Dining Plan dilema....

[Stitch65]

So I'm back on the fence about the DDP. I thought we were going to do it. I even have all my ADR's. But now I'm rethinking. I reran some numbers, and if I order groceries from garden grocer and bring in sandwiches and snacks, we could save something to the tune of $400. So I'm thinking no DDP. Anyone else out there "eating out of the backpack" at the mouse? It's tempting to get the DDP, but honestly I think it will be way too much food. Opinions?

 

[Suzanne74]

Being a a frugal fanny I can see your temptation to save and yes there is a lot of food for the DDP but honestly I think the price is worth it. Not necessarily for the food but you will feel so much more relaxed then trying to cart around food, worry about groceries, trying to calculate the amount of money you spent, taxes, tips, cash in hand or should I use a credit card. More travelers checks. I don't know - it just seems so much nicer to have an all-inclusive disney vacation. You can try things you may have never tried. Go to restaurants you thought were too expensive. Take one bite of a dessert and not feel guilty for not finishing it. Carry around one card that takes care of everything for you. Less to worry about.

I wouldn't worry about the amount of food. Many people here talk about the best bang for your buck, huge meals, eat - eat - eat!! Well it doesn't have to be like that. You also don't have to pick TS meals that take a long time either. There are many places that you can get in and out fairly quickly or you can split CS meals (since they are big) and go to a couple of signature meals for TS only. I just think it gives you so many more options...

 

[lark]

So I'm back on the fence about the DDP. I thought we were going to do it. I even have all my ADR's. But now I'm rethinking. I reran some numbers, and if I order groceries from garden grocer and bring in sandwiches and snacks, we could save something to the tune of $400. So I'm thinking no DDP. Anyone else out there "eating out of the backpack" at the mouse? It's tempting to get the DDP, but honestly I think it will be way too much food. Opinions?

Add in the fact that even with the dining plan, it takes a huge amount of discipline to spend NO extra money on food, particularly toward the end, when the snack credits are running out and you want some water.

$400 is a lot. The reality is that we don't really go to disney for the food. If there were no such thing as the dining plan, we wouldn't eat nearly that many TS meals, and frankly, TS (other than character meals) tends to take us away from the other stuff we like to do, particularly when you add in the transportation and stuff. (Seems like with the dining plan, you end up planning just as much transportation to hit all the restaurants as you do planning transportation for the parks!) That said, we end up spending on meals not a whole lot less than that cost of the plan -- maybe $20 a day less. You can get a lot of great food for that extra $20 that the plan costs, particularly if you use all the little dining plan tricks. Still, I hear where you're coming from. It's easy to get seduced by the dining plan.

Just one opinion, though -- people really seem to love it. Free dining is another story, but even there, getting bumped up to rack rates doesn't seem worth it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

But most Guests pay rack rate anyway. Sure there are AP and AAA discounts, and some people get postcard/PIN discount offers, but mostly the rooms are all going at rack rate now.

 

[Stitch65]

Well, we're paying rack rate, but I did have the option to have an AP discount (my sis is coming at the same time, and she has an AP) I changed it back to rack rate so that we could get the May package incentive, which was a free upgrade to Park Hopper and Water fun & More, so we're going to utilize that and go BB and DQ. So by adding the dining plan I wouldn't have to change my room rate... But it turns out to cost us 100 bucks a day, and here are my pros/cons:

Cons:
1. Transportation time to resteraunts (most of my Adr's are at the park we plan to be at, but a few are at the resorts.)

2. Eating time (I did plan on mostly the "all-you-care-to-eat" TS in order to cut down on time.

3. I would be worried about ALL THAT FOOD!

4. I'm worried about breakfast. I really don't want to pay out of pocket for food, but I know it's inevitable. I know people share CS meals to cover breakfast, does this really work? I'm not sure sharing 2 meals for morning and 2 meals for lunch will work? Maybe I could just bring in a few groceries for breakfasts in the room. I also planned on bringing water/drinks with us.

Pros:

1. Eat at places I never would without the DDP (Like LeCellier)

2. No worries about packing the backpack with food

3. More character meals. ~

4. Get to try foods (apps and deserts) I wouldn't normally order

The DDP would cost us $892, my guess for extras is about $100

W/O the plan I would be buying about $100 worth of groceries, I figured we'd spend $720 in the parks (that's with 3 TS meals total for trip + 1 CS a day for us).

So really I'm only saving about $270. So I don't know what i was thinking when I said $400. But that's still $270! That's souvie money! Oh, how I hate indecision. My husband is going nuts because I can't make up my mind.

HELP!

 

[Kick Save]

Have your sis with the AP call up and get the Disney Dining Experience card ($60, I think), and then you'll have the best of both worlds...cheaper meals at the places you don't think you'd eat, and the ability to eat out of the backpack for lunch and what not.

