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

[DisBuckMan]

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.

Great post. It's all extremely personal and varies from family to family as to whether it makes financial sense or not. No one else can answer the question "is it best for my family" other than yourself. Your family's demographics (adults/children) and dining habits (character meals/buffets/what you tend to order) rarely match another's.

*WE* don't do the DDP because we are a family of 3 Disney adults (son is 10). *WE* don't do character meals anymore, because our son sees it as a waste of park time, and my wife and I agree with him. *WE* want to order what we're in the mood for off the menu. *WE* feel the DDP is simply too much food for us, as we either ate too much or wasted a ton of food the couple of times we had it.

Our reasons for not doing the DDP vary from those who:

(1) do get the DDP and see monetary value in it,
(2) do get the DDP and don't necessarily see monetary value in it, but like it for the convenience or "all-inclusive" feel, or less stress, etc...
(3) don't get the DDP for any reasons other than ours,
(4) any other reason people get or don't get the DDP.

Some people love the "freedom" that getting the dining plan affords them in ordering what they want off the menu, while others state the "restricitive" part of the DDP in enticing them to choose from the more expensive options to make sure they're "getting ahead" by buying the DDP, or not having the flexibility to get an appetizer rather than a dessert, etc.

It's different for everyone. The only thing you can do is educate yourself on what it will cost you both ways and choose the best for your family, or you fall into category (2) above and just buy the DDP regardless of cost..and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Misha72683]

It was worth it for us, but we had three adults and two kids and we did a lot of buffets/character meals, which is where you tend to come out ahead. We also used a lot of our snack credits for pricier items at F&W. Oh and Starbucks. The fact that you can get any size for a SC is pretty awesome. Still, it was only about a savings of $50 for us all together, but we also really liked the convience and we loved having the mugs.

 

[hammie59]

We paid for the regular DDP once. We don't usually dine out that much on vacation, so it was like a treat for us. I do remember trying to order the most expensive items to get the "full value" out of it, which at times seemed slightly stressful. Some people don't care about that, but that's just me-the bargain hunter. I also didn't like being tied to reservations everyday. I decided that if we were to ever pay for it again, it would be when we planned on a lot of specialty dining (i.e. Fantasmic! package, dinner shows, Cinderella's castle and other character meals). Basically meals that are more expensive than normal and/or take 2 credits. That way we'd really be using the plan to our advantage and not being tied to ressies everyday. In between meals would be what we usually do, sandwiches or meals in the room. Our next trip will be our first time with free dining. We won't have to worry about ressies because we're doing the quick service plan. We're purposely staying at a value in order to get it since I feel like this will work best with our care free trip we have planned (12 days with only 6 park days plus waterparks) and save us the most money. When I ran the numbers, it made more sense (for us) to stay value with free dining as opposed to mod or deluxe and regular DDP since we'd be paying rack rate. In the past without FD, we always booked with a really decent room or package discount.

 

[disneyjunkie]

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.

The original plan did not include 3 TS meals. All of the Magic Your Way stuff was introduced in January 2005. We used in April of 2005. It included 1 TS, 1QS, 1snack, appetizer and tip.

 

[loves to dive]

The original plan did not include 3 TS meals. All of the Magic Your Way stuff was introduced in January 2005. We used in April of 2005. It included 1 TS, 1QS, 1snack, appetizer and tip.

There was a plan before this one that did include 3 meals a day, it was long before free dining and it wasn't advertised a lot.

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

Never mind. I asked too soon. The answer was on the next page.

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

There is a cancellation fee to drip the DDP? I just removed mine from my reservation with no issues. Or do you mean a cancellation fee for the restaurant?

 

[sharonabe]

Never mind. I asked too soon. The answer was on the next page.


There is a cancellation fee to drip the DDP? I just removed mine from my reservation with no issues. Or do you mean a cancellation fee for the restaurant?

