Are we the only family who does NOT do the Dining Plan?

[OurDogCisco]

Well, I'm still on the fence about the Dining plan... Since we are staying in DVC unit I'd have to pay for it. I think it is a bargain even if you don't use up all the credits. However, the only issue I have is my 9 year old loves the usual pizza, burgers & chicken nuggets. But our vacation is 8 nights and after 3 nights she'll be sick of it and want to order off the adult menu. So I'm not sure what to do. She'll want a side of broccoli at some point. Mashed potatoes. We do like buffets because then, she can try more things. So I think we are gonna try the plan and see how it works out for us. But we may end up paying out of pocket for better food. My kids can easily split an adult entree and get something more tasty...

 

[mking624]

And with the outrageous prices at WDW for food, I don't understand how so many people can say they pay less OOP (especially since tax AND tip is included on the DP). One turkey leg at a stand in MK almost costs as much as a whole day for a child on the DP!

My husband and I typically eat one, MAYBE two TS each trip. We typically stick to CS food. And a day on CS food for us is about $30 total. So yes, for us, paying OOP is considerably cheaper than the dining plan if were were actually paying for the dining plan. Just because you don't understand doesn't mean people don't make it happen...because we sure do!

 

[afcgirl]

My husband and I typically eat one, MAYBE two TS each trip. We typically stick to CS food. And a day on CS food for us is about $30 total. So yes, for us, paying OOP is considerably cheaper than the dining plan if were were actually paying for the dining plan. Just because you don't understand doesn't mean people don't make it happen...because we sure do!

$30 per day for 2 people? Please share with us where (and what) you eat. I must be going to the wrong places!

 

[mking624]

$30 per day for 2 people? Please share with us where (and what) you eat. I must be going to the wrong places!

This is assuming you only do CS.
No appetizers, no desserts, and sharing 1 large drink per meal (as opposed to getting separate drinks) or even opting out of a drink and having bottled water that we keep refilling (I also carry the Crystal Light "On the Go" packets or whatever they're called)...and *at most*, one snack a day. We've learned how to really budget our meals.

ETA: I forgot to mention that we're not breakfast eaters (we eat maybe at most granola bar, so I usually pack a box with me), so that saves us money as well.

 

[Kaycee]

We're not interested in the dining plan either, for many of the reasons others have stated.

We tend to eat light, frequent meals. We never order appetizers, often share entrees, and usually have a snack or two throughout the day instead of dessert. We choose a few TS restaurants (less than one a day) more for theming and characters than anything else, and eat the rest of our meals at counter service. Plus, we have AP's, have always had some sort of room discount, and often stay at either the Swan or Dolphin, all of which would either be difficult or impossible with the dining plan.

The dining plan is a great deal for some people. But there are plenty of us who just aren't interested, and there's nothing wrong with that!

 

[Laura]

And with the outrageous prices at WDW for food, I don't understand how so many people can say they pay less OOP (especially since tax AND tip is included on the DP). One turkey leg at a stand in MK almost costs as much as a whole day for a child on the DP!

I added it up. We paid about the same, a little bit less, for our meals than we would have spent on the DDP. This was for all meals, breakfast too. And we weren't worrying about eating cheaply, just did what we wanted to when we wanted to do it.

 

[Cruz Family]

My husband and I typically eat one, MAYBE two TS each trip. We typically stick to CS food. And a day on CS food for us is about $30 total. So yes, for us, paying OOP is considerably cheaper than the dining plan if were were actually paying for the dining plan. Just because you don't understand doesn't mean people don't make it happen...because we sure do!

$30 a day each, or for the two of you?

 

[erikthewise]

Forgive me if you've seen me post this before.

On our last trip we ate 13 TS, 3 CS meals, and very few snacks in 9 days, including two signature restaurants. (We ate all breakfasts and one lunch in our room.) We used the DDE card, and our total cost was very close to what we would have paid for the dining plan. But clearly we got a lot more value with our approach than we would have with the dining plan.

More importantly, we were able to eat the way we wanted. We virtually never have appetizer, entree, and dessert in the same meal. We don't want CS for lunch every day.

 

[mking624]

$30 a day each, or for the two of you?

$30 a day for the two of us combined. We did this actually back in 2003 when we were on an extremely tight budget. I've already explained how we did it though...
1. ONLY CS
2. No breakfast (we're not breakfast eaters)...I brought a box of granola bars
3. No appetizers
4. No desserts
5. Sharing a large drink instead of getting two separate drinks (or just refilling a water bottle and using a Crystal Light "on the go" packet)
6. A limit of only 1 snack a day that we share.

Obviously not an all out meal, but it can be done.

To expand more on how we've done it, here are some examples...

Two cheeseburger w/fries meals @ MGM (Backlot Express) = $11.78
One large drink to share (optional...many times we just use our water bottle) = $2.39
Total = $14.17

Two pepperoni pizzas @ AK (Pizzafari) = $11.78
One large drink to share (optional) = $2.39
Total = $14.17

No breakfast: $0

1 day's total with drinks: $28.34
without drinks: $23.56

We've also been able to stay under $30 with more expensive menu items (i.e. $7.99 meals), we've just opted for our water bottle instead of ordering a drink. We drink a lot of water on our trips as opposed to getting something with a lot of sugar (which tends to make people thirstier anyway).