This is our normal move, as we enjoy a lot of the Disney resturants for dinner. You save 20% with the DDE card at practically every TS resturant there is at WDW. (A few exceptions, they're listed.) It'll even save you 20% at a few counter service places. Ours paid for itself by the second or third meal.

 

[Stitch65]

Does she have to be with us to use the DDE card?

 

[Kick Save]

Yes she does, the card will be in her name and the discount is only good for the cardholder.

 

[drogerstn]

Based on "eating the way we want to eat", we would spend an extra $250 over a 7-day period for my family of 4 "adults". We eat occasional TS meals for breakfast or lunch which happen to be less expensive than evening TS and we don't eat desserts or appetizers with our meals. We eat a few breakfasts in our room while everyone is getting ready for the day and a couple of sandwich meals in our room for a lunch or supper. We eat a few meals at the food court or at CS in the parks. (I'd rather do a TS meal for lunch or late breakfast to break up a long, hot day than in the evening.) This adds up to significantly less than $38 per person per day.

Not only do we save some money on food, but it is sometimes very convenient to take a break at our resort and fix sandwiches for a meal and relax (no waiting in line nor worry to decide on where and what to eat).

On our 1st visit to WDW, we took sandwiches and drinks in a soft-sided cooler into the park and rented a locker. (Locker rates have gone up since then.) It was nice not having to wait in line for our meal and not having to worry about where we would eat and what we would eat. Carrying a small cooler into the park is not a major burden.

Trying to fit in TS meals and getting our money's worth with the DDP is too much of a hassle, especially since we don't consider eating supper at TS restaurants to be a big deal or a big part of our WDW experience. We want to stay flexible day-to-day and base our evening meals on how we feel. Some days we may just be hot and tired and want to go back to our room and don't want to deal with going to a pre-determined TS restaurant to eat. Also, as the week goes along, we may make changes in our plans regarding which parks to visit and which attractions we want to ride (or ride again).

It doesn't make sense to let the DDP dictate your schedule or budget. Let your schedule and budget determine whether the DDP fits or not; for many guests it does not.

 

[karla63]

taking a group of high school girl scouts. had planned on cooking the evening meals back at the room, but decided that we were better off the do the DDP and let the girls experience different foods,etc. Also its going to give us more freedom and not have to worry about going back and fixing dinner,etc.

 

[Bete]

I don't want to be chief cook, bottle washer, etc. on vacation. Enjoy your family more and go for it. We have some great discussions with our meals. It's a great time to come together and communicate. Also, I find it a nice rest to be at a Disney park and eating whether it's TS or CS. It's rejuvenating for us. The theming at these restaurants are great, too and if you go to some of the character meals that adds to the fun. The key is to get ADRs for the TS places and eating early at the CS places to save time. The waiting time is minimal, if you do it this way. We still have breakfast items in the room, as well. There are plenty of sites where you can get menus and decide ahead of time what everyone will be eating. This will save time at the restaurants, if that's a big factor for you. You can still change your mind, but it's a little bit of a head start.

There are two great perks about the dining plan that are overlooked: If you order correctly, you will beat the game of the price it originally costs and tax and tip are included with the plan. I would recalculate my costs based on these factors. Now, I will say we tip extra (about 5% to 8% more) for good service, but it's not required. A while back there was discussion about the tipping and somehow the waiter will pocket only 10% of the tip the way Disney does it in their paychecks; so, we try to make up the difference.

Having done it the thrifty way and with the plan, I vote for the plan from here on out. DDE is ok, but I still feel the plan is the best.

 

[Suzanne74]

I'm worried about breakfast. I really don't want to pay out of pocket for food, but I know it's inevitable. I know people share CS meals to cover breakfast, does this really work? I'm not sure sharing 2 meals for morning and 2 meals for lunch will work? Maybe I could just bring in a few groceries for breakfasts in the room. I also planned on bringing water/drinks with us.

last year on the DDP, I brought a package of bottled water, a package of apple juice boxes, cereal bars and a 6pk fruit cups - this all was packed in an extra bag for souveniers. We didn't use the dining plan at all for breakfast. Mainly because we like to utilize the morning time to get lots of rides down. It is not as hot and less crowds. So we munch on something quick while getting ready and then eat an early lunch (before noon) which was always quick since the lines/tables were never busy. Then we always had opening first reservations at TS meals so there was no wait at like 5pm. It always worked out really well as we were back out in the park by 6:15pm at the latest, most of the time before 6. Also you definately can share CS meals because at some of the places they are huge but we rarely did and still had 2 CS meals and 2 snacks leftover on our last day. We gave away the CS meals to another family arriving and bought 2 rice krispie bars to go home with. I still have yet to find anyone on this site who says there wasn't enough food. You won't want to eat 3 large meals a day anyway. Either do late breakfasts or early lunches and you will be fine.

Oh also - on our trip last year I checked my Disney Visa and we spent a total of $215 on all other things and about $35-40 of that was food.