I think the policy is if you make any changes to your package AFTER you've paid in full, there is a change fee. If the changes result in a higher cost, the fee is usually waived, but if it reduces your cost, you pay it.

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

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

How do you do this? I thought changing your QS credit into 3 snacks had to be done in the same transaction. Are you saying you use a QS credit to get the entree, use the mug for a drink, and convert the drink that comes with the QS meal to a snack credit that now sits on your card to use later? Or are you splitting up one QS credit into 3 snacks that you all use for breakfast at the same time? If that's the case, how does the mug factor in how is that converting the drink portion? I also thought mugs could only be used at resorts.

Forgive me, I'm a newbie and this is a bit confusing.

 

[Rebecca Pearson]

I think it is worth it even if you would spend a little bit more money on the plan. We like being able to go in and eat and no worry about the prices just pick what we want. Which is perfect for us not having to worry how much we are spending because it is already paid for. Plus I have this thing where I don't like to get the most expensive meal out of everybody so i normally wait till everybody orders and pick something that cost less than theirs i know it sounds crazy and my fault but with the dining plan i don't have to do that but everybody is different if you don't think you will eat up to the 63 dollars then you could just put back how much you plan on spending per day

 

[DisBuckMan]

How do you do this? I thought changing your QS credit into 3 snacks had to be done in the same transaction. Are you saying you use a QS credit to get the entree, use the mug for a drink, and convert the drink that comes with the QS meal to a snack credit that now sits on your card to use later? Or are you splitting up one QS credit into 3 snacks that you all use for breakfast at the same time? If that's the case, how does the mug factor in how is that converting the drink portion? I also thought mugs could only be used at resorts.

Forgive me, I'm a newbie and this is a bit confusing.

No, the transaction has to occur at the same time. What the OP means is that they use their mug for their "drink" portion of their qs meal, then select a muffin or a pastry or something else worth a snack credit in the drink's place they can take back to the room to eat later.

And yes, mugs can ONLY be used at resorts. This "using your mug for your drink" doesn't work outside the resorts, unless you carry it with you to a park already full.

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

Oh! I see. That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[stratus]

We get the DxDDP every time. Now for me its about being carefree, I like to do whatever suits me, which includes character dining and what have you.

When we went on our honeymoon I charted the costs out of curiousity and we ended up ahead even as 2 adults (this was 2011). We went to places like France, and other higher end establishments and it was fantastic
I like to pay up front (thats why we bought into the DVC)

Others have said this is a very personal choice, and I agree. I am sure many will say this but... I work damn hard throughout the year, the primary reason I make money is to pay for things I don't want to do myself (generate eletctricity, do something with the garbage, or cook food). I have a sentimental feeling about such things that even if I "lost" $200-400 on the DP, I would still get it because when I go to disney, aside from dining reservations, I don't think about a damn thing until its time to leave

 

[disneyjunkie]

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.

I'm so tired of folks trying to tell others that they are wasting their money on the dining plan (staying onsite, park hoppers.....) Unless you're footing the bill, don't worry about how others decide to spend their vacation dollars. We have used the dining plan since it came out in 2005. We don't care about maxing the plan out. I have no problem using a snack credit for a bottle of water or bag of chips. I don't care if someone skips the desserts or appetizers. I only care about having as much of the trip paid off in advance as possible.

 

[stratus]

I'm so tired of folks trying to tell others that they are wasting their money on the dining plan (staying onsite, park hoppers.....) Unless you're footing the bill, don't worry about how others decide to spend their vacation dollars. We have used the dining plan since it came out in 2005. We don't care about maxing the plan out. I have no problem using a snack credit for a bottle of water or bag of chips. I don't care if someone skips the desserts or appetizers. I only care about having as much of the trip paid off in advance as possible.

