Dining plan not worth it unless you get it for free (examining the costs)

[supersnoop]

it is 1 adult and 3 kids for me, which may be why I am able to save so much?

Exactly. Kids make the plan worthwhile. Many people either don't notice or simply don't bother to do the math when their ten-year-old becomes an "adult."

Don't forget you'll probably be charged a cancellation fee when you drop the DDP, so your savings will go down.

You'll be charged a $50 change fee after the paid-in-full date, and a $15 expedite fee within 14 days of arrival.

I talked to Disney about this and they said as long as I cancel it before my final payment is due then I won't be charged a cancellation fee

Exactly.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Yeah. I mean, if you have a Disney child, eating at Akershus is more than a single day's payment for DDP for that day BEFORE you get a snack + QS meal. True of many character meals.

Having at least one kid per adult on your DDP and doing multiple character or buffet meals is the express route to having DDP make financial sense.

 

[maxiesmom]

I always run the numbers before each trip to see if the dining plan makes sense or not. I did get it for my trip in October, but I was lucky too in that I had locked it in before Disney raised the costs. There are a couple of web sites where you can plug in your ADRs and it will tell you how much you will save or spend extra using the plan. I rarely buy it, but it made sense for my upcoming trip and I am very glad to have it.

 

[VisionDisney]

We take the DxDDP and it is always cheaper for us. We only do 2 meals a day and it is usually signatures or the higher end 1TS, so for us we save quite a bit. We enjoy trying new things and last years trip I saved about 400$ if not more. There is the tip which is higher of course but we never have any regrets and eat well. On our last trip, we did not eat a hamburger or chicken nugget in 8 days.

 

[honeybunches]

I also feel like its less stressful when we have the dining plan and I feel like since its already paid I can order the most expensive thing on the menu and not even blink and eye at it.

This is exactly why I get the DP on every trip. It doesn't matter if I pay $100 more in the long run. My DH would be worried at every meal about the cost of the meal - even if it was on a prepaid card, or whatever. He would consider it money he could take home instead of spend, and would scrimp on his meal. That's just how he is. Seeing him relax when he opens the menu, knowing that he has all these credits to spend however he wants, and watching him get exactly what he wants -- it is a joy!

 

[Shanti]

I am just trying to reason this out logically here, as someone going in November and trying to sort out if its worth buying it.

To my understanding, the standard table service plan is now $63 and change per day for adults.

So lets reason this out- first off, the refillable cups don't mean anything to me, I don't drink soda, and I won't use them or care to carry them around, and you don't get alcohol anyway on the plan.

But on the plan, for each adult, each day you get one table service meal/drink/desert, one counter service meal/drink/desert, and a snack.

So, if I just opt to NOT get plan, and individually buy:
1. $30 dinner entrée at table service+$3 drink = $33
2. $15 for either breakfast or lunch/drink combo (reasonable number I think, and oftentimes possibly spend less
3. $5 snack item
This adds up to $53. Throw in some deserts for fun, say $10 more- and you reach the $63 cost of the daily dining plan.

BUT

I know I'm not spending $30 on an entrée most days, looking up menus, I'm generally eyeing up things in the 18-25 dollar range most days. So slash $5-10 from my daily total there. Deserts- I don't often order them if I have a choice, certainly not at a counter service lunch- just not hungry for them (and waistline doesn't need them). So, yeah, I think I come WELL below $63 most days. And even if I did want desert, i'd probably fall far under if my entrée is only $20 range.

From people with experience on this- does this logic seem sound? I think unless I ate the most expensive steak platter every day, or did $40+ buffet/character meals all the time, if you are paying for the dining plan, it would rarely be worth it. Obviously, if you are getting it for free, thats one thing, but paying for it generally won't add up.. Thoughts?

Yes, this is all true. The dining plan makes no economic sense unless you get it for "free" as part of a resort package offer, and even then only under certain conditions (staying in a less-expensive resort, with maximum occupancy). Many people pay for the dining plan anyway for other reasons, such as:

• They want to prepay for their meals before the trip, even if this means overpaying (this is common for people on tight budgets, who want fewer money worries on vacation),
• They like the way it "forces" them to take time out from manic park touring and have more sit-down meals than they would likely pay for if not on the plan, or
• They simply haven't crunched the numbers as you have and don't realize that paying for the dining plan is the opposite of a good deal.

 

[SunnieRN]

Of course, the dining plan being a good value depends upon the number of adults/children in your group, your eating habits/style, whether it's free or purchased, but, also what where you like to eat and how you utilize your entitlements.

On our upcoming vacation we will have 3 actual adults, one disney adult and one child. The two children can easily share an adult meal, both at table service and quick service restaurants. The extra credits can be used for breakfasts or if they don't eat well and need another meal.

At times my daughter and I share also, which allows us additional flexibility.

