Dining or no dining?

[aretha30]

We have paid out of pocket the last two trips and have save hundreds! This last trip (just a few weeks ago) we came out over $500 ahead. We aren't soda drinkers and we don't want dessert with every meal either. For us the dining plan isn't worth it anymore; we did use it in the past before our oldest was considered a Disney adult. We do buy Disney gift cards at Target and save the 5% using our red card so all our meals are still pre-paid so it's still convenient.

 

[DisneyDeb83]

DH and I have gotten the dining plan twice. The full dining plan used to be worth it, when it cost less and tipping was included. We wasted a lot of food, with the appetizer and dessert included. Now as we get older I find that even two quick service meals are too much for us. We tend to share one meal, which normally is more than enough, and costs less than $20. If we are hungry, we tend to get a snack towards the end of the night. I will say I do feel jealous for some strange reason when I see someone using the dining plan, even though I know it is costing them more in most cases! And we can never get free dining since we rent DVC.

 

[hakepb]

Also, if you're like many folks, there is another consideration that does't fit the Dining Plan very well...
Split meals.

Although in the OP's context of Counter Service dining....it's easy to split CS meals

 

[epcotty]

We don't do the dining plan either, tax isn't a bad amount or anything if you pay out of pocket

 

[DisneyFive]

Didn't read all the replies, but if we didn't get the meal plan for "free", we wouldn't be buying it. We would pay out of pocket. Much more flexible that way. I'm not a big desert eater. Would rather use that money for an appetizer.

To me, the ONLY good thing about the dining plan is that you aren't thinking about the price of the dining options when you are ordering. You can order anything off the menu, For us, that tends to be the priciest options. We love a good seafood or fish dish, or a good steak and the tend to be on the pricier side. Heck, ALL Disney dining is pricey for what you get.

I especially would never buy the QS dining plan. I couldn't imagine eating QS meals for an entire week or more. The quality between QS and a regular TS meal is huge.

Dan

 

[Robo]

Although in the OP's context of Counter Service dining....it's easy to split CS meals

Nearly all meals, CS and TS, are physically somewhat easy to split.
That's not the problem I'm talking about.
With the DP resort package, everyone in your party is required to pay for all of the meals.

It's the cost of paying for (example) two meals, but only wanting to order (and split) ONE meal that is the
problem.
No so with out-of-pocket.

 

[GreatLakes]

I have never been able to find a scenario where the dining plan would be an economic benefit for us. The only thing approaching a benefit I've seen is that you can pre-pay for your meals and know your budget but there are other ways to do that exact same thing without buying the meal plan from using a pre-paid Visa gift card to using a standard credit card and tracking your spending on an app.

The other thing that I see on these boards that makes me shy away from the dining plan is the notion of maximizing your use of it. That is more with the TS plans then CS but you still see it. People ordering the more expensive entree then they really want because they feel they need to or people sitting down again for a TS restaurant because they have credits when they would really rather grab a quick CS meal and get onto another attraction.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I am planning for our January 14 day trip and am trying to decide whether to get the dining or not. It is just me and hubby and we are not big eaters so would just be getting the CS plan if we did. If we don't do you get charged tax when you order meals? We live in Oregon so we are not used to paying a tax on things. I like the convenience of not having to worry about how much each meal is costing and making it last till we leave but at the same time I don't want to pay $85 a day for us to eat and be way more than we would have paid out of pocket. I just don't know what to do!! I checked into the menus and and we really would not be ordering a dessert all the time probably just a entrée and a drink. How much to the mugs cost?

I really thought this meant.....to eat or not to eat? HAHA