 

[afcgirl]

I added it up. We paid about the same, a little bit less, for our meals than we would have spent on the DDP. This was for all meals, breakfast too. And we weren't worrying about eating cheaply, just did what we wanted to when we wanted to do it.

Did you only eat on Disney property or did you get some food from a grocery store? I truly am baffled at how people eat so cheaply. Thanks

 

[DawnM]

We did not do the dining plan last year because we were on a tight budget.

We stayed off-site in a condo for $35 per night (including tax) and had a kitchen to eat b-fast and dinner.

We did CS for lunch and stuck to a $30 budget for a family of 4!!!!!

We:

1. Went to the food court places (Living with the Land was our fav) and
ordered one adult meal and one kid meal and split it.
2. took snacks into the park with us
3. Ordered double burgers and paid .75 for an extra bun and split it!


This year we will not do the dining plan either as I will be traveling to China in Aug or Sept (hopefully Aug!) and I have no idea what the exact dates will be so we couldn't plan/pay ahead of time.

We WILL plan to do the dining plan NEXT year if it is offered!

There are some buffets and places we have always wanted to try but paying $100 for one meal was just too much for us. If we have the dining plan we will max out on those places!

Dawn

 

[mickeysaver]

When you have to pay for it - NO!
When it's free - ABSOLUTELY!

My thoughts exactly! We did not do the Dining Plan in December of last year. Yes, technically, we could have, but when it was all said and done, we ate for about the same money and we had the luxury of not being locked into the package deal with all the limitions. The wait staff was always happy to hear that we were not on the dining plan. I think that it takes a little heat off of them not having to spend the time educating the guest and possibly dealing with a guest that is unhappy with the limitations of the dining plan.

I doubt that we will do a package deal for our next trip. We actually enjoy CS meals at WDW. They are less stressful and the variety of meals offered at CS venues is good enough for us. Maggie

 

[Garden Stater]

I consider myself a Disney veteran, but the DDP does not excite me.

my parents and i are veterans of over 25 wdw trips, and we will also create our own excitement on our upcoming august trip by NOT doing the ddp

we just don't see the appeal of the ddp's enormous amount of planning - and equally enormous amounts of food.

 

[Disneyholic]

Even with the "free" dining, I don't see what the deal is. You're still paying rack rate for your hotel room and then, like other posters have stated, if you don't "maximize" your DP credits, how much are you really saving?

I have to agree with this, as well as the fact that you have to pay for your package 45 days out with expensive cancellation fees the closer you get to going. Like room only with 5 days cancellation especially with going during hurricane season. Like to keep my options open.

Actually did a package with a meal plan thru AAA back in 1999. You paid I think it was $50 per adult/day of package and Disney gave you and extra $10/day credit. We went to a lot of good restaurants and ate way too much (and drank way to much alcohol since it was also included) Ended up trying to use the last of our credits in the last hour before the bus came to take us back to the airport and almost missed the bus. (the driver was sitting out in front of the hotel the whole time with the door closed and we didn't realize it was our bus till it got real close to the time for our bus and no other bus showed up. We knocked on the door and he acted annoyed that we bothered him and yelled at us for not being there 15 minutes earlier. We were standing there the whole time. He almost got lost on the way to the airport and was looking at a map the whole time he was driving )
By this time I wasn't feeling too well. Alcohol, heat and too much to eat lead to exhaustion and dehydration. By the time we got home I was having heat exhaustion verging on heat stroke. Alcohol really screws up your bodies heating and cooling system

 

[BethR]

I have read this thread through all of the way and I have not seen my reason for not using the Dining Plan. If it were not for Free Dining, we would not be staying on site! I could get a nice condo with all of the amenities off site for the $79 that I am spending per night at Pop Century.

But the Free Dining gets us to stay on site - a nice, but "different" experience, and the opportunity to try restaurants that we would not consider since the price is FREE! If we don't like it, we haven't lost a thing but our time.

I don't think that DDP will get us to stay on site otherwise, but it's hard to argue Free - especially when staying at a Value Resort.

 

[Cruz Family]

Why do people keep saying they don't do the dining plan because they don't want to do all that planning? What planning?
I mean I get it if you want to do mostly CS restaurants, Do you mean having to make ADR's? Because that has nothing to do with the DP, if you are going to eat at TS restaurants you pretty much need ADR's with or without the dining plan. Is it keeping track of the credits? If you don't eat at Sig. places and you are staying 7 nights, make an ADR at 7 places. I really do not see it being soooo much planning, or certainly not much more than you need to do with out the DP.
As for people who say they are on such strict budgets (i.e. $30 a day for two adults). Why are so many of you not staying at value resorts? I know everyone is different and choose to spend their $$ in different ways. Maybe dining is not a priority for some, but for me Disney Dining is part of the magic, with or without the DDP.

