Are the Dining Plans worth it?

[Tonka's Skipper]

Hi folks!

Now I know on the surface that the folks that want a sit down to a full special meal every night.........of course it does work.....saves money....etc!

We have talked with 4 family/couples who have used the plans and have gotten a different story.

All of them felt that by buying the plans, thier trips were run around when and where dinner was?......taking alot of time from thier vacations. In addition having a big meal every day,..... was...well, as Lee put it *JUST TO MUCH FOOD*

3 of the groups got to the point they were so full, they were handing out the counter service coupon to families they thought could use them!

We have 8 days next May.........my wife and I, and my DD and her freind.....we decided to make reservations for the Hoop de Doo.(which I love), Ohana and the last evening narrcouses(spl?). the rest we will do as the mood presents!.. no DP. if we only have counter service one evening ...fine, we love knockwurst and a beer from the counter at Germany!


I would love to hear of more opinions? Thanks.

AKK

 

[Agri]

It depends on how you eat. We're doing the regular dining plan this trip based on how we ate on previous trips when we've paid OOP, but had TiW.

We usually get one QS meal and one TS meal a day. Most hotels have a small fridge, so we bring our leftovers back to the hotel if there are any. Snack credits are only good for a drink OR something to nibble on, so we'll use leftovers for a third meal if we need it.

We make one TS ADR per day at least because my mom needs that break during the day. She's in a wheelchair, but TS is more relaxing than CS.

If you're very active during your trip, you'll find that you'll probably need to eat a bit more than you normally do at home. We usually find that breakfast, if not a buffet, leaves us needing a small meal or a large snack by early afternoon.

At the price, with where we have our TS reservations, we'll definitely save money this trip on food.

 

[brobrosmom]

We've never done the dining plan because when we put it down on paper, it does not save us money. Now part of that is because we stay at Fort Wilderness in our motorhome. We have the option of eating at the motorhome for some meals and bring sandwiches into the parks for lunch. Last January we did HDDR, LTT, H&V, Ohanas, Rainforest, and TE along with some counter service meals and it still cost us less OOP than the dining plan. Also, on the dining plan you get a desert even for counter service and this is not something we would normally order. While I do think you get a lot of food, you have to ask yourself if would you normally eat that much.

We did not feel like we were doing a lot of running around but I think that was because we did 3 breakfasts. There wasn't a lot of running around in the afternoons or evenings to get to an ADR.

Now, if you go during free dining....GO FOR IT!

 

[toontoy]

I think it really depends on what you do. I have gone with and without it. I always pay for it though since we stay with DVC but that's another story.

I have done the regular plan and haven't done the deluxe as its too much food for me and the quick service doesn't appeal to me since i usually like water instead of drinks and no dessert and when you take that off its cheaper to pay for the quick service dining.

When you use 2 credits for a signature restaurant I would say its not worth it. We dined at the Brown Derby and it was 52.99 a person, my opinion it was over priced for what you get but thats normal for disney these days. but when you use 2 credits it seemed that it changed to around 65 a person automatically. We were on the fantasmic package so thats why it was a set price. We paid for one and used the credits for the others breaking even more with the math.

when you go to character dining and upper end table service places it comes in handy. Basically when we did the math we got free drinks and desserts at places we wanted to go. It came to savings if we would order all the food but it really didn't save us money as we don't normally get dessert or soft drinks.

It depends on what you like to do. For our upcoming trip we do have the plan and its nice since we have prepaid for it and don't have to worry about a food budget. we have 7 dining reservations for our 8 days and with kids eating most snacks we will use everything and break even. I think of it as a prepaid meal plan and it doesn't save us money it makes it so we can get what we want, not have to worry about food costs ect. it makes it more like a cruise.

I would say that you have to look at if you like having a snack each day, and the things it includes, if you use it you'll break even or sometimes come out ahead. If you don't use it all its costing you money.

 

[Stephen121795]

I think the DDP is still a good value even though the price of the DDP seems to go up ever year.

 

[dmmichelle]

Hi there,

As you said, opinions will vary but for my family - me, DH, DS (13) and DS (8) the Dining Plan is totally worthwhile. I love selecting special restaurants / experiences with my TS credits that quite frankly we would not go to otherwise. If you go to HDD that is 2 TS credits so I don't think you will find it's too much. It does take some planning but we use the TS as an opportunity to visit other resorts (Boma for example at AKL). I also love the character breakfast at Chef Mickey's which you definitely save money using the DP rather than paying OOP (in my opinion). If you have a fridge and stock up on some milk, yogurt, snacks, that sort of thing you won't have to buy much more food. Plus if you do have a larger entree you can save the leftovers for a lunch the next day or whatever. Use your snack credits for food as opposed to drinks (that worked best for us).

