by strong traffic.

 

[bballdiva]

We personally LOVE the dining plan!!! We have done it both ways (just me and bf no kiddies) I dont "do the math" like others in an effort to figure out which is a better saving, personally I just like having our meals prepaid before we leave. I guess we could just by a gift card or use debit also like we do for other purchases but i really like having it all "prepared" in advance. And the biggest plus for us is the snack credits!!! We just love these cause we like snacking lol I know many people don't like the snack credits or the desserts but for us its something we only do when on vaca so we REALLY look forward to it!!!

 

[jamstew]

For me it depends on the trip. If I'm doing a split stay and really want three course meals, I'll book the DXDP for 3-4 nights. Traveling with my family this past May, we did the QSDP for convenience. Otherwise, I pay OOP and use my TiW card. It virtually always saves more than a dining plan.

 

[jgplimdesign]

I never tried the dining plan---but know those who have and love it. My husband and I are about to book this year's trip (probably for March). Once again, I am weighing the dining plan option. Part of me wants to try it out as 'something new'. . . When I 'test it'---meaning. . .(and this may seem strange to some) I hypothetically dine using the menus and tally up a day's worth of food to see where I fall comparatively to the cost of the plan---different scenarios, etc. . . I more or less break even (and I'm NOT going to purposely order the most expensive thing on the menu just because. . .)----but then I realize normally that I would never get CS dessert-----and sometimes I'll get a CS meal without the fries or something. . . What I discovered is that I'd be ordering a heck more lot of food on the plan. . .and unfortunately if it was in front of me, I'd be eating it. . .

Also. . .I'm not keen on committing in advance to where I'm going to be and where I'm going to eat. . . I know it depends on the time of year, crowds, etc.---but I often have been able to round up reservations for places 'the day of'. . .sometimes we want TS. . .and sometimes visiting CSs (especially favorites in World Showcase) are more than perfect solutions.

Anyhow. . .I babble on. . . Not saying I'll never try it. . .but for now, I think (for us) we do better OOP and 'on a whim'!

 

[arielmomma]

We are paying for the DDP for the first time in a few weeks. We have gone twice during free dining and loved it, however, this will probably be the only time that we will pay for it.

It works well for us b/c my 2 year old daughter eats all of my snacks and half of our meals. She will be 3 the day after we return home so this will be the last time she is free. With her, there is just enough food and I don't have to eat myself sick to get my money's worth.

Once she has to get to get DDP there will be way too much food for us and we will probably so OOP, unless, of course, we go during free dining.

 

[kimysbug]

Dining plan is not for us, but it seems great for others

yes part is trying to plan ahead and trying to use the meals up

too much like work

others love morre power to them