astronomical food cost

[OnlyDisney]

I know that the next time we go we will be going with the deluxe dinning. When I priced it out preparing for our trip last year, deluxe would have saved us money if we ate at least 2 sit downs a day ( can't remember how much at the moment). Hubby didn't want to be tied down that much so we just stuck with the regular free dining. This next trip he wants more sit down meals because he got sick of quick service options really fast.

 

[ccgirl]

I'm not getting that amount but the hoop dee doo and cinderella table definitely puts some savings in it either way. We also will still have 5 more that haven't been used meals to add somewhere. If we can do it.

Exactly. SOunds like you have quite a bit of savings.

CRT $324 for 6 adults
HDDR $318 for Category 3 for 6 adults

For an additional savings of $642!!!!

If you fit in the other meals more icing on the cake. But, the way I see it you are saving almost $1,000 without using them. A savings is a savings and $1,000 is a heck of a savings!

 

[twooley2]

thanks for all the help and insight. It just gets so mind boggling. I hope it all ends up a good savings experience. 1000.00 is a lot Either way we wont have to worry if we are going to eat. LOL Now try and tell a non diser that 4000.00 in food for 8 days is a savings lol

 

[JimmyV]

Can we all agree on one thing??? The value of any dining plan depends ENTIRELY on how your family eats. And if you adjust your normal eating habits to account for the dining plan, I think you are doing yourself more harm than good.

ccgirl sets our her math. It works for her because she is eating an app, entree and dessert with AMOST EVERY lunch and dinner. If this is how you eat, then more power to you, and you are probably seeing a savings. But if you eat as set out below, (which is more in line with my family), you don't save any money:

Breakfast:
Eat in room from groceries (muffin, OJ, or similar) bought at Publix. Dad eats while mom bathes. Mom eats while dad showers. Kid eats (or not) while we get ready for rope drop. No Disney purchased breakfasts at all. EVER.
Average cost per person per day=$6 x 3 people=$18.

Lunch:
CS at park.
Average cost per person per day=$12 x 3 people=$36

Dinner:
TS at a Signature.
Appetizers: 3 x 11 (on average)=$33
Entrees: 3 x 35 (on average)=$105
Dessert: 1 split among the 3 of us=$10
Total=$148

Daily total=$18+$36+$148=$202
3 Adult DxDP=$79x3=$237

When you substitute out one of those Signature dinners for a QS dinner at the MK, since MK days tend to result in doubling up on CS or, at a minimum, a cheaper dinner, the difference becomes even more stark. The per diem for the MK day is closer to $100 for 3 people instead of $237 for the DxDP.

Basic DP would not be enough credits for this style of eating, since it involves a Signature basically every night and the basic DP does not allow for the purchase of appetizers, which in our style of eating, is non-negotiable. And DxDP is not a money saver since you are not eating TS breakfasts or character buffets at around $50 pp.

Rather than there being a "right" or "wrong" way to view the plan, I think it boils down to 3 major variables.
1. Do you eat TS breakfasts most days;
2. Do you do a fair amount of character buffets; and
3. Do you eat appetizers and desserts at BOTH lunch and dinner every day.

If the answer to these three questions is "Yes", then I think you see a savings. If it is "No", then OOP is the way to go. Neither way is right or wrong. They are just different.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . astronomical food cost . . .

Disney weekly food cost is not astronomical, when compared to
. . . the price of a pound of gold
. . . the cost of putting a man on the moon
. . . the expense of getting your kid through college
OK, so maybe all these are about the same price.

 

[ReneeA]

On an average day at home, we aren't big breakfast eaters, so I pack some breakfast bars and snacks in a suitcase for breakfasts. Then everyone is ready for lunch really early from all the running around, so we eat a CS lunch at about 11am (perfect time - restaurants are empty at that time). Snacks in the afternoon and then an early TS dinner. The regular DDP works really, really well for us, and since we've used it for 5 long trips we have it down to a science.

I know that the DxDDP wouldn't work for us - my kids would never agree to that much time (between travel, waiting for ADRs and dining time), I don't want to eat that much, and I certainly don't want to spend that much money between that plan and tips.

 

[twooley2]

Disney weekly food cost is not astronomical, when compared to
. . . the price of a pound of gold
. . . the cost of putting a man on the moon
. . . the expense of getting your kid through college
OK, so maybe all these are about the same price.

you have a point there and surely makes me laugh

 

[twooley2]

On an average day at home, we aren't big breakfast eaters, so I pack some breakfast bars and snacks in a suitcase for breakfasts. Then everyone is ready for lunch really early from all the running around, so we eat a CS lunch at about 11am (perfect time - restaurants are empty at that time). Snacks in the afternoon and then an early TS dinner. The regular DDP works really, really well for us, and since we've used it for 5 long trips we have it down to a science.