I am actually thinking of upgrading my younger grandson to an adult, as we only have one buffet scheduled, so we could do two additional TS meals with his credits. He doesn't care for the kids meals, but if he wanted one, we could purchase it OOP.

All these factors come into play when deciding the 'value' of any of the plans.

 

[CandiceF]

We have 3 kids 9 and under and do mostly character buffets. I've done the math and we still save money buying the Dining Plan!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

So after listening to some of the people on this thread and then talking with Disney, we are considering about booking the dining plan, but then drop it. I redid my dining plans and for some days we can now "consider" some quick service places and not think twice about it. I say we are considering them bc my son is on the spectrum and sometimes the quick service places can be hectic and noisy...so if he doesn't do well at the first attempt at a quick service place we can always book an ADR at that point. Not really concerned about what we will be able to get at the point, bc we will already have our must do ADRs booked. If we do it this way we are saving about $500-$600 by not getting the dining plan, which is a HUGE hunk of change in my opinion and because we can save that much by not getting the dining plan we can actually book an extra night and stay a little longer.

 

[Steelers0854]

We have used the DIning Plan the last 2 trips. The first trip it was included free, the second trip we paid for it. We decided that unless it comes free we will not do the Dining Plan again. We never have tried to maximize our costs or do a comparison we just feel that we often times get too much food. We would find ourselves at the end of a 10 day trip with 7 snacks leftover and then going to fudge shop with a number of goodies to take home. That's great and all, but I did pay for that food. If it comes free we are all for it, but we won't pay for it again.

 

[babesboo99]

The first time we did the DP we got the regular dining plan and we loved it my husband loved looking at the menu and not having to worry about a 2 or $300 bill coming so he just ordered what he wanted. On this trip in October we will be 2 adults and 2 children age 9 and we did the DxDDP this time so we can get the apps and the 2 snacks per day. I am not much of a breakfast person but my family is and we are doing a lot of signature meals this trip now that we have the DxDDP. We won't go with out it again we saved over $200 when we used the regular plan I m hoping to save alot more this time.

 

[rascooby]

I have been going around and around with this for our November trip. We will have our family of 5 and my mom. We are planning two rooms. I was able to get the dining plan for 4 of us if we stay at Pop. I don't really want to stay there, I would like to stay at a moderate. We don't want park-hoppers and we don't need preferred rooms, so doing the "free dining" package adds those costs. We also plan to be there Nov 12-19, so we would only get 4 days of dining and might have to switch rooms because we'd have to do 2 reservations (times 2 rooms).

I think I finally decided that the only way it will be worth it for us is if I can get it at Coronado Springs for 5 of us. That way we could share and it wouldn't be quick service. We had free dining last time and it was way, way too much food for our family. My kiddos are getting older, so we aren't planning on doing as many character meals, which does seem to make a difference.

 

[Cupcakesmum]

We have gotten it free for the last 3 years. Granted it's the CS but DH does not like to sit down restaurants with the kids. For us we're 3 adults (actual adults not Disney adults) and 3 kids in an AofA Suite. The savings are HUGE and the stress relief of meals is AWESEOME. We will do 2 TS out of pocket. Free dining has been a lifesaver for us. I'm sad that it looks like it's on it's way out. We also love the CS meals. I;m surprised so many people are so negative about them.

If/when we do go again in the future if we can't get the dining plan for free I will likely pay for it OOP as it really allows us to feel like we're at an all-inclusive and with 4 kids (one under 3) it allows a freedom of choice that is hard to repliacate when paying as you go.

 

[loves to dive]

Way back in the day when it was actually 3 sit down meals a day, like the deluxe plan is now and much less money, we used to pay for it. It wasn't a matter of convenience or ordering the most expensive thing on the menu but it was actually less expensive back then. I think there may have been only one snack per day and tips were included as well as an appetizer. As the years went by and they changed the way they structured the plan, taking out the tip, taking out breakfast, making it a QS meal, no appetizer but having to have a dessert, it made less and less sense to us. We also found as my son grew into a teenager and then an adult it just wasn't structured to our style. There are days we just want little meals, or days we just snack all day and we never make ADRs in advance. We don't look at prices on the menu, we just order what we want and still save money. I'm a small eater so usually get a kid's meal for breakfast and lunch and an appetizer and salad more often than not for supper. My son is not a breakfast eater at all and only likes one big meal a day and then a small one. I don't drink anything other than water or a refreshing adult beverage and coffee in the morning. Since we stay in the moderate or deluxe resorts, there is coffee in the room. We don't eat "snacks" during the day unless that is our meals and those aren't things like popcorn or ice cream but something like nachos in Mexico. We don't eat desserts every day. I don't do buffets, we never did character meals. It really depends on the family's eating style.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

We did free dining way back when it first started. it included both appetizer and tip so we did save money. However, we hated being tied down to sit-downs every day at the expense of park time. Since then, DD and i have done the QS plan, which didn't save any money but was fairly convenient. We never do more than 2 or 3 sit-down dinners in a week long trip anyway so OOP is fine with us.