We also take a relaxed approach to the parks so if we have to leave a park to go elsewhere to a TS restaurant we just plan accordingly or we might plan a special TS on a "resort day". We did go to Biergarten when we were at Epcot and we went to Mama Melrose when we were at HS.

Finally, I just love being on vacation and not having to watch my spending on food...I know that is already paid for so we can use our $$ for souvenirs or whatever. If you take advantage of some of the nicer TS restaurants that area bit pricier, I think you definitely save $$ in the long run. But our kids are very good eaters so we really feel like we get our money's worth!

My two cents.

Hope this helps!

Michelle

 

[Nparrotte]

DW and I have traveled with DDP and without. We have enjoyed the DDP in the past and felt that it was a good value. But recently we decided that it is better for us to dine without it. I would be more apt to use the DDP if it included appetizer instead of dessert.

 

[jodywgirl]

We like the dining plan because food is definatley part of our experience but I do figure out ahead of time if it pays for itself. If you are using it for some of the more spendy restaurants ( Le Cellier, Teppan Edo, Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package, Ohana) it does. I do wish you could have your choice of dessert or appetizer.

We actually share a lot of counter services so we can have both a lunch and breakfast or lunch on the day we leave. Comic Rays in MK and Fairfax Faire in DS have a chicken & Rib Combo that is huge and is a great deal for the plan and sharing.

 

[Pakey]

The DDP is a good value if that's how you like to eat/vacation. We tried it a few times and did not like it. We are much happier paying OOP,having the flexibility to eat at places not on the plan and being able to order how we want.

 

[GeorgeG]

I'm not a fan of dining plans for several reasons. Without going into what is sufficiently covered in other threads, the dining plans kind of dictate your schedule too much for us. We started years ago on the "World Adventure Dining Plan" that included three meals a day at table service restaurants only. It didn't really save money since it was more of a pre-paid plan than a discount or free plan that is popular today. The newer plans include snack and counter service, but then you have to keep track of credits and they are not accepted at non-Disney-run restaurants that make up the bulk of the better restaurants these days. We started going OOP and enjoyed our vacations a lot more. We still ate great meals when we wanted, but weren't bogged down by keeping track of meal times or even skipping meals if we weren't hungry.

 

[TDC Nala]

The dining plan isn't for everyone. On the surface it sounds good, but there's a segment of the Disney-going population that it doesn't fit.

The plans dictate where you can eat (there are some restaurants that don't accept it, although most do) and what you can order (on the basic plan, appetizers are not included, but you get dessert with every meal, and no substituting appetizers for desserts. You can get the deluxe and have both included but do you always eat all three courses at every meal?).

You also need to keep track of your credits and try not to leave any, because there are no refunds on unused credits - Mickey gets to pocket that money. That may still be worth it to some, but if you're a non-planner and you end up having to try and trade TS credits with the highest value for snacks somewhere, Mickey loves that.

There's also some indication that the dining plan may not free up diners to ignore the prices all the time - some are looking at the prices to make sure they get the best value on the plan, so they'll order the most expensive item they can, whether they think they'll eat it or not. (There was a story going around about Le Cellier serving mussels, their most expensive appetizer, to people who had no idea what mussels were and then refused to eat them, don't know how true that is though).

 

[angiepangie8]

I love the ddp~ I just wish that you could choose appetizer or dessert rather be "forced" to eat another dessert. In anycase we mostly choose character buffets last trip anyway so it didn't matter anyways.

The awesome thing about the character buffets was that DD and DH were able to see almost all the characters without ever waiting in a line like they would've had to in the parks. Their autograph books were full by the end of our week's stay!

 

[asmit4]

We have found them to be a $$ saver and very helpful to prepay our meals. How does your family normally eat though? What do you envision your meals to be like? How do you normally eat at local amusement parks around your home, or even how do you eat at home?

Basically if you get the QSDP you get 2 fast food meals and 2 snacks. I say fast food b/c the food is similar (but better quality IMO) to a McDonalds/Burger King/Panera/Pizza hut...I would use those for breakfast and lunch and use the 2 snacks for a water and an ice cream here and there.