I know that the DxDDP wouldn't work for us - my kids would never agree to that much time (between travel, waiting for ADRs and dining time), I don't want to eat that much, and I certainly don't want to spend that much money between that plan and tips.

I find it hard to predict how my family would be at Disney vs at home. I find we never eat breakfast at home but when on vacation we eat breakfast daily and they get hungrier more often especially teens

 

[ccgirl]

Can we all agree on one thing??? The value of any dining plan depends ENTIRELY on how your family eats. And if you adjust your normal eating habits to account for the dining plan, I think you are doing yourself more harm than good. ccgirl sets our her math. It works for her because she is eating an app, entree and dessert with AMOST EVERY lunch and dinner. If this is how you eat, then more power to you, and you are probably seeing a savings. But if you eat as set out below, (which is more in line with my family), you don't save any money:

Breakfast:
Eat in room from groceries (muffin, OJ, or similar) bought at Publix. Dad eats while mom bathes. Mom eats while dad showers. Kid eats (or not) while we get ready for rope drop. No Disney purchased breakfasts at all. EVER.
Average cost per person per day=$6 x 3 people=$18.

Lunch:
CS at park.
Average cost per person per day=$12 x 3 people=$36

Dinner:
TS at a Signature.
Appetizers: 3 x 11 (on average)=$33
Entrees: 3 x 35 (on average)=$105
Dessert: 1 split among the 3 of us=$10
Total=$148

Daily total=$18+$36+$148=$202
3 Adult DxDP=$79x3=$237

When you substitute out one of those Signature dinners for a QS dinner at the MK, since MK days tend to result in doubling up on CS or, at a minimum, a cheaper dinner, the difference becomes even more stark. The per diem for the MK day is closer to $100 for 3 people instead of $237 for the DxDP.

Basic DP would not be enough credits for this style of eating, since it involves a Signature basically every night and the basic DP does not allow for the purchase of appetizers, which in our style of eating, is non-negotiable. And DxDP is not a money saver since you are not eating TS breakfasts or character buffets at around $50 pp.

Rather than there being a "right" or "wrong" way to view the plan, I think it boils down to 3 major variables.
1. Do you eat TS breakfasts most days;
2. Do you do a fair amount of character buffets; and
3. Do you eat appetizers and desserts at BOTH lunch and dinner every day.

If the answer to these three questions is "Yes", then I think you see a savings. If it is "No", then OOP is the way to go. Neither way is right or wrong. They are just different.

I will absolutely agree with you there. My DH insists on 1 TS meal and he prefers dinner. So, for this trip the DxDDP works for us. We have also done the Regular plan (1TS, 1QS,1snack) quite a few times and come out ahead with that. This time, since we are doing F&W we wanted to have a plan with 2 snacks. In April, since we're going to have to pay a crazy amount on airfare I think we are going to nix the DP all together and make a grocery store run to bring food in the parks, eat at the timeshare, and maybe a few TS paid OOP thru the week. So, not only does the "value" of the DDP vary from family to family it can also vary from trip to trip. Going during "free" dining throws a whole 'nother caveat into it.

 

[JimmyV]

So, not only does the "value" of the DDP vary from family to family it can also vary from trip to trip.

Great point.

 

[AndreaDM]

I think it also depends on the time of year you go! Sure, you may not be as hungry in the August heat, but boy is it nice to sit down for an hour in a/c to relax and regroup. We were not on any dp last year since we booked through a conference, but got free ddp this year and just decided to upgrade to deluxe. Partly because we want to do HDDR, CRT and several sig. places. Also, because I don't want to depend on eating CS during the heat. Last year we stood in line in the heat, sat in the heat - that is if we were lucky enough to even get a seat, so we didn't feel refreshed at all. Yeah, it'll take away some time from touring to eat more TS, but this is our 5th trip so we're ok with not doing everything. We will end up with 2 TS (a one credit and a 2 credit each) a day and our snacks and I'm really looking forward to it! Plus, my DD8 is a night owl, so we plan to take advantage of the cooler evening emh. I'm also looking forward to being able to tell her "SURE!" pretty much every time she asks for a snack - dietary guidelines be damned at Disney! Now, if only they'd come up with a dp that included alcohol...

 

[Amy&Dan]

We like the dining plans simply to have our meals prepaid. We then budget in our tips OOP and souveniers OOP and that is all the money we need on our trip. We usually break even on the plans and that's fine by me. We don't do it for cost savings, but if we do end up saving that is an added bonus.

This is us too. I haven't done the math in awhile on the DxDP, but for us it would not save because we wouldn't do the plan in the manner you need to do it to save. For others its a huge savings.