 

[Stitch65]

Doing the DDP is pretty much a wash for us either way... Without it, we'll be eating at TS 3 times... With it would be 9 times. I'm not sure I'm up for 9 sit-down dinners (we're not that kind of family ~ we're perfectly content eating PB & J sandwiches on the curb people-watching)... So I'm thinking we're going without the plan. I have the feeling that will "free us up" is terms of scheduling, I wouldn't want to do the plan without ADRs and with the 9 ADR's I felt very scheduled. Now, don't get me wrong, we've got a detailed plan on what rides we want to do, in what order, and what days we're going to the parks, however, if we're trying to get to ADR's I'm afraid that'll get in the way of our flexibility. KWIM? Maybe I'm just afraid of the unknown.... and I've never eaten at more than 2 TS in a single vacation, my family enjoys CS!

Ugh.

Another con of the DDP is that we all seem to get hungry at different times, and not being on the plan gives us the freedom to eat at diffenet times, if we had all those ADRs I would feel like saving up our appetite for the TS's....

AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH! Too many factors and I'm on overload. My DH suggested that we got without the plan, track our food spending, and then decide if we should do the plan NEXT trip.... I'm thinking that's what we'll do....

 

[jann1033]

the dining plan is a no brainer for us as we already do 1 cs and 1 ts a day. and since most times the cs is practically free with the ddp, if i don't order all the ts so what, i'm not really losing money just not saving as much... however going to different ts is a part of our trip and truthfully i couldn't stand to just have a pb& j every day, i can't even stand a burger every day . i start wanting a MEAL with veggies etc,not just fast food. but we eat the same way at home so to each his own.

i have tried the "take food" to eat in the room and we rarely do it except maybe a really quick breakfst, just not worth the bother to save a few $$ imo...now if it meant going or not, i would but i'd rather save longer and not worry about every dime. but i can see how if someone is happy with just a sandwich, the ddp would be a waste and you might as well take the pb jar and bread rather than pay for it

 

[brivers222]

Not only must you just run dollar figures... Also think of the time you will be spending making all the food! DDP allows you to relax, keep the checkbook in your pocket and allow others to wait on you hand and foot. ITs a vacation, why cloud it over with having to worry about making the next meal.

 

[lark]

This is an interesting thread. When magic your way was announced, it was marketed as being "flexible," recognizing different strokes for different folks. The cynic in me thought, sure -- that's just a bunch of marketing gobbledy-gook for disney to basically raise ticket prices without saying they are doing it, find other ways to get people to pay rack for rooms, and sell expensive packages that give the appearance of a modest discount for longer stays to get people to book longer and spend more money on other stuff.

I still believe all that! ;0) (They are, after all, a for profit corporation.) But reading threads like this does make it clear that for planners, there really is flexibility -- different strokes for different folks.

 

[mdoc]

I've never done the DDP, for a few reasons. First, we rarely do more than one or at most two sit down meals at WDW in a 7-9 day trip. We usually do counter service in the parks and breakfast and sometimes other meals in our camper (Fort Wilderness), and we never get dessert. Second, my kids tend to be grazers and snackers and would be unlikely to eat much at meals. Third, I'd feel compelled to overeat to get my money's worth, and then I'd feel stuffed and gain weight (I have no self control). If we usually ate that way (one sit down meal, including entree and dessert, one counter service meal, including entree and dessert, one snack, etc.), we'd save money, but that's not the way we normally eat.

 

[elastigirl]

I think it's fine if you think the DP isn't for you. If you weren't planning on spending that much on food to begin with, if you don't usually eat that much or CS/TS restaurants as the plan is for, or you don't want to change up to try more TS than you would normally for time and/or money reasons - then I think it's fine to skip it.

The DP is a great deal for many people. But it's also a marketing ploy to get people exclusively into Disney restaurants - especially guests like the OP who normally don't spend that much time or money on TS restaurants (or food in general) by giving them a *great deal!* and getting them to spend money they otherwise wouldn't.

 

[christinou]

Yes she does, the card will be in her name and the discount is only good for the cardholder.

That is actually not quite correct concerning the DDE card, yes the card will be in her name, but it will cover up to 10 guests. It is a great saving.

 

[BTown]

Well, for me, here is the bottom line on the DDP. It's $40 a day, per person. Now, I refuse to bring in outside food, or worry about all that nonsense, but any reasonable person can eat comfortably at Disney for about $20 a day, or maybe even less. To me, where the dining plan is worth it, is it allows me to not have to worry about money spent, cash in hand, or any of that other nonsense. Also, it allows me to have at least one fantastic meal per night, that I might not have otherwise had. So, as far as I am concerned, to have the best, most relaxed visit possible, the dining plan is the only way to go. If you are looking only at bottom line, it's probably not the best option. Realistically, the only way you actually SAVE money, is if you were planning on eating one TS meal per night, regardless of the plan. But having the plan, trying out new resturants, and not having to worry about out of pocket expenses for food while in the park, and the peace of mind of having all your food taken care of before you start your trip, that is worth almost any amount of money to me.