If you get the regular basic plan you get 1 fast food meal, 1 snack and 1 sit down meal. We usually just got a juice and a bagel for breakfast and just paid OOP. We used the fast food meal for lunch and the sit down meal for dinner. So an average day would go something like this:
morning- wake up, head to CS place in hotel- eat bagel and juice-we were there every morning for early EMH.
by 11am- we were hungry again since we had breakfast at like 6am. We'd get 1 burger, 1 order of fries and 1 drink per person.
by 6ish- we'd be ready for dinner. Dinner was a small steak, potato and we'd just get 1 dessert and split it. (even though a dessert per person was included)

Of course there were days that we would share a CS lunch - so that gave us more CS credits to use for breakfast. I bet we paid 20/pp or so for a 4 day OOP plus tips for dinner.

I like having 1 TS per day. The plan is great for those that want to eat on the run most of the time but want 1 meal per day that is a sit down meal. If that's not 'you' then I'd skip the plan. I need 3 meals a day- even if 1 of those meals is a split CS meal btwn me and someone else or just a bagel and juice. I can't go more than 6 hours or so during the daytime without eating something at DW. So 3 meals a day is the way we do it.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I guess I was right. The DP works well for some and not for others.


I forgot to mention we are in a villa so most breakfasts and some lunchs we have there.a big savings......

AKK

 

[JEThompson99]

I guess I was right. The DP works well for some and not for others.


I forgot to mention we are in a villa so most breakfasts and some lunchs we have there.a big savings......

AKK

You're absolutely right. When you're in a villa, having that full kitchen and using it saves lots of money. The dining plan would put you in a spot where you practically *must* eat two meals/day out, so if you're planning on most breakfasts and some lunches at your villa, you will actually save money by just paying out of pocket for your dinners, etc.

Dining plan is quite clearly designed for people who would like to do very little if any food prep/cooking at their rooms.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

You're absolutely right. When you're in a villa, having that full kitchen and using it saves lots of money. The dining plan would put you in a spot where you practically *must* eat two meals/day out, so if you're planning on most breakfasts and some lunches at your villa, you will actually save money by just paying out of pocket for your dinners, etc.

Dining plan is quite clearly designed for people who would like to do very little if any food prep/cooking at their rooms.

This would be me!!! Though I fully plan on having stuff to make cereal or PB&J for the kids along with drinks and snacks, I definitely need more to eat than that! I would be much happier with a croissant sandwich or breakfast burrito in the morning.

 

[2binak]

We've never used regular DDP because we've done the math and it doesn't save us money & we would be wasting food. We also don't like that you have to pay for the the number of nights you are staying since we almost always arrive in the late afternoon or evening, so we'd have to make time during the week to spend the 2 credits we get for arrival night. We also don't like being tied to an ADR. If we choose not to eat a TS meal that day, we don't want to feel that we are wasting a credit & we don't want to scramble to try to find another ADR on another day to take it's place.

We may try the quick service DDP on this upcoming trip since we are only having on TS meal, but we are still unsure.

 

[asmit4]

I guess I was right. The DP works well for some and not for others.


I forgot to mention we are in a villa so most breakfasts and some lunchs we have there.a big savings......

AKK

If you are in a villa I would NOT get the basic DDP. The most I would get would be the QSDP and even then- I'd suggest you do some math to determine if it's a good option for you. With a villa- if you plan to cook even 1 meal a day there the DDP is probably not worth it.

 

[budbeerlady]

It really depends on how you want to do Disney.

We love the plan, Dh wouldnt travel without. But we stay for 10 days and the food is part of the fun. It is a money saver for Dh since he is a red meat kinda man. IF you are happy with counter service and dont want to spend time in table service then the TS plan is not for you.

 

[Pig Pen]

We've done it both ways and while DDP saves money for certain types of meals, we just don't eat that way. DH likes to snack and try different places as the opportunity presents itself. I am the "planner" and like to have at least ONE meal per day planned out, but it doesn't necessarily need to be TS.

Last summer we used the DDP for a party of 5 adults and an infant. At LeCellier the tip and "extras" we ordered that were NOT covered on DDP totaled up to more than if we had all eaten counter service (and that particular meal was fairly lousy). We all wanted the soup (not covered), DGS got the Buzz Lightyear glow drink, etc.

I would have been content with JUST the soup and bread! Yeah, I know, we don't have to eat EVERYTHING on the DDP, but the frugal side of me just has to squeeze every penny out of it.