I'll agree that the value is going to vary. And I'll definitely agree that even in the same family the value can vary with each trip. When the QSDP saved us a ton of money was back in October during Food and Wine. Getting two snacks a day was invaluable at the Food and Wine carts. Now coming up, I doubt we'll save a thing but since we got it for free (albeit free via paying rack rate for our room lol) I am not concerned. However, had FD not been available, I would not have booked the QSDP. Its going to be brutally hot so we probably won't eat as much and we come in very late and leave very early meaning we'll probably get stuck with some leftover credits. But you never know, I have two teenagers and my dd is in one of her "can't fill me up" modes so I may end up running out of credits!

My new rule is that if the DDP or QSDP is free, we will do it, as a family of four adults its our best savings.

The savings is not as deep as it once was on any of the plans, but prepaying and just letting my kids go all out is nice. Really nice. Also, we now split up with our teens some each day and its nice to not have to worry with giving them cash or worrying what they might charge on a room charge!

 

[LovesTimone]

We have done DDP and DDXDP -

We prefer DDXDP, we enjoy character meals and signature dinning, normally we have lots of snack credits, so we stop at Goofy's Candy shop at DTD after check out, or at the main street bakery our last night or if in Epcot the bakery in France YUM, and take the goodies home with us . We try to plan for meals for check out day, always breakfast some where to make the magic last a little longer. We have taken sandwiches for the road from the Earl of Sandwich. We will be doing DDXDP for just DH and I on our Dec trip. I am planning 2 maybe 3 signature meals.

I like having everything paid for and ordering what I want, We just feel that's what vacation time is all about.

 

[Tiger926]

Well I have to disagree with you. Our signature dinners were about the total cost of the plan. Our other meals were basically free after that. Most people cannot eat 3 meals a day. The signatures restaurants have better food also.

I guess we'll have to disagree then! We definitely don't find the Signatures to be so much better than the regular TS restaurants, and so we find paying cash to be better instead of using 2 credits. Also, eating at more Signatures may increase the tip budget, and that may not fit into someone's budget either.

I don't think the deluxe plan really saves that much money unless you eat everything that's included, (which is a ton of food unless you do signature meals every day to use up credits.) I actually think all the dining plans are just break even cost-wise, unless you eat steak every night, though I do like having everything paid for in advance.

Nope, we hardly ever order dessert, and sometimes don't order appetizers either. Plus, we don't order the most expensive items either. It seems people may not know the character meal buffet costs for peak season, since as I mentioned, a dinner is now over $50.00/adult with tax and tip, so 1 character dinner is the cost of the plan, plus there is still a CS and snack to use up. Kids wanted to do a few character meals during our regularly scheduled 2 week trip, and so by doing the DP, we are saving over $300.00 as opposed to paying out of pocket with TIW discount. The great thing is that as DVC members, we can pick and choose which days we want the plan for, and we also don't have to pay the peak season DP cost. So, for our 14 days, we are doing the DP 4 times, spread out over the 2 weeks - TS for dinner one day, and next day a CS lunch with a snack somewhere in between.

Yes, if you are actually going to eat 3 TS meals per day or do a lot of 2 credit meals, then then you can save money vs. out-of-pocket. But the first and only time we tried this, my kids and husband HATED it. Spending 6 or more hours per day going to and from ADRS, waiting for ADRs and eating is just too much time out of the park day. We love to do 1 TS per day and always do multiple character meals, which other an CRT are all 1 credit, so the basic plan works much better for us and there by saves us a ton more money. We bring some quickie breakfast items to eat on the way to the parks - granola/cereal bars, donuts, bagels, etc.- and then we eat an early CS meal around 11 or 11:30, have our mid-day snack and our TS for dinner. Works out great, we still have plenty of time to tour the parks, we still get to rest a bit and the kids are happy

Well, most people I know eat 3 meals per day. If you only eat granola bars for breakfast, and a CS hot dog or burger for lunch, then the DxDP would not be a good fit for you at all, so why would you purchase that plan? It's not the fault of the plan, if it doesn't fit your eating style. And again, I'll disagree that paying out of pocket is cheaper. We've done it all with dining: DDE/TIW, discounts (DVC and AP) and cash, so we really have compared the numbers many, many times. We've been comparing TIW to the dining plans for years, as we do a spreadsheet for each and every trip, and so if doing many character meals, the DP wins out each and every time, as we kids 3-9 years old.

I will agree though that the DxDP can be a lot of time in restaurants, but it never took us 6 hours per day in restaurants! We can get in and out of character meals within the hour, with 2 kids, as long as things are running smoothly in the restaurants. We have been so many times, so we are very efficient and brief with the characters, so that's not a problem for us.

It sounds like the regular plan fits your family's needs, so that is great!

Happy eating to all, Tiger

 

[gigi1313]

we found the DxDDP to work well for us... however, we also found that we got the most bang for our buck when we did the dinner shows... HDDR, SoA and CRT...

