Dining plan $ allowance?

[ncbyrne]

I'm trying to decide if the regular dining plan is worth it? What's the per day per person amount allowed on a package for food?

 

[Marionnette]

I'm trying to decide if the regular dining plan is worth it? What's the per day per person amount allowed on a package for food?

There is a per-day cost but not a per-day "allowance". With the regular dining plan, you get 1 TS meal, 1 QS meal and 1 snack per night per person. You also get a refillable mug for each person and it is good for the length of your stay or 14 consecutive days if you're staying more than 3 nights.

The TS meal will include a beverage, entree and a dessert. If you wish to dine at a signature restaurant, it will take 2 TS credits for a single meal.

The QS meal will also include a beverage, platter and a dessert.

Snacks are marked on QS and food court menus with the DDP logo.

 

[Jeff_G]

Here is a link to the Dining plan prices in case you were wondering.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-dining-plan.htm#prices2014

Most people will tell you that at best you will break even on the plan.

We have used it twice and if we were to goto DW again I probably would not use it.

For the snack credits I found there were too many things that were priced a few cents above the cutoff limit. We wouldn't order desert with lunch normally, and in the past we traded desert for a bottle of water. This year almost no restaurants would allow us to do that even through the water would have been cheaper for the restaurant.

So once you take out the deserts and the snack credits you end up paying more then just going out of pocket.

The only thing that would skew this would be if you are going to do a lot of buffets, if most of your meals are buffets then it might still be worth it.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

When my friends ask me if the dining plan is "worth it," I generally tell them that if they have children age 3-9 and want to do a lot of character meals, it is worth it. I think that once you have a child that ages up to a "Disney adult" it is harder to break even. That's my general answer, but it all depends on how you want to eat.

 

[lauradis]

For us its more of break even, prepay, husband likes it plan.

I really wish I could just convince him to load Disney Gift card with the cost of dinning and see what happens.

We don't order like we should to make the regular dinning plan a discount for us.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

as somebody who has used the dinning plan 6 times, I can tell you the only time it's "worth" it, is when it's free.

The plans are the best value specifically for families who have children under 9, that like to do the character meals. In that aspect, then yes, they may be of some value. After paying for the kids character meal, you are existentially getting a kids meal and snack free thereafter.

In order to break-even or even nearly come out ahead, you really have to plan your meals out.

You basically have to find and plan out to eat the most expensive meals you can find, even if they are not the ones you want, in order to make it worth it.

But, for an adult, the value really isn't there.

Think about it, the adult "regular" is approx $60 a day.

Break it down, that means your table service would have to be approx $40, your counter service approx $15 and your snack at least $5, now obviously these numbers could fluctuate either way, every day.

You'd be hard pressed to find a regular table service that rings in at least $40 for the entree, sides and a soft drink. The most expensive entree at AK is the steak at Rainforest Cafe comes in at $31, unless you're drinking a coke that is $9 or more, you haven't even broke even. H/S has a $30 steak at MM, again unless you're drink is $10+, you paid more for the plan, than you were able to use.

The less your table service costs, the harder it is to use the left over value through the counter service and snack credits.

I personally assign no value to the refillable mug. The cost of the mug and refills is essentially absorbed back into the plan, for all those thousands of people who don't utilize the full amount they have pre-paid. Okay, the mug may cost Disney $1, but the soda come in at .2-.3 cents per fill.

 

[Disneyluv111]

When my friends ask me if the dining plan is "worth it," I generally tell them that if they have children age 3-9 and want to do a lot of character meals, it is worth it. I think that once you have a child that ages up to a "Disney adult" it is harder to break even. That's my general answer, but it all depends on how you want to eat.

This would be true for us. There is myself, husband, and 10 year old child. All are light eaters. Me? I can eat! So DDP won't work for us. I could feed those two snacks all day, granola bars, apple sauce, goldfish, carrots, pears, cucumbers, celery, apples, bananas, and they would be fine the whole day. That's why my food budget (going to the grocery store in a rental) is 200. I might not even spend that much!

 

[Iowajes]

This year almost no restaurants would allow us to do that even through the water would have been cheaper for the restaurant.

Water costs less to the guest than a dessert in most cases, but that doesn't mean that giving a guest water costs the restaurant less than the dessert. Since it is no longer allowed, I'd say that the restaurant has a better mark-up on the dessert than the water, but the water bottles actually cost them more.

Even with labor, it costs nickels to make a cupcake. It must cost dimes to bring in water.


However, like you- dessert is why the dining plan makes no sense for me. It's only "worth it" if I consider the cost of desserts- that I really have no interest in eating, or ordering.

 

[ptlohmysoul]

I'm trying to decide if the regular dining plan is worth it? What's the per day per person amount allowed on a package for food?

Depends on where and what you eat whether it's worth it. Not sure what you mean by "a package for food"? You aren't given a dollar amount. You are allowed 1 Table Service, 1 Quick Service, and 1 Snack per day per person on the plan. The table service is a sit down restaurant which could be a buffet. The quick service is like fast food (as far as how you get your food). The 1 snack could be a drink or food item that qualifies (usually under $5, but not always).

 

[rosiebean]

A lot also depends on how you eat.

For example, I'm not a 'entree, dessert' eater. I might order an entree, but I might order an appetizer and split an entree with a family member...or just order two appetizers for my meal. I seldom eat dessert, and when I have dessert at a restaurant meal, it's usually shared with other people. I also drink water most meals, though I add an alcoholic beverage with dinner.

So the dining plan would not be of value to me.

It might fit you, especially if you plan on doing a lot of character meals. But in general, I don't think it's much of a savings...though some posters say they find the meal plan to be something that makes their vacation easier, and anything that takes stress off of you is a deal .