 

[Dina]

Why do people keep saying they don't do the dining plan because they don't want to do all that planning? What planning?
I mean I get it if you want to do mostly CS restaurants, Do you mean having to make ADR's? Because that has nothing to do with the DP, if you are going to eat at TS restaurants you pretty much need ADR's with or without the dining plan. Is it keeping track of the credits? If you don't eat at Sig. places and you are staying 7 nights, make an ADR at 7 places. I really do not see it being soooo much planning, or certainly not much more than you need to do with out the DP.
As for people who say they are on such strict budgets (i.e. $30 a day for two adults). Why are so many of you not staying at value resorts? I know everyone is different and choose to spend their $$ in different ways. Maybe dining is not a priority for some, but for me Disney Dining is part of the magic, with or without the DDP.

No, its not keeping track of the credits-- that's easy 6 nights/6 table service (unless your doing a signature). And, I am on a budget (because this is our 5th trip in 2 years, and we're taking 2 more trips in 2007), and we are staying at a value. Believe me, I'm taking the free dining (and I am happy about eating for free). I just wish that I could walk up to a restaurant without an ADR (and this will be especially hard during free dining periods). I'm not talking about 'Ohana (our must do) or Chef Mickey-- I always make 2 or 3 special ADRs for a special Character meal or 'Ohana. But, to have to have them for every single day. And, now one afternoon we can't be in Magic Kingdom, and decide -- hey lets go to MGM (because I have an ADR for Tony's Town Square at 5:45). It just takes all spontenaity (sp?) out of the trip. I don't like having to absolutely decide exactly where I have to be each and every day of my trip. I know those of you that Love the dining plan, can't understand why some don't, but you must at least be understand that not everyone likes being set to a schedule?? We're all defensive of the things we love (don't anyone talk bad about Wilderness Lodge now hehehe!! ) I enjoy some counter service places (LOVE Pecos Bill's, Casey's, all of the counter service in World Showcase, Flame Tree). And now, if we decide to hit another park, cancel the ADR-- if I use a counter service credit-- I may not have enough for the entire trip, and I may end up with Table Service that I don't use. That's all I'm saying. If you could fairly easily walk up to table service (again I'm not expecting to walk up to 'Ohana or Whispering Canyon or LeCellier) and get in, I would LOVE the Dining Plan. But, I don't need a table service every night (especially with a 3yo who doesn't like to sit for long periods).

 

[boomhauer]

I'm not interested in the plan either. I don't want to worry about whether this place or that place is part of the plan, having to keep track of credits, etc. Granted, I'm sure you really do save money, but when I'm on vacation I don't want any hassles. We eat when and where WE want, order exactly what WE want (which never includes appetizers and dessert) and don't snack in between meals.

I couldn't have said it better myself. This is EXACTLY how I feel. Except, when I'm at Disney, I do snack between meals. I pig out out at Disney.

 

[Laura]

Did you only eat on Disney property or did you get some food from a grocery store? I truly am baffled at how people eat so cheaply. Thanks

We didn't have a car during our WDW stay; all our meals were on-property. I have a dining review here, with prices, if you'd like to see: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1112124

I didn't count our alcohol consumption we had outside of meals (I don't remember the cost of the drinks that we had at Seasons, Boma, Biergarten and Raglan Road) and if you leave out 5 of the CS meals we had that we would have paid for OOP, we spent about what the plan would have cost us. Not to mention I don't know if every snack would have counted, I just assumed they would. We stayed for 7 nights, would have gotten 14 total CS credits, and would have used 19. We would have used all of our TS credits. Combined with the AAA room discount, we saved money. I think my previous post leads one to believe that the entire cost would have been less, but we would have paid for some things out of pocket.

I think people just assume the plan is a better deal for everyone, which it isn't.

Okay, I added it up again (the paper was at home). We spent $521.19 minus 5 extra CS meals (I left out Seasons, the fish-n-chips, and DH's solo dinner at Tangierine Cafe), the alcohol I knew the prices of (like the beer in Germany, and I just used the second Boma dinner as the price of the first since DH had a beer at our first Boma dinner) and the refillable mug, all of which would have been paid for out-of-pocket. The Dining Plan would have cost: $37.99x2 adults=$75.98 per night for 7 nights = $531.86

 

[Cruz Family]

I just wish that I could walk up to a restaurant without an ADR (and this will be especially hard during free dining periods). I'm not talking about 'Ohana (our must do) or Chef Mickey-- I always make 2 or 3 special ADRs for a special Character meal or 'Ohana. But, to have to have them for every single day. And, now one afternoon we can't be in Magic Kingdom, and decide -- hey lets go to MGM (because I have an ADR for Tony's Town Square at 5:45). It just takes all spontenaity (sp?) out of the trip. I don't like having to absolutely decide exactly where I have to be each and every day of my trip. I know those of you that Love the dining plan, can't understand why some don't, but you must at least be understand that not everyone likes being set to a schedule??

I really don't understand what that has to do with the dining plan???
When we went in early Nov. 2004, pre-dining plan, and attendence was very low. Just about every TS restaurant we went to we watched people with out ADR's turned away.
I don't think the dining plan is for everyone, and if someone chooses not to use the DP even if it is "just because" then more power to them.