 

[JJsmama]

There is a big jump between DDP and DxDP, so many of us do the math and figure that we come out better to do the DDP plus some OOP. Actually, I started out booking the DxDP this year and was so excited. Then I started making our ADRs. That was exciting too until I started feeling sick from just the idea of eating that much! I can't imagine how we would feel if we actually did eat that much. We even need 3 meals a day, but they are much lighter - never Apps, Entrees, desserts, milkshakes as drinks....
Then I began to wonder how we were going to fit the parks between the meals Anyway, I downgraded to DDP and feel good about it. We will do 1-2 extra meals over the course of a week, but may end up even skipping those if we don't feel like rushing.

 

[dishguy1977]

Nope, totally disagree. In fact, the DxDP allows for the most amount of savings of any of the plans, especially if you travel during peak season. If you eat just 1 character meal per day, and then eat 2 other TS meals, you will more than make your money back. But, the biggest savings is with kids between 3-9 years old. The cost of 1 character meal during peak season, is more than the cost of the actual dining plan, and you still have 2 more TS meals, 2 snacks and a refillable mug to use. Remember, you also get appetizers with the DxDP too. Not sure if you've checked peak season buffet prices lately, but character dinners are close to $50.00/adult with tax and tip included!

Will totally disagree about Signatures as well. They are a waste of 2 credits as far as we are concerned, and not a good way to spend DxDP credits, IMHO.

We find the regular DP to not be much of a savings at all, as well as the Quick Serve plan.

Perhaps you find it a waste of money as you have lots of children to take into restaurants, which eats up a lot of time, or maybe they don't eat as much, but with respect to finances, the DxDP is a pretty good savings for most families, especially with younger kids and character meals.

The problem with the DxDP comes in terms of the total cost of it. When you multiple that by 7, 10 or 13 nights, like our summer vacations are always are, you have astronomical figures for food. The $4000.00 total mentioned by the OP is literally like 7 months of groceries for us!!! Yikes! BTDT though, and we won't do it again, as the total cost for long vacations is crazy!

Tiger

Pretty much exactly my thoughts. With 3 kids under 9 and doing lots of character meals it works out much cheaper to do DxDP. We did a bunch of signature last trip too but we won't be doing that again except for perhaps Narcoosees and CRT.

 

[Theosus]

so I finally had some time to look at the menus for our upcoming trip and the prices and even called Disney dining to get the buffet cost. wow is all I can say after spending 3700.00 on the deluxe dining plan for 6 persons counted as adults. an additional 750.00 in tips. I am not so sure the dining plan is saving us a lot. I figured the cash price of meals to be 3521.00 without tips and add the snacks if we spend each one at a maximum of 4.00 a snack to be 192.00 and add on the extra cs we have to spend equaling 5 extra ones. If we can down 5 more meals after 2 sit downs each day. Although the basic plan is not enough. Imagine their science to this. Oh I for got our refillable mugs that we wont be at the resort enough to use. Tell me why I went this route again

Never buy the refill mugs. If you do - stay at the same resort next time and bring your mugs back. Instead, keep drinks in a cooler in your room with ice. Dump out water and add fresh ice at night. We havent bought mugs in years, after using the same ones at all star sports three years in a row.
Last year we found our room in coronado had a fridge... so we didnt have to play the ice game either.

We arent big breakfast eaters. A pop tart or a kashi TLC bar is plenty with an orange juice or something.

That leaves the afternoon open for a quick service, and a table service at night, so we just use the regular dining plan.


I just had to put these ridiculous smile things in there...they are cluttering up my screen every time I make a post. Honestly, do we really need those stupid things? Is it still 1998?

 

[Colleen27]

It really depends on your eating habits. For my family, the DxDDP runs $2366 for 7 nights (4 adults, 1 child). Even with accounting for the fact that my middle child will sometimes order kids' items and that we frequently share dessert, my projected menu-price totals come to $2715. That's without counting the mugs, snack credits, or the 3 credits per person that I leave unplanned to use here and there as needed.

But we like to eat when we're on vacation. We won't be joining the clean plate club but we enjoy trying a bunch of different apps and entrees, and don't mind skipping or sharing dessert if we're too full to want it. And the DxDDP is flexible enough to allow for that, where the basic plan requires much more "perfect" use to get any value.

 

[TDC Nala]

Guests may not want the deluxe plan if they don't plan to eat two to three sit-down meals PER DAY. If you are not interested in signatures, that's three sit-down meals a day for most days. You can also use the credits for counter service, but you would possibly need to use about two thirds of your credits for table service if your intent is to at least break even on the cost of the plan, and you don't put any extra value on the "convenience" that would justify to your party doing the plan despite the fact that you might have actually spent less going OOP.