 

[pangyal]

We weren't huge fans of the dining plan before this year, but DS is currently obsessed with character meals and is a very picky/light eater. With the new substitution and swapping possibilities, we were able to use our mugs for drinks at QS places and convert our drink portions to snack credits to use for breakfast the following day, saving another snack or QS credit in the process and freeing up those QS credits to use for adult meals at more expensive places like BOG for a PPO jump on the rides. But it was, as others have mentioned, the buffets and character meals where we really found the savings this trip. We did pay out of pocket for a few TS meals where it would have been a waste to use a credit, but we ended up way ahead even with that. Once kiddo turns ten, it's all over, though!

 

[NicoleLarson]

We live about an hour away and go often. Our stays are usually pretty short, sometimes just 1 night. Sometimes we do the DP, sometimes not. It just depends on what we want. Our best savings was last thanksgiving. We had the DxDP and did WCC for lunch, $40 for 2 adults and $20 for 1 kid. H&V for dinner with fantasmic, that was $60 for adult and $30 for kids. T Rex for lunch the next day. I don't remember our bill here but it was between our lunch and dinner bill. Don't remember our snacks but I remember when I added up the receipts we saved close to $200. Now it helps that we are DVC and have annual passes or it wouldn't be possible to get it for just one night. However, you can definitely save money IF you plan wisely.

 

[cobright]

Those snack credits make food and wine festival extra magical.

We crunched the numbers before and after our last few trips. Even paying full price for the DxDDP we either broke even, saved a little, or spent slightly more (like less than $200 or so over 10 day trip for 2 adults and 2 kids).

Worst case comparison was us spending an extra 5 bucks per day per person. Here's what we got for that savings on the trips we took without a ddp. We got fewer meals at better restaurants. Not because we couldn't afford them, but because when going somewhere nice means pulling the money out of your pocket, a trip to Casey's with everyone splitting a basket of fries just feels better in the moment.

When we look back, we have better memories from trips where eating wonderfully was a carefree choice. Compare the clientele of a QS diner and that of the average TS place... which crowd has more screaming unhappy people in it?

 

[Lisa F]

I've simply crunched the numbers for restaurants that i want to do and will be doing anyway and it is a large savings, costing me $577 for 4 nights of deluxe plan (used over 5 days) for $830 worth of food or so. That is a substantial savings and worth it to me. Character breakfast every day, a few 1TS and a few 2TS dinners every day. Will use it over 5 full days at WDW, checking in the night before at a different resort and then hitting the ground running the next day. 1 adult, 1 kid.

I love it when people say that those who buy the plan haven't crunched the numbers. I have. In detail. on DxDDP there is no question of whether i'd eat dessert at QS, because I am not doing any QS. I am doing many character, aycte or price fixe meals so the question of whether i'd order dessert doesn't matter., I'd have to pay that to go. I'm getting a 44% bonus by doing the DxDDP... that makes 1/3 of my meals free over what i'd spend anyway on other meals that are fixed price.

 

[CaliTex]

I agree about people that claim that those that purchase the DDP haven't crunched the numbers--please, folks; let's not presume that those that are purchasing the plan are somehow irresponsible or stupid. That's simply not fair, nor is it true.

Every person/family must decide what is best for them. OP, your math looks good to me. Only YOU know how you and your family like to dine and what you are looking for in your WDW vacation.

Again, as to the larger question of to buy, or not to buy (the DDP) that is the question...it's an individual question, there is no one answer. We buy the plan because I know us and we would end up at QS practically every meal. If we went to a TS, my DH would order the chicken sandwich (or cheap equivalent) every meal. It's just how he is.

If I want to (in some folks' minds) over-pay on DDxDP, that's my prerogative. I work very hard so that I can treat myself and my family where and how I like. I'm a landscape designer--I design outdoor kitchens, among other things. There is no way a second kitchen makes sense economically; rather it is something many of my clients desire. They do not crunch the numbers to make sure that they will be enjoying an acceptable ROI for the outdoor kitchen by preparing XX number of meals per annum on the outdoor grill. They pay me to build them a jaw dropping outdoor kitchen---- then they enjoy it. End of story.

Look, I totally understand and support making informed decisions when it comes to spending money and getting the best value for your vacation $$$. What I don't get is the inevitable condescending posts regarding the decisions people make spending THEIR money on THEIR vacation that pop up in Every. Single. Dis board discussion of FD. The rash generalizations are unnecessary and uncalled for, and I'm tired of it. Let's support and help one another, not condescend and snipe.

Love you all. And knock it off, YKWYA.