Well said

 

[DisBuckMan]

I'm so tired of folks trying to tell others that they are wasting their money on the dining plan (staying onsite, park hoppers.....) Unless you're footing the bill, don't worry about how others decide to spend their vacation dollars. We have used the dining plan since it came out in 2005. We don't care about maxing the plan out. I have no problem using a snack credit for a bottle of water or bag of chips. I don't care if someone skips the desserts or appetizers. I only care about having as much of the trip paid off in advance as possible.

This would be a much better rant if it weren't posted in a thread where the entire point is "examining the cost".

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

This would be a much better rant if it weren't posted in a thread where the entire point is "examining the cost".

Yeah. I found this thread, including the comments about how others might not be crunching numbers to be helpful. And I didn't notice anyone telling others they are wasting their money, just various personal opinions or observations. Which was the point, right? I get that might happen on other threads and I'm no veteran around here, but I didn't witness that in this case.

But food for thought... As someone paying for my Disney experience on my own for the first time, I honestly thought I was missing something about the plan because it doesn't seem it would save me money. So to hear the various reasons that some do and some don't save, and why'd they'd get it regardless of that (including because they didn't crunch the numbers) is a useful data point for me.

I'd venture to say it's almost certain many people don't examine the costs. For one, I don't think most vacation planners go to forums like this to get all this information. I don't know anyone who researches a vacation like I do. My parents for example use a travel agent. They'd get a quote that included the DDP and, if that number was acceptable, approve it and move on. They would never crunch the numbers and it wouldn't be because they are irresponsible or stupid. Personally, I think pointing that out has value to some who don't know the ins and outs of Disney as well as many others around here.

 

[pangyal]

How do you do this? I thought changing your QS credit into 3 snacks had to be done in the same transaction. Are you saying you use a QS credit to get the entree, use the mug for a drink, and convert the drink that comes with the QS meal to a snack credit that now sits on your card to use later? Or are you splitting up one QS credit into 3 snacks that you all use for breakfast at the same time? If that's the case, how does the mug factor in how is that converting the drink portion? I also thought mugs could only be used at resorts.

Forgive me, I'm a newbie and this is a bit confusing.

Yes, I apologize- DisBuckMan explained it perfectly and I absolutely should have clarified that this could only be done at the resorts! We were lucky to have the Boardwalk Bakery there with all of the substitution options, but obviously this would not be so clear cut and worthwhile if all of our QS meals had been at MK. Though, we did book a lot of pre park opening BOG breakfasts only to make good use of the QS credits. Otherwise, we would have had light breakfasts in the room.

Keep in mind as well that many of the people responding on the thread, myself included, are DVC members and therefore have access to anywhere from a kitchenette to a full kitchen...this will skew the numbers for the value of the dining plan as well as it will obviously impact eating habits to have sink/kitchen/microwave/toaster etc.

 

[Lisa F]

Yes, I apologize- DisBuckMan explained it perfectly and I absolutely should have clarified that this could only be done at the resorts! We were lucky to have the Boardwalk Bakery there with all of the substitution options, but obviously this would not be so clear cut and worthwhile if all of our QS meals had been at MK. Though, we did book a lot of pre park opening BOG breakfasts only to make good use of the QS credits. Otherwise, we would have had light breakfasts in the room.

Keep in mind as well that many of the people responding on the thread, myself included, are DVC members and therefore have access to anywhere from a kitchenette to a full kitchen...this will skew the numbers for the value of the dining plan as well as it will obviously impact eating habits to have sink/kitchen/microwave/toaster etc.

I'm dvc but a microwave and toaster (we are staying in a studio) is no substitute for a character meal we are doing the DxDDP and glad to be paying DVC's 2015 contracted prices while meals are going up everywhere - even more of a savings.

 

[kreckl]

What's DVC's contracted prices mean?

 

[DisBuckMan]

What's DVC's contracted prices mean?

DVC members get a small discount on the dining plan. For adults, the discount works out to $3.35 per person per day on the DxDP, $1.86 per person per day on the DDP, and $1.29 per person per day.